farming

Down with the Israeli mango!

Sophie Team Observers — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 12:32:50 +0200

A demonstration of farmers and unionists ended in 11 arrests on Sunday. Jordan and Israel might have signed a peace agreement in 1994, but these Jordanians take no heed of it in their protest over fruit and vegetable imports from the Jewish state.

The demonstrators gathered in front of the Ministry for Agriculture and chanted anti-Israeli slogans, brandishing photos of Palestinian children killed during the January offensive in the Gaza Strip. They also called for the dismissal of the minister for agriculture, Said Masri, for failing to protect local products by allowing the import of Israeli products. In response, the minister told state news agency Petra that Jordan had indeed imported 1,930 tonnes of Israeli agricultural products from Israel this year, but that it refused to accept fruit and vegetables from Jewish settlements.

Nevertheless, Israel is benefiting far more from the trade between the two countries. According to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics, the state garnered 207 million euros from exports delivered to Jordan, while only 76 million went in the other direction.

The origin of influenza A (H1N1)?

Sophie Team Observers — Fri, 01 May 2009 14:25:59 +0200

Where did the A (H1N1) flu come from? Residents of the Mexican town where the first case was diagnosed say that a US-owned factory just a few miles down the road, which produces 950,000 pigs a year, is to blame. A blogger from the area went to the factory to look into the conditions.

Only a week after the deadly virus hit the headlines, what we first knew as swine flu, and is now called influenza A (H1N1), remains quite some mystery to both scientists and the public. Where this pig/ bird/ human flu super virus came from remains unknown. But what we do know, is that around a month ago, a five-year-old boy, Edgar Hernandez, fell ill with what has now been diagnosed as the A (H1N1) virus, and is thought to be the first known victim. The boy survived, but following his illness, around 800 people in his tiny town, La Gloria, southwest Mexico, also fell ill with a mysterious flu. What we also know, is that a few miles down the road lies "Granjas Carroll", an enormous hog producer, majority-owned by multinational Smithfield Foods, and the United States's biggest pork supplier. The factory has long been the target of protests by locals, who have complained of contamination for over half a decade. Now, they're making the link between the pollution which comes from the farm and the origins of influenza A (H1N1). They say that around half the townspeople work in Mexico City during the week, which is how the virus was transmitted to the capital. Smithfield, however, denies the link. The company says no pig in the factory has been diagnosed with the flu and therefore no infection can have emerged from it.

Firing rockets to bring on the rain

Sophie Team Observers — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 13:12:37 +0100

North and eastern China have been struck by what looks like the worst drought in half a century. For the Olympic Games, Beijing launched missiles to fend off the rain. This time, they're trying to summon it.

Weather experts are divided over the cause of the drought, which is affecting more than 3.7 million farmers and two million cattle. Is it a sign of global warming? Or an effect of Beijing's ambitious use of hydraulic resources? In any case, the government has taken the situation in hand and declared, for the first time, a "maximum" state of emergency, granting 100 billion Yuan (around 11 billion euros) in aid to the most affected regions. They have also resorted to the use of mini-rockets, filled with a chemical product and launched from planes and trucks, to "charge" clouds. According to the Chinese press, around 1,200 of these agricultural missiles have been fired since January.

Slum turned vegetable garden

Ségolène Team Observers — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:43:35 +0200

Before and after: a pile of rubbish... turns vegetable garden.

A blogger tell us how an ingenious idea got a group of Kenyan shantytown residents to transform their quarters into a biological farm.

This post was published by "Afrigadget", a blog run by Erik Hersman.

Kibera, Africa's biggest slum seen from space.

Not surprisingly, popular images of people living in desperate conditions aren't far from the truth when it comes to this corner of Nairobi - but out of the madness comes a little hope.

Raw sewage flows above ground.

"I witnessed some amazing innovations in Kibera and conclude that people have adjusted to their situation and are making the most of it. Because of the stress associated with limitations on land, energy, water, and food, the people have found innovative ways of surviving. This post is mainly about farming.

The return of the water buffalo

Sophie Team Observers — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:16:43 +0200

Suphanburi, Thailand. Posted on Flickr by "Poulet".

The world's scaling petrol prices and deepening financial woes have left no stone unturned. Even in the corners of Southeast Asia, where water buffaloes are grudgingly being brought back from retirement...

The rantings of an angry white farmer

Sophie Team Observers — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:39:39 +0200

Ben Freeth after the attack. Image from Justice for Agriculture (JAG).

While Mugabe's thugs continue to terrorise Zimbabwe, the abduction and brutal beating of a white farmer has reignited another of the country's long-standing polemics - what to do with the country's wealthy white settlers.

After talking to the press about conditions in the run-up to the election, Ben Freeth, along with his elderly parents-in-law, was kidnapped from his farm in south-east Harare by around 20 militias on Sunday evening (29 June). The three were then taken to a "political camp" where they were beaten and intimidated by around 50 of Mugabe's clan, Freeth said. He is currently undergoing surgery for head injuries.

Attacks on white farmers in Zimbabwe have been commonplace since Mugabe's instruction to redistribute land in 2000. But during the recent wave of violence that swept the country in the run up to the run-off last Friday, a growing number of settlers have been targeted.

A users’ guide to making cocaine

Julien — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:56:33 +0200

If you're trekking across the Colombian mountains we'd strongly recommend a visit to a "lab" - or a shed - where for a few pesos, farmers will tell you how to make cocaine.

Cristina Kirchner versus the pots and pans

Julien — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 18:21:41 +0200

Bang your pan at Evita!

"I banged my pan at Evita [reference to Eva Peron - allusion to Cristina Kirchner] ...and it felt good!"

Argentinean farmers are objecting to president Cristina Kirchner over tax increases on agricultural exports and her apparent intention to create a rift between the poor and the farmers. After three weeks of severe strikes, which have left the country paralysed, the workers have agreed to start negotiations.

Argentinean farmers are going back to work. The pan banging, road blocks and food shortages are over. And within a month, crop produce will be back on the shelves, giving Kirchner enough time to show her goodwill in negotiations. There's a lot of pressure on the government. The past three weeks have left a country that boasts "the best meat in the world", without any meat at all, never mind fresh produce.

Heckles started in the "campo" (countryside) shortly after Kirchner's government announced a tax increase on the export of soy products - a measure hoped to help curb inflation created by the hike in the price of raw materials on the international market.

Many Argentineans are now branding Kirchner's politics as "populist" because she's pitting the working classes against the farmers, who are presented as privileged, in the dispute. The president is accused of playing on fears created by the food shortages. "You can't be with the people and cut off their food supply" she said when the protests began.