Tuesday 15 August 2017

"Below our feet and behind our backs"..(3) The answer: small organic farms and seed sovereignty.


When it comes to feeding the world and halting climate change, it's so easy! It isn't what we have been taught over the past few decades.
Some people, however, have always been doing it right: Not the corporations, not the fertilizer and pesticide manufacturers, but lowly, small farmers round the world... and they are mostly women. Seeds are handed from one generation to another, mother to daughter, shared with neighbours, tried under different conditions, planted in rich variety.
Small farms are, overall, more productive than large ones. In fact, small farms produce most of the world's food, but they are having to do it on less and less land. They only have a quarter of the world's available farmland and this unbelievably small share is shrinking rapidly. If the landgrab around the globe continues, they may not be able to do this any more.
Not only are small farms better at producing food, growing organically, and sequestering carbon in the process, but often, with help from neighbours and NGO's showing them new ways of farming organically, they are increasing crop harvests dramatically, while enriching the land.
Take SAT, Sustainable Agriculture Tanzania. This small NGO has their training centre in the dry area of Viazal, the antithesis of the kind of land offered to investors. Janet Maro, head of SAT, said "If we can do it there, we can do it anywhere." Trees are planted to conserve water when it rains and their irrigation system uses water bottles to consume less. Farmers are taught how to make compost with plants cut from their own fields. They are taught mixed cropping and how to make extracts from local plants to control crop pests and diseases.
SAT also trained farmers in an area where the government gave subsidies to buy fertiliser. Many farmers were so successful that they returned the vouchers to the government, asking "Why go into town to buy expensive synthetic fertiliser?" The government has now asked SAT to train farmers because the quality and quantity of water in two rivers has worsened because of their own agricultural projects and they have seen that SAT's projects have a much better effect on the environment.
There are many NGOs doing this kind of work; the battle against "smart" industrial agriculture which is anything but smart, is being fought, field by field, farm by farm. The NGOs are there, waiting to help. Farmers and gardeners are learning from each other. People are working together for the ecological restoration of  the planet. Grass roots movements start on the ground, our common inheritance.
Does it work? In 2011, an analysis of 114 cases in Africa showed that converting farms to organic methods increased agricultural productivity by 116%. That same year, Olivier De Schutter, special rapporteur to the UN on the right to food, said that global food production in critical regions could be doubled within a decade by small scale farmers using ecological methods. This year, the new rapporteur, Hilal Elver has produced a report together with the special rapporteur on toxics, Baskut Tuncak. Outlining the dangers of hazardous pesticides, they say  "A rise in organic agricultural practices in many places illustrates that farming with less or without any pesticides is feasible. Studies have indicated that agroecology is capable of delivering sufficient yields to feed the entire world's population and ensure that they are adequately nourished."
In the words of Warren Bam, growing organic grapes in South Africa, "If we look after the earth, the earth will look after us." Three minute video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoJZ7eeWec4 
  _______________________

Petitions.
For Ethiopia: Defend the Oppressed Peoples of Ethiopia: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Defend_Ethiopian_peasants/?pv=105
Save Nallama from Uranium Mining:
https://ecoterra.info/index.php/en/1043-save-nallamala-from-uranium-mining  

Sources and Resources
Titles:  Helpful organisations.  The case for organic farming. History. Sources of material in order.
 Helpful organisations:
Grain.org  https://www.grain.org/
HIVOS https://www.hivos.org/focal-area/open-source-seed-systems
IFOAM (International  Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements.) http://www.ifoam.bio/en
IFOAM EU http://www.ifoam-eu.org/
Navdanya (Indian based movement) http://www.navdanya.org/home
OCA,The Organic Consumers Association (USA but international reach). https://www.organicconsumers.org/
Open Source Seed Initiative OSSI (USA but international reach) http://osseeds.org/
Open Source Seeds (Germany based) http://www.opensourceseeds.org/en  
Regeneration International http://regenerationinternational.org/
Save Our Soils www.saveoursoils.com
Seed matters  (USA)  http://seedmatters.org/
Seed savers exchange http://www.seedsavers.org/
Soil Association (UK) https://www.soilassociation.org/
SAT (Tanzania) http://kilimo.org/WordPress/
The Carbon Underground https://thecarbonunderground.org/  
The Oakland Institute https://www.oaklandinstitute.org/
The Rodale Institute   http://rodaleinstitute.org/ 
The case for organic farming:
 https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/only-60-years-of-farming-left-if-soil-degradation-continues/
http://rodaleinstitute.org/reversing-climate-change-achievable-by-farming-organically/
http://regenerationinternational.org/why-regenerative-agriculture/
http://e360.yale.edu/features/soil_as_carbon_storehouse_new_weapon_in_climate_fight
http://saveoursoils.com/en/soilution/the-issue.html
http://rodaleinstitute.org/regenerative-organic-agriculture-and-climate-change/ 
https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/organic-and-sustainable-farmers-can-feed-world
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/maria-rodale/6-reasons-organics-can-fe_b_1399380.html https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/12/organic-can-feed-the-world/249348/ 
http://www.panna.org/food-democracy/feeding-world
https://www.grain.org/article/entries/735-earth-matters-tackling-the-climate-crisis-from-the-ground-up
Three UN items below:
http://www.srfood.org/images/stories/pdf/press_releases/20110308_agroecology-report-pr_en.pdf 
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=56311#.WW0hD7pFwcT
http://www.uspirg.org/news/usp/new-un-report-we-can-feed-world-without-using-pesticides
https://www.soilassociation.org/our-campaigns/save-our-soils/
https://www.soilassociation.org/media/4672/7-ways-to-save-our-soils-2016.pdf 
https://www.grain.org/article/entries/4929-hungry-for-land-small-farmers-feed-the-world-with-less-than-a-quarter-of-all-farmland
http://12.000.scripts.mit.edu/mission2014/solutions/organic-industrial-agriculture 
http://ecofarmingdaily.com/organic-agriculture-can-feed-world/
http://www.panna.org/food-democracy/feeding-world 
http://www.soilsforlife.org.au/index.html (Australia)
https://www.commondreams.org/views/2015/04/13/food-farming-and-climate-change-its-bigger-everything-else
https://www.grain.org/article/entries/679-saying-no-to-chemical-farming-in-india 
http://www.navdanya.org/site/2017-03-29-08-02-10/industrial-vs-living-agriculture
http://www.theecologist.org/Interviews/2985620/agroecology_leading_the_fight_against_indias_green_revolution.html
https://e360.yale.edu/features/why-its-time-to-stop-punishing-our-soils-with-fertilizers-and-chemicals  
http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/synthetic-nitrogen-fertilizer-zmgz16fmzkin?pageid=1#PageContent1 
Reference below:  
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.estlett.5b00174
https://www.grain.org/bulletin_board/entries/5490-tanzania-fighting-for-seeds-and-soil Video: Please watch if you can.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWKfg0d63SA Video: Please watch if you can.
http://reliefweb.int/report/world/report-special-rapporteur-right-food-ahrc3448          
http://www.treehugger.com/natural-sciences/scientists-discover-another-cause-bee-deaths-and-its-really-bad-news.html
https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/monsantos-sealed-documents-reveal-truth-behind-roundups-toxicological-dangers
History:
http://scienceheathen.com/2015/01/05/desertification-effects-causes-examples-top-10-list/ http://mycorrhizae.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Soil-Life-and-Carbon-PDF.pdf
Some sources of material in approximate order:
http://saveourwoods.co.uk/articles/expert-articles/soils-biodiversity-by-dr-james-merryweather/
http://mycorrhizas.info/vam.html 
http://www.motherearthnews.com/homesteading-and-livestock/sustainable-farming/benefits-of-earthworms-zm0z16amzbre
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/archaeology/fossilised-remains-of-oldest-form-of-land-dwelling-life-ever-discovered-found-on-remote-scottish-a6908756.html
http://www.nofamass.org/sites/default/files/2015_White_Paper_web.pdf
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/mycorrhizae_and_plant_communication.php 
http://www.carbon-negative.us/docs/Glomalin-HiddenSoilCarbon.pdf 
https://ohioline.osu.edu/factsheet/SAG-10
http://regenerationinternational.org/why-regenerative-agriculture/
http://www.sicirec.org/definitions/carbon-capture
http://rodaleinstitute.org/regenerative-organic-agriculture-and-climate-change/
http://h2g2.com/edited_entry/A2835533
http://plato.acadiau.ca/isme/Symposium25/xavier.PDF 
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259221729_The_impact_of_pesticide_on_arbuscular_mycorrhizal_and_nitrogen_fixing_symbioses_in_legumes
https://www.soilassociation.org/media/7202/glyphosate-and-soil-health-full-report.pdf 
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/glyphosatePoisonsCrops.php
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272828938_Arbuscular_Mycorrhizae_and_Grassland_Ecosystems   
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0027381
http://mycorrhizae.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/Soil-Life-and-Carbon-PDF.pdf
http://scienceheathen.com/2015/01/05/desertification-effects-causes-examples-top-10-list/ https://www.grain.org/article/entries/735-earth-matters-tackling-the-climate-crisis-from-the-ground-up    2009 GRAIN.org article 
https://www.organicconsumers.org/news/organic-and-sustainable-farmers-can-feed-world
http://www.panna.org/food-democracy/feeding-world 
http://www.globaljustice.org.uk/sites/default/files/files/resources/agroecology-report-from-the-roots-up-web-version.pdf
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=21306&LangID=E
http://saveoursoils.com/soilution/the-issue.html
https://www.soilassociation.org/our-campaigns/save-our-soils/
http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/synthetic-nitrogen-fertilizer-zmgz16fmzkin?pageid=1#PageContent1/
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.estlett.5b00174
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/237993599_Nitrous_Oxide_Emission_from_Crop_Fields_and_Its_Role_in_Atmospheric_Radiative_Forcing
http://grist.org/article/2009-11-11-the-dark-side-of-nitrogen/
https://hubpages.com/politics/Artificial-Nitrogen-Dangers-Of-Mankind-Playing-God
http://www.who.int/water_sanitation_health/dwq/chemicals/nitratenitrite2ndadd.pdf
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7489769
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1638204/
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226489981_The_Blue_Baby_Syndrome
https://www.grain.org/article/entries/5270-the-exxons-of-agriculture  2015 GRAIN Fertiliser report.
http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/return-to-the-radiation-zone-fukushima-clean-up-operation-mired-in-fear-and-misinformation-8810158.html
https://www.counterpunch.org/2016/02/22/fukushima-deep-trouble/

http://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20151210/p2a/00m/0na/020000chttp://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20151210/p2a/00m/0na/020000c
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/11/world/asia/struggling-with-japans-nuclear-waste-six-years-after-disaster.html?smid=fb-share&_r=0
http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/news/blog/is-chinas-new-plan-to-tackle-soil-pollution-t/blog/56643/
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jun/22/black-smelly-citizens-clean-chinas-polluted-rivers
http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/news/blog/why-were-mapping-chinas-hazardous-chemicals-f/blog/57555/ 
https://www.internationalrivers.org/resources/almost-28-000-rivers-disappear-in-china-8009
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/chinas_dirty_pollution_secret_the_boom_poisoned_its_soil_and_crops/2782/
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/12/world/asia/china-underground-water-pollution.html?_r=0
https://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/8892-Changzhou-pollution-scandal-highlights-holes-in-China-s-environmental-enforcement
http://e360.yale.edu/feature/the_warriors_of_qiugang_a_chinese_village_fights_back/2358/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeYGHpyJKK4  (Video Warrors of Qiugang)
https://www.marketplace.org/2016/05/03/world/life-and-death-inside-chinese-cancer-village (Village of Liuchong)
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1R70M9vbPN104K-YqFlUnK1xUDoY&hl=en_US&ll=30.187076758346265%2C112.28646500000013&z=4
http://www.environmentmagazine.org/Archives/Back%20Issues/March-April%202010/made-in-china-full.html
http://thediplomat.com/2015/07/the-environmental-problem-china-can-no-longer-overlook/
https://www.grain.org/article/entries/5736-cambodia-communities-in-protracted-struggle-against-chinese-sugar-companies-land-grab
https://www.channel4.com/news/china-ukraine-farmland-food-security-investment-overseas
https://www.euractiv.com/section/agriculture-food/news/china-buys-up-agricultural-land-in-central-france/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/05/21/rich-countries-are-buying-up-farmland-from-poorer-ones-around-the-world/?utm_term=.e050e54daa7c
https://www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/environmental-activists/dangerous-ground/
 http://www.lifegate.com/people/news/land-grabbing-cambodia-richard-rodgers
https://www.grain.org/article/entries/5622-grow-ing-disaster-the-fortune-500-goes-farming
https://www.grain.org/bulletin_board/entries/5570-a-high-price-mounting-debt-means-tragedy-for-tens-of-thousands-of-farmers-in-vietnam
https://www.grain.org/article/entries/4575-land-grabbing-and-food-sovereignty-in-west-and-central-africa
https://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/kathambi-kinoti/land-grabs-threat-to-african-women’s-livelihoods
https://www.opendemocracy.net/5050/mariama-tarawallie/women-in-sierra-leone-resisting-dispossession 
http://www.zukunftsstiftung-entwicklung.de/media/Bilder_ZSE/UEber_Uns_Dateien/Grundlagentexte/Land_grab_article.pdf (in English) 
http://www.i-sis.org.uk/landRush.php
https://www.farmlandgrab.org/post/view/27121-brazil-home-of-amazon-rolls-back-environmental-protection
https://www.grain.org/bulletin_board/entries/5760-canadian-pension-funds-grab-farmland-in-brazil
https://www.tni.org/en/publication/the-global-land-grab#whatisnew
https://ejatlas.org/conflict/land-grabbing-and-forced-evictions-by-koh-kongs-sugar-industry-cambodia
http://licadhocanada.com/about-cambodia/land-evictions-in-cambodia/
https://www.oaklandinstitute.org/world-bank-sides-agribusinesses-against-farmers-indigenous-communities
http://www.businessinsider.com/meet-the-millionaires-and-billionaires-buying-land-in-africa-2011-6?op=1&IR=T/#uce-rastetter-and-his-various-companies-are-accused-of-breaking-promises-to-hire-locals-1 
 https://www.grain.org/bulletin_board/entries/5714-green-oil-palm-plantations-are-a-scam-the-case-of-olam
https://www.globalpolicy.org/world-hunger/land-ownership-and-hunger.html
https://www.grain.org/article/entries/4576-slideshow-who-s-behind-the-land-grabs
https://www.grain.org/article/entries/5575-pension-funds-fuel-land-grabs-in-brazil
https://www.grain.org/bulletin_board/entries/5760-canadian-pension-funds-grab-farmland-in-brazil
https://www.grain.org/article/entries/5493-land-grabs-expand-the-frontier-of-industrial-agriculture-says-grain
https://www.oaklandinstitute.org/land-rights-issue
https://www.farmlandgrab.org/post/view/27089-world-bank-fuels-land-grabs-in-africa-through-shadowy-financial-sector-investments
http://www.survivalinternational.org/about/swidden
https://www.grain.org/article/entries/5693-large-scale-investments-and-climate-conservation-initiatives-destroy-forests-and-people-s-territories
http://www.developmentperspectives.ie/virtual-water-how-much-do-you-use/
https://qz.com/275489/in-ethiopia-foreign-investment-is-a-fancy-word-for-stealing-land/
https://www.gfbv.de/en/information/campaigns/flowers-of-love-flowers-of-sorrow/
http://www.inclusivedevelopment.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Outsourcing-Developmnet-Introduction.pdf 
https://www.grain.org/article/entries/4516-squeezing-africa-dry-behind-every-land-grab-is-a-water-grab
https://www.grain.org/bulletin_board/entries/5633-tanzanian-farmers-are-facing-heavy-prison-sentences-if-they-continue-their-traditional-seed-exchange 
http://www.navdanya.org/campaigns/584-bija-swaraj-is-our-birthright (seed sovereignty)
http://www.navdanya.org/site/living-seed/seed-freedom 
https://www.grain.org/bulletin_board/entries/5748-a-grain-of-truth-rcep-and-the-corporate-hijack-of-indian-agriculture
http://www.globaljustice.org.uk/new-alliance-food-security-and-nutrition 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWKfg0d63SA From Ghana: Whoever controls seeds controls the food system.  Video: Please watch if you can.
https://www.grain.org/bulletin_board/entries/5490-tanzania-fighting-for-seeds-and-soil Video: Please watch if you can.
 http://wrm.org.uy/articles-from-the-wrm-bulletin/section1/trade-deals-threaten-peasant-farmers-stewardship-of-seed-biodiversity/
https://www.grain.org/article/entries/5722-20-years-of-gm-soy-in-the-southern-cone-of-latin-america-20-reasons-for-a-definitive-ban
http://www.theecologist.org/magazine/features/2988317/farming_with_the_grain_john_letts_and_his_evolutionary_made_for_organic_heritage_seeds.html
http://www.theecologist.org/magazine/features/2988317
http://www.theecologist.org/Interviews/2985620/agroecology_leading_the_fight_against_indias_green_revolution.html
https://www.grain.org/article/entries/4929-hungry-for-land-small-farmers-feed-the-world-with-less-than-a-quarter-of-all-farmland
https://www.grain.org/bulletin_board/entries/5633-tanzanian-farmers-are-facing-heavy-prison-sentences-if-they-continue-their-traditional-seed-exchange  Also about the work of SAT
https://www.grain.org/bulletin_board/entries/5333-we-are-the-solution-african-women-organise-for-land-and-seed-sovereignty
http://moofafrica.com/about/
http://www.anglicanjournal.com/articles/farmers-are-saving-bangladesh-s-endangered-soil/ 
http://www.globalagriculture.org/report-topics/agroecology.html 
http://www.srfood.org/images/stories/pdf/press_releases/20110308_agroecology-report-pr_en.pdf
(Eco-farming can double food production in 10 years.)
http://www.srtoxics.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Pesticides-and-right-to-food.pdf
UN special rapporteurs report. Especially see item 90
https://previa.uclm.es/Actividades/repositorio/pdf/doc_3721_4666.pdf

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