agriculture

The Seeds of a New Economy

With the economy in shambles and banks closing across the country, a ray of light has appeared: a former bank in Petaluma, California has been reborn as a new heirloom seed bank. And the timing could not be better. From the White House garden to your garden, growth in the good food movement, coupled with a recession and concerns about food safety, has led to a resurgence in seed sales and revived interest in growing, canning and cooking your own.

Posted in agriculture

Farmers Told How to Save Huge Amounts of Water

California farmers could save enough water each year to fill Yosemite's Hetch Hetchy reservoir 16 times by using more efficient irrigation techniques, according to a study that is bound to be highly controversial among the state's powerful agriculture interests.

Posted in agriculture, climate change, conservation, Environment, water

The High Cost of Cheap Food

I used to find Flaming Hot Cheetos, bagged pickles, and the occasional plate of fried chicken in my classroom when I taught Senior English in Louisiana.

I allowed some of my students to eat at their desks after lunch. I had to; there were three pregnant seniors in my fourth period.

Posted in agriculture, children, food

Dairy Farming Crisis

WESTMINSTER WEST - Over the past few weeks, agriculture officials from Vermont and members of the state's Congressional delegation have been pleading with Washington to do something to help the region's struggling dairy industry.

Earlier this month, Vermont Secretary of Agriculture Roger Allbee met with U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in Concord, N.H., to ask for an increase to the Milk Income Loss Contract, which provides farmers with a cushion when prices fall below a set level.

Posted in agriculture

A Recipe for America and How You Can Help

Americans are more obese than ever, our current agriculture system is dependent on oil and other limited resources, our waterways and air are polluted by factory-like farming operations, and still opponents try to push sustainable agriculture to the margins.

Posted in agriculture, food, food crisis

Giving Farmed-Animal Abusers Their Due

With so many high-profile stories in the news lately—the passing of Michael Jackson and Farrah Fawcett, the Gov. Sanford scandal, post-election protests in Iran—you may not have heard about the historic victories for animals that are taking place in American courtrooms. It’s worth noting that two of PETA’s undercover investigations of factory farms have just resulted in groundbreaking animal abuse convictions—convictions that are both highly significant and long overdue.

Posted in agriculture, animal rights, factory farms

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2009
10:37 AM

CONTACT: Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) and CIDSE

Roeland Scholtalbers, CIDSE (Brussels, with contacts at the G8 Summit in L'Aquila available for interviews): + 32 477 06 83 84, scholtalbers@cidse.org
Anne Laure Constantin, IATP (Geneva): +41 79 764 86 58, aconstantin@iatp.org

G8 Commitment on Hunger Must Support Smallholder Farmers and Sustainable Practices

L'AQUILA, Italy - July 8 - G8 discussions on the food crisis must include more than additional money, and prioritize agriculture and food policies that improve the position of small producers, in particular women.

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CIDSE is an international alliance of Catholic development agencies. Its members share a common strategy in their efforts to eradicate poverty and establish global justice. CIDSE's advocacy work covers global governance; resources for development; climate change; food, agriculture & sustainable trade; EU development policy and business & human rights. www.cidse.org.

The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) works locally and globally at the intersection of policy and practice to ensure fair and sustainable food, farm and trade systems. www.iatp.org.

Posted in agriculture, food crisis, Sustainability

What Will the G8 Summit Accomplish: Feed the Hungry or Fuel Hunger?

As the rich G8 nations convene for their next extravaganza in L'Aquila, Italy from July 8-10, 2009, world hunger will once again take center stage. It is expected that the U.S. will announce "significant" increase in funding for agricultural development aid along with multi-year commitments from other G8 countries. This follows G8's admission of failure in tackling hunger at its first ever farm conference in Treviso, Italy in April 2009.

Posted in agriculture, food crisis, gm food

Pro Food Is…

What if I told you that America's food system is broken? What would you say?

Would you defend it by pointing out the abundance of choices offered in today's average supermarket, estimated to be over 45,000 items? Would you cite that per capita spending on food has dropped significantly over the last 50 years, freeing up incomes to improve quality of life? Would you talk about how American innovation is not only feeding our citizens, but is also feeding the world? Or would you quietly ask what a food system is?

Posted in agriculture, food, local

EU to Examine National Opt-Outs for GM Crop Growing

BRUSSELS - Eleven European Union countries will call next week for the right to opt-outs for growing genetically modified (GM) crops, to cut through complex EU decision-making and end years of stalemate on biotech policy.

The suggestion, to be floated at a meeting of EU environment ministers in Luxembourg on Thursday, would be for governments to restrict cultivation of specific GM crop types if they saw fit.

Posted in agriculture, gm food