Despite hunger, Mozambique leases huge land holdings to foreigners by Chris Arsenault, Reuters | 19 Feb 2015 Mozambique | land grabbing | corporations | laws & policies A report on landgrabbing by GRAIN and the Mozambique small farmers movement UNAC has sparked quite some debate in the country. According to Chris Arsenault of Reuters: "Mozambique, a country wracked by hunger, has signed away land concessions three times larger than Greater London to outside investors in the past decade, displacing thousands of farmers in the process, said a report released on Thursday". A report on landgrabbing by GRAIN and the Mozambique small farmers movement UNAC has sparked quite some debate in the country. According to Chris Arsenault of Reuters: "Mozambique, a country wracked by hunger, has signed away land concessions three times larger than Greater London to outside investors in the past decade, displacing thousands of farmers in the process, said a report released on Thursday".
Street vendors join Global Day of Action: hundreds march to Walmart India headquarters by India FDI Watch | 19 Nov 2014 India | corporations | food sovereignty | laws & policies A street vendor in India would need to work for a staggering 350 million years to amass the same amount of wealth as the supermarket's owners, the Walton family – this is just one of the findings of new research by UNI Global Union ahead of worldwide protests against the family's role in global inequality today. A street vendor in India would need to work for a staggering 350 million years to amass the same amount of wealth as the supermarket's owners, the Walton family – this is just one of the findings of new research by UNI Global Union ahead of worldwide protests against the family's role in global inequality today.
Bailing out a foreign food company in the DR Congo by Chris Arsenault | 14 Nov 2014 Congo, the Democratic Republic of the | land grabbing | corporations European taxpayer funds save Canadian Congo plantation paying workers $1 a day, as backers say the move creates jobs. European taxpayer funds save Canadian Congo plantation paying workers $1 a day, as backers say the move creates jobs.
How a national food policy could save millions of American lives by Mark Bittman, Michael Pollan, Ricardo Salvador and Olivier De Schutter | 10 Nov 2014 United States | corporations | technologies | climate crisis | laws & policies | food safety How we produce and consume food has a bigger impact on Americans’ well-being than any other human activity. Yet we have no food policy — no plan or agreed-upon principles — for managing American agriculture or the food system as a whole. That must change. An appeal for a US food policy. How we produce and consume food has a bigger impact on Americans’ well-being than any other human activity. Yet we have no food policy — no plan or agreed-upon principles — for managing American agriculture or the food system as a whole. That must change. An appeal for a US food policy.
Gates Foundation refutes report it fails African farmers by Karrie Kehoe, Thomson Reuters | 5 Nov 2014 corporations | technologies | food crisis | seeds & biodiversity The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has rejected accusations that too much of its funding goes to Western researchers, saying it is helping small farmers in African countries. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has rejected accusations that too much of its funding goes to Western researchers, saying it is helping small farmers in African countries.
Food Systems Academy - an open education resource to transform our food systems by Food Systems Academy | 5 Nov 2014 corporations | food sovereignty | seeds & biodiversity A new site aims to help you increase your understanding of our food systems – where they came from, how they change, what the challenges are and how to meet them. A new site aims to help you increase your understanding of our food systems – where they came from, how they change, what the challenges are and how to meet them.
Malawi's Green Revolution by African Centre for Biosafety | 7 Oct 2014 Malawi | corporations | technologies | food crisis The Green Revolution in Malawi is being pushed as the success story that other countries in the continents should follow. The African Centre for Biosafety collaborated with local partners in the country to find out what's really going on, and produced an excellent report that recommends that the country stops following this path and starts supporting small farmers and their food systems instead. The Green Revolution in Malawi is being pushed as the success story that other countries in the continents should follow. The African Centre for Biosafety collaborated with local partners in the country to find out what's really going on, and produced an excellent report that recommends that the country stops following this path and starts supporting small farmers and their food systems instead.
Progress in the New Alliance? Not in support of small-scale food producers by G7/G8 Civil Society Organisations | 23 Sep 2014 corporations | food sovereignty Two years after the launch of the G8 New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, it seems clear that it actually undermines food security, nutrition and the progressive realization of the right to food in Africa. Two years after the launch of the G8 New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, it seems clear that it actually undermines food security, nutrition and the progressive realization of the right to food in Africa.
UnderMining Agriculture - New Report from The Gaia Foundation by Gaia Foundation | 18 Sep 2014 land grabbing | corporations The world's food production and millions of small farmers and communities are under increasing threat from the rapid expansion of mining, says a new report released by the Gaia Foundation. The world's food production and millions of small farmers and communities are under increasing threat from the rapid expansion of mining, says a new report released by the Gaia Foundation.
The political economy of Africa's burgeoning chemical fertiliser rush by African Centre for Biosafety | 16 Sep 2014 corporations | technologies The African Centre for Biosafety has just released an in-depth report, The Political economy of Africa’s burgeoning chemical fertiliser rush, which looks at the role of fertiliser in the push for a Green Revolution in Africa, some of the key present and future fertiliser trends on the continent, and identifies the major players involved. The African Centre for Biosafety has just released an in-depth report, The Political economy of Africa’s burgeoning chemical fertiliser rush, which looks at the role of fertiliser in the push for a Green Revolution in Africa, some of the key present and future fertiliser trends on the continent, and identifies the major players involved.
Carnivorous greed by Silvia Ribeiro | 12 Sep 2014 corporations The industrial production of meat and meat products is becoming a huge problem for environmental pollution and the ravages to land and water. It’s also one of the greatest factors contributing to climate change and is the main global destination for GM crops. The industrial production of meat and meat products is becoming a huge problem for environmental pollution and the ravages to land and water. It’s also one of the greatest factors contributing to climate change and is the main global destination for GM crops.
Nestlé, ADM and Cargill can’t escape liability for cocoa child slavery, rules court by Oliver Nieburg | 11 Sep 2014 Cote d'Ivoire | corporations “Driven by the goal to reduce costs in any way possible, the defendants allegedly supported the use of child slavery, the cheapest form of labor available,” said senior circuit judge DW Nelson. He said that the companies controlled the Ivorian cocoa market and instead of using that control to stop slavery, they facilitated it. “Driven by the goal to reduce costs in any way possible, the defendants allegedly supported the use of child slavery, the cheapest form of labor available,” said senior circuit judge DW Nelson. He said that the companies controlled the Ivorian cocoa market and instead of using that control to stop slavery, they facilitated it.
What do Chinese dumplings have to do with global warming? by Nicola Twilley | 8 Sep 2014 China | corporations | climate crisis An artificial winter has begun to stretch across the country, through its fields and its ports, its logistics hubs and freeways. China had 250 million cubic feet of refrigerated storage capacity in 2007; by 2017, the country is on track to have 20 times that. This is not simply transforming how Chinese people grow, distribute and consume food. It also stands to become a formidable new factor in climate change; cooling is already responsible for 15 percent of all electricity consumption worldwide, and leaks of chemical refrigerants are a major source of greenhouse-gas pollution. An artificial winter has begun to stretch across the country, through its fields and its ports, its logistics hubs and freeways. China had 250 million cubic feet of refrigerated storage capacity in 2007; by 2017, the country is on track to have 20 times that. This is not simply transforming how Chinese people grow, distribute and consume food. It also stands to become a formidable new factor in climate change; cooling is already responsible for 15 percent of all electricity consumption worldwide, and leaks of chemical refrigerants are a major source of greenhouse-gas pollution.
Who will feed China’s pigs?...And why it matters to us and the planet by Tom Levitt | 20 Aug 2014 China | land grabbing | corporations A new generation of Chinese companies like the New Hope Group and COFCO are challenging the dominance of US agribusiness as they seek to meet China’s growing demand for food A new generation of Chinese companies like the New Hope Group and COFCO are challenging the dominance of US agribusiness as they seek to meet China’s growing demand for food
Economic valuation of nature. The price to pay for conservation? A critical exploration by Jutta Kill | 18 Aug 2014 corporations 'Nature is destroyed because it’s invisible to politicians and business', advocates of economic valuation say. The implicit assumption: Create a ‘nature that capital can see’ and the loss of biodiversity will be stopped. But it isn’t that simple! 'Nature is destroyed because it’s invisible to politicians and business', advocates of economic valuation say. The implicit assumption: Create a ‘nature that capital can see’ and the loss of biodiversity will be stopped. But it isn’t that simple!