Shiva uses a philosophical critique of the scientific ideas that underpinned the rise of industrial agriculture and believes that the world should move towards the practice of agroecology, which draws on the new scientific paradigm that recognizes the interconnectedness of biological and social systems.
There are few agricultural inputs that can transcend the boundaries of various forms of agriculture, yet many conventional, organic and biodynamic farmers espouse the merits of a fermented cocktail generically referred to as EM.
Most organic growers know that a huge number of living organisms are found in just a spoonful of soil. But this diversity is not evenly distributed. Much of soil could be viewed as a desert, but occasionally one comes to an oasis filled with life. These oases are where plant roots are.
Recently, while flipping through a UK organic gardening catalogue, I was pleasantly surprised to find a seed blend entitled “Bats in the Garden Mix.” The mix contains nectar-rich flowers, including many with night-scented blossoms that attract nocturnal flying insects. These, in turn, attract the bats.
Since the mid 1990s, precipitation in many parts of Canada has become much more early in the 20th Century, Albert Howard, working in India, Noted the prominence of pests on crops where "artificials" (chemical fertilizers) were used, and their virtual absence in the traditional farming systems.