Restrict Foreign Ownership?

US farmers scramble to buy Brazil's farmland

Published on Sep 29, 2012 by AlJazeeraEnglish : Phil Corzine, a fourth-generation farmer from Illinois, is living the American dream, but it's happening on dusty soy farms in the interior of Brazil, rather than the cornfields of Iowa.

Corzine, 53, owns or manages seven farms in Goias and Tocantins states in the agricultural heartland of Brazil.

Rising corn costs are a high price to pay

Published on Sep 9, 2012 by AlJazeeraEnglish : America's corn harvest may be under way, but a summer drought has withered away much of the nation's expected yield.As a result, the price of corn is up as much as 40 per cent over last year.That's a problem because corn is a key ingredient in almost everything, from ketchup to coca-cola.

'Something Really Wrong': Dead Fish

Published on Sep 4, 2012 by CTVLondon : Tens of Thousands of Dead Fish Wash Up on Lake Erie Shore.



2011-2012 Unexplained Mass Animal Die-Offs Continue Published on Sep 3, 2012 by 2012truthishere : the strange large animal die offs, occurring around the globe.

Food Price Watch : August-2012.

MAIN MESSAGES: The prices of internationally traded maize and soybeans reached all-time peaks in July, following an unprecedented summer in both the United States and Eastern Europe in terms of high temperatures and lack of rain fall. Wheat prices have also soared to levels comparable to the 2011 peaks but below all-time records. Prices of rice remain stable from abundant supplies.

The abrupt food price increases turned favorable price prospects for the year upside down. World Bank experts do not currently foresee a repeat of 2008; however negative factors—such as exporters pursuing panic policies, a severe el Niño, disappointing Southern hemisphere crops, or strong increases in energy prices—could cause significant further grain price hikes such as those experienced four years ago.

Countries in the Middle East and North and Sub-Saharan Africa are most vulnerable to this global shock. They have large food import bills, their food consumption is a large share of average household spending, and they have limited fiscal space and comparatively weaker protective mechanisms. Domestic food prices in these regions have also experienced sharp increases even before the global shock due to seasonal trends, poor past harvests, and conflict. Local circumstances will also largely determine how high domestic prices will be pushed from much higher international prices. 

source here  :  

Starving Africa?

From Twitter : Injustice Facts ‏@InjusticeFacts

Americans and Europeans throw away enough edible food to feed every starving person in Africa.

Severe Droughts Drive Food Prices Higher, Threatening the Poor

WASHINGTON, August 30, 2012 – Global food prices soared by 10 percent in July from a month ago, with maize and soybean reaching all-time peaks due to an unprecedented summer of droughts and high temperatures in both the United States and Eastern Europe, according to the World Bank Group’s latest Food Price Watch report.

From June to July, maize and wheat rose by 25 percent each, soybeans by 17 percent, and only rice went down, by 4 percent.  Overall, the World Bank’s Food Price Index, which tracks the price of internationally traded food commodities, was 6 percent higher than in July of last year, and 1 percent over the previous peak of February 2011.

“Food prices rose again sharply threatening the health and well-being of millions of people,”said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. “Africa and the Middle East are particularly vulnerable, but so are people in other countries where the prices of grains have gone up abruptly.”

Overall, food prices between April and July continued the volatile trend observed during the previous 12 months, which halted the sustained increases between mid-2010 and February 2011. Prices increased in April, came down in May and June, and sharply increased in July.

Sharp domestic price increases have continued in this quarter, especially in Africa. Sub-Saharan Africa, in particular, experienced the highest price increases in maize, including 113 percent in some markets in Mozambique. Meanwhile, the Sahel and eastern Africa regions experienced steep price increases of sorghum: 220 percent in South Sudan, and 180 percent in Sudan, for instance.

According to Food Price Watch, weather is the critical factor behind the abrupt global price increases in July. The drought in the U.S. has resulted in vast damages to the summer crops of maize and soybeans, for which the country is the world’s largest exporter. Meanwhile, the dry summer in the Russian Federation, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan has contributed to projected wheat production losses.

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US first direct involvement in cleaning up dioxin left from Agent Orange.

Landmark U.S. clean up of Vietnam Agent Orange announced: Chemical linked to cancer and birth defects

• First official clean up step comes four decades after end of conflict 
• Millions of gallons of chemical dumped over course of decade to destroy enemy cover 
• Comes as Vietnam and the U.S. forge closer ties to boost trade and counter China's rising influence

By Daily Mail Reporter | 9 August 2012

The United States has begun a landmark project to clean up a dangerous chemical left from the defoliant Agent Orange - 50 years after it was first sprayed by American planes on Vietnam's jungles to destroy enemy cover.

Work will now begin to remove Dioxin, which has been linked to cancer, birth defects and other disabilities, from the site of a former U.S. air base in Danang in central Vietnam.

The US sprayed millions of gallons of Agent Orange over the course of a decade.




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Getting to Sustainable Development, Inclusively and Efficiently

Think about this: 1.3 billion people still don’t have access to electricity, a billion go hungry every day, some 900 million still don’t have access to safe, clean drinking water, and more than 2.5 billion lack access to sanitation.

Sustainable development is built on the triple bottom line: economic growth, environmental stewardship, and social development - or prosperity, planet, people. Without careful attention to all three, we cannot create a sustainable world.

In the 25 years since sustainable development was coined as a term, there has been progress, but the pathway to sustainable development must now be more inclusive green growth.

Progress has often come at the expense of our natural wealth. We have destroyed and depleted our natural assets to the point where we run the risk of undermining the precious gains.

At the same time, while globally the planet is flatter and more equitable, within countries the gap between rich and poor has grown unsustainably.

FULL REPORT :

Unpasteurized Milk Gains Support Despite Risks.

VOAvideo on 17 Jun 2011 - In the United States, a risky food is gaining in popularity - raw milk.

Global Food standards becoming more harmonized

VOAvideo on Mar 7, 2011 - There are nearly seven billion people in the world. It takes a lot of food to keep us alive. And the food we eat comes from all over the globe. GAP standards, good agricultural practices, have become more harmonized to meet a single international standard to benefit the farmer and the consumer. VOA's Philip Alexiou reports.

Russia rediscovers old farming methods.

AlJazeeraEnglish | November 15, 2010 - Russian farmers have rediscovered old agricultural techniques to make large swathes of desolate land fruitful again.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, farmlands in thousands of villages were abandoned as residents migrated to cities seeking better lives.

But now entrepreneurs are using the land to produce organic foods in an effort to appeal to a growing, health conscious, middle class.

Neave Barker reports from Moshnitsy, a village northwest of Moscow.

WILL AMERICANS CONSUME FRANKENFISH GM SALMON?

How Safe Would Genetically Modified Salmon Be to Eat? Video 1

Frankenfish: Genetically engineered salmon - Video 2

Gene-Modified Salmon Nears Approval - Video 3

VIDEO 1:

PBSNewsHour | September 20, 2010 - Read the Transcript: http://to.pbs.org/9LSISk

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is in the process of making a decision on whether genetically modified salmon is safe for people to eat. Margaret Warner runs a debate on the pros and cons of loosening restrictions on GM foods.

VIDEO 2 :

RTAmerica | September 07, 2010

Genetically engineered seeds are not breaking news; however a biotech company called AquaBounty has been working on genetically engineered salmon. The fish will be a combination of Atlantic salmon and part Ocean Pout. Jeffrey M. Smith says that it is ridiculous to evaluate the safety of this food with no long term feeding studies six and refuses to consume this genetically engineered salmon, if approved.

Sustainable farming & FRESH - Ana Sofia Joanes.

June 07, 2010 — In this Earth Focus interview, filmmaker Ana Sofia Joanes speaks about her new film "Fresh," and points out why today's industrial agriculture is unsustainable. "Fresh" promotes a new way of food production, celebrating fresh, earth-friendly food.

Interview with documentary filmmaker Ana Sofia Jones

Earth Focus Interview: Ana Sofia Joanes

"Sanitation and Water for All" meeting opens

WASHINGTON, DC, USA, 11 May 2010 UNICEF recently hosted the historic first annual High-Level Meeting on Sanitation and Water for All at World Bank headquarters in Washington, DC.

Sanitation and Water for All is a global partnership aimed at achieving universal and sustainable access to sanitation and drinking-water by firmly placing the issue on the global agenda. Its immediate focus is achieving the water- and sanitation-related Millennium Development Goals in the countries that are most off-track for reaching the MDG targets.

In this video, UNICEF Chief of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Clarissa Brocklehurst speaks about involving all sectors to increase investment in safe water and sanitation.

Halal meat controversy in France.

AlJazeeraEnglish  |  February 21, 2010  - Halal meat, or meat slaughtered in line with Muslim tradition, is at the centre of a political controversy.

Quick - a fast-food French restaurant chain - is testing out a new niche market, withdrawing all pork products from the menu and serving only halal meat in some of its branches.

Experts say that with more than 5 million French Muslims who are potential customers, Quick is targeting a booming market: the $7.5bn halal business.

China ban on pet dog meat draw angry outcry

The Chinese government is considering taking meat from pet animals off menus across the country, raising concerns among dog farmers who have relied on the industry for generations.

The draft proposal to ban dog and cat meat has drawn an angry outcry from regions where the dish is popular.

Opponents say the ban would destroy local culinary traditions.

The state of food insecurity in the world

UN To Launch Yemen's Food Security Plan January.

SANA'A, Dec 21 09   |  Bernama

-- United Nations (UN) is to launch next January Yemen's plan for humanitarian responding to offer the early aid programme to around 1.4 million people suffering from lacking of food security in Yemen, Yemeni news agency (Saba) has reported.

The plan would include the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) due to the rebellion in Sa'ada governorate, nearly 200,000 according to UN estimates, and over 162,000 refugees, most of them are from the Horn of Africa region.

Malaysia's Superbrands Award to 100Plus and Sony

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 8  -- Malaysia has to seriously think of the country's brand to promote exports, attract investments, talents, tourists and global goodwill in the world, said Second Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Husni Hanadzlah.

He said a strong and positive country brand had the ability to create a national competitive advantage and economic value.