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Monsanto has donated $4 million in seeds to Haiti,
sending 60 tons of conventional hybrid corn and vegetable seed,
followed by 70 more tons of corn seed last week with an additional 345
tons of corn seed to come during the next year. Yet the number one
recommendation of a recent report
by Catholic Relief Services on post-earthquake Haiti is to focus on
local seed fairs and not to introduce new or "improved" varieties at
this time.
Some tough questions need to be asked and answered before we'll know
whether or not Monsanto's donation will help or hurt long-term efforts
to rebuild food sufficiency and sovereignty in Haiti. Here are five of
them:
Agricultural development is critical for Haiti and was even before the earthquake. Lambi Fund of Haiti,
a partner organization of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), has
been working with rural communities to create indigenous seed banks,
building expertise in farming techniques and using
environmentally-friendly methods to renew depleted Haitian soil.
Advocates for common sense food aid, including AJWS, are asking
Congress to spend the $150 million dollars requested by the Obama
Administration for Food Aid to Haiti on resources that will help Haiti
feed itself for the long-term. You can make your voice heard by signing this petition.
Monsanto's donation - just like the US government's in-kind food aid
donations - should empower rather than dis-empower the rural
communities working to grow food for their country over the long term.
More to the point, the communities most affected by these donations
should decide whether they want this aid at all and if so, what they
want and when they want it. It's unclear in this case if Monsanto or
anyone else has asked them.
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Monsanto has donated $4 million in seeds to Haiti,
sending 60 tons of conventional hybrid corn and vegetable seed,
followed by 70 more tons of corn seed last week with an additional 345
tons of corn seed to come during the next year. Yet the number one
recommendation of a recent report
by Catholic Relief Services on post-earthquake Haiti is to focus on
local seed fairs and not to introduce new or "improved" varieties at
this time.
Some tough questions need to be asked and answered before we'll know
whether or not Monsanto's donation will help or hurt long-term efforts
to rebuild food sufficiency and sovereignty in Haiti. Here are five of
them:
Agricultural development is critical for Haiti and was even before the earthquake. Lambi Fund of Haiti,
a partner organization of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), has
been working with rural communities to create indigenous seed banks,
building expertise in farming techniques and using
environmentally-friendly methods to renew depleted Haitian soil.
Advocates for common sense food aid, including AJWS, are asking
Congress to spend the $150 million dollars requested by the Obama
Administration for Food Aid to Haiti on resources that will help Haiti
feed itself for the long-term. You can make your voice heard by signing this petition.
Monsanto's donation - just like the US government's in-kind food aid
donations - should empower rather than dis-empower the rural
communities working to grow food for their country over the long term.
More to the point, the communities most affected by these donations
should decide whether they want this aid at all and if so, what they
want and when they want it. It's unclear in this case if Monsanto or
anyone else has asked them.
Monsanto has donated $4 million in seeds to Haiti,
sending 60 tons of conventional hybrid corn and vegetable seed,
followed by 70 more tons of corn seed last week with an additional 345
tons of corn seed to come during the next year. Yet the number one
recommendation of a recent report
by Catholic Relief Services on post-earthquake Haiti is to focus on
local seed fairs and not to introduce new or "improved" varieties at
this time.
Some tough questions need to be asked and answered before we'll know
whether or not Monsanto's donation will help or hurt long-term efforts
to rebuild food sufficiency and sovereignty in Haiti. Here are five of
them:
Agricultural development is critical for Haiti and was even before the earthquake. Lambi Fund of Haiti,
a partner organization of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), has
been working with rural communities to create indigenous seed banks,
building expertise in farming techniques and using
environmentally-friendly methods to renew depleted Haitian soil.
Advocates for common sense food aid, including AJWS, are asking
Congress to spend the $150 million dollars requested by the Obama
Administration for Food Aid to Haiti on resources that will help Haiti
feed itself for the long-term. You can make your voice heard by signing this petition.
Monsanto's donation - just like the US government's in-kind food aid
donations - should empower rather than dis-empower the rural
communities working to grow food for their country over the long term.
More to the point, the communities most affected by these donations
should decide whether they want this aid at all and if so, what they
want and when they want it. It's unclear in this case if Monsanto or
anyone else has asked them.