Tag: agriculture

Transition Towns

I spent the last month studying abroad, I have realized how differently Western Cultures actually think from each other. I’ve spent the last month traveling around Denmark and England, and have really come to realize how different the countries are from the United States. My class in Denmark focused on sustainable food efforts. This means …

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U.S. Agricultural Policies Cause Childhood Obesity

America is guilty of child abuse and should be charged, and sentenced. For the past 35 years, U.S. agriculture has operated under “cheap food” policy, while childhood obesity has gone primetime in every home, school, mall, and workplace. Since obesity hit mainstream America, it has become more than a cosmetic concern.  Obesity is a social …

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Just The Tip of The Horn

It’s the start of a new year, and a new beginning. A renewed hope for something better for all, yet a crisis still looms and has been around for far too long. I am referring to the food crisis, in the Horn of Africa. So why hasn’t the problem been resolved, after so many decades? …

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Hidden factor of food price volatility

In the context of our fragile economic recovery, the prices of food, oil and other commodities have risen again. In December of 2010, the FAO food price index reached its 2008 peak; sugar, oils and fats being among the agricultural products that most significantly increased. For instance, the price of rice rose by 127%: wheat …

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Mujeres Rurales:hacia el desarrollo sustentable

En las últimas dos semanas las Naciones Unidas celebró la Comisión sobre la Condición de la Mujer (CSW por sus siglas en inglés). La CSW es un cuerpo de gobierno dedicado exclusivamente a los derechos de la mujer y la igualdad de género. Esta comisión se reúne anualmente durante 10 días hábiles. El principal resultado …

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Rural women: the road towards sustainable development

For the last two weeks the United Nations held the 56th Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). The CSW is the principal global policy-making body dedicated exclusively to women’s rights and gender equality. This commission meets annually for 10 working days. The principal outcomes of the commission are the agreed conclusion between member (45 …

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Let’s Get WWOOFing

Do you have any regrets?  I have one.  A few years ago a couple of friends were looking for a summer adventure.  When they stumbled upon an opportunity to live for free in Hawaii for two months, I was more than intrigued.  When they explained they would be conducting manual labor for six hours a …

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Sistema alimentario en peligro

La seguridad alimentaria es un tema que ha siempre interesado y preocupado a economistas, agrónomos y políticos. Desde 1800, algunos economistas predijeron la escasez alimentaria (la teoría de Malthus), que causaría hambrunas y muertes ya que la producción agrícola no sería suficiente. Aunque la teoría resultó ser equivocada, hoy en día es importante reconsiderar la …

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A Corny Problem

You might not think it, but I bet that almost everyone reading this will make use of corn today. I’m not necessarily talking about chowing down on a buttered corn on the cob. Corn is a component of about 25% of groceries from the supermarket. It is also a major component in almost all fast …

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Food system at peril

Food security is a topic that economists, agronomists and politicians are always concerned about. Since the 1800’s, some economists predicted that we were going to face serious scarcities (Malthus’s theory) causing famines and deaths. Although the theory turned out to be wrong, nowadays it is still important to take seriously Malthus’s prediction since we can …

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