A3. Agroecology

We are pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for qualified individuals or firms to participate in a critical research initiative aimed at transforming African food systems. The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA), with the support of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), is commissioning a Participatory Action Research study under the “My […]

The post Call for EOI: Participatory Action Research on African Foods, Food Security, and Food Systems first appeared on AFSA.

AFRICAN FAITH LEADERS DEMAND REPARATIONS FROM GATES ENDING THE HARM OF THE GREEN REVOLUTION PRESS CONFERENCE Wed, 28 August 2024 8AM EDT | 12PM GMT (Accra/Bamako) | 3PM EAT Nairobi Language interpretation available in English and French Register here: https://bit.ly/green-revolution-reparations African faith leaders will soon issue an open letter to the Gates Foundation demanding reparations […]

The post Press Advisory: African Faith Leaders Demand Reparations From Gates first appeared on AFSA.

From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development Enhancing Digital Innovation for African Youth in Agroecology for Sustainable Food Systems On this International Youth Day 2024, the AFSA Youth Platform reinforces its commitment to harnessing the power of digital innovation in agroecology, equipping young people with the skills necessary to enhance agricultural practices […]

The post International Youth Day 2024: Enhancing Digital Innovation for African Youth in Agroecology first appeared on AFSA.

We are pleased to share that the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) is seeking to hire a highly qualified and experienced Food Systems Coordinator. This pivotal role will involve overseeing and coordinating key projects aimed at transforming African food systems towards sustainability, including significant responsibility in managing the “My Food is African” project, […]

The post We are hiring: Join AFSA as a Food Systems Coordinator first appeared on AFSA.

Terms of Reference for An External Project Evaluation of the “Healthy Soil Healthy Food” Project Interested candidates are invited to submit their proposals by 31st August 2024. Introduction The Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA) intends to commission an external evaluation of its Bread for the World-funded ‘Healthy Soil Healthy Food’ (HSHF) project. The four-and-a-half-year project […]

The post Call for Proposals: Evaluation of AFSA’s Healthy Soil Healthy Food Project first appeared on AFSA.

For the past 842 days, small-scale farmers and allied agricultural workers’ unions in Channarayapatna, Devanahalli, near the Bengaluru International Airport, have been leading a protest against the acquisition of their land for an industrial project. A rich agricultural belt, the region supports a variety of horticulture, sericulture, animal husbandry, and other agricultural activities. These include the cultivation of finger millets, the famed Bangalore blue grapes, a wide variety of vegetables and fruits, and more recently, flowers.

According to news reports, the Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) is set to acquire 1,777 acres for the Haralur Industrial Area Development Project (Phase II). In Phase 1, the board developed an industrial area spread over 1,282 acres, where two companies have set up production units. The preliminary notification for the acquisition was issued on August 30, 2021.

About 700 farming families will be affected by this project. Up to 475 acres are owned by farmers from historically oppressed communities and indigenous people in the area. Reports also indicate that nearly 6,000 people are engaged in farm work in the area.

On July 22nd, the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha, Hasiru Sene, Dalit Sangarsha Samiti, and several other allied organizations, under the banner of ‘Bhoosvadhina Virodhi Horata Samithi’ (Anti-Land Acquisition Struggle Committee), organized a rally at Devanahalli and led a protest march on foot to the Chief Minister’s residence in Bengaluru. However, they were stopped and detained by the police.

Police confronted the protesters marching towards the city. Video Source: Eedina News

Before taking out this protest march to the Chief Minister’s residence, over the last many months the protesting farmers had repeatedly met with several prominent ministers from Karnataka. Very recently, a national-level delegation of farmer leaders led by Rakesh Tikait and Yudhvir Singh also met with Siddaramaiah to discuss the land acquisition issue. However, according to the farmers, final notices about the land acquisition were served to two villages the very next day.

“Finger millet, a crop high in nutritional value and closely linked to the traditional diet of the communities, is the most grown crop in the area. The land is also used to cultivate grapes, beans, mangoes, and a host of other vegetables. Many residents are also small-scale livestock owners, and the land is crucial for grazing. How could anyone snatch away this land that feeds the city?”

Pramod Polanahalli, a young peasant from the community and organizer with the KRRS, pointedly asks.

According to a survey conducted by the affected peasant families in the area, about 1,000 tonnes of ragi (finger millet) and other food grains, 2,000 tonnes of grapes, 150 tonnes of mangoes, and other produce are grown on this land. Up to 8,000 liters of milk are produced every day in 13 villages, and dairy farming is a major source of income for farmers.

“Nearly 50% of the land is rain-fed, making it fertile. Out of the earmarked 1,292.1 acres of land, nearly 42% were granted by the government to landless people as part of an earlier land reform policy. The remaining peasant families have been farming here for generations. Farming is our life; it’s all we know,” adds

Karahalli Srinivas, a leader with the Dalit Sangarsha Samithi, at the forefront of the struggle.

Srinivas’s views also found echo among other protesters who said that farming is more than a means of livelihood and that the land and the farms are closely linked to their identity, culture, and heritage. For over two years, protesters have been camping at the site – sending 35-40 people from their communities daily. During the recently concluded national elections in India, the peasants in the region had announced a boycott of the national elections if politicians – from all political parties – continued to neglect their struggle.

Police stopped the protesters before they entered the city and detained them briefly. Photo Credit: Bhoosvadhina Virodhi Horata Samithi

Peasant leaders of the KRRS who were protesting on 23rd July have also raised concerns about clearing large swathes of green land for industrial-scale manufacturing at a time when the city is battling a water crisis, the agrarian sector is in distress, and extreme weather events – droughts and untimely rains – are increasing in frequency.

“KIADB has already acquired thousands of acres of land in Channarayapatna Hobli for various projects. More than 80% of the farmers have refused to give up their land. Our fight for the land will continue, and will be intensified. This is a clear case of turning fertile, productive land – nearly half of it rain-fed – that houses and employs a large number of families and cultivates nutritious crops that are ecologically and climatically suitable to the area. These farmlands are essential to our biodiversity and food sovereignty. Why can’t the government move these manufacturing zones elsewhere? ”

KT Gangadhar, senior leader of KRRS Photo Credit: Eedina News

The trend of forceful acquisition of farmland has been ongoing in the country for two decades. This is done in the name of development, to attract foreign investments and generate employment opportunities. Over this period, more than 500,000 acres have been acquired, with most of it not used for setting up any industry but for speculation. In their concept, producing milk, vegetables, fruits, and flowers is not considered development, although these sectors contribute 18% to India’s GDP. Development, to them, means gambling with the lives of the vulnerable and voiceless. Regardless of which party is in power, they are all pro-capitalist.

Chukki Nanjundaswamy, KRRS

As per the latest reports, ‘Bhoosvadhina Virodhi Horata Samithi’ (Anti-Land Acquisition Struggle Committee) has decided to escalate the protests if no immediate resolution is found on this issue.

The article has been prepared based on inputs from KRRS members and various media reports.

The post India: Peasant Movements Protest Forceful Acquisition of Farmland Near Bengaluru Airport appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

A version of this piece was featured in Food Tank’s newsletter, typically released weekly on Thursdays. To make sure it lands straight in your inbox and to be among the first to receive it, subscribe now by clicking here.

The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report (SOFI) was just released. It is an annual analysis of our progress toward achieving food and nutrition security for all people in the world.

And the report puts it simply: When it comes to alleviating hunger and improving food security, “the world is still far off track,” and “improvements have been uneven and insufficient.”

Global hunger levels have failed to decrease for three consecutive years, the report finds, with about 1 in every 11 people having gone hungry in 2023. By 2030, the year by which the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals had aimed to fully end hunger, the SOFI report estimates that 582 million people worldwide will still be chronically undernourished.

“These hunger figures are a major wakeup call,” said Olivier De Schutter, U.N. Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights and Co-Chair of the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food). “Building climate-resilient food systems is now a life-or-death matter.”

The progress that has been made is fragmented geographically, according to the report. In Latin America and the Caribbean, “notable progress” has been made on food security efforts—unquestionably good news—but food security rates are stagnating in Asia and actually getting worse in Africa. Worldwide, too, every year since 2017, the cost of healthy diets has been consistently getting more expensive.

“This stark reality reflects deeply rooted global inequality, which is exacerbated by an outdated financial system—one that urgently needs to be reexamined and overhauled to facilitate a more inclusive approach to financing that eliminates disparities,” said Ambassador Dennis Francis, President of the 78th Session of the U.N. General Assembly.

This year’s SOFI report focuses primarily on “financing to end hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition,” and some of the numbers are mind-boggling. The change we really need—a network of global policies that devote financial resources toward providing affordable, healthful, nourishing diets for billions of people—could cost more than US$15 trillion. Just ending undernourishment itself would take investments in the hundreds of billions of dollars.

But the cost of ignoring hunger is way more expensive. The report reminds us that “not bridging this gap will result in social, economic and environmental consequences requiring solutions that will also cost several trillion [dollars].”

“We know there is money. We just need new and innovative ways to mobilize it,” says Alvaro Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development.

So why aren’t we seeing financial resources flow toward these vital projects?

The answer, largely, is risk: Private investors are concerned that financing food system transformation is too risky, so they would rather put their money into investments they view as safer bets to generate profitable returns.

We need to demonstrate what we know to be true: That investing in a more sustainable future is profitable!

Most urgently, we need stronger accountability. Because of poor transparency in our current financial landscape, food system investments can appear more risky than they actually are. More reliable data would go a long way toward reinforcing the “investment case” for food and nutrition interventions and would help hold decision-makers accountable for acting sustainably.

We can also help attract investment by bolstering partnerships between public investments like national commitments, private sector engagement, and philanthropy. This approach, called blended finance, can help create a more resilient financial structure, spread out the risk, and powerfully demonstrate the broad base of support that exists for food system change.

I’m optimistic about the groups that are already working hard to facilitate these collaborations, like the Global Alliance for the Future of Food, the Good Food Finance Network, Food Systems for the Future, and the Forum for Farmers and Food Security (3FS). It’s good to see this featured at major events like the recent London Climate Action Week and COP28 last year, too, where we heard from organizations like the ClimateShot Investor Coalition and the Institutional Investors Group on Climate Change.

To take a metaphor literally: To build a future where billions of people around the globe can access nourishing diets, we need to put our money where our mouth is.

And we need to do it now.

When we talk about building coordination for more investment into food and agriculture systems, we can’t only be thinking about money on a global scale, either.

How can each of us, in our own communities, help build bridges between local government, advocates, and civic boosters? Email me at danielle@foodtank.com, and let’s continue to discuss ways to build stronger food economies that start right in our neighborhoods.

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Gowtham AGM, Unsplash

The post It’s Time to Put Our Money Where Our Mouth Is—Literally appeared first on Food Tank.

The Union of Agricultural Work Committees (UAWC) welcomes the historic advisory opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on July 19, 2024. The ICJ’s ruling highlights the severe legal consequences of Israel’s persistent violations of the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination. This landmark decision unequivocally affirms that Israel’s occupation of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip is illegal and must end immediately.

The world’s highest court has determined that Israel must cease settlement activities, dismantle the apartheid wall, and withdraw all settlers from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In addition, it has affirmed the right of return for Palestinians and determined that Israel has an obligation to provide reparations for Palestinians. The Court condemned the Israeli occupation’s settlement and expansionist policies as flagrant violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention, noting that extensive land confiscation deprives Palestinians of basic livelihood resources, leading to their forced displacement.

The ICJ reaffirmed that the Israeli occupation remains bound by international humanitarian and human rights law, including the Hague Regulations and the International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights. Further, the ICJ recognized that Israel’s policies and practices constitute apartheid, as they systematically oppress and dominate the Palestinian people through an institutionalized regime. The ruling also highlights the illegality of extending Israeli law to the West Bank and East Jerusalem and condemns the exploitation of natural resources in these territories. While the case presented to the ICJ was temporally limited to the Israeli occupation since 1967, it serves as a critical step towards legal justice for all of historic Palestine and the right of return of Palestinian refugees since 1948.

Since the beginning of Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza in October 2023, the intensity of the occupation and the pace of its land theft in the West Bank has rapidly escalated. In 2024 alone, the Israeli occupation illegally confiscated 23.7 square kilometers (9.15 square miles) in the West Bank, marking a record high that surpasses the combined total of the past 20 years. Over 700,000 Israeli settlers now live in nearly 300 illegal settlements and outposts in the West Bank, and there are at least 790 movement obstacles that restrict Palestinian movement. Constant presence of the occupation forces, daily military raids, and increasing settler attacks have killed nearly 600 and injured over 5000 Palestinians. This land theft, resource exploitation, military and settler attacks, and consequential forced displacement of Palestinian communities are tools that Israeli settler colonialism has been utilizing for decades. In both the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, the Israeli occupation targets the land and its stewards with the intention of destroying Palestinian food systems and means of sustenance. As such, UAWC affirms the centrality of Palestinian land, farmers, and sovereignty in achieving justice.

The UAWC stands firmly with the ICJ in demanding that the Israeli occupation cease all illegal activities, dismantle settlements, and provide restitution for affected peoples, properties, and assets since 1967. It is critical that this moment be met with action: We urge the United Nations, particularly the General Assembly and Security Council, and all states to implement immediate and binding measures to end the Israeli occupation’s illegal actions in accordance with the ICJ ruling. States have the legal obligation to comply with the ICJ ruling; failure to do so would constitute a violation of international law. This includes enforcing a trade embargo and sanctions against Israel. The international community must uphold its obligations by not recognizing or assisting in maintaining the Israeli occupation’s unlawful presence in the occupied Palestinian territories. We call upon social movements, civil society, and people of conscience around the world to continue to apply pressure on all actors complicit in the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

The ICJ’s ruling marks a pivotal moment for justice and accountability, reinforcing the rights of the Palestinian people within the framework of international law. UAWC remains steadfastly committed to advocating for the rights and sovereignty of the Palestinian people, and we demand immediate and concrete actions to ensure compliance with this landmark ruling.

The post UAWC Welcomes ICJ Decision Affirming Israeli Occupation Is Unlawful appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

Farmers have been taking to the streets all over the world in recent months. In this webinar hosted by the National Family Farm Coalition in the US , you can hear first-hand from farmers about the the roots of discontent in Europe and the protests they’re leading in their countries.

While they have often been painted by media as “anti-regulation”, the webinar aimed to set the record straight by hearing the true causes of these protests straight from French and Spanish farmers, who demand farm policy reforms that support their livelihoods and communities.

MODERATED BY: Raj Patel, Author and professor at University of Texas – Austin

SPEAKERS:

• Florent Sebban, Organic produce farmer & spokesperson of Inter- Regional Movement of AMAP
• Mathieu Corgeau, Dairy farmer & co- president of Collectif Nourrir
• Javier Sánchez Anso, Organic grain farmer & member of Coordination of Farmers’ and Ranchers’ Organizations

National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC) is a member-based organization in the US, working to mobilize family farmers, fishers, and ranchers for fair prices, vibrant communities, and healthy foods free of corporate domination.

The post Setting the Record Straight on the European Farmer Protests | Webinar appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

The United States Supreme Court recently overturned the longstanding doctrine known as Chevron deference. Advocacy organizations including the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) worry that the ruling will limit the ability of federal agencies in the U.S. to effectively respond to challenges facing the country’s food and agriculture systems.

The decision “significantly impacts the future of our national and local food systems by limiting the flexibility of federal agencies like the [U.S. Department of Agriculture] to innovate and respond to emerging challenges,” Sophia Kruszewski, Deputy Director for NSAC, tells Food Tank.

Chevron deference was a legal precedent first established in 1984 by the Supreme Court. It gave administrative agencies, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the jurisdiction over federal courts to interpret ambiguous language in congressional statutes. It was informed by the belief that agencies demonstrate expert-level knowledge on matters specific to their work.

But the Supreme Court’s latest decision transfers the power to determine the meaning of laws to federal judges. In her dissent, Justice Elena Kagan writes, “In one fell swoop, the majority today gives itself exclusive power over every open issue—no matter how expertise-driven or policy-laden—involving the meaning of regulatory law.”

Current threats to food and agriculture systems, including decreasing pollinator populations, extreme weather events, and chemical exposure in communities and natural resources “are challenges that our federal government needs to address head on right now, and we can’t wait for decades of litigation to play out,” Allison Johnson, Senior Attorney at the National Resource Defense Council (NRDC) tells Food Tank. “As far as our food system is concerned, we’re at a crucial crossroads.”

Food and agriculture advocates like Johnson anticipate that an already slow legislative process will be worsened because of the Supreme Court’s decision.

“This ruling could lead to a chilling effect on agency actions, making it harder to implement critical programs that support regional supply chains, climate resilience, and equitable access for underserved producers,” says Kruszewski.

Kruszewski explains that agencies and organizations must “reassess our strategies and resource ourselves well for the challenge to ensure federal policy and programs can continue to meet the needs of farmers and communities.”

This may lead to state and local governments assuming a more primary role in initiating food system change in the future, Johnson says. Recently, New York State passed the Birds and Bees Protection Act which prohibits the use of certain toxic neonicotinoid pesticides that harm bees and water sources. “We need more states to follow suit,” she tells Food Tank.

In the absence of the Chevron deference, Johnson argues that Congress’ next steps must be to pass a strong Farm Bill that is clear in its instruction on how to support farmers’ transition to more environmentally sustainable practices and how to increase access to affordable, nutritious foods for Americans.

Although it remains uncertain how this decision will change the role of federal agencies in food and agriculture policy, Johnson asserts that they “should continue to do their jobs, and do them well. Rules must be based on sound legal interpretation and strong science.”

Johnson hopes this ruling will awaken the public to the importance of having judges and justice “who affirm the government’s ability to enforce laws that protect our public health and the environment” in federal courts. She cautions that “our environmental laws are only as strong as the federal judges that uphold them.”

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Claire Anderson, Unsplash

The post The Supreme Court Overturns the Chevron Deference: What’s Next for Our Food Systems? appeared first on Food Tank.

As a prelude to Africa’s participation in the 2025 Nyeleni Global Forum organized by the International Planning Committee for Food Sovereignty’s (IPC), the Africa region organized its consultation in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to discuss and adopt common positions.

For three days, about forty participants from West, Central, East, and Southern Africa, and more than eighty participants who registered online, representing small farmers, artisanal fishers and fish workers, herders-pastoralists, ethnic minorities, and indigenous peoples, agricultural workers, consumers, women, youth, forest dwellers, NGOs, and urban poor, discussed and built a common political agenda, strategies, and working methods to transform the global system to achieve economic, social, gender, racial, and environmental goals and ultimately achieve food sovereignty.

Image Source: IPC Website

The discussions included the progress made by the food sovereignty movement in the region since 2007, the analysis of the current situation in the African region, the key themes and struggles on which the movements had engaged, as well as the main successes, the analysis of the main challenges and obstacles to food sovereignty and justice in Africa, the main opportunities, key trends, policy arenas, strategies, agendas, actors, and political forces for justice and food sovereignty in the region, and next steps.

Indeed, in 2007, the IPC played a critical role in uniting small-scale food producers and their allies to establish a common vision of food sovereignty and implement strategies to make it a reality. Over time, a robust global movement for food sovereignty emerged, gaining significant political recognition. Together, they succeeded in democratizing the world food and agricultural scene, including reforming the Committee on World Food Security.

Their struggles also influenced food sovereignty policies in various national contexts and resulted in important milestones and standards for the rights of peasants and indigenous peoples: the ratification of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP) and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP); the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources with the concept of farmers’ rights; the Voluntary Tenure Guidelines (VGGT) and the Voluntary Guidelines on Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF Guidelines); and international conferences on agroecology.

These achievements were under threat due to a long period of systemic crises. Extremism, political forces, authoritarian regimes, and corporate capture of democratic governance spaces rose globally, alongside the dismantling of the United Nations multilateral system. Human rights violations against peasants and indigenous peoples, as well as climate change, biodiversity loss, armed conflict, and hunger, rapidly intensified. Moreover, new threats to food sovereignty came from new business configurations, in which speculative corporations, hedge funds, and digital titans joined forces to support a failing agro-industrial production system.

In this context, the IPC advocated for a new global Nyeleni process, leading to the next Global Nyeleni Forum in India in 2025. Recognizing the power of people’s movements, it aimed to build solidarity and unity by connecting local and global struggles. Efforts were made to adopt an intersectional perspective to effectively address the multidimensional global crisis.

As part of this Nyeleni process, all civil society and indigenous organizations, social movements, or NGOs that had already worked within the framework of the principles of food sovereignty and/or were willing to engage with food sovereignty from an intersectional perspective participated.

A global steering committee has been set up to guide the process, with IPC members and international allies from other sectors such as health, trade unions, and solidarity economy. This Nyeleni process is being built on regional consultations in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, MENA, and Asia and the Pacific. Each region aims to involve as many allied organizations as possible, to open up politically to allow other social organizations and movements to contribute, and to establish a regional steering committee responsible for leading convergence towards the Nyeleni Global Dialogues, which would take place in 2025 and beyond.

The results of this consultation will strengthen discussions at the global forum.

Source: IPC Website

The post Towards Nyeleni 2025: Notes from the African Consultation appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

From 9 to 12 June in Sri Lanka, 60 representatives from 12 countries and from more than 20 global and regional social movements and civil society organisations, across Asia and the Pacific came together to reflect on the progress made for food sovereignty and agroecology since the historic Declaration of Nyeleni (Mali, 2007), and the Nyeleni Declaration on Agroecology (2015) and to work towards a third Nyeleni global forum to be held in 2025.

The Nyeleni process we are undertaking is at a time of unprecedented corporate capture of governance all the way to the United Nations, which has ceded its role to corporations and allowed the World Economic Forum to run first, the UN Food Systems Summit in 2021, and now the annual World Food Forum, supplanting legitimate spaces for multilateral decision making.

We reject multistakeholderism and demand a return of governance spaces with self-determined democratic participation of civil society by our grassroots movements. We represent diverse organizations of national, regional and international movements of small-scale food producers, including peasants, Indigenous Peoples, fisherfolk, landless, family farmers, rural workers, plantation workers, pastoralists, forest dwellers, women, youth, gender diverse, urban poor, homeless, domestic workers, street vendors, unorganized labour etc.

Together, the people we represent globally produce 70% of the food consumed by humanity. We were joined in Sri Lanka by invited allies from other key global movements for health, debt justice, climate justice, social and solidarity economy, labour, and gender diversities, who are engaging together in the Nyeleni process.

READ THE FULL DECLARATION

The post Towards Nyeleni 2025: Declaration from Asia Pacific appeared first on La Via Campesina - EN.

Some mulch strategies are best begun in the fall or spring, but that doesn't help you now. So here is a quick run-down of various mulch types, where to put each kind, and which are better to use when you’re already mid-season.

The post Using Mulch to Reduce the Effect of Drought on Small-Scale/Market Farms appeared first on Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA.

Caribbean Region experiences a dry season that usually goes from December to early April, followed by a short wet season from late April to May. With the entrance of summer in June, precipitation usually drops and temperatures get very high.

The post Sowing With the Seasons in the Caribbean appeared first on Rural Advancement Foundation International-USA.

WASHINGTON- Wisconsin Farmers Union member Joseph Childs has been selected to participate in the prestigious World Farmers’ Organization (WFO) Gymnasium Program for 2024-2025. Launched in 2017, the WFO Gymnasium Program aims to train young farmers to fulfill their potential as future leaders and advocates of modern agriculture. The Gymnasium Program is a series of activities focused […]

The post Farmers Union Member Joseph Childs Selected for Prestigious International Program first appeared on National Farmers Union.

Food & Society at the Aspen Institute recently released the 2024 Food is Medicine Action Plan. The Action Plan highlights the important role that nutrition plays in health and aims to provide a strategy to integrate Food is Medicine interventions into the United States healthcare system.

Building on the 2022 version, the 2024 Action Plan creates a one-stop-shop for peer-reviewed Food is Medicine research, an overview of Food is Medicine interventions, and a set of recommendations for equity-centered research that can revolutionize how diet-related conditions are prevented, treated, and managed in the U.S.

“For us, ‘Food is Medicine’ refers to the intersection of food and health care,” Corby Kummer, Executive Director of Food & Society at the Aspen Institute, tells Food Tank. “Our vision is really the outline of our principles: Everyone has the food that will allow them to live a healthy, dignified life according to their specific needs.”

Poor diet is now the leading risk factor for death in the U.S., surpassing tobacco use. According to the Action Plan, an estimated 60 percent of the U.S. adult population suffers from at least one chronic health condition, and those that are diet-related are among the most prevalent.

Compounding the issue, the Action Plan reports, tens of millions of people living in the U.S. struggle with food insecurity—defined in the Action Plan as not having consistent access to food for a healthy and active life—which is associated with a wide array of poor physical and mental health outcomes.

Although food has been used to treat and prevent diseases in various cultures for generations, less than 1 percent of lecture hours in U.S. medical schools are dedicated to nutrition.

“FIM interventions are a spectrum of programs and services that respond to the critical link between nutrition and health,” says Kummer.

The promise of Food is Medicine interventions relies on two key principles: first, that inconsistent access to healthy food has a negative impact on health, and second, that programs that increase access to healthy foods can promote positive health outcomes.

According to the Action Plan, a robust body of foundational evidence links food insecurity to poor health outcomes. Being food insecure increases risk for serious physical and mental health conditions including heart disease, diabetes, depression, and anxiety; is associated with higher health care utilization and costs; and motivates a range of coping behaviors that lead to poorer health outcomes, the Action Plan reports.

The Action Plan provides an overview of the published, peer-reviewed research on three categories of Food is Medicine interventions: medically tailored meals, medically tailored groceries, and produce prescriptions.

And it defines medically tailored meals as fully prepared meals designed by registered dietitians to address an individual’s specific medical needs, including diagnosis, symptoms, allergies, and medication side effects. Medically tailored groceries, as described in the Action Plan, involve distributions of unprepared or lightly processed nutritionally complete ingredients for home preparation. Produce prescriptions are programs offering fresh, canned, or frozen produce that are sometimes paired with nutrition resources or services.

“Across multiple studies,” says Kummer, all three categories of interventions “have been associated with improved clinical outcomes including weight, blood pressure, and blood sugar control (HbA1c).” And the Action Plan reports that interventions are replicable and scalable in many circumstances.

To build on existing findings and strengthen the case for widespread integration into the healthcare system, healthcare providers, academic researchers, and policymakers are seeking more purposeful research, the Action Plan states. The Action Plan aims to respond to this need by providing a set of 18 cross-sector research recommendations.

The recommendations offer guidance to embed equity throughout the Food is Medicine research continuum; develop standardized metrics for intervention evaluation; identify the most urgent questions and gaps that need further exploration; and address how funders and other stakeholders can support the most valuable research in the field.

“Equity underpins the entire Action Plan,” Kummer tells Food Tank. Research that is not centrally guided by equity “risks irrelevance at best—and, at worst, can do real harm, by further embedding the systemic racism and inequitable access that has long run throughout both the food and health systems.”

Articles like the one you just read are made possible through the generosity of Food Tank members. Can we please count on you to be part of our growing movement? Become a member today by clicking here.

Photo courtesy of Leonie Wise, Unsplash

The post The Aspen Institute Releases 2024 Strategy to Integrate Food is Medicine into U.S. Healthcare System appeared first on Food Tank.

BAGNOLET, 22 JULY: In response to the explosive situation in New Caledonia, we, the peasant farmers of La Via Campesina, join our French members from the Confédération Paysanne in supporting the Kanak people and call on international bodies to recognize their right to independence. We condemn the imperialist and interventionist policies of the French colonial state.

Since 1986, New Caledonia has been listed by the United Nations as a non-self-governing territory that needs decolonization. Two out of three provinces are managed by the independence movement, and the territory is economically self-sufficient, yet the indigenous population remains largely disadvantaged compared to the descendants of settlers – the Caldoches, and metropolitan French citizens.

As the third-largest nickel producer globally, New Caledonia is highly coveted by the liberal capitalist world. France is very concerned about losing control over the territory, which holds significant strategic and military interest in the Pacific for the nation.

Given the stakes of mineral and tourist resources, agricultural development is not a priority for the authorities, and most agricultural goods are imported from Australia. Commercial agriculture, controlled by the Caldoches, focuses mainly on cattle farming and contributes only 2% to the GDP. However, subsistence farming, practiced and exchanged among indigenous peoples, accounts for a quarter of the indigenous families’ resources. These non-commercial food productions are integral to Kanak identity.

Subsistence farming plays a crucial role in the food sovereignty of the Kanak people, but it is neither recognized nor supported by public authorities. It is essential to resume the agrarian reform process started in 1979 to return the private lands seized from the Kanaks and restore them to collective management under customary law.

Beyond land dispossession, the Kanak people face severe discrimination and social injustice at all levels, with wealth concentrated in the hands of a few Caldoches and metropolitan residents. The continued white supremacy that seizes the assets, rights, knowledge, and customs of a people with over 3000 years of history must end. Since May, the French government’s brutal attempt to impose a new electoral body to block the Nouméa Accords of 1998 and the Kanak people’s path to independence has already led to nine deaths.

The enforcement of this law has turned the Kanak people’s anger into rebellion. The French government’s only response has been violent police repression and support for loyalist white militias by law enforcement. The High Commissioner even mentioned a right to “self-defense,” allowing the most radical settlers to arm themselves.

While tensions were easing, on June 19, law enforcement arrested and detained 11 political and union leaders from the CCAT (Coordination Cell for Field Actions). Seven of them, including the independence leader Christian Tein, were deported to French prisons 17,000 km away with severe charges of organized crime.

The French state persists in its policy of intimidation, criminalizing the Kanak movement, and maintaining a double standard of justice since the racist armed militias responsible for atrocities against Kanak youth enjoy total impunity. Notably, these colonial militias were established by so-called loyalist elected officials.

We demand the immediate release and return of Kanak leaders and the lifting of all charges against them and all victims of repression.

We call for independent investigations to determine the circumstances of the crimes committed.
Without recognition of the Kanak people’s fundamental rights, justice for the victims, and fair distribution of the territory’s wealth, peace cannot be achieved.

Kanak representatives are ready to accept long-standing Caldoches and other island residents as full citizens.

We urge the French government to withdraw the proposed law, respect international conventions on the right to self-determination, and reopen negotiations with the independence movement.

Image Credit: Front de libération nationale kanak et socialiste, FLNKSImage Credit: Front de libération nationale kanak et socialiste, FLNKSImage Credit: Front de libération nationale kanak et socialiste, FLNKSImage Credit: ConfédérationPaysanne

In view of the exceptional situation in Kanaky – New Caledonia since May 2024, the organisation, Comité Justice et Liberté pour Kanaky, has decided to launch an internationalist, anti-colonialist and anti-capitalist solidarity fund against the current repression in Kanaky, in coordination with local movements (trade unions, rights organisations) and solidarity networks in France.

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In Nepal, the new constitution of 2015, specifically article 51 (i) concerning state policies, mentions the implementation of scientific land reforms that prioritize the interests of peasants by eliminating dual ownership of land. However, in practice, numerous land-related issues persist due to the continued influence of the Lands Act of 1964 – brought in as a distraction to quell the rising peasant movement against feudalism and autocracy. The reforms intended through the 1964 Land Act were only partially implemented, as many landlords have left their land idle or leased it out under informal agreements to avoid its identification for redistribution programs to landless households. Consequently, absence of a comprehensive land reform program has left an estimated 1.3 million Nepali households landless today. In the hills and mountains, a significant portion of fertile land lies barren due to absentee ownership and inadequate land management.

Amidst this situation, various misleading solutions and false reforms have emerged, including the proposal to establish Land Banks. This idea isn’t new; in the late 1990s, influenced by the Badal Commission report and supported by the World Bank, the government introduced a ‘market-led’ land reform program as a false solution. Several national and international NGOs that work closely with the World Bank had promoted these ideas, despite the fact that this program faced stiff resistance from peasant and landless communities, who alleged that it only benefited large landowners displaced by conflict rather than the poor and landless. It also failed to address fundamental land issues such as tenancy rights for unregistered tenants, land above the ceiling, and land fragmentation.

Peasant and indigenous communities in Nepal view land not as a commercial commodity but as a means of production tied to identity, culture, heritage, and sovereignty. The World Bank’s concept of a Land Bank treats land as a commodity, contradicting the interests of peasants, indigenous peoples, and small-scale food producers. The Land Bank concept aims to divide large plots of land into small parcels, reinforcing land fragmentation and commodification, rather than fostering social change and ending feudal land ownership.

The Land Bank program involves incorporating land into the banking system, facilitating land savings, and allowing the leasing and selling of land, similar to taking loans. This approach has rightly drawn criticism for promoting neoliberal imperialist agendas rather than addressing genuine land reform needs. Despite resistance, the Land Bank proposal gained traction when the former government of K.P. Oli reintroduced it as part of a series of highly detrimental neoliberal reforms. Proponents claim it will end absentee land ownership, lease land, and prevent fallow land. However, these claims are seen as a facade for pushing through a neoliberal policy that deviates from the spirit of land reform and potentially creates new conflicts. Smallholder farmers who lease land for farming worry that Land Bank programs would lead to a sharp increase in land prices.

At ANPFA, we have repeatedly said that these programs could divert agricultural land for non-agricultural use, posing a grave threat to Nepal’s agricultural self-sufficiency and food sovereignty. The ‘land bank’ does not enhance tenure security, improve land access, or provide economic benefits for the landless. Instead, it may deepen poverty, injustice, and marginalization by structurally promoting the concentration of land tenure among wealthy landowners and corporations.

What Nepal truly needs is comprehensive land reform that manages land based on land use policies and ensures proper utilization. This should be non-discriminatory, recognizing the inherent dignity and equal rights of all individuals, including ensuring equal rights for women. Effective land reform requires clear policies on land use, mapping, digitalization, and administration, tied to broader political, economic, and socio-cultural transformation. This involves treating land, water, seeds, and knowledge as commons that belong to all humanity, supporting a solidarity economy that prioritizes a life with dignity for all above the interests of a privileged few. It also includes fostering social relations free from patriarchal, racist, or class oppression, combating poverty, destitution, and forced migration, and democratizing political decisions.

Pramesh Pokharel, the General Secretary of ANPFA speaking a protest against the The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is a bilateral United States foreign aid agency. Peasants at a protest in Nepal, holding up signs that call for comprehensive land reform. Photo: ANPFASix peasant organizations protest, demanding action on 59 points, including ‘No to Land Banks

Given the declining agricultural population, decreasing productivity, and shrinking agricultural contributions to GDP and national income, comprehensive land reform, including agricultural reform, is essential. Political parties in Nepal agree on the necessity of scientific land reform to end feudal remnants, increase agricultural production and productivity, establish rights over productive resources for farmers, end landlessness, prevent land fragmentation, and address tenant farmer issues. However, Land Banks are not the solution to these challenges.

Currently, instead of discussing false solutions, the immediate priority should be for the government to focus on implementing the right to food sovereignty law, which has already been facilitated by new regulations, and to move towards implementing the Land Use Act. Land reform is essential to transform the relations of production, creating a conducive environment for producing communities. It represents the initial step towards establishing a self-reliant economy in the face of financial and comprador capitalism’s dominance.

This article has been prepared with inputs from Pramesh Pokharel, General Secretary of All Nepal Peasants’ Federation.

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Ustawi Afrika is working to improve gender equity for rural women and expand sustainable agricultural practices in Kenya. Since it was founded, the organization reports that they have trained more than 40,000 women and removed 150,000 tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Doreen Irungu founded Ustawi Afrika after watching her mother struggle as a woman in agriculture in a semi-arid, rural area.

“Seeing her toil without sufficient knowledge, capital, and access to technologies fueled my determination to make a difference,” Irungu tells Food Tank. “Ustawi Afrika Hubs is not just an organization; it’s a response to the challenges etched in my own upbringing.”

Irungu says the rural women Ustawi Afrika supports are facing water scarcity, food insecurity, limited knowledge and resources, and climate vulnerability. The organization uses an intersectional approach to address these challenges, teaching rural women about regenerative farming, agribusiness, and entrepreneurship.

“The organization’s crowning achievement lies in breaking the cycle of vulnerability, transforming women into dynamic agents of positive change within their communities,” Irungu tells Food Tank.

According to UN Women, over 60 percent of people living in rural Kenya are women. UN Women also reports that women in these regions of the country have less access to political, economic, and social development than their counterparts in urban areas.

Irungu tells Food Tank that Ustawi Afrika teaches rainwater harvesting, construction of earthen pot water reservoirs, sustainable agriculture techniques, solar drip irrigation and production of a nutrient-rich material called humusoil.

“Our goal is clear: To equip [women] with the knowledge and resources needed for self-sufficiency and resilience. Ustawi Afrika is a tribute to every woman who, like my mother, deserves a chance to thrive in her agricultural journey,” Irungu tells Food Tank.

Ustawi Vermiremediation is a technique used by Ustawi Afrika to improve soil health and sustainable agriculture. Irungu says the technique uses earthworms to improve the soil health and structure and create humusoil.

“Ustawi Vermiremediation not only improves soil fertility but also mitigates the environmental impact of organic waste, contributing to a more sustainable and circular agricultural system,” Irungu says.

A study published in Nature, finds that in sub-Saharan Africa, “earthworms contribute 10 percent of total grain production.” The study suggests that earthworms are critical for global food production and investing in their integration in agriculture could contribute to sustainable agricultural goals while supporting soil biodiversity.

In addition to promoting sustainable agriculture, Irungu tells Food Tank one of Ustawi Afrika’s main goals is creating long-term, replicable solutions for the problems facing rural women.

“In essence, the inter-sectional approach of Ustawi Afrika Hubs ensures a more nuanced and effective response to the complex challenges faced by rural women,” Irungu tells Food Tank. “By addressing the interconnected nature of these challenges, the organization strives to create a holistic and sustainable impact, fostering positive transformation within communities.”

Ustawi Afrika also helps women gain independence by creating direct market access for farmed products. And the entrepreneurship training helps women conduct business and thrive on their own.

“Ultimately, we envision Ustawi Afrika Hubs as a beacon of replicable success,” Irungu tells Food Tank, “offering a model that can be adapted globally to champion sustainable development and gender equality.”

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Photo courtesy of Ustawi Afrika

The post Ustawi Afrika Is Empowering Rural Women through Sustainable Agriculture appeared first on Food Tank.

Sustainable aviation fuel and clean fuel production tax credits have the potential to benefit farmers while lowering America’s carbon emissions, but shortcomings in the provisions could put the benefits out of reach for many farmers in the U.S. Four groups, including the National Farmers Union, American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association and National Corn […]

The post Clean Fuel Tax Credits Out of Reach for Many Farmers first appeared on National Farmers Union.