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Asia Farming

You've probably heard of some of the food safety scandals that have rocked China in recent years: tainted milk, recycled cooking oil, toxic pesticides. But now there's one company in Beijing that's using hi-tech growing techniques to bring clean, pesticide-free veggies to the market. Chinese people have a hard time trusting the safety of their food these days, and produce is no exception. Many who have the means are willing to pay a lot more for produce that they can be sure is free of harmful pesticides and toxins. Enter Kingpeng Plant Factory. They specialize in hi-tech growing methods for producing high-end vegetables. Plants in the Beijing-based factory's artificial light room are grown in a liquid nutrient solution and fans are installed on the shelves, programmed to imitate different wind speeds according to each stage of the plant's development. Vegetables such as lettuce and bok choy are grown under banks of light emitting diodes—LEDs—which factory operators say are carefully designed to optimize growth and minimize costs. [Bu Yunlong, Chief Engineer, Kingpeng Plant Factory]: "For one thing, LED lights release less heat and this reduces the energy consumed in adjusting and controlling the environmental conditions. For another, the spectrum of the red and blue LED lights is more concentrated with a range from 400-630 nanometers. This is the ideal spectrum for a plant's photosynthesis." Kingpeng says their production is 15 to 20 times more efficient than traditional farming. But all of the money that goes into the production is reflected in the high price of the finished product. A Kingpeng lettuce, for example, costs about 5 times what you'd pay for a conventionally grown lettuce. So who can afford these super veggies? Beijing Xi San Qi bio-restaurant is a typical customer—high-end restaurants and hotels that use quality produce to attract wealthy, health conscious patrons. [Liu Xiaohui, Manager, Beijing Xi San Qi]: "I think the vegetables produced by Kingpeng Plant Factory have a good market future because in big cities like Beijing, people can afford to buy vegetables which are free of contamination and pesticides, even if they are more expensive than ordinary ones. More and more Chinese people will accept food that is good for their health." Kingpeng is still working on lowering production costs, presumably to make their products more affordable and accessible to a larger market.

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In May 2011 I travelled to China to see the rescued Moon Bears at the Animals Asia Sanctuary in Chengdu. This trip was to gather reference and material to paint and draw for my forthcoming art exhibition for AAF with sculpter Suzie Marsh. I thought I was prepared for what I was going to see, unfortunately I wasn't. This is a short story of what I found. Please support this wonderful charity and pass on this video and tell everyone you know if it touches you. Thank you.........www.richardsymonds.com www.animalsasia.org

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Nepal is a country of exceptional beauty, with an astonishing cultural diversity. Yet, besides the exceptional beauty of the majestic Himalayas, its natural resources, forest, rivers, mineral resources and fertile soils, are also the lifeline of Nepal's 90% population. And account for over 40% of the country's GDP. For decades, the isolation of Nepal has helped to maintain the pristine nature of this environment. However, over the last few decades, Nepal's natural capital has been degrading rapidly. Soil erosion, the loss of biodiversity, shortage of water, changing wheatear, are affecting food production, health, incomes and the environmental security of Nepal's growing population. This environmental degradation is especially affecting the poor. These challenges fostered local Governments to take the lead to take a more Sustainable development path. Thanks to a financial scheme that rewards with bigger budgets those local administrations that are exceeding in sustainability and thanks to the media's work to promote a greener development path, a number of local governments have launched multiple pioneering initiatives. Dhading District Development Committee and Rupandei District Development Committee, are part of the local governments that have increased the funds they allocate to green development. Actions include subsidizing biogas and solar panels installations and promoting sustainable agricultural practices. Interview to local Development officer Rupandei -- Narayan Gyawali "Every year, our development plans become more environmentally friendly. It is our priority to be more sustainable. Interview to Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Government Official "Now local bodies start to allocate more budget on environment and poverty related issues." Heavy machinery to extract natural resources has been banned from these areas. The Poverty-Environment Initiative works with the National Planning Commission and the Ministry of Local Government and Federal Affairs, to support the greening efforts of Dhading and Rupandei districts. PEI works to ensure that Environmental Impact Assessments and Initial Environmental Examinations are conducted while planning projects such as the construction of roads or the extraction of sand, gravel and stones. In order to ensure that these activities do not harm key ecosystems and that they employ local labor. Moreover, PEI supports the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Government to conduct trainings to local government planning officials. The aim is to design sustainable infrastructure, climate change adaptation and mitigation interventions, energy efficient solutions and organic farming. Pramila Dallakoti is 27 years old; she is a social mobilizer of Jogimara Village committee of Dhadding district. She works to ensure that communities adopt new technologies and practices such as bioengineering, energy efficient cooking stoves, biogas or sustainable road construction methods and understand their benefits. The work of the Nepalese local governments to achieve a more sustainable development path is already having a great impact on rural people livelihoods. For Arjun Kumari Mala, starting to use biogas and organic farming changed her life and the life of her five children. Constructing road with environmentally friendly methods has resulted in the creation of thousands of green jobs. The Nepalese local Governments decision to invest in greener technologies and practices to achieve more sustainable development is a change that deserves without any doubt international attention.

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Nov. 20 (Bloomberg) -- After winning with Waze, we look at the next Israeli startup Asia's richest man is backing. It's called Kaiima and they say they've got technology that boosts crop yields by up to two-thirds. Bloomberg's Elliott Gotkine reports. (Source: Bloomberg) -- Subscribe to Bloomberg on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/Bloomberg Bloomberg Television offers extensive coverage and analysis of international business news and stories of global importance. It is available in more than 310 million households worldwide and reaches the most affluent and influential viewers in terms of household income, asset value and education levels. With production hubs in London, New York and Hong Kong, the network provides 24-hour continuous coverage of the people, companies and ideas that move the markets.

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http://www.veria.com/ In this video from Veria Living we see What is Organic at Goodwood Estates sits on almost 3,000 acres of land; it's rather large for an organic farm. As a new mother, a cow can produce upwards of 30 liters of milk a day. Newborn calves usually drink only 10 liters a day, though, and a mother cow's milk production will quickly taper off to produce only the 10 liters her calf needs. As such, calves are separated from their mothers mere hours after they are born as a way to keep up milk production. Nathan takes comfort in knowing that these cows are still treated far better than they would be on a traditional commercial farm.

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Oliver spent 30 years in bear bile farms being "milked" daily for his bile - a period of time equal to the usual lifespan of a bear. Rescued in 2010 he is now seeing out his "borrowed time" at Animals Asia's sanctuary in Chengdu, China. Following his rescue Oliver was so sick that vets were forced into emergency surgery at the roadside. He wasn't expected to make it, never mind going on to enjoy a retirement where he's finally receiving the care and respect he deserves. Once described by Animals Asia founder Jill Robinson as a "broken bear", Jill has also said that, since his rehabilitation, there's just something about Oliver that suggests he's humming to himself as he wanders around his outdoor enclosure. Here's hoping he's humming a happy tune as be enjoys a surprise left for him by the Animals Asia bear team. More on Animals Asia's work to end bear bile farming here: https://www.animalsasia.org/intl/our-work/end-bear-bile-farming/

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Commercial shrimp farming in Southeast Asia is damaging to coastlines and an unsustainable source of food. The farming areas are used for only 3 - 5 years but need a up to a 30 - year recovery period. The shrimp are dosed with antibiotics. Learn more: http://lastvoices.com/ and http://binumi.com Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/lastvoices and http://twitter.com/binumi Like us on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LastVoicesMusic and http://www.facebook.com/binumi

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great769 shows you how to split wood quicker and easier then ever before . This method works with most types of wood, I've split maple , Birch, spruce and fir. If you doing only 5or6 cords a year this is a good little log splitting chopping block, now it won't replace a log splitter and its not intended to. Make sure its covered so the rain doesn't fill the tire so mosquitoes don't use it for a breeding ground. This is a great way to make kindling wood a real back saver and time saver. As we all know burning wood is a great way to reduce our dependence on fossil fuel and its cheaper than oil and with the rising of oil prices this for me is the way to go. Other Videos Scope Mounting A Lee Enfield Rifle, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m6maXuVa4M Make Your Own Instant Oatmeal, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64XWXgJGTQA00 Make Bushcraft Knife http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cujPDStB-s4, Grow Potatos In a Bucket http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzhhpGMcZhc, Make A Simple Hobo Stove http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXipks_fWAM

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http://www.veria.com/ In this video from Veria Living we see What is Organic in permaculture zoning. Permaculture zoning is a labor-saving principle centered around creating an environment where the natural behaviors of all living creatures can be most beneficial to the larger system. This means placing things that work well together close together, whether it's placing a pond in the middle of your garden to attract slug-eating frogs, or planting your fresh vegetables close to your kitchen so you can easily access them.

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