African Agricultural Land Grab

by: Andy Anderson

Sun Mar 07, 2010 at 06:52:33 AM PST

The issues are discussed in this article from the Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/envi...

New study on bananas and fertilizer in Africa

by: mental_masala

Sun Feb 21, 2010 at 10:59:08 AM PST

Via Science Daily I ran across a news release from the African NGO International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) about bananas and fertilizer that illustrates the complexity of the agricultural system in the developing world.

IITA calls themselves "Africa's leading research partner in finding solutions for hunger and poverty" and is involved in many activities, including improving agricultural biodiversity, building or supplying seed banks, and investigating biological controls for pests. They receive funding from a wide variety of NGOs and governments, including the Gates Foundation, various national governments, U.S. AID, Rockefeller Foundation, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

Using appropriate technology to help farmers

by: mental_masala

Fri Nov 27, 2009 at 10:48:09 AM PST

The annual report from Michigan Technological University's (MTU) Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics (ME-EM) department ended up on my desk the other day. Since I know a few alums from that department, I took a look inside. No news about my acquaintances, but I found an interesting story about a collaboration between MTU and the Peace Corps and one of the projects undertaken as part of the program.

MTU has the first and only collaboration like this, where a student takes classes on campus (including classes on field engineering and rural development), works a standard Peace Corps tour of duty (training + two years), and then returns to MTU to write a report and give a oral presentation.  Upon completion of the requirements, he or she receives a master's degree from the ME-EM department. Although MTU is unique in its offer of a degree, the school is not alone in its interest in the developing world: dozens of engineering schools have students who are using their education to help solve problems in the developing world. Engineers Without Borders, for example, has chapters at almost 200 colleges and universities; they also have chapters for working engineers.

American Food Through African Eyes

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Oct 12, 2009 at 14:46:45 PM PDT

I piled my plate high in a rather ambitious fashion. I should eat grilled veggies but I really don't like them. I don't hate all grilled veggies, but I generally dislike the ones served in catered meals at conferences like these grilled veggies. I skipped the onions, zucchini, and red peppers and opted for asparagus (probably from South America) and yellow squash. Then I got what I knew I'd like: potatoes and corn pudding.

Back at the table, my African friends politely ate as I choked down my asparagus and squash. I eagerly ate up all of my potatoes, and my favorite was the corn pudding. I offered the remaining mountain of asparagus on my plate to my African friends (I had finished the squash, with much effort) and went back for seconds on the corn pudding. It was so good, I gulped it down immediately!

At our table, we began talking about the food. I don't know if either of the Africans really liked the food or if they were just being polite. They told me the food from their countries was great because they had lots of diversity. Then, the man from Kenya pointed to his corn pudding and asked: "Is this GMO?"

This was very possibly his first time having to wonder whether the food on his plate was genetically modified. Back home, many African countries do not allow GMOs at all. Whereas we Americans were fed GMOs without our permission or (in many cases) knowledge long ago, the Africans are very conscious of the issue and many have strong opinions about it.

"Yes," I replied. Then I looked at the kernels of sweet corn in the bread and said, "No."

"No?" he asked. "Not GMO?"

I thought again. There were kernels of non-GMO sweet corn but the corn meal as probably GMO. "Both," I corrected myself.

"Yes, GMO?" he asked.

"Yes," I replied.

He pushed it over to the side of my plate, no longer interested in eating any more of it. Jokingly, I told him that if he had any more children they would be born with three heads. He knew I was kidding and we both laughed. I'd obviously already pigged out on the corn pudding, GMO or not. At one point, a few years ago, I tried to be a purist with my food, but I've given up. It's just too difficult, living here and avoiding food grown via objectionable practices.

It's wonderful seeing our food system through such different eyes as I hang out with my new friends. I don't mean to imply that our system is wrong and theirs is right (or vice versa), but having somebody who comes from such a different background with you makes you question things that you might not otherwise question.

Africans Speak Out About US Food Aid

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Sep 07, 2009 at 11:58:23 AM PDT

Is Obama's Plan for Tackling Hunger Just Another Chance for Big Ag and Biotech to Cash In?

by: Jill Richardson

Tue Aug 11, 2009 at 05:42:22 AM PDT

Much of the piece follows the money and connections behind Obama's current policy to "help" Africa by helping Monsanto. It's not just a money and influence problem, it's also an ideology problem. And it's really tragic because real lives are at stake here.

Hillary and Vilsack To Promote GMOs in Africa

by: Jill Richardson

Tue Aug 04, 2009 at 15:10:15 PM PDT

Also during the high-level tour, the top US diplomat will on Wednesday afternoon visit the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) laboratories along Waiyaki Way.

She will be accompanied by US Secretary of Agriculture, Thomas J. Vilsack, together with U.S. Representatives Donald M. Payne and Nita M. Lowey.

"The visit will focus on KARI's contributions to Kenya's food security and agricultural development. It will include a laboratory tour, discussion with KARI staff and collaborating partners, observation of a maize research plot, and ceremonial tree-planting," according to a brief from the US embassy in Nairobi.

Here's what the USDA says about Vilsack's trip to Africa:

As part of the Obama Administration's efforts to enhance global food security, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will attend the 8th U.S.-Sub-Saharan African Trade and Economic Cooperation Forum in Nairobi, Kenya from Aug. 4-6, 2009. At the forum, Vilsack will highlight the USDA's ongoing food security efforts in Africa and other places throughout the world which is focused on building the agricultural industry in developing countries.

Here's what the press release says about his visit to KARI with Secretary Clinton:

Finally, he plans to visit the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute and meet with women scientists receiving African Women in Agricultural Research and Development fellowships.

Who are those research grant winners that Vilsack is meeting with? If you scan the list, you'll notice several are involved with biotechnology. One works with the Uganda agency that is partnering with Monsanto to create drought tolerant corn.

Below I've included a press release from the U.S. Food Crisis Working Group about Clinton and Vilsack's trip and visit to KARI.

UPDATE: A few more links...  "KARI Adopts Genetically Modified Maize" and a post about pros and cons of a Kenyan biosafety bill

A Preliminary Response to Obama's Speech Tomorrow

by: Jill Richardson

Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 19:48:43 PM PDT

Effective food security actions must be coupled with adaptation and mitigation measures in relation to climate change, sustainable management of water, land, soil and other natural resources, including the protection of biodiversity.

That much is good, but sadly, they also call for more free trade, even after the ample amount of proof we already have that free trade policies (particularly coupled with the government subsidies in developed countries) harm food security rather than helping it. Their failure - and Obama's failure - to recognize the problems caused by free trade is nothing short of tragic.

So where's the good part I spoke of? Well, the U.S. is shifting from a "give a man a fish" strategy to a "teach a man to fish" strategy. Instead of shipping American-grown food to the developed world, we will focus on helping needy countries produce enough to feed themselves. And that much is fantastic - almost.

The problem is - and this is a big problem - the U.S. has no interest in taking the scientific, peer-reviewed, global consensus approach to global agriculture. We'd prefer to go a different route, one which has been dismissed by experts but embraced by multinational corporations.

More below...

Ghanaian: G8 Food Aid Might "Do More Harm Than Good"

by: Jill Richardson

Fri Jul 10, 2009 at 07:30:23 AM PDT

On that note, Food and Water Watch just put out a press release that was critical of the Obama Administration's efforts to combat global hunger and poverty. They say Obama's policy "merely dusts off the tired, failed approaches of the Bush years," referencing free trade and reliance on biotechnology as policies that do not work. I've pasted it below in its entirety so you can take a look.

Breaking: Gates Foundation Does Something Good

by: Jill Richardson

Wed Jul 08, 2009 at 12:50:45 PM PDT

Worldwatch Institute will assess the impacts of a range of farming techniques on the environment and agricultural productivity. The project will provide stakeholders, including policymakers, farmer and community networks, and international donors, with research on practical solutions for creating sustainable food security.

In other words, they are going to try some sustainable agriculture and see what happens. Nice. Here are the specific things they say they will try:

• Adding nitrogen-fixing plants into crop rotations as a low-cost solution for enriching soils and breaking weed and pest cycles;

• Overcoming freshwater shortages with rain harvesting, efficient irrigation, micro dams, and cover cropping;

• Strengthening local breeding capacity, including the use of farmer-run seed banks and genetic markers of important crop traits;

• Tapping international carbon-credit markets to reward farmers for enriching their soils and planting carbon-sequestering tree crops;

• Involving women farmers in decision-making at all levels.

Better yet? They are partnering with groups like World Neighbors, Ecoagriculture Partners, Heifer International, Rodale Institute, Slow Food International, International Fund for Agricultural Development, and the Global Water Policy Project. Very exciting! The end result of the project will be the Institute's 2011 annual report "World 2011: Nourishing the Planet," which will share the project's findings.

GMOs: Not the Silver Bullet to Feed the World

by: Jill Richardson

Sat Jun 20, 2009 at 12:47:19 PM PDT

Below, I've shared some quotes from each of them.

Did I just meet the devil?

by: rossl

Fri May 15, 2009 at 16:36:17 PM PDT

Set out runnin but I take my time
A friend of the devil is a friend of mine
If I get home before daylight, I just might get some sleep tonight.

Ran into the devil, babe, he loaned me twenty bills
I spent the night in utah in a cave up in the hills.

Set out runnin but I take my time, a friend of the devil is a friend of mine,
If I get home before daylight, I just might get some sleep tonight.

I ran down to the levee but the devil caught me there
He took my twenty dollar bill and vanished in the air.

Set out runnin but I take my time
A friend of the devil is a friend of mine

There is a farm about a mile away from my house.  There is a gravel road that runs along one side of this farm.  I often run along this road with my dogs, and a few days ago while I was running I saw an old man out in his garden tending to some peas.  I stopped and said hello and said, "I'm growing some peas in my garden but they're not doing as well as yours."  In an accent that I later learned was Turkish, he said back, "Come one day this week after school.  I will go to your house and show you how you get peas like this."

This afternoon I learned that this small man might not be so innocent.

Africans Speak Out About the G20 Summit

by: Jill Richardson

Tue Apr 14, 2009 at 23:31:55 PM PDT

What a farce? That an elite group of leaders of 20 countries that control an estimated 85 percent of the world's economy should seek celebration of their minstrel shows by the millions of peoples of the world - most particularly in the underdeveloped countries - who live in conditions of staggering poverty at less than US$2 or P10 a day!

Who's Who in the Fight Against Global Hunger

by: Jill Richardson

Sat Apr 11, 2009 at 15:38:51 PM PDT

Also - about the question the Monsanto employees raised about how their company stood to profit from this bill. While the bill specifically does not SAY that any money will go to Monsanto, the Chicago Council's plan calls for USAID to take the lead on global hunger and mentions public-private partnerships. Monsanto is already involved in one such public-private partnership with USAID in Kenya. So it's not too much of a stretch to imagine they would be included in whatever may come of this bill.

The Bad Guys' Plan to Feed the Hungry

by: Jill Richardson

Thu Apr 09, 2009 at 20:00:00 PM PDT

As predicted, the executive summary began by calling for a second Green Revolution. (If you're unfamiliar with the first Green Revolution, it was the export of our pesticides, fertilizer, and unsustainable agriculture techniques to the developing world... nothing "green" about it.)

The source of these problems is not fluctuating food prices on the world market, but low productivity on the farm. The production growth needed will have to come from improved farm policies, technologies, and techniques, including those that address the effects of  climate change. - Chicago Council report, p. 16

If you read that paragraph you will see that the Chicago Council's overall plan will all aim to increase crop yields in the developing world. I DO agree that helping poor farmers improve agricultural techniques is a good idea. I DON'T agree that pesticides & fertilizers are the way to do it. I don't know enough about Africa to know whether or not their problem is truly crop yields.

I also think that more besides increased yields is needed. Think about all of the support our society & government provides here in the U.S. We have paved roads all over the country, everyone can be plugged into the electric grid, phone lines, and internet. We have a working court system. We have police and fire departments. Everyone can have a free education K-12. We have clean water. We're not living in a war zone either, and while our government is corrupt in some ways, it's pretty darn good in comparison to places like Sudan. I'm not suggesting that the solution for poor African farmers is broadband internet, but I do think it's important to take into account what kind of support structures developing countries' governments can put into place to help their people.