Food First News and Views Winter 2007
Food Sovereignty and Agroecology: Growing Movements for Constructive Resistance
“I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, men other-centered can build up.” — Dr. Martin Luther King
As we witness the global assault on our food systems by corporate profiteers, it is easy to be overwhelmed. But at Food First, we believe Dr. King’s bold words still ring as clear today as they did 40 years ago. What “profit-centered” agrifoods corporations are busy tearing down—rural livelihoods, healthy diets, forests, soils, and water sources—“people-centered” movements for Agroecology and food sovereignty are building up.
Immigration, the 2007 U.S. Farm Bill, and the Transformation of our Food and Fuel Systems
Immigration, the 2007 U.S. Farm Bill, and the Transformation of our Food and Fuel Systems
The current immigration legislation attempts to balance the fears of a post-9/11 electorate with the management of the largest single migration in the modern history of the Americas. At this writing, this bill focuses on symptoms rather than causes and faces strong opposition from all sides.
Good Reporting? The Economist Attacks Ethical Consumption
Good Reporting?
The Economist Attacks Ethical Consumption
A Dec. 7th article in The Economist entitled "Good food?" attacks organic food, fair trade and buying local with the sub-title, "If you think you can make the planet better by clever shopping, think again. You might make it worse." The arguments presented are provocative, but largely gratuitous.
2005 Annual Report
30 Years of Fighting for the Right of All to Feed Themselves and Their Families
Thirty Years of Fighting for the Right to Feed Oneself
It's Time to Defeat CAFTA
It’s Time to Defeat CAFTA
As the Bush administration works to garner congressional support for the Dominican Republic–Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA), grassroots groups throughout the Americas continue to rally in opposition.
Manufacturing the Indonesian Food Crisis
News of food shortages and hunger in Indonesia, reported to be caused by drought, alarmed the world in 1998 and 1999. According to the Minister of Food Affairs and Horticulture, Indonesia was the world's biggest recipient of food aid in 1998. But in recent months news has filtered out that many agricultural communities are prospering in the midst of the crisis.
Pesticide Use in California: More of the Same
Pesticides continue to threaten California's ecosystems and farmworkers according to two reports released by Californians for Pesticide Reform (CPR), of which Food First is a member, and Pesticide Action Network North America (PANNA).
