A great article by Gene Logsdon:

"...a farmer can learn more about sustainable farming from history rather than from current science. Agriculture has been taking giant leaps “forward” and archeology giant leaps “backward,” both with intriguing and absorbing results. Both work under a handicap. Archeology studies a silent past and has to worry that it’s getting the story right. Agriculture assumes a future that may not turn out to be true either. The two sciences have markedly different philosophies. Agriculture is interested in making farming a money-profitable business. Archeology is interested in finding out why profitable farming invariably leads to wrecked civilizations."

Gene and Carol Logsdon have a small-scale experimental farm in Ohio. Gene is the author of numerous books and magazine articles on farm-related issues, and believes sustainable pastoral farming is the solution for a stressed agricultural system.

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University of Missouri and Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries 10-Day Seminar
Study Abroad in Greece: The Mediterranean Diet and Lifestyle
May 17 - 27, 2011

Students will study aspects of the Mediterranean diet through activities: visits to organic farms, markets and olive oil producers, food preparation demonstrations and classes. The program includes private tours of historic sites, botanical hikes, cultural activities and community-based tourism projects. Learning opportunities will be provided by MU Nutrition and Exercise Physiology faculty, Professional Chef-Instructor Nikki Rose and Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries Eco-Agritourism Network (8-days in Crete) and Antonia Trichopoulou, PhD, Mediterranean Diet researcher, University of Athens, (2-days in Athens).

This program is also open to teachers and students of other educational institutions (based on availability). Limited to 20 participants.

UM program details: http://extension.missouri.edu/hes/studyabroad/Greece/
Crete’s Culinary Sanctuaries: www.cookingincrete.com

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Crete's Culinary Sanctuaries is offering partial scholarships for professional researchers and college students for our May and June 2011 public seminars. 

The schedule: http://www.cookingincrete.com/Schedule.html

Deadline to apply is December 1, 2010.

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Greetings Everyone,

FYI, my paper submitted to various international conferences focusing on cultural-natural heritage, tourism, sociology, sustainable organic agriculture and traditional cuisine. To me, all of these topics are interrelated and comprise our work in Crete.

As those of us actually working in the field of ecotourism/sustainable tourism already know, it's impossible for us to travel the globe to speak about our work at conferences. Time and money is a major barrier to get the word out about small-scale projects. The media is in the dark if they don't know our projects exist. And we are at the mercy of people that present case studies they have not personally implemented or even experienced. Usually those case studies are about very large-scale projects that are heavily funded. That leaves the majority of crucial and worthy projects out of the media loop and the traveler's radar.

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"Find the best organizations working to preserve island environments, plus see articles from the Green Guide section of the magazine, with expert advice from the editors of ISLANDS."

http://www.islands.com/articles/green-guide-crete

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We take a step back from the yurt craze sweeping Europe’s campsites to travel through Mongolia with nomadic communities, where yurts originated.

Yurts are all the rage these days, with posh camping (glamping) sites springing up all over Europe. You are probably familiar by now with the yurt concept – rounded wooden structures, canvas covered, comfortable, spacious, more like a home than a tent. It’s no wonder they have converted many an ardent anti-camper. Easily dismantled and moved (in theory), Mongolian yurts evolved as the home of choice for the nomads of Central Asia. So this month we travel back to Mongolia, one of the regions yurts originally hail from  to meet an innovative foundation called Ger to Ger (or ‘Yurt to Yurt’) who is working with nomadic families in Mongolia to invite adventurous soles to discover their world.

Since setting up in 2005, Ger to Ger have worked with dozens of Mongolian nomadic herder groups and their communities to develop a travel network of nomadic trekking, horse riding and 4x4 routes through the Mongolian steppe, taking you literally from Ger to Ger, staying with host families and sharing their way of life. It’s possibly as close as the modern adventure traveller will get to understanding life as a nomad. North, South, East and West, new trails are continuously being coordinated with the local communities. Check their website for a full list. A classic is the Great Gobi Quest, a 12 day exploration of the Gobi desert by jeep, horseback, camels, carts and trekking.  

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