Feeding the one percent by GRAIN | 7 Oct 2014 An IT billionaire's foray into agribusiness paints a disturbing picture of today's farmland financiers. An IT billionaire's foray into agribusiness paints a disturbing picture of today's farmland financiers.
Malawi's Green Revolution by African Centre for Biosafety | 7 Oct 2014 Malawi | corporations | technologies | food crisis The Green Revolution in Malawi is being pushed as the success story that other countries in the continents should follow. The African Centre for Biosafety collaborated with local partners in the country to find out what's really going on, and produced an excellent report that recommends that the country stops following this path and starts supporting small farmers and their food systems instead. The Green Revolution in Malawi is being pushed as the success story that other countries in the continents should follow. The African Centre for Biosafety collaborated with local partners in the country to find out what's really going on, and produced an excellent report that recommends that the country stops following this path and starts supporting small farmers and their food systems instead.
CSO report for the “FAO’s State of the World’s Biodiversity for Food and Agriculture” by IPC | 3 Oct 2014 seeds & biodiversity The International planning committee for food sovereignty has been asked by FAO to produce a report, by the end of the year, on “The contribution made by farmers, pastoralists, forest dwellers, fishers and other small-scale food providers to the conservation, development and sustainable use of biodiversity for food and agriculture” and seeks your input. The International planning committee for food sovereignty has been asked by FAO to produce a report, by the end of the year, on “The contribution made by farmers, pastoralists, forest dwellers, fishers and other small-scale food providers to the conservation, development and sustainable use of biodiversity for food and agriculture” and seeks your input.
Will GM crops feed the world? by Canadian Biotechnology Action Network | 2 Oct 2014 technologies | seeds & biodiversity CBAN's new report Will GM Crops Feed the World? examines experiences with GM crops and exposes the many ways in which they threaten the environment and farmers’ livelihoods, and overlook the real causes of hunger. CBAN's new report Will GM Crops Feed the World? examines experiences with GM crops and exposes the many ways in which they threaten the environment and farmers’ livelihoods, and overlook the real causes of hunger.
Progress in the New Alliance? Not in support of small-scale food producers by G7/G8 Civil Society Organisations | 23 Sep 2014 corporations | food sovereignty Two years after the launch of the G8 New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, it seems clear that it actually undermines food security, nutrition and the progressive realization of the right to food in Africa. Two years after the launch of the G8 New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, it seems clear that it actually undermines food security, nutrition and the progressive realization of the right to food in Africa.
Planet palm oil by GRAIN | 22 Sep 2014 Expanding production of cheap palm oil comes at a high price. Destruction of rainforests, labour exploitation, and brutal land grabbing: these are just a few of the nasty consequences that come with today's oil palm plantations. With palm oil companies finding lands in Indonesia and Malaysia more difficult to acquire, attention is shifting to Africa. Over the past fifteen years, foreign companies have signed over 60 deals covering nearly 4 million hectares in central and western Africa for the development of oil palm plantations. The land grabs are already generating violent conflicts in several African countries. Expanding production of cheap palm oil comes at a high price. Destruction of rainforests, labour exploitation, and brutal land grabbing: these are just a few of the nasty consequences that come with today's oil palm plantations. With palm oil companies finding lands in Indonesia and Malaysia more difficult to acquire, attention is shifting to Africa. Over the past fifteen years, foreign companies have signed over 60 deals covering nearly 4 million hectares in central and western Africa for the development of oil palm plantations. The land grabs are already generating violent conflicts in several African countries.
Social Movements denounce corporate take-over of Ban Ki-Moon Climate Summit by Climatespace | 18 Sep 2014 climate crisis Social movements representing more than 200 million members around the world have publicly denounced the corporate take-over of the upcoming Ban Ki-Moon Climate Summit. In a joint statement published on September 16, they call for systemic change rather than the voluntary pledges and market-based and destructive public-private partnership initiatives that currently feature on the Summit’s agenda, like REDD+ Climate-Smart Agriculture and the Sustainable Energy for All initiative. Social movements representing more than 200 million members around the world have publicly denounced the corporate take-over of the upcoming Ban Ki-Moon Climate Summit. In a joint statement published on September 16, they call for systemic change rather than the voluntary pledges and market-based and destructive public-private partnership initiatives that currently feature on the Summit’s agenda, like REDD+ Climate-Smart Agriculture and the Sustainable Energy for All initiative.
Food sovereignty for sale: supermarkets are undermining people's control over food and farming in Asia by GRAIN | 17 Sep 2014 In the past decade, food corporations have been taking over a bigger and bigger slice of the retail pie in Asia, with major implications for the entire food chain. Corporate supermarkets are expanding faster in this region than anywhere else on the planet. And as supermarkets and their procurement chains expand, they take revenue out of traditional food systems – and out of the hands of peasants, small scale food producers and traders. They also exert increasing influence over what people eat and how that food is produced. In the past decade, food corporations have been taking over a bigger and bigger slice of the retail pie in Asia, with major implications for the entire food chain. Corporate supermarkets are expanding faster in this region than anywhere else on the planet. And as supermarkets and their procurement chains expand, they take revenue out of traditional food systems – and out of the hands of peasants, small scale food producers and traders. They also exert increasing influence over what people eat and how that food is produced.
The political economy of Africa's burgeoning chemical fertiliser rush by African Centre for Biosafety | 16 Sep 2014 corporations | technologies The African Centre for Biosafety has just released an in-depth report, The Political economy of Africa’s burgeoning chemical fertiliser rush, which looks at the role of fertiliser in the push for a Green Revolution in Africa, some of the key present and future fertiliser trends on the continent, and identifies the major players involved. The African Centre for Biosafety has just released an in-depth report, The Political economy of Africa’s burgeoning chemical fertiliser rush, which looks at the role of fertiliser in the push for a Green Revolution in Africa, some of the key present and future fertiliser trends on the continent, and identifies the major players involved.
Carnivorous greed by Silvia Ribeiro | 12 Sep 2014 corporations The industrial production of meat and meat products is becoming a huge problem for environmental pollution and the ravages to land and water. It’s also one of the greatest factors contributing to climate change and is the main global destination for GM crops. The industrial production of meat and meat products is becoming a huge problem for environmental pollution and the ravages to land and water. It’s also one of the greatest factors contributing to climate change and is the main global destination for GM crops.
Nestlé, ADM and Cargill can’t escape liability for cocoa child slavery, rules court by Oliver Nieburg | 11 Sep 2014 Cote d'Ivoire | corporations “Driven by the goal to reduce costs in any way possible, the defendants allegedly supported the use of child slavery, the cheapest form of labor available,” said senior circuit judge DW Nelson. He said that the companies controlled the Ivorian cocoa market and instead of using that control to stop slavery, they facilitated it. “Driven by the goal to reduce costs in any way possible, the defendants allegedly supported the use of child slavery, the cheapest form of labor available,” said senior circuit judge DW Nelson. He said that the companies controlled the Ivorian cocoa market and instead of using that control to stop slavery, they facilitated it.
Goodbye and thank you, Sarath! by Asian Peasant Coalition | 9 Sep 2014 Sri Lanka | food sovereignty “In Sri Lanka, my greatest desire is to enlighten the plantation population, about a million, that they have their own land to till and be a dignified citizens in the country” – Sarath Fernando, founder of Sri Lanka's Movement for National Land and Agricultural Reform, 1942-2014 “In Sri Lanka, my greatest desire is to enlighten the plantation population, about a million, that they have their own land to till and be a dignified citizens in the country” – Sarath Fernando, founder of Sri Lanka's Movement for National Land and Agricultural Reform, 1942-2014
The future control of food by Geoff Tansey | 8 Sep 2014 food crisis | laws & policies A wide-ranging guide to the key issues of intellectual property and ownership, genetics, biodiversity, and food security. It also discusses civil society responses to relevant changes and developments in these issues, how they affect the direction of research and development, the nature of global negotiation processes and various alternative futures. A wide-ranging guide to the key issues of intellectual property and ownership, genetics, biodiversity, and food security. It also discusses civil society responses to relevant changes and developments in these issues, how they affect the direction of research and development, the nature of global negotiation processes and various alternative futures.
What do Chinese dumplings have to do with global warming? by Nicola Twilley | 8 Sep 2014 China | corporations | climate crisis An artificial winter has begun to stretch across the country, through its fields and its ports, its logistics hubs and freeways. China had 250 million cubic feet of refrigerated storage capacity in 2007; by 2017, the country is on track to have 20 times that. This is not simply transforming how Chinese people grow, distribute and consume food. It also stands to become a formidable new factor in climate change; cooling is already responsible for 15 percent of all electricity consumption worldwide, and leaks of chemical refrigerants are a major source of greenhouse-gas pollution. An artificial winter has begun to stretch across the country, through its fields and its ports, its logistics hubs and freeways. China had 250 million cubic feet of refrigerated storage capacity in 2007; by 2017, the country is on track to have 20 times that. This is not simply transforming how Chinese people grow, distribute and consume food. It also stands to become a formidable new factor in climate change; cooling is already responsible for 15 percent of all electricity consumption worldwide, and leaks of chemical refrigerants are a major source of greenhouse-gas pollution.
Agriculture in 'terrible crisis': Indian farmers are struggling to survive by Devinder Sharma | 25 Aug 2014 India | food sovereignty | laws & policies The effort by the World Trade Organization to reshape Indian agricultural policies comes at a time when Indian agriculture is faced with a terrible agrarian crisis. The environmental impacts of the intensively-farmed Green Revolution have become a full-blown crisis of sustainability. With soil fertility devastated, water tables plummeting as a result of relentless water mining, environmental contamination from excessive use and abuse of chemical pesticides, the entire farming equation has gone wrong. The effort by the World Trade Organization to reshape Indian agricultural policies comes at a time when Indian agriculture is faced with a terrible agrarian crisis. The environmental impacts of the intensively-farmed Green Revolution have become a full-blown crisis of sustainability. With soil fertility devastated, water tables plummeting as a result of relentless water mining, environmental contamination from excessive use and abuse of chemical pesticides, the entire farming equation has gone wrong.