Obesity risks start before birth. 03/08/2010
 Shari Roan, Los Angeles Times March 8, 2010 Pam Levin's daughter weighed less than 5 pounds at birth. But by the time the child turned 3, Levin and her husband had begun to bristle at some of the comments about her. "People would say, ‘She's chunky' or ‘She's a big girl,'" Levin says. The comments may not have been tactful, but the Los Angeles mom caught herself wondering if they were true. Was the adorable, easygoing preschooler overweight? During the child's first year of life, she had been smaller than 95% of children her age, according to pediatric growth charts, weighing about 17 pounds on her first birthday. But her weight had increased, and kept increasing, until she was 43 pounds at age 3 1/2. "All of a sudden she's was on the 50th percentile, then the 75th, then 99th," Levin recalls. "You say, ‘Wait a minute. Something's not right.'" Today, one of every three U.S. children is overweight — but it's much easier to prevent obesity than to treat it. That's why pediatric obesity experts now say intervention should begin early — very early. The risk of becoming overweight or obese, it increasingly seems, begins before a child is born, establishes roots in infancy and may be entrenched by the time a tot starts kindergarten. In recent studies, researchers concluded that some risk factors for childhood obesity exist even before birth. Further, they've found, obese 3-year-olds already show the signs of inflammation that is linked to heart disease in adults. The notion that a person's lifelong weight trajectory might be programmed early in life is startling — and potentially revolutionary, says Dr. Nicolas Stettler, an associate professor of pediatrics and epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania. "If we can identify a short period of time where an intervention can have a long-lasting effect, that could be very promising," he says. So far, most of the evidence that the early years affect weight into adulthood comes from observational or epidemiological studies. There are few randomized, controlled trials — the most scientifically rigorous kind that prove cause and effect, says Dr. Elsie M. Taveras, an assistant professor of population medicine and pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. But she points out, "We have pretty strong observational studies for a good number of risk factors in the prenatal, infancy and early childhood period." In her paper, published March 1 in the journal Pediatrics, Taveras and her colleagues summarized more than one dozen factors in the prenatal period through age 5 that can increase the likelihood of later obesity. The research was based on a study of 1,826 mother-child pairs from pregnancy through the child's first five years of life. Many were behaviors that are often passed down through generations and are more likely to be found in black and Latino families than in white families, possibly accounting for the high rates of obesity in those communities. For example, black and Latino infants are more likely to be fed solid food before 4 months of age and to sleep less as infants. Each of the three early-life stages — prenatal, infancy and early childhood — comes with its own risk factors. But each also comes with the chance to intervene, breaking a lifetime cycle of obesity and dieting before it starts. Prenatal Several risk factors likely begin with the mother — even before she's a mother. Almost half of U.S. women today begin pregnancy overweight or obese, automatically increasing the likelihood that their babies will be born either too small or too large, both of which increase the risk of obesity for the child later in life. Further, studies show that how much weight a pregnant woman gains and whether she develops gestational diabetes both can influence her child's weight in adulthood. The odds of being overweight at age 7 were 48% higher for children of women who gained more weight than recommended during pregnancy compared with women who met weight guidelines, according to a study by Stettler and colleagues published in 2008 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. "What we find is that these things set up children for a lifelong risk of obesity," says Asheley Cockrell Skinner, an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. "These factors don't just make them overweight; they become barriers to helping them change when they get older. It becomes the story that never ends." Infancy A newborn's weight is noted on birth announcements, memorialized on the first page of the baby book and never forgotten by his or her mother. But perhaps it's a baby's weight at age 1 that matters more, experts say. Weight that is too high for the child's height — for example, being at the 75th percentile for weight but the 30th percentile for height — can spell trouble. Another study from Taveras' research group, published last year in Pediatrics, found that rapid increases in weight-for-length measurements during the first six months of life were associated with a greatly increased risk of obesity at age 3. No one is sure why rapid weight gain in the first year is important. It could be that when a baby is fed more than it needs, the brain's development is affected so that it signals the need for excessive amounts of food, Stettler says. Likewise, too much food might program an infant's pancreas, and the body's response to insulin, in a manner that leads to obesity. Whatever the cause, Taveras says, "excessive weight gain in those first six months of life is not baby fat that is going to go away. We're going to have to change perceptions about what's healthy and what's not healthy." Whether a baby is breast-fed (and for how long) or bottle-fed, when it begins eating solid food and how much it sleeps have also been linked to obesity risk. A 2008 study in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found that babies in child-care centers or cared for by relatives tended to have lower rates of being breast-fed and had solid foods introduced earlier, both factors tied to weight gain. But studies on breast-feeding are an example of a weakness in the argument that the early years influence future weight, Stettler says. For example, one study randomly assigned the mothers of infants to a program that encouraged breast-feeding and compared them with women who did not receive the breast-feeding promotion program. More babies were indeed breast-fed in the first group. But when the children in both groups reached age 6, there were no differences in their weight. The paper was published in 2007 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. "We know that families that choose to breast-feed are very different from families that do not," Stettler said. They may have higher incomes or feed their children more healthful food. Thus, it's hard to say whether breast-feeding or other family characteristics affect a child's future risk of obesity. That's why, Stettler says, "these associations are not ready for prime time or to be converted into public health recommendations." Early childhood Other experts say the soaring rates of child obesity warrant changes even without solid evidence. In a study published recently in Pediatrics, Skinner's team found that obese children as young as age 3 had higher levels of C-reactive protein, a marker for inflammation that is linked to heart disease in adults. C-reactive protein levels can rise for a number of reasons, and about 15% to 20% of children have above-normal levels. But among obese 3-year-olds, 45% had elevated levels. It's not clear yet whether this inflammation remains high in obese children or causes any long-lasting harm. "That indicates to me that when we see what appears to be a chubby kid on the outside, there may be something different on the inside, compared with healthy kids," she says. "It's a red flag that something is not quite right." Levin didn't wait for someone to test her daughter's C-reactive protein. The first-time mom recently consulted a doctor who specializes in weight and nutrition issues, and she learned that the family needed to make immediate changes. A toddler doesn't need a whole bagel with cream cheese and salmon for lunch, she learned. One-quarter of that bagel sandwich would suffice. Low-fat milk is more healthful than whole milk. Snacks need not include juice. That doesn't mean she put her child on a diet; most doctors discourage such restrictions. "It's not about losing weight," says Levin. "It's about her growing into her weight. We're not focused on numbers and the scale and all of that. We just need to focus on healthy choices." More parents of young children are asking for advice on weight and nutrition, says Dr. Elaine L. Rosen, director of the California Center for Healthy Living in Encino, where Levin took her daughter. A pediatrician, Rosen opened her center, which addresses weight or nutritional problems in babies through young adults, because of high rates of child obesity and because worried parents didn't know how to help their kids. Too much concern on the part of parents can backfire, Rosen says, leading to eating disorders in children or contributing to children being overweight or underweight. "There is a lot of misinformation out there," she says. "A lot of adults rely on diet-mentality notions, which is not appropriate for kids." Families are taught what, when and where to feed their children, while leaving the questions of whether to eat and how much to eat to the child, Rosen says. "Sometimes parents cross the line into the domain of control," she says. "The child does not learn to trust themselves to feed themselves properly. Some kids resort to under-eating and picky eating. Some overeat, learn to sneak food and defy their parents." The emphasis on the early years just makes good sense, Taveras says. "Almost all of the risk factors we found we can change. We can counsel families about these issues." Levin and her daughter began to see Rosen a few months ago. But already, Levin says, her daughter's preschool teacher has remarked that the child seems to have had a growth spurt — in height. A late start So far, the early years have been ignored when it comes to obesity practices and policies. First Lady Michelle Obama recently launched a campaign to address child obesity. But like many other programs, it focuses on school-age children. There is no organized public-health effort on obesity prevention from gestation to age 5. The Institute of Medicine, however, recently convened a task force to study that time period. Because child obesity is linked to both maternal and child health, obstetricians and pediatricians must be enlisted to address obesity prevention in their patients, Taveras says. But, she adds, "during pregnancy and the first two years of life, mothers and their infants are seen by physicians more often than any other time of life. It's kind of a golden opportunity. We have systems in place to reach mothers and children." shari.roan@latimes.com textSize Copyright © 2010, The Los Angeles Times The “Buy America” Sellout 03/08/2010
Spending public money locally is not the problem – the WTO Government Procurement Agreement is Profiting from municipal frustration, and exaggerating the impact of “Buy American” policies on Canadian companies, the Harper government and provinces signed a multi-pronged government procurement agreement with the United States on February 16 that will see provincial and local spending powers permanently limited under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules. In return for fleeting access to a sliver of the original $280 billion worth of U.S. stimulus money for infrastructure, Canada’s provinces are to be included in the WTO’s Government Procurement Agreement (GPA) – a plurilateral contract signed by only 40 countries that forbids listed national and subnational governments and agencies from favouring domestic content or considering other local benefits when spending public money. This is a big deal. Canada’s provinces have been reluctant to sign onto the GPA precisely because there was and is still no way to guarantee reciprocal access to the U.S. procurement market. While some areas, including urban transit and energy-related projects are currently excluded, the provinces are on a slippery slope as this agreement goes forward. That’s because Canada has committed to continuing talks toward an even bigger, permanent procurement agreement with the United States, potentially under NAFTA. Also, the provinces and cities are under intense pressure from the European Union, through ongoing free trade negotiations, to open up even more provincial and municipal spending on goods, services and construction to European companies. European service providers, for example, see Canada’s public services, which are delivered provincially and municipally, as a potential money maker through privatization. The GPA offers trade tools to help make that happen. While Prime Minister Harper refuses to renegotiate NAFTA to improve labour and environmental protections, he has essentially done what amounts to the same thing as reworking the deal by binding municipalities and provinces to trade rules curbing their powers over local economies. And he did it while Parliament was prorogued, with no plans to let our elected politicians study the deal to see if it’s worth it. Local procurement is not the problem. In fact, it is one of the last vestiges of public control over how local communities develop and grow, and an important tool in growing their economies. We cannot let this new agreement stand without a fight. A statement on public procurement We believe that governments have a right and a duty to use public procurement as a tool for economic development, environmental protection and job creation. Therefore, we oppose the expansion of “free trade” deals to encompass more public procurement. Read more » Resources ACTION ALERT
If scientists get their way, Canadians will soon be serving up genetically engineered pork 03/08/2010
Sarah Schmidt, Canwest News Service Genetically engineered pigs are one step closer to becoming meat on Canadian kitchen tables with the federal government poised to declare that they do not harm the environment. Canwest News Service has learned Environment Canada has determined that Yorkshire pigs developed at the University of Guelph are not toxic to the environment under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. The official declaration will be made on Saturday. This is the first regulatory hurdle to get the pigs to market, which will be a first in the country if Health Canada approves Guelph's pending application, submitted last year, seeking a government declaration that its transgenic pig is fit for human consumption. The so-called "Enviropigs," the world's first transgenic animal created to solve an environmental problem, were created in 1999 with a snippet of mouse DNA introduced into their chromosomes. The pigs produce low-phosphorus feces. The Guelph scientists were able to reduce phosphorus pollution by creating a special composite gene that enables digestion of a normally unavailable form of phosphorus. This allows the pigs to produce manure that is 30 to 65 per cent lower in phosphorus than found in the manure of regular pigs -- blamed for polluting surface and groundwater when raised in intensive livestock operations. "The university has successfully satisfied the requirements to allow the line of transgenic pigs to be produced and farmed using appropriate containment procedures. So that's the step we're at right now," said Steven Liss, associate vice-president for research at the University of Guelph. "As part of an overall goal, I think it's fair to say, yes, absolutely, the university researchers involved were very driven and passionate about addressing an important environmental problem at the same time supporting production of food stock and to bring forward a more sustainable and environmentally friendly option to do that." Liss declined to speculate how long it will take Health Canada and the Food and Drug Administration in the United States to consider the university's submissions seeking approval for human food consumption and subsequent commercialization. Patricia Howard, a biotechnology and public policy expert at Simon Fraser University, doesn't think Health Canada is up to the job -- nor does she think the Canadian public is ready to embrace transgenic pork on their dinner plates any time soon. "If you were to start talking about genetically modified pigs entering the food supply, I think eyebrows would go up. A lot of people would have a lot of questions," she said. "I imagine most people would applaud the idea of trying to create a pig whose manure wouldn't be as serious a contaminant to the environment. However, a lot of people who have concerns about pig production will raise the question, 'Well, aren't you just trying to find another way to continue to produce pigs in these enormous confinement facilities?' " Currently, there are no products derived from genetically engineered animals approved for food or feed use in Canada or anywhere else in the world. In a joint statement issued Thursday to Canwest News Service, Health Canada, Environment Canada, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, said all applications are "subject to a rigorous, science-based review process" before being approved. Invitation to the Community Spirit Expo 03/03/2010
Your group is invited to participate in the free Community Spirit Expo, sponsored by the Comox Town Residents’ Association (CTRA). The purpose of this event is to introduce citizens to some of the many Comox Valley organizations which have helped to improve our environment and quality of life in many areas. There will be no charge to the public or to the participants. Light refreshments will be provided. The event will take place on Thursday, March 18, 2010 in the Comox Recreation Centre Gym, from 7:00 to 10:00 pm. Set-up will be at 7:00 pm sharp, with doors opening to the public at 7:30 pm. Cleanup must begin at 9:30 pm and the hall cleared by 10:00 pm. The CTRA will have available a number of 8-foot tables and one or two chairs for each participating group. If you would like to reserve a full table, or are willing to share one with another group, please indicate this in the form below. If you wish to make a short five minute speech to those in attendance, we will put you on the schedule and a microphone will be made available. There will be a sound system, but no advanced audio/visual capability or wireless internet. Power outlets are also few, so if you require one, please be sure to let us know and bring a long power cord. We would appreciate knowing as soon as possible if your group will be attending, as we will be doing publicity shortly. To simplify the process, please fill out the following information, copy and paste it into an email, then return it to me. Thank you. Pat Halliday pat.halliday@telus.net 250-339-6654 [...]The Crop Mob, a monthly word-of-mouth (and -Web) event in which landless farmers and the agricurious descend on a farm for an afternoon, has taken its traveling work party to 15 small, sustainable farms. Together, volunteers have contributed more than 2,000 person-hours, doing tasks like mulching, building greenhouses and pulling rocks out of fields. “The more tedious the work we have, the better,” Jones said, smiling. “Because part of Crop Mob is about community and camaraderie, you find there’s nothing like picking rocks out of fields to bring people together.”… The Mob was formed during a meeting about issues facing young farmers, during which an intern declared that better relationships are built working side by side than by sitting around a table. So one day, 19 people went to Piedmont Biofarm and harvested, sorted and boxed 1,600 pounds of sweet potatoes in two and a half hours. A year later, the Crop Mob e- mail list has nearly 400 subscribers, and the farm fests now draw 40 to 50 volunteers… One of the biggest issues facing sustainable agriculture is that it’s “way, way, way more labor-intensive than industrial agriculture,” Jones said. “It’s not sustainable physically, and it’s not sustainable for people personally: they’re working all the time and don’t have an opportunity to have a social life. So I think Crop Mob brings that celebration to the work, so that you get that sense of community that people are looking for, and you get a lot of work done. And we have a lot of fun.”[...] More at NYT→ ~~ _______________________________________________ Livingontheland mailing list Livingontheland@lists.ibiblio.org http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/livingontheland  _______________________________________________ This is the mailing list of the Vancouver Island & Coastal Communities Indigenous Foods Network Our email address: viccifn@bcfsn.org To subscibe, unsubscribe, or change your settings: http://bcfsn.org/mailman/listinfo/viccifn_bcfsn.org To contact the list administrator, email viccifn-owner@bcfsn.org Don’t get mad … Get Elected! 02/25/2010
 Comox Valley Women’s Resource Centre presents: Don’t get mad … Get Elected! Date: Friday, March 5th, 2010 Time: 2:30-4:30 pm Venue: #1 -1491 McPhee Avenue Come and learn about:
Attendance is free. Contact us to reserve your seat: niwss4@shawbiz.ca or 250-338-1133  made this workshop possible. Warm regards, Maureen J. Hoffart Centre Coordinator/Client Support Services North Island Women's Services Society Comox Valley Women's Resource Centre #1-1491 McPhee Ave., Courtenay, BC V9N 3A3 Phone: 250-338-1133 Fax: 250-334-1653 Hours of Operation: Mon-Thurs 10am-3pm www.comoxvalleywomenscentre.com Mission Statement: We are a group of women committed to improving the lives of women in our community by empowering and promoting equality from a feminist perspective. From: brandon.hughes@telus.net To: brandon.hughes@telus.net This e-mail is one of an ongoing series of information updates from Rural Team BC issued by Brandon Hughes (Canadian Rural Partnership). Any input or update ideas are welcomed. If you wish to be added to the list or taken off or for more information mail me. Please feel free to forward this information to others who would be interested. BC Rural Summit - Registration is open for Transforming Rural Economies: Change and Innovation, the 6th BC Rural Communities Summit in Port Hardy, BC. This biennial forum will take place at the Port Hardy Civic Centre, March 16-18, 2010. Keynote Speaker is Harry Nyce, President, Union of BC Municipalities and Nisga'a Hereditary Chieftain. More than 25 workshops and presentations will provide new skills, explore the experiences, and share the lessons learned by rural and remote communities across BC. Presentations and workshops themes include rural community economic development, integrated community sustainability planning, building aboriginal relationships, rural workforce development, tourism, leadership, healthy living and much more. A number of travel bursaries are still available on a first-come, first-served basis to rural residents and representatives of rural organizations who would otherwise not be able to attend. For more information go to www.bcruralsummit.ca or call the Co-chairs: Maureen LeBourdais 250-392-1400 Mayor Bev Parnham 250-949-6059 1. Government of Canada launches Canada Summer Jobs 2010 to help students and serve communities. The Canada Summer Jobs 2010 supports work experiences for students and helps provide important community services. Funding will be offered to not-for-profit, public-sector and small private-sector employers to create high-quality summer job opportunities for young people 15 to 30 years old who are full-time students and intend to return to school in the next school year. In 2009, the Government of Canada concluded agreements with approximately 22,000 organizations to support the creation of over 37,500 summer jobs for students. Applications will be available on February 1, 2010, and must be submitted by February 26, 2010. Interested employers can apply online at www.servicecanada.gc.ca/csj2010, or at their local Service Canada Centre. http://news.gc.ca/web/article-eng.do?nid=505059 2. How to Understand the Cost of Living in Your Community - A Guidebook on Conducting Affordability Studies - This guidebook discusses different ways of measuring poverty in Canada and describes how to conduct an affordability study for your community. By using this guide book, you will: . Acquire knowledge about different approaches to measuring poverty in Canada . Understand the market basket measure methodology for conducting affordability studies . Develop skills to design and implement an affordability study for your community . Engage options for how to use the results of an affordability study to address issues of poverty and low income in your community Visit www.sparc.bc.ca to download. 3. We at the BC Centre for Social Enterprise are delighted by our partnership with Canadian charities lawyer Richard Bridge, in order to share plain-language and current information on charity governance, fundraising limits, reporting / compliance, and social enterprise. This project is generously supported by the Canada Revenue Agency. Topics to be covered include financial areas such as proper receipting, managing books and records, the disbursement quota, the new T3010B information return, GST / HST, and CRA audits. Good governance principles and approaches are another focus, which is extremely important for Board members. The session also offers advice on allowable fundraising activities, and social enterprise. March 23 -- Sechelt BC March 25 -- Agassiz BC March 29 -- Trail BC March 30 -- Grand Forks BC To see full date and location details, in addition to email addresses of workshop hosts (sessions are free but pre-registration is a must), please click here http://www.centreforsocialenterprise.com/Workshops.html , and locate your session of interest on the Google map at the bottom of the page. Click on the session that you would like to attend, for full details. Seating is limited, so we urge early registration. Multiple participants from the same charity (Board members, staff) are encouraged to register together. Individual registrants are also welcome. These sessions are also perfect for non profit groups considering applying for charitable status. 4. BUILDING AS IF PEOPLE MATTERED - a different type of mini conference. DATES: March 6th, 2010 (9am - 4pm) LOCATION: at Royal Roads University FACILITATORS: Interdisciplinary Team of local Green Builders, LEED Project Developers, Alternative Energy and Systems designers, Futurists.and you! Description: This is a participatory discussion for folks who wish to help participate in the development of a "Sustainability Mecca". Southern BC is becoming widely known as the Green Building capital and the south islands in particular have incredible innovation examples. With unique multi-featured green rezoning projects, conservation communities, LEED awarded buildings and neighbourhoods, and a wide example of ecological and green design..the community will come together to describe a number of examples and then to discuss how we might showcase this work in a collective way. By bringing together an international tour and developing a "Building As If People Mattered Conference" (October 2010) we each can be part of the process. The day includes a panel discussion with a wide variety of professionals who work on premier showcase projects locally. http://ourecovillage.org/our-activities/education-2/royal-roads-university/ 5. Strengthen your leadership skills! These workshops, provided by the Centre for Non Profit Management, address the leadership challenges of organizations under stress. Join us for one or all five workshops in Victoria, Burnaby, Langley and Nanaimo. Affordable and relevant training! The registration fee, only $ 75 per session, includes lunch and a participant package. Each interactive, all-day session addresses one of six key topics: Leadership Governance, Financial Management, Evaluation, Human Resources. Click here or go to www.cnpm.ca to register. The Series is co-hosted by Coast Capital Savings Credit Union and The Centre for Non Profit Management. For More Information or Assistance with Registration, please contact us at: The Centre for Non Profit Management, Email: info@cnpm.ca, CNPM Office: (250)721-6449 www.cnpm.ca | www.vskn.ca 6. Mountain Equipment Coop Community Contributions. MEC provides grants and product donations to groups working on sustainability and environmental projects. Application deadline is March 10 and September 10 2010 for applications for Land Acquisition, Capacity Building, Research, Advocacy and Education, and Access. Urban Sustainability and Grassroots Product Donations applications are accepted anytime. http://www.mec.ca/Main/content_text.jsp?FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=14084743960389 7. Sogo Active Grants - There is less than a month until the next deadline for Sogo Active grants. Receive up to $500 for your youth-led physical activity program. Deadline: March 1, 2010 For more information: Please visit http://www.bcrpa.bc.ca/sogoactive/grants.htm 8. Provincial Aboriginal Youth Conference - Vancouver - The BC Association of Aboriginal Friendship Centres is excited to announce the 8th Annual Provincial Aboriginal Youth Conference "Gathering Our Voices." The conference will attract over 1000 Aboriginal youth from across BC and Canada. This year's theme is "Our Health and the Environment", and it will be reflected in 30+ workshops, a 40 booth Health and Education Fair, Cultural and Recreational Activities, Evening Events and Motivational Speakers. When: March 10-13th, 2010 Where: Vancouver, BC at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver For more information: Contact Rosy Steinhauer, Youth Conference Coordinator at mailto:rsteinhauer@bcaafc.com. 9. SPECIAL TOPIC CALL: Best Practices in Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Development - The Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development welcomes research or policy briefs, and case studies (up to 2,500 words) and full articles (up to 8,500 words) on best community-development practices related to: Urban livestock management and regulation Urban market gardening and backyard gardening Marketing and value-adding Waste management and reuse Urban farming by immigrant or other special populations Farming on the fringe Deadline: June 5, 2010 More background on this topic is at www.AgDevJournal.com. Policies and actions to eradicate hunger and malnutrition / Summary November 2009 We, small-scale farmers and fisher peoples, pastoralists, women, youth, indigenous peoples, other social movements and civil society organisations, have taken the challenge together to propose policies and actions that would lead to the eradication of hunger and malnutrition in our world. We strongly believe that the actions to eradicate hunger and malnutrition must be based on a vision of a world where: • food sovereignty is recognised and implemented by communities, peoples, states and international institutions; • all peoples, societies and states determine their own food systems and have policies that ensure availability of sufficient, good quality, affordable, healthy, and culturally appropriate food; • there is recognition and respect for women’s rights and their crucial contribution to food provision, and representation of women in all decision making bodies; • terrestrial and aquatic environments and biodiversity are conserved and rehabilitated based on ecologically sustainable management of land, soils, water, seas, seeds, livestock and aquatic organisms; • the diversity of traditional knowledge, food, language and culture, are all valued and respected; • the way people organise and express themselves is accepted and peoples’ power to make decisions about their material, natural and spiritual heritage is defended; We are proposing the policies and actions recognising that hunger and malnutrition have reached outrageous levels in the world today and that this is not accidental. When the prevalence of this scourge is seen in the context of the multiple crises in the world today, it is very clear that existing polices have compounded the problem and that there is a need for a new approach We have also taken into consideration the known fact that this situation is not a result of a lack of food in the world, as enough food has consistently been produced for decades. Solutions have been, and are being, offered by states and international institutions, in the name of increasing food production and availability, without dealing with the root causes of the multiple crises. They are proposing solutions using the same framework that caused the problems in the first place. Eradicating hunger and malnutrition requires mechanisms that incorporate social and environmental as well as economic measures. To implement these requires the decisive involvement of the organisations of small-scale food providers and consumers in any policies and programmes designed to address the problems We welcome the working document, Policies and Actions to Eradicate Hunger and Malnutrition, which outlines our proposals for the needed changes and how these might be realised. The working document contains a number of polices and actions in the following areas: • Sustainable, ecological food provision and access to territories and natural wealth • Environment, climate change and agrofuels • Market, trade, price polices and subsidies • Ensuring access to adequate food • Finance, debt and development aid • Governance We endorse the summary of the working document annexed to this letter with the conviction that it will be useful for governments and institutions and peoples and their organisations in efforts to eradicate hunger and malnutrition and to ensure the attainment of food sovereignty including the human right to adequate food. The world does not need to stay locked up in a dead-end that only has the potential to lead us into deeper levels of problems. We therefore urge states and international institutions to work with us - the movements of small-scale farmers and fisher peoples, pastoralists, Indigenous Peoples, other social movements and civil society organisations - in a common endeavour to tackle and end the scourge of hunger and malnutrition. (This letter and the summary as well as the working document are available online. To sign on, see the list of signatories and download the documents in English, French and Spanish, please go to www.eradicatehunger.org) Summary of working document on policies and actions to eradicate hunger and malnutrition 1. Background to the working document The working document provides proposals for policies and actions to eradicate hunger and malnutrition. It is based on the experiences and political work of social movements, non governmental organisations (NGOs) and others from all over the world during past decades and currently. It is based largely on the food sovereignty framework that embraces the human right to adequate food. These policies and actions have been prepared to inform governments, institutions and others, who are committed to eradicating hunger and malnutrition. They may also be helpful in discussions on these key issues within and between governments, institutions, social movements and NGOs. And they could be used by social movements, organisations and individuals in all regions as an input to their own proposals at local, national, regional and global levels. 2. Why change is needed A billion people are hungry because they do not have the means to produce food for themselves or purchase it. The majority of these hungry people are rural small-scale food providers, workers and their families, who are unable to grow sufficient food or earn enough income from their production and labour to meet their food and health needs. Women are especially hard hit. They are the principle providers of food for their families and communities, playing central roles in food production, processing and preparation. Yet they are subject to multiple forms of social, economic and cultural discrimination, which prevent them from having equality in access to food and control over productive resources and natural wealth. Hunger and malnutrition are chronic structural problems and worsening in the wake of the food price, financial, energy and climate crises. The food price crisis has hit particularly hard those who depend on markets affected by global prices for their access to food. Not only have most governments and international institutions failed to reduce hunger and poverty and build on the findings of international processes designed to find ways forward (e.g. the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development - IAASTD), but they have, instead, adopted and implemented policies that have exacerbated the problems. There is an urgent need to change the power and economic structures and policies that have caused the current crises. 3. Vision -- Actions to eradicate hunger and malnutrition must be based on a vision of a world where: • food sovereignty is recognised and implemented by communities, peoples, states and international institutions; • all peoples, societies and states determine their own food systems and have policies that ensure availability of sufficient, good quality, affordable, healthy, and culturally appropriate food; • there is recognition and respect for women’s rights and their crucial contribution to food provision, and representation of women in all decision making bodies; • terrestrial and aquatic environments and biodiversity are conserved and rehabilitated based on ecologically sustainable management of land, soils, water, seas, seeds, livestock and aquatic organisms; • the diversity of traditional knowledge, food, language and culture, are all valued and respected; • the way people organise and express themselves is accepted and peoples’ power to make decisions about their material, natural and spiritual heritage is defended; To realise this vision, a series of policies and actions are proposed that address the key issues which are needed to eradicate hunger and malnutrition. These are summarised below. 4. Sustainable food provision There should be a shift from high input industrial agriculture and livestock production and industrial fisheries towards smaller-scale ecological food provision that secures local livelihoods and strengthens organisations and communities. Ecological food provision conserves nature, rehabilitates and values local and traditional knowledge and uses socially just and appropriate technologies, excluding GMOs. It maximises the contribution of ecosystems and improves resilience and adaptation of production and harvesting systems, especially important in the face of climate change. Conversion towards smaller-scale ecological food provision requires support. Research systems need to be reframed and use inclusive and participatory methods. Losses post-harvest should be minimised. Sustainable food provision also requires that gender equity is at the heart of genuine agrarian and aquatic reforms and that all local small-scale food providers – women and men and especially young people, small-scale farmers and fishers, pastoralists, indigenous peoples and workers – have secure access to and control over territories, lands, water, fishing grounds, seed varieties, livestock breeds and fisheries resources. This access should be respected by state and societal actors, in accordance with customary laws, governance and benefits rights. On no account should access to hitherto common property resources be privatized for the benefits of a privileged minority. 5. Environment, climate change and agro fuels The production of food is increasingly vulnerable due to climate change, ecosystem destruction, loss of biodiversity, land conversion and agrofuel production. Thus, the adaptive ecological systems outlined above, that are more resilient to environmental shocks must be the foundation for environmentally-sound food provision. These systems will better secure food supplies and will also regenerate soil carbon and restore natural and developed habitats for water security. Production systems must minimise greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs). In all countries GHGs must be kept at or reduced to a sustainable level (about 1 tonne CO2 per capita per year). The most effective way to reduce GHGs in food provision is to localise production and consumption, reduce the use of chemical fertilisers, reduce fossil fuel use and increase energy efficiency, including use of decentralised, alternative energy technologies and systems. To enable people and communities to tackle climate change effectively and sustainably, countries in the North must pay compensation and reparations of at least 1% of annual GDP to countries in the South. An immediate moratorium on the production, trade and consumption of agrofuels, is called for, together with an in-depth evaluation of their social and environmental costs. This is required because, in general, the use of industrial agrofuels does not reduce GHG emissions and the corporate driven, industrial-scale production of agrofuels is converting land from food production and displacing local communities. 6. Markets, trade and price policies and subsidies New market, trade and price policies and redirected subsidies that prioritise local and national production and consumption and the needs of people for food, are needed. Government procurement systems, publicly owned and managed food stocks, supply management policies and sound market regulation are essential to guarantee good and stable prices for small-scale food providers and to avoid speculation, hoarding and food price escalation. Governments and international institutions should not finance and facilitate the operations of agribusiness corporations but should formulate and enact laws to reduce their power and, in the short-term, make them socially, environmentally and economically accountable to the public. New international trade rules are urgently needed. These should be based on the rights of peoples and their governments to determine their desired levels of self sufficiency, market protection and support for sustainable food provision for domestic consumption. The ongoing negotiations in the World Trade Organisation (WTO), on Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) should be stopped and all trade and investment agreements that impact negatively on local and national food systems should be revoked. Equally urgent are the prevention of dumping of low priced imports and a ban on all direct and indirect export subsidies. If available, subsidies should be provided for localised ecological food provision that creates employment, protects the environment and strengthens local and national economies. 7. Ensuring access to adequate food In addition to the measures outlined above, assuring decent work for all and universal social security nets, especially for those who are most vulnerable, are crucial. Urban food insecurity is also a serious problem that cannot be addressed in isolation from the crisis in the countryside. Hunger and malnutrition in urban areas can be reduced through sustainable food provision through urban and peri-urban farms and gardens, and building “urban-rural linkages” in which cities are fed through sustainable provision from surrounding regions. All these will also drastically reduce the need for emergency food aid and humanitarian actions. Emergency food aid will, however, still be necessary in the short-term but resources needed must be made available in sufficient quantities and in ways that do not undermine local economies and structures. Peace, based on justice, civil and political rights, is a precondition for any lasting solution to wars, occupations and conflicts. Special support to people in all areas of conflict is needed to help them to maintain food production and secure access to food. 8. Finance, debt and development aid Speculation and derivatives trade in sensitive sectors, especially food, agriculture, fisheries, water, weather conditions and climate must be heavily penalise and banned. Equally important is preventing corporate concentration in the insurance, credit and banking sectors. Financial institutions and conglomerates should not be allowed to become “too big to fail.” The unconditional cancellation of the external debts of countries in the South and immediate dismantling of Structural Adjustment Policies (SAPs) and neoliberal policy regimes are crucial. Also important is repayment by countries in the North of their massive ecological debts and historical exploitation. Aid donors must immediately fulfil their commitments to pay at least 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) in development assistance, without conditionalities other than programmes supported should be based on the priorities and plans of peoples and communities in the aid receiving countries, in ways that do not create aid dependency. The power of multilateral financial institutions and IFIs over development aid and credits must be removed, and aid programmes and arrangements must be subjected to national and sub-national democratic and public scrutiny. 9. Governance The world's food supplies and food producing natural wealth should be governed through transparent and accountable multilateral fora and regional and international agreements that are forged, implemented and monitored democratically with the full participation of people’s organisations and States. States should promote policies and actions that actively support the measures outlined above that will realise food sovereignty and the progressive realisation of the human right to adequate food. Also, food providers, their communities and their organisations must have rights of access to information about policies, technologies, programmes, agreements, in appropriate and accessible forms. All international institutions, and especially the Rome-based UN food and agriculture agencies, as well as the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) must support states to formulate and implement the policies needed to effectively tackle hunger and realise food sovereignty. They should ensure that States have the policy space and political agency to limit and discipline the operations of corporations, as well as protect their domestic food and economic systems from international markets, and trade and investment agreements. UN agencies, in particular, should actively: implement the recommendations of the International Conference on Agrarian Reform and Rural Development (ICARRD) and IAASTD; promote the adoption of the Covenant 169 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on Indigenous Peoples; implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UN DRIP); implement the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS); and support the formulation of international conventions that defend the rights of small-scale food providers, including fishing communities and pastoralists, along the lines of the UN DRIP and the proposed International Convention on the Rights of Peasants. Download the working document _______________________________________________ This is the public mailing list of the BC Food Systems Network Our email address: food@bcfsn.org To subscibe, unsubscribe, or change your settings: http://bcfsn.org/mailman/listinfo/food_bcfsn.org To contact the list administrator, email food-owner@bcfsn.org Value Chain Workshops March 4th and 5th 02/22/2010
AGRI-FOOD VALUE-ADDING IN BC TWO MORE LEARNING MODULES FROM THE CANADIAN VALUE CHAIN NETWORK Module 5: Understanding Category Management This module will guide participants through developing a fresh food marketing plan to present to retailers. Participants will learn:
March 4th 2010 Time: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 4 Video Conference Sites Available: Abbotsford, Nanaimo, Kamloops and Prince George Registration Fee: $50.00+GST Module 6: Product Development-Are you ready? This module is designed to ensure that people with new ideas and those currently developing or repositioning products or services know the steps to market readiness. Participants will:
March 5th 2010 Time: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 4 Video Conference Sites Available: Abbotsford, Nanaimo, Kamloops and Prince George Registration Fee: $50.00+GST Registration available on-line at: www.regonline.ca/understanding_category_management for March 4th 2010 And: www.regonline.ca/product_development_are_you_ready for March 5th 2010 For more information contact Bill Henderson 250 356-1675 or bhenderson@iafbc.ca These workshops are funded in part by the Investment Agriculture Foundation of B.C. through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's Advancing Canadian Agriculture and Agri-Food (ACAAF) program. This is part of a Collective Outcome project in cooperation with Alberta Agriculture and Food, Agriculture Council of Saskatchewan and Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council. · |  We act as a catalyst for social change by:~ delivering sustainable food programming to Comox Valley residents
~ engaging community and government in re-localizing the food chain ~ aspiring to high standards of excellence and the goal of having a significant community impact in all activities. CategoriesAll Archives |
RSS Feed