Big Meat is growing in the South by GRAIN | 13 Oct 2010 Seedling - October 2010 | Corporations People in the South appear to be eating a lot more meat these days. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says that per capita meat consumption in developing countries doubled between 1980 and 2005, while the consumption of eggs more than tripled. What happened? According to some, the main factor has been rising incomes in Asia. But the bigger factor is on the supply side. Agribusiness corporations, backed by massive subsidies and government support, have ramped up global industrial meat production to formidable levels over recent decades, with devastating consequences for people, animals and the environment. Much of this is now happening in the South, where a rising group of home-grown transnational corporations (TNCs) is joining ranks with the older firms from the North to push Big Meat into every corner of the planet. People in the South appear to be eating a lot more meat these days. The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) says that per capita meat consumption in developing countries doubled between 1980 and 2005, while the consumption of eggs more than tripled. What happened? According to some, the main factor has been rising incomes in Asia. But the bigger factor is on the supply side. Agribusiness corporations, backed by massive subsidies and government support, have ramped up global industrial meat production to formidable levels over recent decades, with devastating consequences for people, animals and the environment. Much of this is now happening in the South, where a rising group of home-grown transnational corporations (TNCs) is joining ranks with the older firms from the North to push Big Meat into every corner of the planet.
From Cochabamba to Cancún: the urgency of real solutions to the climate crisis by GRAIN | 13 Oct 2010 Seedling - October 2010 After the debacle of the 2009 climate summit in Copenhagen, the government of Bolivia took an unusual step: it launched a call to “the peoples of the world, social movements and Mother Earth’s defenders” to come together to analyse the causes behind the climate crisis and to articulate what should be done about it. The gathering happened in April 2010 in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and brought together more than 35,000 people from around the world. For once, “the people” – and not the governments – took centre-stage, and their deliberations and conclusions provide a solid basis on which to move forward. If only governments would listen! Here, we focus on the links they draw between climate, food, and agriculture. After the debacle of the 2009 climate summit in Copenhagen, the government of Bolivia took an unusual step: it launched a call to “the peoples of the world, social movements and Mother Earth’s defenders” to come together to analyse the causes behind the climate crisis and to articulate what should be done about it. The gathering happened in April 2010 in Cochabamba, Bolivia, and brought together more than 35,000 people from around the world. For once, “the people” – and not the governments – took centre-stage, and their deliberations and conclusions provide a solid basis on which to move forward. If only governments would listen! Here, we focus on the links they draw between climate, food, and agriculture.
The “greening” of a shady business – Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil by World Rainforest Movement | 13 Oct 2010 Seedling - October 2010 Oil palm plantations have spread rapidly around the globe in recent decades, with profound implications for local communities and the environment. A“Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil” (RSPO) was formed to promote sustainable production practices. But is this possible? Or does the RSPO merely amount to the greenwashing of an inherently destructive industry? The World Rainforest Movement produced an analysis. Oil palm plantations have spread rapidly around the globe in recent decades, with profound implications for local communities and the environment. A“Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil” (RSPO) was formed to promote sustainable production practices. But is this possible? Or does the RSPO merely amount to the greenwashing of an inherently destructive industry? The World Rainforest Movement produced an analysis.
Hot air over Hoodia by Rachel Wynberg | 13 Oct 2010 Seedling - October 2010 Almost 20 years ago the Convention on Biological Diversity was signed into existence. Now one of its core provisions – the creation of a regime that provides for equitable access to and benefit sharing from biodiversity – appears close to agreement. In October, the Parties to the Convention will meet in Nagoya, Japan, and are expected to agree on a final text. Meanwhile, at the national level, governments have started legislating on this issue. In this article, Rachel Wynberg analyses what this benefit sharing amounts to in the case of the San people of southern Africa, who have seen Hoodia – a plant used locally to stave off hunger – propelled into the centre of commercial interest. Almost 20 years ago the Convention on Biological Diversity was signed into existence. Now one of its core provisions – the creation of a regime that provides for equitable access to and benefit sharing from biodiversity – appears close to agreement. In October, the Parties to the Convention will meet in Nagoya, Japan, and are expected to agree on a final text. Meanwhile, at the national level, governments have started legislating on this issue. In this article, Rachel Wynberg analyses what this benefit sharing amounts to in the case of the San people of southern Africa, who have seen Hoodia – a plant used locally to stave off hunger – propelled into the centre of commercial interest.
Food crisis or agribusiness as usual? by GRAIN | 13 Oct 2010 Seedling - October 2010 - Food crisis or agribusiness as usual? - A high-risk food system - Groups take on the causes of hunger in India - Food crisis or agribusiness as usual? - A high-risk food system - Groups take on the causes of hunger in India
From green to gene revolution: How farmers lost control of the seeds from agricultural modernisation by GRAIN and PEAC | 9 Oct 2010 This article was written by GRAIN and the Pesticides Eco-Alternatives Centre (PEAC) in China to raise Chinese farmers' awareness about the broad historical context of industrial agriculture, and how it paved the way for the introduction of modern varieties of crops and agricultural technologies. Also available in Mandarin. This article was written by GRAIN and the Pesticides Eco-Alternatives Centre (PEAC) in China to raise Chinese farmers' awareness about the broad historical context of industrial agriculture, and how it paved the way for the introduction of modern varieties of crops and agricultural technologies. Also available in Mandarin.
VIETNAM: New report says hybrid rice unstable and unsustainable by GRAIN | 24 Sep 2010 A new report points to hybrid rice being unstable and unsustainable compared with traditional and farmer developed rice varieties. A new report points to hybrid rice being unstable and unsustainable compared with traditional and farmer developed rice varieties.
INDIA: A second Green Revolution is not the answer by by Living Farms and GRAIN | 21 Sep 2010 India's Union Government is allocating some US$ 86.3 million to push a Green Revolution into India's eastern states. It is a hefty sum to bring a ghost back to life. But it is not just the amount that farmers, activists, scientists and consumer groups were raising their voices against at a recent workshop in Odisha. It is the government's disregard for the alternatives that exist and the havoc that the Green Revolution has already wreaked on the country. India's Union Government is allocating some US$ 86.3 million to push a Green Revolution into India's eastern states. It is a hefty sum to bring a ghost back to life. But it is not just the amount that farmers, activists, scientists and consumer groups were raising their voices against at a recent workshop in Odisha. It is the government's disregard for the alternatives that exist and the havoc that the Green Revolution has already wreaked on the country.
World Bank report on land grabbing: beyond the smoke and mirrors by GRAIN | 8 Sep 2010 Land On 7 September 2010, the World Bank finally published its much anticipated report on the global farmland grab. GRAIN's take on the report is that it is both a disappointment and a failure. Very little new and solid data about how these land grab deals are playing out on the ground is presented. The findings that the Bank does articulate -- that the land grab trend is huge and growing, that communities are not benefiting and that the conditions under which most of these deals are being pursued are extremely poor -- corroborate what many have been saying for two years already. The Bank's own direct involvement in the global land grab is hardly mentioned. Most of the report is smoke and mirrors talk about potentials and opportunities, leading us to the conclusion that there is a huge disconnect between what the World Bank says, what is happening on the ground and what is truly needed. Right now, numerous governments and civil society organisations are calling to put a brake of one form or another on these land grab deals, which the study essentially ignores. On 7 September 2010, the World Bank finally published its much anticipated report on the global farmland grab. GRAIN's take on the report is that it is both a disappointment and a failure. Very little new and solid data about how these land grab deals are playing out on the ground is presented. The findings that the Bank does articulate -- that the land grab trend is huge and growing, that communities are not benefiting and that the conditions under which most of these deals are being pursued are extremely poor -- corroborate what many have been saying for two years already. The Bank's own direct involvement in the global land grab is hardly mentioned. Most of the report is smoke and mirrors talk about potentials and opportunities, leading us to the conclusion that there is a huge disconnect between what the World Bank says, what is happening on the ground and what is truly needed. Right now, numerous governments and civil society organisations are calling to put a brake of one form or another on these land grab deals, which the study essentially ignores.
CHINA: New troubles with hybrid and GM rice by GRAIN | 27 Jul 2010 China's utopian quest for the rice crop suffered a couple of blows recently. A new rice virus disease – called Southern Rice Black Streak Dwarf Virus (SRBSDV) transmitted by the white back planthopper (WBPH) – was reportedly spreading across China, covering 300,000 ha of rice land in nine provinces. China's utopian quest for the rice crop suffered a couple of blows recently. A new rice virus disease – called Southern Rice Black Streak Dwarf Virus (SRBSDV) transmitted by the white back planthopper (WBPH) – was reportedly spreading across China, covering 300,000 ha of rice land in nine provinces.
PHILIPPINES: Govt's own data point to lower hybrid rice yield; groups call to remove subsidy by GRAIN | 15 Jul 2010 The Department of Agriculture's (DA) own Bureau of Agricultural Statistics revealed that yields of hybrid rice from 2008-2009 averaged only 5.58 metric tons (MT) per hectare. A far cry from what chief of the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) rice program, Frisco Malabanan, claims that “hybrid rice achieves greater yields and thus farmers earn more without increasing their cultivation area.” Malabanan said that farmers could harvest as much as 12 MT from hybrid rice and enjoy a profit increase of at least P30,000 (US$ 650) per hectare. The Department of Agriculture's (DA) own Bureau of Agricultural Statistics revealed that yields of hybrid rice from 2008-2009 averaged only 5.58 metric tons (MT) per hectare. A far cry from what chief of the Ginintuang Masaganang Ani (GMA) rice program, Frisco Malabanan, claims that “hybrid rice achieves greater yields and thus farmers earn more without increasing their cultivation area.” Malabanan said that farmers could harvest as much as 12 MT from hybrid rice and enjoy a profit increase of at least P30,000 (US$ 650) per hectare.
Editorial and full issue by GRAIN | 13 Jul 2010 Seedling - July 2010 GRAIN has been around since 1990, and to celebrate this we have devoted most of this issue of Seedling to looking at how we – and the issues that we deal with – have changed over this period. To mark the occasion, we have also altered our design into one that we feel is modern, practical and pleasing to the eye. GRAIN has been around since 1990, and to celebrate this we have devoted most of this issue of Seedling to looking at how we – and the issues that we deal with – have changed over this period. To mark the occasion, we have also altered our design into one that we feel is modern, practical and pleasing to the eye.
Twenty years of fighting for seeds and food sovereignty by GRAIN | 13 Jul 2010 Seedling - July 2010 A twentieth anniversary invites reflection. Reflection on where we came from, the path we have travelled, and the challenges ahead. Without pretending to provide a full analysis, we present below some discussion on this. In the process, we have talked to many of the people who have accompanied us over the last two decades, and asked them about the paths that they have taken, and for their reflections on the struggle for a better food system and a better world. Some of their responses are included in the text and accompanying boxes. A twentieth anniversary invites reflection. Reflection on where we came from, the path we have travelled, and the challenges ahead. Without pretending to provide a full analysis, we present below some discussion on this. In the process, we have talked to many of the people who have accompanied us over the last two decades, and asked them about the paths that they have taken, and for their reflections on the struggle for a better food system and a better world. Some of their responses are included in the text and accompanying boxes.
Global agribusiness: two decades of plunder by GRAIN | 13 Jul 2010 Seedling - July 2010 We offer a brief overview of the expansion of agribusiness in the global food system in the past two decades, with some thoughts on what we can expect from these companies in the years ahead. We offer a brief overview of the expansion of agribusiness in the global food system in the past two decades, with some thoughts on what we can expect from these companies in the years ahead.
Haiti’s farmers call for a break with neoliberalism by GRAIN | 13 Jul 2010 Seedling - July 2010 Peasant organisations in Haiti are angry at the Haitian authorities for allowing multinational donors and corporations to take advantage of the post-earthquake reconstruction programme to deepen the country’s reliance on the outside world. They are calling instead for a radical programme of agricultural reconstruction, to rebuild the country’s ravaged peasantry and bring about food sovereignty. Peasant organisations in Haiti are angry at the Haitian authorities for allowing multinational donors and corporations to take advantage of the post-earthquake reconstruction programme to deepen the country’s reliance on the outside world. They are calling instead for a radical programme of agricultural reconstruction, to rebuild the country’s ravaged peasantry and bring about food sovereignty.