Eating Planet is available now!
Click here
May
09
Nourishing the Planet
Africa, Agriculture, Cooperatives, Culture, Development, Environment, Farmers, Farmers Groups, Food Security, Food Sovereignty, Gardening, Health, India, Kenya, Nutrition, Policy, Poverty, School, Uganda, Women, Youth
By Alison Blackmore
Reuters AlertNet recently identified 10 individuals who are changing the food system at the grassroots. Based on nominations from leading NGOs and research institutes involved in nutrition and agriculture, including Nourishing the Planet, Reuters paid tribute to innovators worldwide who are finding ways to boost production without sacrificing food security for generations to come.
Women at work at the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA). (Photo credit: Bernard Pollack)
Nourishing the Planet is thrilled to give special congratulations to three recipients who we have met with on the ground: Edward Mukiibi, co-founder of Developing Innovations in School Cultivation (DISC) in Uganda, Reema Nanavaty, Director of Economic and Rural Development at the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in India, and Davinder Lamba, co-founder of the Mazingira Institute in Kenya. Their work is inspiring farmers, youth, and policymakers to create a more environmentally sustainable food system.
As the world looks to find ways to feed a population predicted to grow to 9 billion by 2050, it will be people like Mukiibi, Nanavaty, and Lamba who are finding ways to raise yields, improve nutrition, increase incomes, and protect the environment. From inspiring youth to become farmers, to giving poor women farmers a voice through organizing, to promoting urban farming—these food trailblazers are finding the best solutions for their communities and creating new models for a sustainable food system.
To read more about Edward Mukiibi, Reema Nanavaty, and Davinder Lamba see Mazingira Institute and NEFSALF: Training a New Breed of Farmers, Looking Inside the Gates to Feed the City from Within: An Interview with Diana Lee-Smith, Nourishing the Planet Spends a Day with SEWA, Women farmers key to end food insecurity, Youth Deserve Gold Medals for Sustainability, How to Keep Kids “Down on the Farm”, Conversations With Farmers: Discussing the School Garden with a DISC Project Student, and Cultivating a Passion for Agriculture.
To purchase State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet please click HERE. And to watch the one minute book trailer, click HERE.
May
08
Nourishing the Planet
Agriculture, Conservation, Culture, Diet, Food, Food Security, Health, Nutrition, Policy, Sustainable, Tradition
Eating Planet, a recently released book from the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition (BCFN) is now available as a digital download from Amazon.com and iTunes. The Worldwatch Institute’s Nourishing the Plant project collaborated with BCFN to produce the report, which highlights the challenges facing today’s food and agricultural system, as well as the benefits that reform could bring.
The Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition's new book, Eating Planet, is available as a digital download. (Image credit: Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition)
To read more about Eating Planet, see Nourishing the Planet’s blog post: Barilla Center for Food and Nutrition and Worldwatch Celebrate Earth Day with Release of “Eating Planet”.
For more details and updates visit www.barillacfn.com/en.
To download Eating Planet from Amazon.com, click here. And to download the book from iTunes, click here.
To purchase State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet please click HERE. And to watch the one minute book trailer, click HERE.
May
08
Nourishing the Planet
Africa, Agriculture, Development, Drought, Economy, Farmers, Food, Food Security, Funding, Hunger, Income, Infrastructure, Investment, Markets, Nutrition, Policy, Poverty, Trade, Women
By Laura Reynolds
On April 20, the Heinrich Böll Foundation hosted a meeting and discussion entitled, “Addressing the Global Food Crisis: Assessing Progress Since 2007.” Three speakers, Timothy Wise from Tufts University’s Global Development and Environment Institute, Karen Hansen-Kuhn from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), and Neil Watkins from ActionAid USA, discussed whether on-the-ground progress has been made to provide greater food security around the world.
Agricultural development must focus on building the capacity of smallholder and women farmers. (Photo credit: Bernard Pollack)
Timothy Wise presented the findings of his recent report, “Resolving the Food Crisis: Assessing Global Policy Reforms since 2007,” co-authored with Sophia Murphy of IATP.
“This is considered a new era in agriculture,” said Wise, citing that the prices of rice, corn, soybeans, and wheat in the next decade are projected to remain 50-100 percent higher than they were at the start of the 21st century.
In the four years since the crisis, some encouraging signs of progress in the food system have emerged. Multilateral organizations and funders, including the United Nations and the World Bank, have increased their commitment to agriculture and rural development. These organizations have recognized that smallholder farmers are important in today’s food system, and can play a key role in achieving regional food security. And policymakers, nongovernmental organizations, and donors have more fully acknowledged the world’s resource constraints, including limited and changing water supplies in many regions, and the role that climate change will have in agricultural development in the coming decades.
Read the rest of this entry »
May
07
Nourishing the Planet
Agriculture, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conflict, Conservation, Culture, Development, Events, Food Sovereignty, Funding, Indigenous, Investment, Land, Policy, Poverty
First Peoples Worldwide, an Indigenous rights advocacy organization, will co-sponsor a workshop at the Eleventh Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, taking place this May 7-18 at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.
The UNPFII provides an opportunity to advance Indigenous rights and needs. (Photo credit: First Peoples Worldwide)
The UNPFII is a body of the UN that deals specifically with Indigenous peoples’ issues. This year’s theme will be “The Doctrine of Discovery: its enduring impact on Indigenous peoples and the right to redress for past consequences”, which will draw on articles 28 and 37 from the UN Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). The Doctrine of Discovery is an internationally recognized doctrine established in 1452 by the Vatican, which allowed native-occupied lands to be claimed by foreign explorers.
This year’s Permanent Forum will also cover the rights of Indigenous peoples to food and food security; the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, which will be held in 2014 by the 65th General Assembly of the UN to share perspectives and best practices on the realization of indigenous peoples’ rights; a discussion of UNDRIP; and a dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous peoples, James Anaya, and the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
Read the rest of this entry »
May
07
Nourishing the Planet
Agriculture, Economy, Farmers, Food Security, Investment, Land, Nourishing the Planet in the News, Press, Sustainable
Check out this recent article in The Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch highlighting Nourishing the Planet’s 15 sustainable agricultural innovations that are working to protect the environment.
The article examines the advantages of becoming a farmer—or at least to start investing in farming. The article, which cites the need for more farms to feed a growing population and the profitability of investing in sustainable farming, also recognizes the need to pursue agricultural innovations in order to protect the future of the world.
Click here to read the full article.
To purchase State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet please click HERE. And to watch the one minute book trailer, click HERE.
May
07
Nourishing the Planet
Agriculture, disease, Disease Prevention, Farmers, Food, Gardening, Health, Indigenous Vegetables
By Joseph Zaleski
If you’re from the Southern United States, you’ve probably been served collard greens at some point in your life. Collards are so synonymous with Southern cuisine that legislators in South Carolina voted in 2011 to make it their official state vegetable, and collard green festivals are held annually in cities like Atlanta and Savannah. But this vegetable’s history and range extend far beyond North America.
Collard greens are grown and eaten in many places around the world. (Photo credit: Andrew Scrivani, The New York Times)
Collard greens are a broad-leafed vegetable of the Brassica oleracea species, which also includes broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, and kale. Researchers at Texas A&M and The George Mateljan Foundation write that like most Brassica vegetables, collard greens probably descended from wild cabbages found in Asia before recorded history. They eventually spread through Europe, and the Greeks and Romans grew kale and collards in domestic gardens over 2,000 years ago. Collard greens traveled to the Americas by ship and have become the staple noted above.
Collard greens are grown and eaten regularly in many countries across the world. In Brazil, the side dish couve a mineira is prepared by sautéing collard greens in olive oil and butter; in the Kashmiri region of India, haak, or hakh, is a collard dish that can be incorporated into a traditional and elaborate multi-course course feast called a wazwan; Portuguese families use collards or kale in a soup known as caldo verde, or “green broth.”
Read the rest of this entry »
May
06
Nourishing the Planet
Uncategorized
The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs released a report entitled Food and Agriculture: The future of sustainability calling for a more holistic approach to global agricultural development that focuses on more than just increased production.
(Photo credit: Bernard Pollack)
And in this post, we highlight a new computer game, called Game Change Rio, that aims to educate players about sustainability issues and help shape new policy options in anticipation of Rio+20 in June.
Will Allen, the founder and mastermind of Growing Power, Inc., a nonprofit organization in Milwaukee, WI, recently spoke about the importance of a sustainable food system at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health as a guest of the John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future. Growing Power works to support community food systems through training, outreach, and technical assistance. “We have a serious problem with our food system. Not just in the U.S., but around the world,” said Allen, citing issues like the low quality of food available to youth at school, food-related illnesses, and the negative impact that food production has had on our environment.
In this post, in honor of 2012 being the “International Year of Cooperatives,” we discuss the potential of agricultural cooperatives to contribute to socio-economic advancement. Co-operatives are business enterprises that are owned and controlled by the members they serve; this collective ownership often translates to enhanced food production, lower risks for farmers, and lower prices for consumers, all of which enhance food security and self-sufficiency.
We received some exciting news coverage this past week. Our article on urban agriculture projects in Cleveland, Ohio was published in the Akron Beacon Journal. Our list of 15 Sustainable Agricultural Practices for Earth Day was highlighted in the Wall Street Journal, and our article showcasing an unusual way to reduce food waste was published in the LA Daily News.
Highlights from this past week:
Now it’s your turn: What were your favorite posts from the week? What do you hope we’ll write about next week? Let us know in the comments!
To purchase State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet please click HERE. And to watch the one minute book trailer, click HERE.
May
05
Nourishing the Planet
Agriculture, Climate Change, Environment, Erosion, Farmers, organic, Research, Soil, Sustainable
Check out this recent article by David Biello in the Scientific American, where he discusses a new report by environment scientists at McGill University that examines organic agriculture’s ability to feed a population of 9 billion people.
Organic agriculture can boost yields and protect the soil. (Photo credit: Bernard Pollack)
The report suggests that although organic agriculture can protect soils by retaining water and can result in large yields of certain crops, such as alfalfa or beans, when it comes to major cereal crops, such as corn or wheat, and vegetables, such as broccoli, conventional methods delivered more than 25 percent more yield.
But high yields are not the only important quality of an effective agricultural system. Rather than depending on synthetic fertilizers that can be damaging to the environment, organic agriculture relies on ecological processes that promote biodiversity, healthier soils, and reduced groundwater pollution, among other benefits, all of which contribute to a healthier and more sustainable agricultural system overall.
As with all major environmental problems, there is no simple solution as to how to address our growing food needs. Report author Verena Seufert argues that “Given the current precarious situation of agriculture, we should assess many alternative management systems, including conventional, organic, other agroecological and possibly hybrid systems to identify the best options to improve the way we produce our food.” And we also need to make the most of the food that we already produce: According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about a third of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted, amounting to over 1.3 billion tons annually.
Click here to read the full article and here to read the full study.
To purchase State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet please click HERE. And to watch the one minute book trailer, click HERE.
May
04
Nourishing the Planet
Agriculture, Children, Climate Change, Culture, Education, Entertainment, Environment, Innovation, Policy, Research, School, Technology, Youth
By Laura Reynolds
The Millennium Institute, the Biovision Foundation, and the game company, CodeSustainable, have collaborated to develop a computer game called Game Change Rio. In preparation for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, or Rio+20 in June, this game hopes to educate players about sustainability issues and help shape new policy options for sustainable and equitable development.
Game Change Rio hopes to make the tough policy decisions of Rio+20 engaging and accessible. (Image credit: Game Change Rio)
Game Change Rio is built on the Millennium Institute’s Green Economy Model, which analyzes data and key indicators from the energy, manufacturing, transport, buildings, waste, agriculture, fisheries, water, and forest sectors. The game’s data bank has over 5,000 economic and natural-resource indicators, and 125 policy options that players can choose. There are over 100 million possible outcomes that vary from destroying the environment to saving the planet.
“The target group of the game is not necessarily hardcore gamers, but rather senior high school students, college and university students with some political awareness and an interest the issues discussed at Rio,” writes Hans Herren, president of the Millennium Institute and member of the Nourishing the Planet Advisory Group. “This could include teachers, tutors and lecturers of relevant subjects.”
The best players will be brought to Rio for a final game.
To check out the game, click here.
What other creative ways can people become involved or engaged in Rio+20?
Laura Reynolds is a research intern with the Nourishing the Planet Project.
To purchase State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet please click HERE. And to watch the one minute book trailer, click HERE.
May
03
Nourishing the Planet
Agriculture, Farmers, Food, Food Sovereignty, Press, Urban Farming
Check out our latest op-ed, published in the Akron Beacon Journal, one of the largest circulating newspapers in the country with a daily print circulation of 100,000.
Cleveland has been thrust into the national spotlight because of high levels of food insecurity among residents. The city lacks grocery stores and is burdened by chronic diseases, including obesity and diabetes. But just south on Interstate 77, Akron is producing food within city limits, with urban farms and local markets providing access to fresh, locally grown produce.
Click here to read the full article.
To purchase State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet please click HERE. And to watch the one minute book trailer, click HERE.
May
03
Nourishing the Planet
Development, Food, Food Security
By Jameson Spivack
The African Development Bank recently approved US$63.24 million for a multi-CGIAR Center project titled “Support to Agricultural Research for Development of Strategic Crops in Africa” (SARD-SC). The program, sponsored by CGIAR, the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research, is a five-year program expected to run until 2016.
CGIAR’S program is a research for development project aimed at raising the productivity level of four commodity crops in Africa. (Photo credit: IITA)
It will be coordinated by three specific CGIAR centers based in Africa, the Africa Rice Center, the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, which is also acting as the Executive Agency. Specialized technical support will be provided by the International Food Policy Research Institute.
The project focuses on research, science, and technology development in order to raise the productivity levels of and income derived from cassava, maize, rice and wheat. These are four of the six commodity crops the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme has determined are strategically essential to the future of African agriculture.
The project comes at a time when the Regional Member Countries (RMCs) involved with the African Development Bank are especially concerned about the issues of food security and nutrition. In the face of rising food prices, creating a stable and adequate food supply is at the top many countries’ agendas. It is also the first time a single project has attempted to address food security in Africa on a continental scale.
Read the rest of this entry »
May
02
Nourishing the Planet
Agriculture, Environment, Investment, Policy, Poverty, Women
By Laura Reynolds
The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) has released a report entitled “Food and Agriculture: The future of sustainability.” The report will provide input for UNDESA’s Sustainable Development in the 21st century (SD21) Report for Rio+20, which will serve as a roadmap during the UN Conference on Sustainable Development this June.
A new UN report calls for sustained investment in smallholder farmers. (Image credit: UNDESA)
The report sought contributions from four major groups working in the global food and agriculture system: a policy and trade group, a business specialists group, a rural livelihoods and poverty expert group, and an agricultural production and environmental sustainability group. Nourishing the Planet director Danielle Nierenberg coordinated the rural livelihoods and poverty expert group.
The central idea of the report is that during this century, farmers will need to produce more food per unit of land, water, and agrochemicals to feed the rapidly growing world population. But they will have to do this while facing climate change, market and social volatility, shifting nutrition needs, and an increasing scarcity of most of the factors involved in food production, including fertile soil, fossil fuels, and even farmers themselves.
The report’s contributors agree that one of the most problematic trends in the food and agriculture system is the misaligned focus on maximum production and yield. “The current ‘more production’ orientation is so outdated and unresponsive to our current needs that it is causing its own problems, particularly for our environment and natural resources,” states the report.
Partly as a consequence of this focus on production, 1 billion people are overweight or obese in the world while another billion are undernourished. Instead of focusing on production, policymakers and reformers must work to broaden access to food and improve the variety and nutrition of foods. “Rather than simply ‘more’ production, we must also consider what would be ‘better’ production and better food systems.”
Read the rest of this entry »
May
01
Nourishing the Planet
Development, Food, Food Security, Local, Urban Farming, Youth
By Marlena White
Will Allen is best known as the founder and mastermind of Growing Power, Inc., a nonprofit organization in Milwaukee, WI working to support community food systems through training, outreach, and technical assistance. The son of a sharecropper and former professional basketball player, Allen started Growing Power in 1993 after driving past a derelict plant nursery in northern Milwaukee. He decided to buy the nursery and start an urban farm to provide locally grown food for the community and a place to work for local teens. Since then, Growing Power has flourished as a center of agricultural innovation, making Allen the recipient of multiple awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship. Allen recently co-authored, with Fast Food Nation author Eric Schlosser, an afterword for The Prince’s Speech: On the Future of Food, the published text of Prince Charles’ speech on the importance of a sustainable food system. Allen recently spoke at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health as a guest of the John Hopkins Center for a Livable Future.
Will Allen speaks to the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. (Photo credit: JHSPH)
“We have a serious problem with our food system. Not just in the US, but around the world,” according to Allen. He cites issues like the low quality of food available to youth at school, food-related illnesses, and the negative impact that food production has had on our environment. “Our food system should be good medicine for us,” he claims, “Some of us eat good medicine, and some of us eat bad medicine.” To achieve healthy communities, Allen asserts, we must have a food supply that is safe, healthy, and affordable.
Growing Power has projects primarily in Milwaukee, Madison, and Chicago. These operations include year-round fruit and vegetable production, aquaponics, livestock, and bees. One of their most ambitious projects is Growing Power’s construction of a multilevel greenhouse in Milwaukee for vertical farming. Growing Power is also supporting training, outreach, and technical assistance for local food projects across the United States and abroad. And the organization stresses multicultural and multigenerational diversity. Allen strongly believes that people from both urban and rural settings and of all ages, ethnicities, and abilities must be involved in creating a better food system.
Read the rest of this entry »
Apr
30
Nourishing the Planet
Uncategorized
To facilitate discussion around its 2012 Innovation Challenges, The Rockefeller Foundation will host a Twitter Conference on Wednesday, from 9 AM to 4 PM EST.
Image credit: The Rockefeller Foundation
The Foundation’s 2012 Innovation Challenges seek submissions of innovations that focus on three major areas of global agricultural development: Farming Now, Irrigating Efficiency, and Decoding Data.
A Twitter Conference is an extended Twitter chat that allows real-time discussion focused on a specific theme. The Rockefeller Foundation invites “all innovators, practitioners, students, experts, journalists, activists, content creators, communicators, and any tweeps interested in these issues” to participate.
Click here to learn more about the Twitter Conference.
To purchase State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet please click HERE. And to watch the one minute book trailer, click HERE.
Apr
30
Nourishing the Planet
Uncategorized
By Marissa Dwyer
The United Nations has declared 2012 as the “International Year of Cooperatives.” Co-operatives are business enterprises that are owned and controlled by the members they serve. The UN declaration aims to direct attention to the potential for co-operatives to contribute to socio-economic development. This is particularly significant for farmers because agricultural co-operatives are among the most common around the world. According to a recent report for Worldwatch’s Vital Signs Online on co-operatives, 29 percent of the largest 300 co-operatives in the world are agricultural. Co-operatives are also important for the world’s poor because they can enhance food production and lower prices for consumers.
Agricultural co-operatives can be especially beneficial in countries where agriculture makes up most of the economy, such as Ethiopia. (Image credit: United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs)
High food prices and food price volatility are likely to continue over the long term and will likely have critical negative implications for both poor consumers and smallholder farmers because food is such a large share of their budgets and incomes. Food price volatility can exacerbate food security problems in the long term as well, because small-scale farmers are less likely to invest in ways to try to increase their productivity if food prices, which determine their incomes, are unpredictable.
But co-operatives can help minimize these risks. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) explains that agricultural co-operatives are important because they enable small-scale producers to take better advantage of opportunities offered in the market place and to make better use of natural resources. By improving access to technology and training, co-operatives can create new opportunities for individual farmers. IFAD points out that co-operatives can help farmers in developing countries to be more competitive in the global market.
In countries where agriculture makes up most of the economy, such as Ethiopia, agricultural co-operatives can be especially beneficial. Eighty to 90 percent of Ethiopians farm for a living. But the country will require US$122.3 million in the first half of 2012 for food aid alone. By creating and strengthening co-operatives, food production can be increased and farmers can improve their annual incomes.
Read the rest of this entry »
Apr
29
Nourishing the Planet
Uncategorized
This week, we examine three recent and important reports released on the issues of food security. The Chicago Council on Global Affairs just launched its 2012 Progress Report on U.S. Leadership in Global Agricultural Development, which evaluated the United States’ support of agriculture abroad.
Photo credit: Bernard Pollack
In this post we examine a new report from the International Food Policy Research Institute which analyzes 2011’s food policy progress made and setbacks encountered at the global, regional, national, and local levels.
And in this post, we look at Green Economy in a Blue World, a joint report put out by the United Nations Environment Programme, United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, International Maritime Organization, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, WorldFish Center, and GRID-Arendal, which suggests that by promoting practices such as renewable energy generation, ecotourism, and sustainable fishing, we can improve the health of the world’s marine ecosystems while also boosting their potential to contribute to economic growth.
We received some exciting media coverage this past week. Our research on food security was featured in the Inter Press Service and El Nuevo Herald. Our 15 sustainable agricultural innovations were featured in Reuters and the release of Eating Planet, a new book produced in collaboration with the Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition, was featured in La Repubblica.
Highlight from this past week:
In this interview, “Whale Wars’” Peter Hammerstedt discusses Animal Planet’s new series “Whale Wars: Viking Shores,” which premiered on Friday. The series will focus on Operation Ferocious Isles, the Sea Shepherd’s campaign against whaling in the Faroe Islands of the North Atlantic. According to Hammerstedt, ““Viking Shores” is different from past seasons of “Whale Wars” because the whalers themselves participated in the show. We were in a unique position to have an open dialogue with the local Faroese population.”
Ninety million tons of food is wasted each year in the European Union, and food waste is expected to grow by 40 percent by 2020. The European Union (EU) has declared 2014 the European year against food waste and in the lead up, is examining the effects on food waste from food packaging. In the EU, new innovations in packaging are being developed to ensure that foods reach the store shelf long before the expiration date, which will prevent food being thrown away before consumers have a chance to purchase it.
And in this week’s Nourishing the Planet TV episode, we discuss the Better Cotton Initiative—an international membership association made up of cotton retailers, producers, and non-profit groups—that is working in Pakistan, India, Brazil, and West and Central Africa (Benin, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso) to promote sustainable cotton cultivation that is less damaging to the health of farmers and the environment.
Now it’s your turn: What were your favorite posts from the week? What do you hope we’ll write about next week? Let us know in the comments!
To purchase State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet please click HERE. And to watch the one minute book trailer, click HERE.
Apr
28
Nourishing the Planet
Uncategorized
By Leah Baines
For thousands of years, natural fibres have been at the core of the textile industry. From cloth, to paper and building materials, natural fibres were always the base material. According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, natural fibres are substances produced by plants and animals that can be spun into filaments or thread. Natural fibres originate from either plant fibres, such as coir, cotton and flax, or animal fibres such as camel hair, alpaca wool, and cashmere. As a completely renewable resource, natural fibres provide many benefits both to the environment and to those involved in the market that they create.
This Bolivian woman is using cotton and other natural fibres to weave a hammock. (Photo credit: American Museum of Natural History)
Over the last 50 years, natural fibres have started to become displaced by synthetic, man-made materials such as polyester, acrylic and nylon. These materials are much cheaper and easier to manufacture in bulk, and easily create uniform colors, lengths and strengths of materials that can be adjusted according to specific requirements. The production of synthetic materials, however, is a strong contributor to carbon emissions and waste. According to the United Nations Industrial Development Organization, it is estimated that every person in the world is responsible for 19.8 tons of carbon dioxide emissions in their lifetime, simply because of the clothes on their back that include synthetic fibres.
Unlike synthetic fibres, natural fibres not only come from the environment, but also benefit it. These fibres are renewable, carbon neutral, biodegradable and also produce waste that is either organic or can be used to generate electricity or make ecological housing material.
Read the rest of this entry »
Apr
27
Nourishing the Planet
Food, Food Security, Research
By Arielle Golden
The U. S. Grains Council has released a report highlighting predicted changes in food and agriculture in East Asia over the next three decades. The report, Food 2040: The Future of Food and Agriculture in East Asia comes amid a growing number of reports on the future of the world’s food supply.
Image credit: U. S. Grains Council
The report is a based on five main areas of research: consumer trends, competitive and regulatory landscape, food technology, agriculture and food distribution and packaging, and the environment and resources. The result is a forward-looking approach at how the interacting forces of the globe will drive the food system in the coming decades. It seeks to discover how ingenuity, technology, and resilience could create positive outcomes for East Asia.
The research considers trends like a predicted era of hyper-nichification in which specialty and value-added foods dominate the East Asian market, and the projected increase in demand for food as a result of a growing middle class throughout East Asia.
Click here for the full report.
Arielle Golden is a research intern with the Nourishing the Planet project.
To purchase State of the World 2011: Innovations that Nourish the Planet please click HERE. And to watch the one minute book trailer, click HERE.
Apr
27
Nourishing the Planet
Conservation, Fish
By Marlena White
Name: Peter Hammerstedt
Affiliation: Sea Shepherd Conservation Society
Bio: Peter Hammerstedt is a regular cast member of Animal Planet’s “Whale Wars,” which covers the anti-whaling efforts of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. He will also appear on “Whale Wars: Viking Shores,” premiering Friday, April 27, at 9:00 PM (ET). The series will focus on Operation Ferocious Isles, the Sea Shepherd’s campaign against whaling in the Faroe Islands of the North Atlantic. Peter is passionate about animal rights and has often put himself in harm’s way to protect them. When he is not working on Sea Shepherd campaigns, he is pursuing a degree in Media and Communications at Stockholm University and actively campaigning with the Swedish Animal Rights Alliance.
Peter Hammarstedt can be seen on Animal Planet’s “Whale Wars: On Viking Shores.” (Photo credit: Animal Planet)
How did the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society become involved with whaling in the Faroe Islands?
Sea Shepherd has a long history of both bringing attention to and intervening in the pilot whale slaughter on the Faroe Islands, known as “The Grind.” Captain Paul Watson launched two ship-based campaigns to oppose the hunt in 1985 and 1986 and again in 2000. On all three occasions, no pilot whales were killed while Sea Shepherd patrolled the islands. In 1986, Sea Shepherd brought a film team from the British Broadcasting Company (BBC) to the Faroe Islands in order to capture the cruelty of the hunt, resulting in the award-winning documentary Black Harvest. The film captures a dramatic confrontation of when a Faroese gunboat pursues the Sea Shepherd’s vessel and attacks them with tear gas, in an unsuccessful attempt to seize the ship and arrest the crew.
Read the rest of this entry »
Apr
26
Nourishing the Planet
Agriculture, Development, Investment, Research
By Laura Reynolds
The Chicago Council on Global Affairs’ Global Agricultural Development Initiative launched its 2012 Progress Report on U.S. Leadership in Global Agricultural Development in Washington, D.C. today.
The report assesses how successfully the United States has been in sustaining support for global agricultural development. (Image credit: The Chicago Council on Global Affairs)
The report assesses how successfully the United States has been in reinvigorating and sustaining international support for global agricultural development and food security. It details changes in funding and activity on agricultural development by U.S. departments and agencies, by the U.S. Congress, and in three focus countries—Ghana, Ethiopia, and Bangladesh—between 2009 and 2012.
Both the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development receive an “outstanding” evaluation in the report, for their leadership in advancing agricultural issues amid challenging budget restrictions. The report specifically commends Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her development and support of the Feed the Future initiative, which has pledged US$3.5 billion to address the root causes of hunger and food insecurity.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress and the U.S. Department of Agriculture receive “good” evaluations. The report gives the Peace Corps a “satisfactory” evaluation, noting that its agriculture and environment volunteers still make up only 7 percent of the total number of volunteers in the field.
Stating that “problems of rural hunger and poverty cannot be overcome quickly,” the report urges that “the challenge in the years to come will be to maintain this strong leadership, and sustain the bipartisan support for food security and agricultural development initiatives.”
Read the rest of this entry »
