Organic farming has come to South Africa, where it is being billed, not only as a profitable enterprise, but also as a panacea for poor soil quality in growing regions. After decades of trying to coax fruit onto the trees with the aid of chemicals, fruit farmers are packing in the pesticides and deciding to grow green. Of the 230 certified organic or in-conversion operations in South Africa in 2005, 75 percent have started organic processes in the previous two years. With a minimum wage of...

Anytime a recipe includes the word primavera (from the Italian and Spanish spring ) in its title, you can be assured that its ingredients and flavors will hint of spring. This Pasta Primavera is such a dish, including, among other vegetables, two of spring s greatest offerings asparagus and snap peas. Thought to prevent blood clots and decrease the risk of colon and other cancers, garlic has important anti-oxidant properties. Asparagus contains calcium, potassium, beta carotene and...

Voice Perspective Music Movies TV Beach Art & Museums Theatre Dining Family Fun Lodging Games Horoscopes Food Home & Garden 55 Hours Dear Abby Technology Travel Health She Said Crossroads Did You Know Local News & Weather Entertainment Sports USA Today RSS Feeds Wireless Content E-Newsletters Text Alerts sponsored by: Voice Perspective Music Movies TV Beach Art & Museums Theatre Dining Family Fun Lodging Games Horoscopes Food Home & Garden 55 Hours Dear Abby Technology Travel Health She...

Meanwhile, state and federal agriculture statisticians are fine-tuning preliminary crop loss estimates that show the holiday freeze devastated North Carolina's peach and apple orchards and struck an unexpectedly heavy blow to nursery crops, including trees and shrubs used in suburban landscaping. State agriculture officials and agribusiness advocates say relief for crop disasters is tied to an emergency spending bill for the war in Iraq that has already passed the House and Senate. The...

Leaders of the vegetable industry gathered at Cal PolyThursday to host a food safety forum in the wake of last September's e-coli outbreak in spinach. One of the main points of the symposium was to clarify the agricultural industry's response to the produce contamination. The industry is now trying to win back that confidence with a new leafy greens marketing agreement which was developed in conjunction with the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Since then, numerous California...

Not only did the amount of land that Ohio farmers devote to certified-organic crops, fruits and vegetables decrease from 2000 to 2005, according to recent data from the U. Given those factors, why have Ohio farmers devoted fewer acres to certified-organic food production in recent years? The question is intriguing because Ohio is a state where farmland is giving way to suburbs and the number of young farmers is decreasing. He said some farmers consider making the transition to organic but...