Today, the thought of smoking in an office seems fabulously anachronistic, probably even to smokers. In fact, cigarette smoking has dropped by about two-thirds in the past fifty years. An article by the Huffington Post identifies the five main reasons why smoking has declined so dramatically: young people at center of prevention efforts; anti-smoking laws; increased tax on… Continue reading Sugarcoating the facts?
On the surface at least, modern foods systems appear to be astonishingly diverse. A person walking into a supermarket almost anywhere in the world can be overwhelmed by the profusion of choices. The productivity of our food systems is also impressive: between 1961 and 2001, crop yields more than doubled in all regions of the… Continue reading Nourishing diversity in our food systems
“What happens to forests will be largely shaped by what happens outside of forests…” Linda Andersson (Policy Officer, Vi-Agroforestry) So we know that Sweden is the country that brought us Ikea and Abba. But did you know that Sweden is also one of the world’s largest producers of timber? Around 68% of this beautiful land… Continue reading Lumberjills and Lumberjacks: Building Sweden with women at the table
“All this is a long-term process, but we keep having the commitment and look forward that the guidelines will definitely help to improve the land access of indigenous people”. It is in these terms that Mrs. Marcela Villarreal, Director of Partnerships, Advocacy and Capacity Development – (FAO) concluded her intervention at the CFS44 side event… Continue reading The tradeoffs of indigenous and community land right promotion
“What we plant in the soil of contemplation, we shall reap in the harvest of action”, said Meister Eckhart, the German Philosopher. Truly said, “Soil is where food begins”. This session of CFS#44 was all about being more responsible to protect and sustain soil health. The importance of soil in our life and environment was… Continue reading Get on the soil train…
Everyone knows forests are home to a wealth of biodiversity, with the Amazon alone hosting a quarter of global biodiversity. It is also now well established that diversity in crop production increases a farmer’s resilience to environmental stresses and shocks - from extreme weather to pests. In terms of ending poverty, food insecurity and environmental degradation,… Continue reading At loggerheads over agroforestry
An apple a day keeps the doctor away. A school meal a day keeps the doctor, police and human rights lawyer at bay. Children all over the world, especially in the poorer countries or conflict territories go to school without the benefit of a proper meal or a meal, period. A school meal can often… Continue reading Feed them or Fail them
In a world of climate change, food insecurity and rapid urbanization, just try to imagine for a few minutes what Albert Einstein would be doing if he were a young farmer nowadays. Considering that obviously, the world has dramatically changed over the last 100 years since the “Theory of relativity” was developed. "What do today’s… Continue reading If Einstein had been a farmer
When Linda won a contest which brought her to be a reporter for a month in a Ugandan village, she could not imagine how this would have transformed her life. Living with a local family, and going to the fields to pick cotton every day, generated close bonds with the villagers who often shared their… Continue reading Empowering women, one tree at a time
A young man from rural Africa is sitting among the powerful policy makers, experts from various stakeholder agencies, such as civil society, private sector, governmental agencies and United Nations agencies in Rome at the Committee on World Food Security session 44 (CFS44). He is holding a pamphlet in his hand, on it written in bold… Continue reading Puzzling Agripreneurship
“I started with just 100 chickens”, begins Mr Jean Claude Ruzibiza He goes on to explain how from small beginnings he has now become Managing Director of Rwanda Best, a farm producing 4,500 eggs a day and growing fruit and veg to satisfy a significant part of nearby Kigali’s hungry population. With malnutrition in the world… Continue reading The chicken or the egg?
When conflicts start, food insecurity rises. And when a population becomes food insecure, preventing conflicts becomes more difficult. This becomes a vicious circle that never seems to end. According to Mr. Dominique Burgeon, studies show that 40% of the countries coming out from conflicts, are more likely to experience food insecurity. This again makes them… Continue reading The vicious circle
Oftentimes the talks about gender feel like a good old fight: Each of the sides seems so deeply blinded by their own hurt and sure of their righteousness, that none of them wishes to hear out the other side of the story. Lost in quarrels and power struggles, some diverge paths. Others manage to find… Continue reading The gender agenda, a vortex of misunderstandings?
Do you eat? Do you feel pain? Are you a human? If yes, please feel free to read further. During a side event at this year’s CFS44 IPES-Foodand Global Alliance for the Future of Foodpresented their “hot of the press” report on “Unravelling the Food-Health Nexus”. The report addresses practices, political economy and power relations needed to build… Continue reading We can all play doctors in the “Food – Health Nexus”
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