Tag: plants

Plants that feed the world: what are they? 4 tips from FAO – Italian cuisine reinvented by Gordon Ramsay

Even the lesser known and nutritious cereals, such as millet and sorghum, or grain-like and equally gluten-free alternatives, such as quinoa and amaranth, are on the rise. Minor, underutilized crops like these are now at the forefront of food trends, not only nutritionally, but also because many are beneficial to the environment.

Countries are becoming increasingly interdependent on crop varieties

With the climate crisis affecting precipitation patterns and global temperatures, some crop varieties no longer grow well in the places where they once thrived. For example, just a few years ago maybe not many would have predicted that corn would become difficult to grow in some areas of Africa. Yet, farmers in these areas are looking for other crops, such as millet, that are better suited to reducing rainfall. Changing climate patterns mean that countries will increasingly need to obtain plant varieties from other parts of the world to continue or improve their own production.

THE Climate change only increases interdependence, but countries have always depended on each other for crops that originate elsewhere. For example, the varieties of coffee from Africa have traveled around the world. While, when it comes to potatoes, South America has even more variety to offer than any other region.
In these contexts, the international treaty’s multilateral approach to collaboration between countries is increasingly important.

Tastes and fashions are also changing the demand for crops

L’evolution of tastes and trends is driving demand for new crop varieties from farmers looking to improve their livelihoods, whether growing quinoa or peas. But the new requests also come from other sectors, such as chefs, eager to explore the flavors and textures of traditional cereals, often more sustainable. For example, the Sierra Leonean chef, Fatmata Binta, has made a point of promoting fonio millet in her cuisine, which requires less water and is very nutritious. These voices were not part of the discussions when the international treaty was first negotiated, but now they are making themselves heard more and more.

Being the only one binding international agreement dedicated to the protection, conservation and exchange of plant genetic diversity that we grow and eat around the world, the international treaty plays an increasingly important role in our interdependent and ever-changing world.

The new report, which collects data relating to 355 crops, will play a critical role in informing policy discussions, including the update of the crop basket of Annex I of the international treaty. Thanks to the enormous amount of publicly available data underlying the study, it will also provide a key resource for researchers and decision makers globally. The report lays the foundation for humanity to explore the potential of thousands of other plants to meet our food needs in the future.

Source FAO

Terraced vegetable garden: boom in quarantine (and plants and seeds arrive at home) – Italian Cuisine

Sales of plants, seeds and equipment increased during the Covid-19 emergency with many activities being organized for home deliveries. Here's where to order and how to start your own home production

In this exceptional first part of spring that we are spending at home because of the emergency Coronavirus, we did not want to give up on ourselves flowers and plants beautifying balconies and gardens and not even planting sowing for vegetables, fruits and herbs that will sprout in this period and in the coming months. According to a monitoring carried out by Coldiretti, the weeks of quarantine have registered a boom of terrace gardens: sales of seeds, seedlings, fertilizers and domestic tools for cultivation have increased in supermarkets and nurseries (which have organized themselves with home sales). Who has enough space on the balcony or in the garden or even just on a windowsill has organized to start one home production of tomatoes, courgettes and lettuces, but also basil, rosemary, sage, thyme and mint.

Vegetable garden on the terrace: how to start

To start your own home growing, Coldiretti offers some tips.

Light, soil and anti-parasite nets

Consider the exposure of the balcony, because the seedlings need a good dose of light and heat to grow well.

Choose a suitable type of soil that must be sufficiently rich in nutrients, retain the water without creating water stagnation.

Do not use pesticide products, but to defend your crops with anti-insect nets or non-woven fabric, even by manually removing the insects.

If you are a beginner, choose seedlings to decant instead of seeds. They are more practical and allow you to see the fruits of your work first.

What to grow

Salad is the simplest cultivation (in fact it is the most requested) and guarantees the harvest after just 40 days with a cost of only a few cents.

Tomato seedlings are also very popular, even in miniature format.

Peppers, cucumbers, aubergines, spicy chillies with a thousand shapes, tomatoes with small and sweet fruits, green beans and any type of vegetable capable of growing in pots. It is – Coldiretti points out – in some cases of dwarf varieties obtained naturally through crosses, while other times they are normal garden products that adapt to growing even in small spaces such as pots, or in special supports that develop in vertical, making the most of limited space.

Home plants and seeds

On the company website Orto Mio, specialist in Forlì (FC) in the production of peat cube vegetable seedlings, in the Stores section there are the activities that deliver home delivery in your area (from north to south of Italy). You will also find a section dedicated to tips for growing the vegetable garden, one dedicated to cooking and one with the Live Garden where you can observe a vegetable garden in real time through a webcam.

Online plants grown especially for home delivery hobbyists are also found on The Garden of Wonders with nurseries in the province of Ragusa. From the site you can download guides on the cultivation of the vegetable garden and the sowing calendar.

If you are looking for certified organic plants you can buy them on The Ortofruttifero, a Tuscan company that with the University of Pisa has also started the "SuperBio" project to obtain plants which, in addition to presenting greater nutraceutical characteristics, also bring benefits to the vegetable garden.

The site piantinedaorto.it offers fruit, vegetable seedlings, various types of hot peppers, aromatic plants, berries and even ready-made kits with different types of plants and indications for planting them, from the size of the pot to the period.

To buy flowers and decorative plants to embellish gardens or balconies with an eye also to the social you can rely on Cascina Bollate, the nursery inside the Bollate Prison (MI) where prisoners learn a trade alongside professional gardeners. The large catalog can be browsed online and always with a click you can buy and order at home with deliveries throughout Italy (free of charge on Milan and neighboring in this period of health emergency).

On the Coldiretti websites you will find several lists divided by region of the companies that have organized themselves for home delivery: here, for example, you can find those of the Lombardy, here those Venetian.

these 7 plants will make you feel good – Italian Cuisine

Plants are not only decorative, but also an ingredient for our well-being. Anti-stress and purifiers: these are the plants to keep in the bedroom to improve our lives

You have always heard that it is better not to have plants in the bedroom why are they bad for your health? Don't worry, it's just a popular belief.

If it is true that during the night the plants consume oxygen and release carbon dioxide, it is also true that the quantity released in the air is too small to be considered harmful to humans.

Some studies conducted by NASA have even revealed that some plants, placed in the bedroom, help to sleep better, fight stress is purify the air. In addition to their properties, even the simple fact of being in contact with nature helps improve mood.

plant-in-Room-to-read

Some plants are perfect for decorating the bedroom and at the same time improving our lives. First, it is best to avoid overly scented ones, which could disturb your sleep or cause nausea.

Plants in the bedroom: here's what to prefer

Let's see then which are the 7 best plants for the bedroom and what their properties are.

Aloe
In addition to enacting oxygen during night hours, aloe helps mitigate pollution for interiors, eliminating traces of formaldehyde and ammonia. Looking at the plant, the appearance of brown spots on its leaves could reveal the contamination of the environment.

Lavender
With its color and delicate fragrance, lavender is one of the best relaxing plants to put in the bedroom. It is capable of indeed reduce stress, insomnia is anxiety.

Sansevieria
Sanseveria, also called mother-in-law tongue or snake plant, is an excellent plant for the home, as it would be able to fight the'electrosmog of electronic devices. Moreover, it gives off oxygen at night and absorbs water vapor.

Dracena Marginata
This plant is perfect for i smoking: the dracena marginata is able to capture ed eliminate smoke particles of cigarettes, helping to purify the air.

Ivy
Ivy can especially help those who suffer from asthma or allergies: it succeeds in purifying the air, absorbing above all large quantities of formaldehyde and eliminating mold.

Jasmine
Even the scent of jasmine in the bedroom is good for health, favoring the Relax and improving the quality of sleep.

Spatafillo
More serene nights thanks to the spatafillo, which manages to eliminate harmful substances, such as formaldehyde, ammonia, benzene and methanol.

Look at all the bedroom plants in the gallery at the top to choose your favorite!