Food Crisis News
U.S. Working Group on the Food Crisis Criticizes Agribusiness-Backed Global Harvest Initative’s Failed Ideas to Feed the World (09.22.09) –The U.S. Working Group on the Food Crisis criticized the new Global Harvest Initiative, backed by Monsanto, Archer Daniels Midland, John Deere and DuPont, for continuing to advocate a failed approach to feeding the world and addressing global hunger.
Family Farmers Plead for No New Doha Round (09.04.09). As trade ministers meet in New Delhi, India today to revive the WTO Doha Round, the National Family Farm Coalition today denounced efforts to further liberalize agricultural markets. Ben Burkett, a Mississippi farmer and NFFC president, said, “We need more food sovereignty, not more free trade…Thanks to the WTO, many countries’ food security is now dependent on highly speculative global markets. This was the root cause of many of the food riots in 2008.”
U.S. Working Group on the Food Crisis Criticizes Clinton/Vilsack Tour of Kenyan Pro-Biotech Institute (08.04.09) – On the eve of an upcoming visit to the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Representatives Donald Payne and Nita Lowey, the U.S. Working Group on the Food Crisis today challenged the Obama Administration’s plans to fund a new “Green Revolution” in Africa in tandem with the Gates Foundation. The Working Group believes a new approach to agriculture research is needed instead of the broken status quo that emphasizes biotechnology and industrial agriculture models.
U.S. Working Group on the Food Crisis Urges G8 to Reject Failed Green Revolution Policies for Africa (04.16.09). – The U.S. Working Group on the Food Crisis urged Agricultural Ministers at the G8 meeting in Treviso, Italy, to reject the approach of S. 384, the Global Food Security Act sponsored by Senators Specter and Casey, and the push for more chemical-intensive agriculture and genetic engineering. Instead, the G8 should listen to the recommendations of the recent UN/World Bank-backed report recommending more agro-ecological practices as the best way to solve global hunger.
U.S. Working Group on the Food Crisis Criticizes Senate Hearing on Global Food Crisis (03.26.09). – The U.S. Working Group on the Food Crisis expressed deep disappointment with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on “Alleviating Global Hunger: Challenges and Opportunities for U.S. Leadership: held on March 24. The hearing relied primarily on testimonies from industrial agriculture and genetic engineering apologists.
President-elect Obama presented with urgent ‘Call to Action’ to end food crisis (12.15.08) – U.S. Working Group on the Food Crisis delivers the message that economic reform must include sound farm and food policy.
U.S. Family Farmers Applaud Demise of Doha Negotiations (8.13.08) – NFFC welcomed the recent failure of Doha Round negotiations at the World Trade Organization, as India and other developing countries defended their right to food sovereignty. Since 1993, the WTO’s disastrous agriculture policies have impoverished farmers worldwide, reduced food security, and led to environmental devastation and a global food crisis – all in the name of ‘free’ trade.
NFFC Hosts Teleconference Outling How Lack of Grain Reserves Has Fueled the Global Food Crisis (7.11.08) -Farm and Consumer Groups Say G8 Conference Continues to Promote Failed Policies
Family Farmers Praise Introduction of Trade Bill That Helps Address Global Food Crisis; U.S. and United Nations Continue to Promote Catastrophic Free Trade Agenda (6.4.08) –NFFC praised the introduction today in the House and Senate of the TRADE Act, a bill which offers urgent and neccesary reforms to our trade agreements and will help promote food sovereignty principles. NFFC condemned the recent UN FAO meeting in Rome for continuing to advocate failed trade liberalization policies.
Family Farmers Lambast Wasted Opportunity of Farm Bill; Congress Chooses to Ignore Global Food Crisis (5.23.08) -NFFC critized Congress and the recently enacted Farm Bill for failing to address the growing global food crisis and our broken food systems, despite incremental improvements in funding for organic, conservation, and diversity and local food initiatives.
Diverse Groups Urge Congress to Address Need for Food Reserves to Stop Global Food Crisis; Grain Reserves Ignored During Entire Farm Bill Debate (5.9.08) – Despite the growing global food crisis and the warnings for over a year from organizations such as the National Family Farm Coalition, Congress failed to include any sort of Strategic Grain Reserves as part of the Farm Bill. A diverse group of farmer, religious, consumer, and development organizations released a letter to Congress on April 28, 2008 urging that strategic grain reserves be implemented. Read the letter.
For information on the global food crisis, visit the U.S. Working Group on the Food Crisis website at: usfoodcrisisgroup.org
Food Crisis Close-Up
NFFC Interview with Raj Patel, author of Stuffed and Starved (2008)
April 28, 2008: Family Farmers Respond to Food Crisis John Nichols blogs (The Nation)
Why We Left Our Farms to Come to Copenhagen (12.07.09) – Read the speech of Via Campesina’s General Coordinator, Henry Saragih, at the opening session of Klimaforum 2009.