Details and abstract follow of a paper written by FCRN mailing list member, Chris Smaje, entitled Industrial or agro-ecological farming: performance indicators in the UK (2011).   Abstract This paper examines the performance of conventional, high-input ‘industrial’ farming and agro-ecological smallholding across seven different indicators of performance: Productivity per unit area. Productivity per unit cultivated area. Nutritionally necessary productive capacity. Productivity per unit labour.

"Longer lasting products", is a book edited by FCRN mailing list member, Tim Cooper. The present economic system requires us to consume and throw away more and more goods. Yet often it's our desire, and the best interests of the environment, for these goods to last.

Mehta L (ed). 2011. Taking the scarce out of scarcity: Contesting the politics of allocation Earthscan, UK The summary below is from the Sustainable Development Research Network (SDRN) newsletter:  

Small is Successful! Creating sustainable livelihoods on ten acres or less   Small is Successful! is the outcome of 12 months research commissioned by the Ecological Land Co-operative (ELC). This research addressed the lack of information on financially viable, small scale farms in the UK.    Working with eight real life case studies, the report demonstrates that economically viable and highly sustainable land based livelihoods can succeed on holdings of ten acres or less. The report and its policy recommendations opens up truly affordable opportunities for new entrants into farming.  

The report presents examples from Africa, Asia and Latin America to demonstrate approaches to integrate food and energy crops that offer benefits to poor rural communities. It underscores that integrating crops can be an effective climate change mitigation approach. The report describes the benefits of generating biogas for cooking, the reduction of time spent collecting fuel wood and the use of compost from generating biogas.

  The Sustainable Development Commission has published its report Making Sustainable Lives Easier: A Priority for Governments, Business and Society.