In this second part of our interview with Luisa Maffi, we talk about the process of language shift and the activities that indigenous communities around the world are engaging in to preserve and recover their languages.

As with so many other things, the future of the world’s languages will be determined by our values: the values of people in majority linguistic groups, the values of people whose linguistic heritage is endangered, and the values of everyone who falls somewhere in between.

Get involved! Visit www.terralingua.org

Luisa Maffi is the Director of Terralingua, an organization dedicated to the conservation of the world’s biocultural and linguistic diversity. In Part I of this two part series, Dr. Maffi explains the goals and purpose of Terralingua, and then paints a picture of crisis and extinction for our world’s languages. The relationships between language, culture, and biodiversity are profound and poorly understood, and Dr. Maffi’s experience and education come to the fore in this interview.

Stay tuned for Part II, coming in about a week’s time. And yes, it is good to be back podcasting once again.

Hello loyal listeners. I know by emails and comments that some of you have been anxious for the podcast to start casting again. Well, I should have some more podcasts here for you, at the latest, by the end of April. From there, expect the stream to keep coming, as I have missed podcasting and am anxious to get back to it.

Now, for anyone who has wanted to get the Agroinnovations Podcast on iTunes, but noticed long ago that the feed was broken, the wait is over. After quite a bit of tweaking and open source collaboration, I have finally gotten the iTunes feed back to form. So, if you have any show suggestions that you would like to hear, let me know. Peace.

I am currently in Bolivia working on several projects. Unfortunately, I have neither the time, the equipment, or the bandwidth required to do justice to the podcast. I haven’t run out of ideas, far from it. In the future, I am planning on a series that deals with the dawn of agriculture. So be patient, it will be worth the wait.

Thanks to all the people who listen to the podcast and have sent encouraging emails and comments. This might be a good time to tell some friends, family, and colleagues about this podcast. Let them get caught up on some previous shows while we take a break. In the meantime, you might want to check out Agroblogger for some insights into agricultural innovation. Happy Holidays.

This is part two of the Appropedia Roundtable with Lonny Grafman and Curt Beckmann. In this podcast, we discuss Open Source AT (OSAT) in a historical context, and look at some of the tensions and areas where Appropedia must improve if it is to truly have a lasting impact. Thanks for listening.

There’s a lot of synergy going in the open source appropriate technology (OSAT) world, and this podcast is a perfect example of that. On the same day that Agroinnovations posted a call for collaborators on the appropedia website, I spoke with Lonny Grafman and Curt Beckmann, founder and system administrator, respectively, of this premier open source AT wiki and online community. If you’re interested in OSAT, then THIS is the podcast to listen to. If you’ve never heard of OSAT, then listen and learn.

Stay tuned for part two, and also an upcoming podcast on ferrocement in Spanish.

The Full Belly Project has spent the last several years designing and deploying a simple and cost effective peanut sheller for use in developing countries. They are one of the first organizations to explicitly endorse and apply an Open Source model to appropriate technology.

In this interview, Jeff Rose tells us the history of the project, how it functions, and the service based model that is now emerging from applying Open Source to AT. I also read some listener’s comments. So listen and enjoy.

In this episode, we speak with Professor Anil Gupta of the Honey Bee Network. Professor Gupta is a true visionary in the field of appropriate technology and he has dedicated his life to furthering the cause of rural innovators and their inventions.

According to Dr. Gupta, rural innovators are solving problems at such a low cost, that we can no longer afford to ignore their hard work and creativity. His approach presents us with a new model of rural and market development that must be implemented if we are to overcome the obstacles that now face our civilization.

Chuck O’Herron-Alex has designed a highly innovative system for gardening. His design combines microintensive gardens, hoophouses, and raised bed agriculture to create a system that is flexible, productive, and low-cost. Listen to the podcast to learn more, and also visit his website at www.veggiegrower.net.

This second part in a three part series on food, organized by Kathy Issacson and Phil Pohl, features Jack Mizner of Sandia National Labs. Jack talks us through the idea of carbon footprints and ecological footprints, and uses this concept to show us the differing carbon footprints of two very different meals.