Posts Tagged ‘economics’
September 24th, 2009 | Author: admin
Article from The Huffington Post, September 23, 2009
The industrial agriculture complex has been doing back flips for the last few weeks, first because of the ascendance of Blanche Lincoln (ConservaDem-AR) to the high throne of the Senate Agriculture Committee, where she promises to pinch climate legislation (or at the very least shove it aside until next year) and push a southern Big Ag agenda in the Senate for rice and cotton interests. Now, the White House has announced Islam A. Siddiqui, current Vice President for Science and Regulatory Affairs at CropLife America (you will remember the organization as the one that sent the First Lady a letter admonishing her for not using pesticides on the White House garden) as nominee for Chief Agricultural Negotiator, who works through the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to promote our crops and ag products abroad.
Why does it matter if the Vice President from the trade association representing pesticides and other agricultural chemicals takes over the Office of Agricultural Affairs at the USTR? Well, because that office, according to the USTR website “has overall responsibility for negotiations and policy coordination regarding agriculture.”
Posted in Uncategorized | 
Tags: agriculture, economics, government, industrial agriculture, pesticides | 
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September 16th, 2009 | Author: admin
Article and photo from Civil Eats, September 16, 2009
A true beacon of creating community through food, the Ceres Community Project in Sebastopol, California, brings teens into the kitchen to learn about healthy foods and cooking skills while providing organic meals to individuals and families battling cancer and other serious illnesses. Named for the Roman goddess, Ceres—who rules the growing and preparing of food as well as the natural cycles of birth, death, and renewal—the nonprofit’s 100-plus volunteers currently cook meals for more than 40 families a week and, since launching in 2007, have provided nearly 45,000 meals to Sonoma County families.
According to Ceres, cancer now affects one in three people before the age of 75 and one in four will die from complications caused by the disease. More than 50 percent of all deaths in the U.S.—from heart disease, cancer and diabetes—are directly related to the combination of poor nutrition, obesity and inactivity. An estimated one-third of the 565,000 cancer deaths annually—or 188,000—are believed to be directly related to these dietary and lifestyle choices.
September 16th, 2009 | Author: admin
Article from Developments Magazine, September 2009
Africa’s small farms could hold the key to the continent riding out the recession. “An increase in investment in smallholder farms – which represent 95% of agriculture in Africa – can return the continent to a path of high growth,” said Kanayo F Nwanze, president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).
Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Cape Town, he told delegates: “Smallholder agriculture is the largest private-sector activity in many African countries. It not only feeds families, it provides jobs and catalyses the growth of rural businesses and broader development.”
September 9th, 2009 | Author: admin
Article and photo from The Washington Post, September 8, 2009
You feel pretty virtuous when you buy local food. It’s fresher, maybe even more nutritious, proponents say. Now advocates are pushing another selling point: Local food strengthens the economy. It keeps money in local communities and helps create jobs, which in turn can help reduce crime.
Wow. And you thought all you were getting was a really good peach.
