permaculture

[Wesley Roe and Santa Barbara Permaculture Network <lakinroe@silcom.com>]

					Santa Barbara City College 
Center for Sustainability
 Presents
Santa Barbara's Deep Green Future
with Art Ludwig

Monday, August 3, 7pm 2009, Donation $10
Santa Barbara Central Library, Faulkner Gallery

"True progress actually solves problems. Most of what is commonly 
called "progress"
 is relocation of problems out of sight in space or time"

                        
	Our goal is to live really well, on a small amount of 
well-managed resources, and help others do the same, says Ecological 
Systems Designer and Greywater specilialist Art Ludwig.

	On Monday, August 3, at 7pm, world-renowned integrated 
systems designer, educator and researcher Art Ludwig of Oasis Design 
will explain the big picture advantages of integrated design, giving 
specifics of what systems that enable Santa Barbarans to live better 
on 80% less resources would look like, and discuss options for 
removing institutional barriers to sustainability, with a focus on 
water.   With the recent announcement of a Emergency proclamation of 
a statewide water shortage by California Governor's Schwarzenegger 
this is a timely subject for all living Southern California.

Join Art as he discusses integrated design and codes for an orderly 
transition to a post peak world:

Super efficient fixtures
Water reuse
Rainwater harvesting
Non-toxic, low carbon
Fire-safe construction
Healthy transport


	Art Ludwig of Oasis Design (  www.oasisdesign.net) has worked 
on water and wastewater, systems, edible landscaping natural 
architecture, and improved building codes since 1980. His specialty 
is complex, integrated "systems of systems."  Art has studied and 
worked in 22 different countries, consulted for the states of New 
York and New Mexico and California on water reuse policy, and given 
dozens of lectures and workshops. He is the author of bestselling 
books, Water Storage, and Create an Oasis with Greywater, and other 
Greywater technical books.

	 The talk takes place on Monday, August 3 at 7 pm at the 
downtown Santa Barbara Public Library, 40 East Anapamu St, Santa 
Barbara. Donation $10,
The event is presented by Santa Barbara City College Center for 
Sustainability   http://sustainability.sbcc.edu/ and co-sponsored by 
Santa Barbara Permaculture Network.  For more information, (805) 
962-2571, margie@sbpermaculture.org,   www.sbpermaculture.org


Workshop the Following Day: (Free)


Tuesday, August 4, 9 am to 1 pm (limited space, reservations required):
 Laundry to Landscape Graywater System (Workshop) 
http://www.oasisdesign.net/education/sb/
 Workshop begins at the Santa Barbara Central Library, Faulkner 
Gallery, possible site visits TBA, taking place within City of Santa 
Barbara.
 Geared towards landscapers, builders who are interested in 
installing greywater systems professionally under California's new 
greywater standard
 Sponsored by Santa Barbara City Water Resources Division  
http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/Resident/Water/
 Free -to reserve a spot, email or call Alison Jordan, Santa Barbara 
Water Conservation Coordiantor: AJordan@SantaBarbaraCA.gov 805 
564-5574
  
 The greywater regulation revolution was started in 1989 in Santa 
Barbara, California. It spread from there to four other communities, 
then the whole state, via the Uniform Plumbing Code, in 1992.


With the recent California Governor's Schwarzenegger  Emergency 
proclamation of a statewide water shortage state of emergency in 
February 2009/ California Water Emergency Provisions and Executive 
Order S-06-08/ 06/04/2008 and water districts like the DWP in Los 
Angeles ordering a 20% cut in water use.  It is time to make your 
landscape reflect the changes needed in the future of water use and 
global changes that effect us in our own back yards.


DWR releases California Drought, An Update, June 2009
 As part of its committment to Gov. Schwarzenegger, DWR has released 
the June 2009 California Drought Update, which monitors and reports 
on the current water supply impacts and conditions of California's 
drought
  http://wwwdwr.water.ca.gov/news/
  http://www.water.ca.gov/drought/docs/Drought_report_30june2009_web.pdf

Santa Barbara Permaculture Network
   an educational non-profit since 2000
(805) 962-2571
P.O. Box 92156, Santa Barbara, CA 93190
margie@sbpermaculture.org
 www.sbpermaculture.org

"We are like trees, we must create new leaves, in new directions, in 
order to grow." - Anonymous

First Annual Southern California Permaculture Convergence August 2008
 http://socalifornia.permacultureconvergence.org

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Santa Barbara Permaculture Network
   an educational non-profit since 2000
(805) 962-2571
P.O. Box 92156, Santa Barbara, CA 93190
margie@sbpermaculture.org
 www.sbpermaculture.org

"We are like trees, we must create new leaves, in new directions, in 
order to grow." - Anonymous

First Annual Southern California Permaculture Convergence August 2008
 http://socalifornia.permacultureconvergence.org
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=46EATURES
Africa and the end of hunger
Eric Holt-Gim=E9nez and Raj Patel
2009-07-16, Issue 442
http://pambazuka.org/en/category/features/57761


'Africa and the end of hunger' is an extract from=20
Pambazuka Press's groundbreaking new book Food=20
Rebellions! Crisis and the Hunger for Justice by=20
Eric Holt-Gim=E9nez and Raj Patel. Recommended by=20
figures like Walden Bello and Wangari Maathai,=20
the book is available to Pambazuka News readers=20
at 20% off the recommended retail price of =A316.95=20
and comes with a free ebook copy. Simply enter=20
56784813 as the discount code when ordering=20
online. The Food Rebellions! ebook is also=20
available on its own for only =A35.

Africa is central to any lasting solution to=20
hunger on the planet. When poverty and hunger are=20
eliminated in Africa, all of the world's poor=20
will be better off. Whatever happens in Africa-or=20
doesn't happen-will have a profound effect on the=20
world's food systems.

What is happening in Africa to address the food=20
crisis is in many ways emblematic of global=20
events. Successes or failures in Africa reflect=20
the potential or the limitations of the global=20
food systems to serve the interests of the=20
world's poor majorities. If the system doesn't=20
work in Africa, then it doesn't work for the=20
world. In this sense, ending hunger in Africa is=20
not simply a "global challenge" for the world's=20
governments. Just as the persistence of poverty=20
in Africa is a challenge for the global economic=20
system, the food crisis is a challenge to the=20
dysfunctional global food system. The stakes on=20
the continent are high in human, environmental=20
and geopolitical terms.

In many ways, of course, Africa's recent history=20
is one of conquest by and resistance to foreign=20
economic and geopolitical interests. The carving=20
up of the continent at the 1884 Berlin Conference=20
sealed the first "Scramble for Africa." Countries=20
that missed the opportunity to profit from Africa=20
in the 19th century had plenty of chances in the=20
20th and even more in the 21st century. Africa=20
was the continent most consistently pushed=20
towards extreme structural adjustment policies.=20
As Walden Bello has observed, the continent was a=20
net food exporter in the 1960s, "averaging 1.3=20
million tons a year between 1966-70. Today, the=20
continent imports 25% of its food, with almost=20
every country being a net food importer" (Bello=20
2008).

A corollary of this import dependence has been an=20
opening up of the continent's resources to the=20
highest, and in some cases most unscrupulous,=20
bidder. Thus US businessman Philippe Heilberg has=20
claimed 4,000 square kilometers of fertile land=20
by the Nile in a deal with a Sudanese warlord=20
(Blas and Walls 2009), and the Korean Daewoo=20
corporation attempted to lease 1.3 million=20
hectares of land in Madagascar (Jung-a and Oliver=20
2008). While there are other high profile land=20
grabs involving foreign powers, notably from=20
Europe, North America, India and China, the=20
inequities of land distribution in some parts of=20
Africa have been merely exacerbated by neoliberal=20
agricultural policy. Under the 'willing buyer,=20
willing seller' models of land reform promoted by=20
the World Bank in South Africa, less than 5% of=20
the land has been redistributed from white to=20
black owners since the end of apartheid (Zigomo=20
2008). Yet social movements in Africa are vital=20
and active, working on concrete solutions in the=20
fields and concrete policy changes for=20
governments-to bring about food sovereignty.=20
Central to these efforts have been the work of=20
women and women's organizations-women grow the=20
majority of the food on the continent, yet they=20
shoulder the triple burden of needing to work for=20
a wage, build community, and feed their family.=20
It is no surprise, then, that at the 2008 Via=20
Campesina 5th international conference in Maputo,=20
Mozambique, one of the loudest calls was for the=20
recognition of food sovereignty as an end to=20
violence against women.

It is important to realize that just as there is=20
a world-wide diversity of people-driven food=20
systems struggling to emerge from under the=20
weight of the agrifoods monopolies, there is also=20
a continent-wide diversity of grassroots=20
initiatives to end hunger in Africa.=20
Collectively, these life-affirming initiatives=20
cover more area and reach more people than=20
official, more centralized efforts. Their=20
organizational and technological approaches tend=20
to be grounded in a people-first, noncorporate=20
perspective. They employ more agroecological and=20
democratic means for improving smallholder=20
agriculture as a strategy to end hunger. These=20
African alternatives were not given a seat at the=20
table at the Comprehensive Framework for Action=20
(CFA), nor were they considered in the planning=20
of the new Green Revolution in Africa. However,=20
because extreme hunger is so widespread, it is=20
hard to imagine how any effort to end hunger in=20
Africa could be successful without them. Whether=20
or not official and grassroots efforts can work=20
together to end hunger is the question facing not=20
just Africa, but the entire world.

AFRICA'S AGRARIAN QUESTION

Because the majority of sub-Saharan Africa's=20
hungry people come from poor farming families=20
cultivating two hectares or less-and because over=20
80% of the continent is still rural-the challenge=20
of ending hunger and poverty on the continent is=20
necessarily an agrarian question. Africa's=20
agrarian questions concern land, labor, markets,=20
technology and politics at local, regional,=20
national and international scales. These concerns=20
are not just about feeding people, but also about=20
changing the present conditions of production=20
that keep the rural poor from feeding themselves.=20
Africa's agrarian questions are not adequately=20
addressed by simply asking, "What is the role of=20
African smallholders?" Because of the great=20
diversity of smallholder agroecosystems on the=20
African continent, we also need to ask what kinds=20
of technologies, markets, resource use and=20
ownership rights will suit Africa's diverse=20
agricultural transformations. And, we need to=20
ask, who will lead these transformations? This=20
last question is especially important because, as=20
the result of decisions regarding the food, fuel,=20
and economic crises, Africa's smallholders are=20
increasingly falling victim to new grabs for=20
land, water, markets, and genetic resources. Will=20
the food crisis usher in a new era of rural debt,=20
contract farming, and agricultural exports for=20
foreign food and energy needs? Or will the crisis=20
provide an opportunity for new agrarian models of=20
development and food sovereignty? In Africa, the=20
struggle to eliminate hunger is the struggle for=20
the future of agriculture.

There are many parallels between the continent's=20
historic movements for independence and today's=20
struggles for food sovereignty. Though=20
sub-Saharan Africa is a region rich in minerals=20
and natural resources, over 450 million live on=20
less than $2 a day and over a third of the=20
population suffers from malnutrition (Faur=E8s and=20
Santini 2008). Proposals to end poverty and=20
hunger on the African continent must come to=20
grips with the fact that since colonial times,=20
Africa's food systems and natural resources have=20
been relentlessly appropriated by foreign=20
capital, frequently in collusion with national=20
elites. Even today, at the height of the food=20
crisis, some African governments are negotiating=20
the sale and long-term lease of agricultural land=20
to foreign governments and corporations. Others=20
are providing forests, brushland and pastureland=20
to foreign agrofuel corporations.

The struggles for food sovereignty in Africa are=20
widespread, and are especially difficult because=20
the continent not only continues to be a major=20
source of natural resources for the industrial=20
North, but, in a time of shrinking global=20
markets, the food crisis actually makes Africa's=20
poor farmers a prime target for major seed,=20
biotechnology and fertilizer companies desperate=20
for new consumers. While each poor farmer may not=20
have much money to spend, taken as a whole these=20
farmers constitute a big and lucrative market,=20
particularly if foreign aid and African=20
governments provide conditions for market=20
expansion with infrastructure, research, and=20
investment incentives.

Of course, African governments must increase aid=20
to agriculture. Encouragingly, in 2003 at the=20
African Union summit in Maputo, Mozambique,=20
African leaders endorsed the Comprehensive=20
African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP),=20
in which they promised to increase government=20
agricultural support to 10% by 2015.12 The=20
private sector has an important role to play in=20
ending hunger, and in these times of crisis has a=20
social responsibility to serve the public good.=20
However-especially in Africa-care must be taken=20
to ensure that the benefits from improvements in=20
agriculture accrue primarily to poor farmers, not=20
state farms, agro-export farms, sovereign wealth=20
funds or transnational corporations.

Who improves African agriculture, how, under what=20
agreements and by what means, will determine=20
whether the efforts to end hunger in Africa=20
succeed or fail. Lack of attention to these=20
issues runs the risk that the long-overdue=20
support to African agriculture will be used as a=20
prop for a flawed global food system when what is=20
needed is a thorough transformation of=20
agriculture.

Tensions between top-down and bottom-up=20
approaches to solve the food crisis in Africa are=20
being played out in a transnational "development=20
arena" where official discourses of=20
"partnerships" frequently accompany less=20
altruistic political or commercial agendas, and=20
often mask the real exclusion of farmers from=20
participating in the substantive decisions that=20
affect their lives. The future of Africa's food=20
systems and the fate of millions of smallholders=20
and hungry people hinge on the outcomes emanating=20
from this arena. Informed public debate,=20
institutional transparency and accountability,=20
and amplifying the diverse voices of farmers'=20
organizations and their proposals are essential=20
for finding a sustainable and equitable path=20
through the food crisis. The challenge is to=20
diversify and democratize initiatives for=20
agricultural development and at the same time=20
respond quickly and effectively to the crisis on=20
the ground.

The difficulty in doing all of this is especially=20
evident in the rift between official calls for a=20
new Green Revolution in Africa and the=20
continent's grassroots movements for African=20
agroecological alternatives.

THE GREEN REVOLUTION RETURNS

=46or two and a half decades the Consultative Group=20
on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)=20
invested 40%-45% of their $350 million a year=20
budget in an unsuccessful effort to spread the=20
Green Revolution across Africa (World Bank 2004).=20
Supporters of the Green Revolution offer multiple=20
explanations for its failure to raise yields on=20
the continent, among them Africa's exhausted=20
soils, inadequate infrastructure, poor governance=20
and declining support for African agriculture=20
(Evanson and Gollin 2003). They claim the Green=20
Revolution "bypassed" Africa, and the CGIAR's=20
failure to eradicate hunger on the continent is=20
due to lack of proper implementation of the Green=20
Revolution model (Rockefeller Foundation 2007).=20
Critics of the Green Revolution maintain that=20
Africa can't be blamed for its actual conditions,=20
and that the failure is with the Green=20
Revolution's model itself (see Food First=20
www.foodfirst.org; ETC Group http://www.etcgroup=20
org; and GRAIN http://www.grain.org)

There is some basis for claims that Africa was=20
bypassed by the Green Revolution. Prior to the=20
oil shocks of the 1970s, many African governments=20
moved decisively to increase food production by=20
enacting land reform, implementing rural=20
development projects, providing producer=20
subsidies, establishing marketing boards and=20
price guarantees, and increasing investments in=20
rural infrastructure. National agricultural=20
research systems were established to test and=20
distribute packets of seeds and fertilizer. Under=20
these conditions, the Green Revolution did begin=20
to raise yields in basic grains in some places,=20
leading many to believe that the "Asian miracle"=20
could be replicated in Africa (Havnevik et al.=20
2007).

However, following the oil shocks and the debt=20
crisis of the 1970s, and the World Bank/IMF=20
structural adjustment programs of the 1980s,=20
African governments were forced to reduce state=20
services, dismantle marketing boards, close=20
development projects and end subsidies and price=20
guarantees. Government research and extension=20
vanished. As market-led approaches to economic=20
development replaced stateled approaches,=20
agriculture fell off the development agenda and=20
the Green Revolution ground to a halt (Havnevik=20
et al. 2007). In the 1990s there were multiple=20
high-profile unsuccessful attempts to score=20
victories in Africa, notably by former US=20
presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, and=20
philanthropist Ryoicho Sasakawa with the "father"=20
of the Green Revolution, Nobel laureate Norman=20
Borlaug. The repeated failures of the Green=20
Revolution in Africa also coincided with the=20
Green Revolution's overall global slump.=20
Notwithstanding, at the 2004 African Union=20
summit, then secretary-general of the United=20
Nations Kofi Annan called for a "uniquely African=20
Green Revolution."

RENEWED ALLIANCES FOR THE GREEN REVOLUTION

In 1997 then newly appointed president of the=20
Rockefeller Foundation Gordon Conway published=20
The Doubly Green Revolution: Food for All in the=20
21st Century, in which he called for a new,=20
high-yielding Green Revolution based on equity=20
and sustainability. Rockefeller's attempt to=20
re-launch the Green Revolution in Africa in 1999=20
made little headway until June 2006, when it=20
cosponsored the African Fertilizer Summit with=20
the New Partnership for Africa's Development=20
(NEPAD) in Abuja, Nigeria. Representatives from=20
40 African governments, African and multilateral=20
development banks, the CGIAR, and agribusiness=20
executives discussed strategies for modernizing=20
African agriculture. A month later, the=20
foundation rolled out its strategy in Africa's=20
Turn: The New Green Revolution for the 21st=20
Century. It included:

- Promotion of hybrid and genetically engineered seeds and chemical fertiliz=
ers
- Training of African agricultural scientists for crop improvement
- Market development
- Local agrodealer distribution networks
- Infrastructure investments
- Agricultural policy reforms.

Two months later, the Rockefeller Foundation=20
partnered with the Bill and Melinda Gates=20
=46oundation to launch the Alliance for a Green=20
Revolution for Africa (AGRA)-the non-governmental=20
organization designed to implement the ideas of=20
the Doubly Green Revolution and the strategies in=20
Africa's Turn. The Bill and Melinda Gates=20
=46oundation's $38.7 billion philanthropy put up=20
$100 million of AGRA's initial $150 million=20
budget.

The alliance quickly formed the Program for a=20
Green Revolution in Africa (ProAGRA) to implement=20
AGRA. Most of the board members of both AGRA and=20
ProAGRA were employees of the Gates and=20
Rockefeller Foundations (Da=F1o 2007).

AGRA: RECYCLING THE GREEN REVOLUTION?

While AGRA adopted the Green Revolution's=20
technological paradigm- prioritizing genetic crop=20
improvement and fertilizer applications as the=20
central pillar of their strategy for agricultural=20
improvement- it also added variations that=20
reflect new developments within the CGIAR, the=20
seed and chemical industries, and the global=20
finance sector. This time a broader array of=20
traditional African food crops will be included=20
in the technological mix. Microfinance, and loan=20
guarantees to state and commercial banks will=20
provide credit. The project is establishing a=20
powerful advocacy arm to influence the policies=20
of African governments. AGRA is making a special=20
effort to reach women-both as farmers and as=20
researchers. Its "integrated soil fertility=20
program" will use "smart subsidies" to increase=20
the application of chemical fertilizers of four=20
million farmers by 400% to 30 kilogram per=20
hectare per year (Gates Foundation 2008). This is=20
to be accompanied by instruction on how to build=20
up and conserve soil organic matter. While AGRA's=20
Program for Africa's Seed Systems (PASS) is not=20
now distributing genetically engineered seeds,=20
AGRA has made it known that it will consider=20
introducing GMOs in the future when regulations=20
are in place. Meanwhile, AGRA's training programs=20
are steadily preparing African crop scientists in=20
biotechnology (Agra-Alliance 2008). Further,=20
AGRA's main benefactor, the Bill and Melinda=20
Gates Foundation, along with the Yara, Monsanto,=20
and Syngenta Foundations, support African=20
biotechnology institutions such as the African=20
Harvest Biotech Foundation, the African=20
Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), and=20
the International Service for Acquisition of=20
Agricultural Biotechnology Applications, in a=20
concerted push for GMO research and promotion=20
(Da=F1o 2007). This work focuses on genetically=20
engineering crops for high vitamin content, pest=20
resistance, drought, and weed tolerance. Within=20
the larger Green Revolution scheme, these=20
projects and AGRA are mutually reinforcing: as=20
one prepares the scientists, the other prepares=20
the biotechnology; as one establishes seed=20
distribution networks, the other releases GMOs.

Strategically, AGRA signifies a substantive shift=20
for the Green Revolution. In the absence of the=20
1960s' African "development state" that provided=20
funding for credit, research, infrastructure and=20
marketing services, supporters of the new Green=20
Revolution are hoping that this time=20
public-private philanthropy partnerships will=20
step in to take up the slack. While there may not=20
be large profits to be made at first,=20
"recognition is a proxy" until profits can be=20
obtained (Gates 2008). Given the reluctance of=20
the private sector to invest in infrastructure=20
and services for the poor, this is clearly a big=20
gamble. Africa needs some $15 billion a year in=20
agricultural investment. If Northern governments=20
are backtracking on their promises for increasing=20
aid, how can we be sure the private sector will=20
make up the difference? The Green Revolution=20
requires major social investment in order to be=20
successful (even on its own terms).

Structurally, however, AGRA appears to reproduce=20
the same commercial bias of former Green=20
Revolutions and reinforces the World Bank's=20
antagonistic position against smallholder=20
agriculture. For all its claims to independence,=20
AGRA is considered by the Bill and Melinda Gates=20
=46oundation to be the "African face and voice for=20
our work." AGRA's benefactor clearly spells out=20
its function in the Gates Foundation's theory of=20
change:

In order to transition agriculture from the=20
current situation of low investment, low=20
productivity and low returns to a=20
market-oriented, highly-productive system, it is=20
essential that supply (productivity) and demand=20
(market access) expand together and that=20
production systems use natural resources=20
efficiently and help farmers manage their risks=8A=20
[this] involves market-oriented farmers operating=20
profitable farms that generate enough income to=20
sustain their rise out of poverty. Over time,=20
this will require some degree of land mobility=20
and a lower percentage of total employment=20
involved in direct agricultural production=8A We=20
are uniquely focused=8A on 150 [million]=20
smallholder households in Sub-Saharan Africa=8A=20
that have the potential to transform agriculture=20
at scale. We consider these farmers, most of whom=20
are women, our customers and their needs and=20
realities guide our work. (Gates Foundation 2008)

AGRA will follow the market-driven development=20
strategies of the World Bank designed to open=20
Africa's smallholder sector to the volatile world=20
market and push the "least efficient" African=20
farmers out of agriculture. When combined with=20
the same social and technological paradigm that=20
has driven the Green Revolution for four decades,=20
and given the present economic and political=20
limitations of many weakened African states,=20
potential for a renewed structural violence=20
against poor rural communities is great.

* Food Rebellions! Crisis and the Hunger for=20
Justice is available to order from the Pambazuka=20
Press website. Pambazuka News readers can get 20%=20
off the recommended retail price of =A316.95 by=20
entering 56784813 as the discount code when=20
ordering online, an offer which also includes a=20
free ebook copy. The Food Rebellions! ebook is=20
also available individually for only =A35.
* Eric Holt-Gim=E9nez is the executive director of=20
=46ood First. Raj Patel is an honorary research=20
fellow at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and=20
works with the South African Shackdwellers'
movement Abahlali baseMjondolo.
* This article is an extract from chapter 8 of=20
=46ood Rebellions! entitled 'Africa and the End of=20
Hunger'.
* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or=20
comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/.


=46ood Rebellions: Crisis and the Hunger for Justice
http://www.foodfirst.org/en/node/2387
$19.95

The real story behind the world food crisis and what we can do about it.
By Eric Holt-Gim=E9nez and Raj Patel with Annie Shattuck
Available July 2009
A joint international publication with Fahumu=20
Books and Grassroots International
The World's farmers can feed the world, but only=20
if they can gain control of their lands and food=20
systems. Forty years ago, the global South had=20
yearly agricultural trade surpluses of $1=20
billion. After three decades of so called=20
development, they are now importing $11 billion a=20
year in food.
International trade agreements opened up the=20
dumping of cheap, subsidized grain from the=20
North, putting local farmers out of business,=20
devastating local crop diversity, and=20
consolidating control of the world's food system=20
in the hands of multinational corporations.=20
Official plans to solve the world food crisis=20
call for more subsidies for industrialized=20
nations, more food aid, and more green (read=20
gene) revolutions. These solutions will only=20
increase the number of hungry people.
Solutions to truly address rising hunger include=20
re-regulate the market, reduce the power of the=20
agri-foods industrial complex, and build=20
ecologically resilient family agriculture.
To view lead author, Eric Holt-Gim=E9nez reading from the book go to:
http://vimeo.com/4601504
Table of Contents
=46oreword by Walden Bello
1 Introduction to the Global Food Crisis
Part One - The Real Story Behind the World Food Crisis
2 Hunger, Harvests and Profits: The Tragic Records of the Global Food Crisis
3 Root Causes: How the Industrial Agrifoods Complex Ate the Global South
4 The Overproduction of Hunger: Uncle Sam's Farm and Food Bill
5 Agrofuels: A Bad Idea at the Worst Possible Time
6 Summing Up the Crisis
Part Two - What We Can Do About It
7 Overcoming the Crisis: Transforming the Food System
8 Africa and the End of Hunger
9 The Challenge of Food Sovereignty in Northern Countries
10 Epilogue
Appendix 1: Civil Society Statement on the World Food Emergency
Appendix 2: Land, Territory and Dignity Forum, Porto Alegre, March 6-9, 2006
Appendix 3: ROPPA--Pan-African Farmers' Platform
Appendix 4: Declarations of the African=20
Organizations--Planet Diversity, May 12-16, 2008
Appendix 5: Africa: 25th FAO Africa Conference--African Women's Statement
Appendix 6: High-Level Meeting on Food Security, Madrid, January 26-27, 2009
Appendix 7: US Call to Action
Appendix 8: Declaration for Healthy Food and Agriculture
Notes
References
Index
-----------------------------
Praise for this book:
In this very timely book, two of the world's most=20
prominent critics of the global food system, Eric=20
Holt-Gim=E9nez and Raj Patel, dissect the causes of=20
hunger and the food price crisis, locating them=20
in a political economy of capitalist industrial=20
production dominated by corporations and driven=20
by the search for profits for the few instead of=20
the welfare of the many. The picture that emerges=20
is a political economy of global production that=20
is failing badly in terms of feeding the world=20
and is itself contributing to the spread of=20
inequalities that promote hunger.
--Walden Bello, senior analyst at Focus on the Global South, Bangkok
The 20th century was the century of technological=20
revolutions. This century is that of the=20
knowledge revolution, and Eric Holt-Gim=E9nez and=20
Raj Patel are in its vanguard. At long last, a=20
book which confronts the real issues: how do we=20
reform our food systems to avoid environmental=20
disaster, how do we recapture the production and=20
distribution of food from the tyranny of=20
unchecked markets. This book is vital reading for=20
all concerned with the right to food.
--Olivier De Schutter, UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food
The high and mighty proponents of free trade=20
speak for the interests of multinational=20
corporations when they try to stifle the economic=20
policies that empower peasants, family farmers,=20
and farm workers to grow healthy supplies of food=20
while protecting Mother Earth. Rather than=20
continue down the path that led to today's=20
economic, environmental, and social catastrophe,=20
=46ood Rebellions! calls on us to raise our voices=20
in rebellion, join together, and place=20
sustainable production and rural economic=20
opportunity at the base of our recovery efforts.

--George Naylor, former president of the National Family Farm Coalition-USA
'Food Rebellions! is a tour de force! Not only=20
does it describe the corporate assault on the=20
human right to food in all of its political,=20
economic, cultural and environmental dimensions,=20
it also documents the many ways rural and urban=20
people are actively building alternative food=20
systems to defend their land, water, seeds and=20
livelihoods. These social movements and this=20
inspiring book could not have come at a better=20
time. In the face of multiple global crises, the=20
growing local and international trends toward=20
food sovereignty provide us with the hope we need=20
to build a just and sustainable future.'
--Paul Nicholson, Ehne (Basque Farmers' Union) and Via Campesina
'Small-scale farming systems spread widely across=20
Africa are a social and ecological asset. As Food=20
Rebellions! demonstrates, planting indigenous=20
trees and using traditional farming methods=20
enhances environmental conservation and preserves=20
local biodiversity. At a time of economic crisis,=20
sustainable agriculture and the economic=20
empowerment it can generate will be key to the=20
survival of the many African families headed by=20
women.'

--Professor Wangari Maathai, Nobel Prize winner=20
and author of The Challenge For Africa, published=20
by Heinemann
Hunger is a global scandal. I would call it a=20
global structure of sin! Claiming to solve world=20
hunger with the industrial age's solutions the=20
corporations of the world really only structure=20
the world for more hunger, poverty and misery.=20
This book, Food Rebellion! provides an analysis=20
that is clear, documented and searing in its=20
challenge to the powers that be. It provides=20
solutions appropriate to our ecological age and=20
to a new era of food democracy and food=20
sovereignty. It reflects the vision of those most=20
affected by the food crisis. I strongly endorse=20
this book and I hope that it gets a wide=20
readership. More importantly, I hope that it gets=20
the support of the nations of the world suffering=20
from hunger and poverty. It provides insight that=20
comes from the people directly suffering from=20
hunger and poverty. They have a right to be heard.

--Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann, President, 63rd=20
General Assembly of the United Nations
=46ood Rebellions! demonstrates the imperative to=20
protect and enhance the multifaceted knowledge,=20
practices, and lands of sustainable farmers.=20
Contrary to some views, sustainable food systems=20
are most helpful to the poor, especially the=20
rural poor, who suffer the most from the dire=20
social and ecological effects of industrial=20
agriculture. Absent perverse subsidies to=20
agrifood industries, what is good for farmers is=20
also good for eaters and citizens. Holt-Gim=E9nez=20
and Patel contribute to an urgent awakening,=20
supported by practical experiments and expert=20
reports, to the necessity and possibility for=20
transforming food systems. "Like cracks in the=20
asphalt," solutions to global food crisis can=20
restore resilient food systems across the world.

--Harriet Friedman, PhD, University of Toronto
=46ood Rebellions! situates with accuracy and=20
precision the true meaning, causes and dynamics=20
of what is commonly referred to as the "global=20
food crisis." It shows how skewed and=20
dysfunctional the global food system is, and how=20
the concentration of market power by a handful of=20
transnational corporations translates to power=20
over land, water, food and indeed, over life=20
itself. In Part One, the authors trace with=20
startling clarity the history of hunger and=20
poverty to north-south politics of domination,=20
and gender and class inequalities. They compel us=20
to confront the questions: who is hungry, and=20
why? But all is not gloom and doom. In Part Two,=20
the authors inspire us with examples of creative=20
and constructive resistance by food producers and=20
workers against the capitalist driven food system=20
and propose strategies for transforming the food=20
system -strategies that are practical and well=20
within the reach of anyone concerned with social=20
and political justice. If Food Rebellions does=20
not make food rights activist of its readers, I=20
don't know what will. This is a truly remarkable=20
book.
--Shalmali Guttal, Senior Associate, Focus on the Global South
If you do not live in the U.S. you can order this=20
book from our publishing partner, Fahamu Books at=20
http://fahamubooks.org/futurereleases/
Price: $19.95
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