tagged w/ Global Food Crisis
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In reality, this strategy is using the misery of millions to push an unpopular, ineffective and potentially disastrous technology upon the world's farmers and food consumers. As Bill Freese of the Washington-based Center for Food Safety told me, at present GM technology is totally inappropriate for African farmers. "GM techonology has been developed for big farmers in industrialized countries, and therefore we've seen most GM crops grown in the U.S." Freese explained. Round-up ready products have been developed for application on large arable farms, to save labor, a consideration that "is not relevant to small farmers in developing countries" who are more interested in effective farming techniques and the ability to market their crop than saving labor on small plots.
So far, crops grown in African soils and climates have not been genetically modified successfully. GM varieties of the sweet potato have been heavily promoted in the past, and then found to be a failure. A similar fate is befalling Bt Cotton, a Monsanto mainstay that was adopted in large numbers by Indian farmers, lured by the promise of high yields and lower labor. But a few seasons later, state governments in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh are suing for compensation for farmers who have seen no benefits from Monsanto's seeds.
Farmers adopting GM crops in the U.S. have also seen their orders for pesticide rising, as weeds have developed resistance to Round-up - increasing the health risks associated with using Round-up Ready seeds and consuming the food that results. Some farmers have moved from Round-up to more potent brews such as Atrazine, a nerve agent banned in the EU, and 2,4-D which is linked to cancer and is acutely toxic to humans.
In fact, Freese told me that GM crops have proved to be "the definition of unsustainable agriculture," encouraging "massive reliance on a single chemical to contain weeds" and ensuring reliance on oil to power agricultural machinery and to produce the pesticides that it interacts with. What Freese calls "off the shelf technology" – agro-ecological principles such as intercropping to protect against insect pests and weeds - which is tailored around local biodiversity and knowledge of ecological processes, could boost yields and strengthen biodiversity without the attendant risks and failures associated with GMOs.
Yet GMOs are seeing a renaissance in the public eye as a result of this food crisis, and the Rome FAO summit gave them a springboard. The EU, U.S. and Monsanto have since run with the ball, but they have found very little interest from the governments and peoples of developing nations to join them. That is probably because GM as an agricultural technology has proven itself a failure. It is receiving support from governments in the developed world because it holds out the potential for almost limitless profits. For small farmers in the developing world, and for many farmers in the U.S. too, its promise has all too often proven to be nothing more than a sleekly packaged lie.
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Small farmers will continue to be swamped by heavily subsidized American and European crops, fall prey to land grabs to service the biofuel industry and become indentured to biotech corporations as the global seed supply becomes ever more consolidated. Biodiversity will continue to suffer assault from pesticides, stray genetic information, monoculture plantations and the search of poor peasants for firewood and food. Carbon emissions from grain shipment, farm equipment and deforestation will not abate. The recipe is, in short, one for catastrophe.
In reality, this strategy is using the misery of millions to push an unpopular,... more
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Swiss farmers have warned that the current round of negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) will spell the end to many family-run smallholdings.
A declaration by farmers' representatives from various countries was published in the Swiss city of Geneva as negotiations continued on achieving a global trade agreement.
The Swiss Farmers Association said moves towards further liberalisation were failing to solve the global food crisis and were worsening environmental problems.
The declaration said only major exporting countries, including the United States, Brazil and Australia, stood to benefit from the proposals to reduce customs tariffs.
The farmers' representatives called on the WTO to respect the right of every country to produce food for its own population.
The week-long talks are seen as the last chance to save the seven-year-old Doha round of trade talks before November's US presidential elections.Swiss farmers have warned that the current round of negotiations at the World Trade... more
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After soaring food prices led to deadly riots in April, the U.S. and the U.N. promised millions of dollars in aid to poor families, as well as help for farmers to break Haiti's dependence on imported food.
But three months later, The Associated Press has learnt that only a fraction of a key U.S. food pledge — less than 2 percent as of early July — has been distributed.
Even those who oversee the food aid programs say they are stopgap measures while programs to create jobs and help Haitian farmers to increase production are more critical to ending the country's chronic hunger once and for all.
But right now, aid workers say, the poorest families need immediate help, and little of the emergency food promised has reached them. Most of what has reached Haiti is stuck in port. Nearly all the rest is still inside warehouses — victim of high fuel prices, bad roads and a weak national government. After soaring food prices led to deadly riots in April, the U.S. and the U.N. promised... more
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Global food shortages have placed the Middle East and North Africa in a quandary, as they are forced to choose between growing more crops to feed an expanding population or preserving their already scant supply of water.
For decades nations in this region have drained aquifers, sucked the salt from seawater and diverted the mighty Nile to make the deserts bloom. But those projects were so costly and used so much water that it remained far more practical to import food than to produce it. Today, some countries import 90 percent or more of their staples.
Now, the worldwide food crisis is making many countries in this politically volatile region rethink that math.
The population of the region has more than quadrupled since 1950, to 364 million, and is expected to reach nearly 600 million by 2050. By that time, the amount of fresh water available for each person, already scarce, will be cut in half, and declining resources could inflame political tensions further.
"The countries of the region are caught between the hammer of rising food prices and the anvil of steadily declining water availability per capita," Alan Richards, a professor of economics and environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, said via e-mail. "There is no simple solution."Global food shortages have placed the Middle East and North Africa in a quandary, as... more
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Once oil passed $140 a barrel, even the most rabidly right-wing media hosts had to prove their populist cred by devoting a portion of every show to bashing Big Oil. Some have gone so far as to invite me on for a friendly chat about an insidious new phenomenon: "disaster capitalism." It usually goes well - until it doesn't.
For instance, "independent conservative" radio host Jerry Doyle and I were having a perfectly amiable conversation about sleazy insurance companies and inept politicians when this happened: "I think I have a quick way to bring the prices down," Doyle announced. "We've invested $650 billion to liberate a nation of 25 million people. Shouldn't we just demand that they give us oil? There should be tankers after tankers backed up like a traffic jam getting into the Lincoln Tunnel, the Stinkin' Lincoln, at rush hour with thank-you notes from the Iraqi government ... Why don't we just take the oil? We've invested it liberating a country. I can have the problem solved of gas prices coming down in ten days, not ten years."
There were a couple of problems with Doyle's plan, of course. The first was that he was describing the biggest stickup in world history. The second, that he was too late: "We" are already heisting Iraq's oil, or at least are on the cusp of doing so.
It's been ten months since the publication of my book The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism, in which I argue that today's preferred method of reshaping the world in the interest of multinational corporations is to systematically exploit the state of fear and disorientation that accompanies moments of great shock and crisis. With the globe being rocked by multiple shocks, this seems like a good time to see how and where the strategy is being applied.
And the disaster capitalists have been busy -- from private firefighters already on the scene in Northern California's wildfires, to land grabs in cyclone-hit Burma, to the housing bill making its way through Congress. The bill contains little in the way of affordable housing, shifts the burden of mortgage default to taxpayers and makes sure that the banks that made bad loans get some payouts. No wonder it is known in the hallways of Congress as "The Credit Suisse Plan," after one of the banks that generously proposed it.
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Those conspiring behind closed doors are not Democrats or Republicans to me. They aren't even real Americans. They are globalist elitist Fascists who use misery and tragedy to profit and to subjugate the weak and poor. That is not how a Democratic society built upon liberty and equality exists. I have thought for quite some time that the climate crisis was not being addressed properly because those in power want it to get worse so they can push their genetically modified seeds, milk, and other franken products on farmers...so they can take our water to commoditize it... so they can invade the Arctic to get its resources.... and so they can use war and environmental devastation to continue their march to global domination while weakening civil rights.
For in a truly Democratic society, pre-emptive war would not be waged against countries that had not attacked us. Climate change would be addressed properly as the urgent crisis it is for our survival. All people would have an equal voice in this process. Media conglomerates would not be owned by the governments and those associated with governments pumping out only what they want us to hear and other distractionary bs in lieu of telling truth and educating the populace. But that isn't what we have. What we have is global Fascism subtle as it may be, and if the people do not stand up to this now we will lose it all.Once oil passed $140 a barrel, even the most rabidly right-wing media hosts had to... more
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A United Nations summit on the global food crisis called on Tuesday for trade barriers to be reduced and food export bans scrapped to help stop the spread of hunger that threatens nearly one billion people.
"Nothing is more degrading than hunger, especially when man-made," U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon told the Rome summit, where the United States and Brazil defended biofuel production from charges that it pushes up world food prices.
The head of the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), hosting the summit, said wealthy nations spent billions of dollars on farm subsidies, excess food consumption and arms.
Humanitarian agencies estimate soaring food prices could push as many as 100 million more people into hunger. About 850 million are already going hungry.
A United Nations summit on the global food crisis called on Tuesday for trade barriers... more
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Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has called for urgent action to ensure food supplies to poor nations struggling with sharp price rises.
Speaking in Germany after talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel, he appealed for "short, middle and long-term solutions to the crisis".
Last week, he vowed to double Japan's aid to Africa within five years.
Mrs Merkel said she would push G8 leaders to adopt a common approach to combating the rise in global prices.
The G8 is due to assemble in Hokkaido, Japan, on 7-9 July. Tokyo took over the group's revolving presidency from Berlin this year.
Mr Fukuda said the food situation would top the summit's agenda.
He is on a trip to Europe as part of Japan's summit preparations, and will also attend the UN food summit in Rome next week.
Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda has called for urgent action to ensure food... more
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GENEVA - The Red Cross warned Tuesday of a possible surge in "food-related violence" because of soaring prices that are increasing hunger around the world.
Most of the debate surrounding the global food crisis has focused on boosting aid to poorer countries, but there is also concern about the potential for violence as people become desperate for food, said Jakob Kellenberger, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
Follow the link to entire complete text.GENEVA - The Red Cross warned Tuesday of a possible surge in "food-related... more
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jimmyp
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added this
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4 years ago
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An authoritative new study demonstrates that genetically modified crops come very, very short of the yields their makers promised and even guaranteed that they would. This exposes genetic engineering for its imprecisions.
Hopefully, this spells the beginning of the end (may it come hastily) for Monsanto and parallel corporations. An authoritative new study demonstrates that genetically modified crops come very,... more
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Science has provided the souped-up seeds to feed the world, through biotechnology and old-fashioned crossbreeding. Now the problem is the dirt they're planted in.
As seeds get better, much of the world's soil is getting worse and people are going hungry. Scientists say if they can get the world out of the economically triggered global food crisis, better dirt will be at the root of the solution.
Soils around the world are deteriorating with about one-fifth of the world's cropland considered degraded in some manner. The poor quality has cut production by about one-sixth, according to a World Resources Institute study. Some scientists consider it a slow-motion disaster.
In sub-Saharan Africa, nearly 1 million square miles of cropland have shown a "consistent significant decline," according to a March 2008 report by a worldwide consortium of agricultural institutions.
The cause of the current global food crisis is mostly based on market forces, speculation and hoarding, experts say. But beyond the economics lie droughts and floods, plant diseases and pests, and all too often, poor soil.
A generation ago, through better types of plants, Earth's food production exploded in what was then called the "green revolution." Some people thought the problem of feeding the world was solved and moved on. However, developing these new "magic seeds" was the easy part. The crucial element, fertile soil, was missing.
"The first thing to do is to have good soil," said Hans Herren, winner of the World Food Prize. "Even the best seeds can't do anything in sand and gravel."
Science has provided the souped-up seeds to feed the world, through biotechnology and... more
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Indian politicians from all parties have joined in criticizing US President George W. Bush’s remarks that blamed India for the global food crisis. Although the ruling Congress party has joined the chorus, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has questioned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s silence on Bush’s remarks. The BJP plans to raise the issue in Parliament today.
At a seminar on global economy in Missouri, Bush was quoted by the media as saying: “There are 350 million people in India who are classified as middle class. That’s bigger than America. Their middle class is larger than our entire population. And when you start getting wealth, you start demanding better nutrition and better food, and so demand is high, and that causes the price to go up.”
Follow the link for the complete text. President Bush's statements blaming India for food shortage irk Indians. India is a net exporter of food. Bush may have a less than perfect understanding of cause and effect with regard to the food crisis.
Indian politicians from all parties have joined in criticizing US President George W.... more
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jimmyp
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added this
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4 years ago
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The media is just now starting to grasp the magnitude of this problem that will arrive in the heartland of America one day. What are we going to do? The time to act is NOW ... if we wait, it will be too late for us all.The media is just now starting to grasp the magnitude of this problem that will arrive... more
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A global grain crisis has driven prices of wheat and rice to records, prompted some countries to impose export bans, stoked inflation and sparked civil unrest. The U.S. and Europe may have to reconsider their promotion of biofuels as fears of food shortages mount. This report compiles comments from the United Nations' Ban Ki-Moon and Abdolreza Abbassian, the World Bank's Robert Zoellick and Hans Timmer, the International Monetary Fund's Dominique Strauss-Kahn, the Center for Global Development's Kimberly Elliott and the Peterson Institute's Arvind Subramanian. Other speakers include UBS's John Clemmow, Calyon's Stuart Bennett, Nikko Asset's Gavin Redknap, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Ephraim Leibtag, Europe Economics' Andrew Lilico, Rabobank's Luke Chandler, Puru Saxena's Puru Saxena and Global-Cap's Alexis Dawance. (Source: Bloomberg)A global grain crisis has driven prices of wheat and rice to records, prompted some... more
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Dflo
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added this
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4 years ago
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Angela Merkel (Chancellor of Germany which is Europe's largest biofuel producer) is blaming the global food crisis on the people of India now eating two meals a day instead of just one, and fears that if the Chinese develop a taste for milk, they will make things much worse. Needless to say, she happily downs three large meals a day.Angela Merkel (Chancellor of Germany which is Europe's largest biofuel producer)... more
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A food crisis is emerging across the globe, not only among the poor but also eroding the gains of the working and middle classes. It is sowing volatile levels of discontent and putting new pressures on fragile governments.A food crisis is emerging across the globe, not only among the poor but also eroding... more
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Venezuela dispatched a fleet of airplanes carrying 364 tons of food on Sunday, Xinhua reports.
President Hugo Chavez said the shipment is to help relieve the crisis in Haiti where a nationwide crisis has hit the country for the past nine days.
Haiti is now in turmoil over rampant shortage of foodstuffs due to price hike.
President Chavez said his country has supplied meat, chicken, ham, milk, vegetables, olive oil and lentils to Haiti.
In recent months, rising food costs have led to social unrest in several countries such as Haiti and Egypt as governments struggle with a growing crisis sparked by a whole series of price increases in basic commodities. Venezuela dispatched a fleet of airplanes carrying 364 tons of food on Sunday, Xinhua... more
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Global stability under threat as drought, energy costs and growing demand push food prices up
Sunday April 13th, 2008
Stephanie Bunker is the United Nations Spokesperson for the Office of Humanitarian Affairs.
Chad Hart is the U.S. Policy and Insurance Analyst with the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute.
Global stability under threat as drought, energy costs and growing demand push food... more
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In the wake of climate change scientists are refocusing their efforts on crop resistance rather than just crop yield as the effects on global food sources are felt more pervasively. And the key is water.In the wake of climate change scientists are refocusing their efforts on crop... more
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