Agroecology

Think those “organic” strawberries from China are better for the environment? Think again.

For most gardeners, springtime means a few seedlings on a window sill. But for perennial gardeners, spring is a time of harvest. The new book, , is a personal and heartwarming account of finding romance and growing a permaculture food forest of perennial plants on a degraded backyard plot in a gritty neighborhood of Holyoke, MA.

China may not be the first place that comes to mind when thinking about places that American organic farmers could learn from. American advocates of a safe and sustainable food chain learned a few things on their recent trip to organic farms near Beijing.

Middle-class Chinese worried about food safety in their country are starting to buy organic. But in a culture where you can get fake organic certificates, some worry that buying organic isn’t good enough.