1. GARDENING ON A WINDOWSILL IN HOUSES AND SCHOOLS IN DESERTIFIED REGIONS<br />Prof. Dr. Willem VAN COTTHEM<br />(University of Ghent (Belgium)<br />My friend Martine DAUBREME (Planetfuture) send me this nice photo of her mini-kitchen garden on a windowsill :<br />2011-04-28 - Mini-kitchen garden on a windowsill. Celery, parsley, spekboom or Portulacaria afra and lettuce. Container types with 2 opposite drainage holes 2,5 cm above the bottom : yogurt pots and a small bottle (Photo Martine DAUBREME)<br />It's shocking how simple it is to grow juicy vegetables and a young tree inside the house. No more drought and desertification problems causing lack of vitamins. No more irrigation and soil fertilization problems of the soil. Permaculture in a simple pot : eat the vegetables and leave the roots in the pot to decompose, delivering more organic matter and keeping the pots ready for reception of the next seeds or seedlings.<br />You combat desertification ? You mitigate drought ? You save water ? You need fresh food in a dry place ?<br />Why don't you use your imagination and start growing fresh food in all sorts of containers ? Keep drought and desert outside and transform your room into a greenhouse with extremely simple and indescribably cheap means !<br />The combat of malnutrition and other health problems will be won with inexpensive containers, inside the houses, inside the classrooms, not with sophisticated food of foreign companies,<br />If only one wants to change the tune of possible profits !<br />Five minutes of political will suffice to start changing the physical condition of the malnourished children of this world. And don't forget : it's so simple that even the kids can grow their own vegetables at home and at school.<br />Why do people continue to turn their head away ? Who is keeping business running ?<br />