Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[tradingpost@lobo.net]

Dear Paul,

I just want to say THANK YOU! Less than a month ago Ellen Gustafson and 
I launched Food Tank: The Food Think Tank (www.FoodTank.org) and the 
response is absolutely overwhelming! Already more than 10,000 (!!!) food 
and agricultural advocates have connected with us on our Facebook. And 
every day we are posting exclusive content on Facebook 
(http://www.facebook.com/TheFoodTank) that you can't find anywhere 
else---will you please connect with us right now by clicking HERE 
(http://www.facebook.com/TheFoodTank)?

This week’s newsletter highlights the role of women farmers in global 
food production.

More than 30 percent of U.S. farm operators are women and operate 14 
percent of the nation’s 2.2 million farms, according to the U.S. 
Department of Agriculture. And the U.N. Food and Agriculture 
Organization (FAO) reports that women comprise an average 43 percent of 
the agricultural labor force in developing countries. In some countries, 
particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, women can make up to 80 percent of 
farm workers.

Women are running more farms and ranches, operating more land, and 
producing a greater value of agricultural products than ever before.

In the United States, the female farming movement has grown 
dramatically just in the past five years – with a 30 percent increase 
in women farm operators from 2007 to 2012. The book Farmer Jane 
(http://www.farmerjane.org/) discusses how more women-run farms is 
changing  the way America eats and tells the stories of 30 exceptional 
women who are passionate advocates for sustainable food and farming. And 
the Women, Food, and Agriculture Network (WFAN) 
(http://www.wfan.org/Women,_Food_and_Agriculture_Network_Home.html) is 
connecting women farmers, ranchers, landowners, students, and activists 
to one another about sustainable agriculture practices.

But in developing countries, women farmers need more investment to 
overcome the agricultural gender gap that hinders their productivity. 
Women farmers typically achieve yields that are 20-30 percent lower than 
men, according to the FAO. Studies suggest, however, that women could 
achieve the same yields as men if given equal access to resources, 
including access to inputs, land, and credit and loans. Bridging this 
gender yield gap and increasing women farmers’ production could reduce 
the number of undernourished people in the world by 12-17 percent.

Fortunately, there are organizations around the world that are 
empowering women with the tools they need to succeed. This year, I’ll 
be serving on the Advisory Board for the 3rd Annual Women Deliver 
conference 
(http://www.cvent.com/events/women-deliver-2013-conference-registration/event-summary-ccfb71484fb4492da451fabcc2679863.aspx) 
which brings together more than 5,000 participants from Ministries of 
Health, Parliaments, leading civil society organizations, and global 
companies to inspire and promote investment in women around the world. 
And in India, the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) 
(http://www.sewa.org/), a member-based trade union, is supporting 1.3 
million women farmers and entrepreneurs through its nationwide network 
of cooperatives, thousands of self-help groups, banks, and training 
centers.

Empowering and investing in women farmers can significantly increase 
their productivity, reduce hunger and malnutrition and improve their 
livelihoods.

What initiatives do you know of that support women in agriculture? How 
do you think can we increase investment in female farmers around the 
world?


All the Best,

Danielle Nierenberg
Co-Founder, Food Tank
www.FoodTank.org

Here are some highlights from the week: (http://www.FoodTank.org)

Are Earth Markets the New Farmers’ Markets?
LINK: 
http://foodtank.org/news/are-earth-markets-the-new-farmers-markets
Slow Food International's Earth Markets are made up of smallholder and 
artisan farmers who are committed to charging reasonable prices for 
their products and engaging in fair labor treatment practices.

Who is at fault for the health conditions brought on by fast food?
LINK: 
http://foodtank.org/news/justice-for-big-foods-victims-three-major-fast-food-lawsuits-in-the-past-de
In 2002, Caesar Barber  filed a landmark lawsuit against McDonald’s, 
Burger King, Wendy’s, and Kentucky Fried Chicken, seeking damages for 
the medical conditions brought on by consuming these corporations’ 
products. The lawsuit was the first of its kind, but not the last.

Raising the Steaks: The High (and Rising) Costs of Meat
LINK: 
http://foodtank.org/news/raising-the-steaks-the-high-and-rising-costs-of-meat
The price of meat, particularly beef, will increase dramatically in the 
United States during 2013. These price spikes will likely affect not 
only what people eat at home, but, eventually, how meat is produced.

Weekly Recommended Reading: Foodopoly by Wenonah Hauter
LINK: http://www.foodopoly.org/about/
Review provided by Civil Eats (http://www.CivilEats.org) : Foodopoly 
(http://www.foodopoly.org/) by Wenonah Hauter of Food and Water Watch 
(http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/) is a fine contribution to the 
growing literature about our ailing food system. The book does a 
particularly good job of detailing both the methods and implications of 
the corporate takeover of food. From familiar ground such as the obesity 
epidemic and junk-food advertising, to the lesser-known yet important 
terrain of corporate supply chains and a largest-takes-all food 
infrastructure, Hauter provides bountiful evidence to buttress her deep 
working knowledge of the food system.

VIDEO: The Edible City
LINK: http://foodtank.org/news/video-the-edible-city
With more than half of the world’s population living in cities, the 
American Society of Landscape Architects demonstrates in this video what 
the future of urban agriculture could look like and how to create edible 
cities.

Food Hero Series: Baldemar Velasquez, Father of Farm Workers
LINK: 
http://foodtank.org/news/food-hero-series-baldemar-velasquez-father-of-farm-workers)
Baldemar Velasquez is the President of the Farm Labor Organizing 
Committee. One of his greatest achievements is that farm workers have 
been given a direct voice in their working conditions and how to 
safeguard their rights.

http://us5.forward-to-friend1.com/forward?u=af81786f650f3d9a402f0309e&id=ccc5f115eb&e=f1a80b99a4

https://www.facebook.com/TheFoodTank