globalbriefs


News and resources to inspire concerned citizens to work together in building a healthier, stronger society that benefits all.


No Rain African Savannas Hold Clues to Drought Relief


This year, much of the United States has experi- enced the most severe drought since the 1950s, prompting governors to declare emergency con- ditions. There is no guarantee that the crisis will be alleviated, but new research points to a way that farmers may be better able to cope. In the hotter, drier climate of the semiarid


African savanna, flowing between the Atlantic Ocean and Red Sea, farmers have successfully


fought back an expanding Sahara Desert and turned once dry, uncultivated scrub into highly productive farmland. The key to success is allowing trees to grow where they once cut them down, and adopting agricultural techniques that take full advantage of scarce water resources. Experts claim that today’s American farmers should recognize the benefits that trees can bring to even the most arid plots of land. Chris Reij, a sustainable land management specialist at Free University Amsterdam, who has worked in Africa since 1978, observes, “Given the situation in the U.S. corn belt, these practices might help farmers in Kansas and Iowa adapt to more extreme weather and help make their crops more resistant to drought.” Adding more trees, planted in rows between crops or bordering fields, could


provide many of the same benefits found in Africa: improved soil and water quality and windbreaks that keep dry topsoil from going airborne. Fallen leaves and twigs inject nutrients into the soil, reducing the need for expensive fertilizers that can also pollute nearby streams or wells. Trees cool temperatures on a local scale, trap carbon and clean the air. Their roots are natural filters between fields and water- ways and can help keep soil moist. Plus, tree fruits and nuts provide food for farm animals and wildlife. It’s an Early American agriculture tradition worth revisiting.


Find more information from the USDA National Agroforestry Center at nac.unl.edu.


Loving It Fast Food that’s Good Food


Mike Roberts, once the president and CEO of McDonald’s, has co- founded Lyfe Kitchen, a restaurant chain that aims to serve healthy food on a fast-food scale. The acronym Lyfe stands for Love Your Food Everyday, and the food is made without butter, cream, white sugar, white flour, high-fructose corn syrup, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), trans fats or additives. He foresees hundreds of the alternative bistros opening across


the country, all serving locally sourced, sustainable gourmet meals with the efficiency and economy usually found in a fast-food chain. With free-range chicken; burgers from grass-fed, humanely raised cattle; roasted kabocha squash; beet and rice salad and Napa cab- bage salad, costs are expected to be pricey at first, but decrease as more locations are added.


Visit LyfeKitchen.com. NA Fun Fact: The Natural


Awakenings’ iPhone / iPad app is used by 16,362 people & growing.


To advertise with us, call: 763-270-8604


natural awakenings November 2012 11


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32