Green Options » small farmers

Baboons, Giant Sable, Renewable Energy in South Africa, Jatropha & Flamingos - Followup on Recent Posts

Dave Harcourt — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:20:05 +0000

This post consists of a few lines and a link to what’s happened since some of my recent posts where there has been significant action. Each item is identified and linked by the date and title of the original post.

July 2009 - Sable Antelope - One Sold for $ 385 000 and Giant Species Rediscovered in Angola.

Three more Giant Sable Antelopes, have been sighted in Angola. This brings to six the number of this rare species, which was feared to have become extinct, that have been sited in the last few weeks.

July 2009 - Mauling of Baboon by “Fighting Dogs”, Reopens the Cape Peninsular Baboon Debate

Two men were attacked by Pit Bulls in Ocean View ,the same Township in Ocean View this week, prompting a warning from welfare group TEARS.

Jatropha - Careful Science, Uninformed Optimism and Simplistic Implementation

Dave Harcourt — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 19:16:59 +0000

Three different news items highlight the vast differences in viewpoint and the continuing uncertainty around the farming of Jatropha by small scale farmers as a feedstock for Europe’s refineries moving towards meeting the EU’s renewable liquid fuel goals.

Clarity on What Jatropha Can Deliver

At the recent Africa Biofuels Conference in Midrand South Africa, Vincent Volckaert the Regional Manager for Africa of D1 Oils Plant Science presented a paper titled “Jatropha curcas: beyond the myth of the miracle crop”.

Besides making it clear that Jatropha is not a miracle plant and like any other it needs water and fertiliser to produce biomass, he noted it was particularly sensitive to pests and disease when not grown as an intercrop. Volckaert stated that D1 Oil expected to release new seed in 2010 or 2011, that would have a yield of 2 tons of oil per hectare on well managed estates at maturity.

Growing Food to Feed Cars Will Continue to Drive Up the Price of Food

John-Paul Maxfield — Sun, 12 Oct 2008 16:43:13 +0000

As the demand for biofuels increases, so too will food prices around the world. The U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization’s recent report notes that “the historic linkages between agriculture and the energy sector are becoming stronger and are changing in character. Biofuel demand will continue to exercise upward pressure on agricultural prices for considerable time to come.” Biofuel production based on agricultural commodities increased more than threefold from 2000 to 2007, and now covers nearly two percent of the world’s consumption of transport fuels.

Please Don’t Feed the Rock Stars: Farm Aid Concert

Alicia Erickson — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 13:32:52 +0000

On Sept. 9th in Randall’s Island, NY, many artists, including board members Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Neil Young and Dave Matthews, will take the stage to help bring awareness to and raise funds for Farm Aid. Farm Aid began with the first 3 musicians in 1985 as an effort to bring awareness and assistance to family farms, and to help them compete in an aggressive corporate environment. Farm Aid achieves this through their annual concert, the Good Food Movement, crisis and networking services, and grants to organizations which defend the rights of the family farmers within the system.

The annual concert seeks to unite “farmers, artists, consumers, and concerned citizens to build a powerful movement for good food from family farms.” The musicians above will be joined by such conscious artists Tim Reynolds, The Allman Brothers, Counting Crows, Matisyahu, and Guster, among others. The concert has the goal of being the first ever to serve 100% local, organic, humanely-raised and family-farmed food.

Expanding beyond the borders of the music event, Farm Aid has arranged for New York restaurants to participate in the program Fresh from the Family Farm on Sept 4th-11th. Participating restaurants will provide at least one dish that is either “grown locally, produced by a family farm, or certified organic, and the proceeds benefit Farm Aid.”

The Good Food Movement seeks to highlight the benefits of purchasing from small local farms to consumers. They have various ways to find good food, and a quick reference page for understanding labels such as "organic," "fair trade," and "free farm certified," as well what "hormone," "antibiotic," and "GE free" means. They also briefly address the common problems with all-natural and free-range products.

With agribusiness’s “processing and marketing 95% of all commercial food,” and thousands of families pushed off their farms each year, it’s important that intervention happens before the family farm is extinct. Bringing awareness to the family farmer’s plight is especially relevant now as the 2007 Farm Bill is being debated in Congress. Through subsides focused on selected crops, billions of dollars ends up funneled into large corporate farms with only a few small drops making it down to the family farms. As we are becoming more aware of the dangers of food altered through genetic engineering and irradiation, and the effects of food miles, unsustainable farming practices, and dumping due to subsidies, we are at risk of losing the ability to choose something better as the small farmer slowly disappears. As consumers, our most powerful voice is through our dollars, so look to shop local, organic and fair trade and support your local farmers.