Grassroots International -

America’s Farm Bill

Daniel Moss — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 23:03:02 +0000

The tidal wave of American interest in local, sustainable agriculture, and the waves of protest around the world over staggering food prices, seem to have washed over the heads of most members of Congress without them even noticing. The 2008 Farm Bill proves it.

The Hidden Face of the Global Food Crisis

Paul Venuti — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:22:54 +0000

Subheadline

Massive Farmers' Rights Violations

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The Hidden Face of the Global Food Crisis: Massive Farmers Rights Violations

New Community Guide to Environmental Health Tackles Resource Rights from the Grassroots

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 02:15:52 +0000

Friends and supporters of Grassroots International may be familiar with Hesperian Foundation, a non-profit publisher of community health education materials, best known for Where There Is No Doctor, recognized by WHO as "the most widely-used health manual in the world." With this month's publication of the long-anticipated A Community Guide to Environmental Health, Hesperian celebrates more than just the release of another book. It allows us all to celebrate and learn from the myriad ways in which people at the grassroots can and do take control over their own environmental health.

Empty Policies for Empty Plates

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:04:51 +0000

Subheadline

Press Release of the Civil Society Forum Terra Preta

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Empty Policies for Empty Plates

A Crisis of Empty Promises

Saulo Araujo — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 18:14:15 +0000

Our partners in Guatemala have told us: the current food crisis will continue unless we guarantee the land, water and seeds rights of communities necessary to grow food. The same message is being echoed in Brazil, Mexico and many neighborhoods in the U.S.

In two separate statements, Guatemala's National Peasant and Indigenous Coordination (CONIC) and Brazil's Small Producers Movement (MPA) put forth food sovereignty as a solution to the crisis: the right of communities to produce food for local markets and for consumers to have access to local healthy foods. Both organizations denounce the expansion of industrial agriculture and growing control of agribusinesses for contributing to the hunger of urban and rural communities.

The World Food Crisis in the Palestinian Context: Rising Prices under Occupation and a Call to Action

Salena Tramel — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 03:22:45 +0000

As the heads of states meet with the Secretary General in Rome this week to discuss world food security in the light of climate change and bioenergy, Palestinians are experiencing a different dimension of the food crisis. Food is of the most basic of all human rights, and in much of the Palestinian context, is being systematically denied to civilians.

Our partners in the West Bank and Gaza recently released a call to action, which we have reproduced here. We have also posted a copy of the open letter to the conference organizers referenced below.

Speculators and Traders Gambling on Food

Maria Aguiar — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 02:52:59 +0000

There's a scary betting game going on. Here's how it goes: Speculators bet that food prices go up (and drive them up in the process). If they're right, they reap a profit. If they're right, the price of food for families skyrockets.

Farmers bringing message to the Food Crisis Summit in Rome expelled

Nikhil Aziz — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 15:33:37 +0000

Subheadline

"Stop corporate control over food!"

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Via Campesina

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Civil Society forum calls for Rethinking of the Global Food System

Nikhil Aziz — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:29:25 +0000

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Via Campesina

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Evicted South Africans Rally in Support of Immigrants

Nikhil Aziz — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 14:08:41 +0000

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AEC to march in support of refugees and to highlight the role of government in the attacks