Farming Proxy

Abenta Village in Ghana. Red dirt always makes me nostalgic. I heart Sainty.

22 hours ago

A few days ago the Gleaner posted a story about a proposal from local entrepreneurs and farmers to restrict agricultural imports. Do it! It may seem drastic to some, but to the extent that food can be efficiently produced locally to support the economy and labour force then I’m in support of it. It gives a boost to local farmers and helps to control the imports coming in that cannot be sourced (particularly GMOs). This is a great time to promote local farming and sustainable practices that can increase yield to respond to the demand for food/by products of certain foods.

Of course due to unpredictable weather, allotments should be made for imports in times of disaster etc. I hope this proposal is taken seriously…Read below:

http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20130523/lead/lead1.html

22 hours ago

30 Foods You Can Make!

The best way to control what we put into our bodies is to make things ourselves :) Enjoy this article on very doable home recipes.

22 hours ago

Buycott: App that lets you boycott Koch Brothers, Monsanto and more

What better way to be a proxy than to have an app that allows you to make better purchasing decisions! I love this! It’s hard to be involved in a movement if we are constantly funding the “other side” with our trips to the supermarket. And one of the best things about this app: it tells you the names of companies that helped fund the campaign against Proposition 37 (labeling of GMO’s).

Download the app! http://www.buycott.com/

(haha - I just realized that we are likely downloading an app on Itunes/Apple software —-I’m sure Apple’s money goes back to some of these same billionaires in some way…they are laughing all the way to the bank…every mickle mek a muckle still…)

(Source: buycott.com)

2 days ago

Amendment to Repeal the Monsanto Protection Act

Subject: Sign this to repeal the Monsanto Protection Act.

Senator Jeff Merkley is introducing an amendment to repeal the Monsanto Protection Act – the outrageous provision which allows Monsanto and other companies to ignore court orders to stop selling their GMO seeds, despite safety concerns.

Tell the Senate to take action: http://act.credoaction.com/sign/monsanto_protection_act/?sp_ref=1490118.4.125.e.0.2&referrer_akid=7959.4842818.iAPPub&source=mailto_sp

2 days ago

Monsanto Protection Act signed

We’ve been betrayed. The Monsanto Protection Act was signed into law by President Obama last week (and let’s not forget passed by both Houses of Congress). I have yet to read the actual text…and forgive me for yet another placeholder…but I have to do it: Bill Summary: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d113:HR00933:@@@L&summ2=m&

Good synopsis on snopes: http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/mpa.asp

1 month ago

Argentina’s Bad Seeds

(havent watched this yet…but it’s another placeholder).

For much of the past decade Argentina has seen a commodities-driven export boom, built largely on genetically-modified soy bean crops and the aggressive use of pesticides.

Argentina’s leaders say it has turned the country’s economy around, while others say the consequences are a dramatic surge in cancer rates, birth defects and land theft.

1 month ago

Source non-GM, or sell elsewhere

let me organize my life and then post on this for real!

http://www.fool.com/investing/general/2013/03/24/whole-foods-brilliant-cross-contamination-plan.aspx

Excerpt from that store that I have a LOVE/hate relationship with:

Earlier this month, Whole Foods (NASDAQ: WFM ) made a big decision — it’s giving its suppliers five years to either source non-gentically modified (GM) ingredients or clearly label any products that contain genetically modified ingredients. Whole Foods is so far the only major grocer to make this requirement, and it may prove to be yet another key differentiator between the company and its more conventional rivals.

California residents may be reminded of last year’s Proposition 37, a ballot measure that would have required similar labeling for any foods with GM ingredients, statewide. The measure failed, contradicting polls that consistently show that huge majorities of Americans support GM labeling, but the vote was close — 53.1% to 46.9%. There’s a lot of debate over why the measure failed, but one thing is for certain — a lot people are interested in what goes into their food, and Whole Foods isn’t necessarily just preaching to the choir.

2 months ago

sabriyasimonphotography:

~The New Day by Annelie Solis

2 months ago

”

The shift [re: Bhutan] is certainly inspiring, but it also reminds us about the true lunacy of designating foods as ‘organic’ and ‘traditional’ in modern society. These Bhutan farmers are not growing magic beans or enchanted corn, they are growing real food. Actual food as it was grown for thousands of years. It’s only now, with the advent of ways in which we can toxify our crops, do we value organic as if it were some privilege or act of class. When it comes down to it, we just want real food.

http://www.trueactivist.com/bhutan-to-be-first-country-to-go-100-organic/

BRAPPPPPPPPPPPP!! That quote is one of my main points on my blog!!!! Organic just means straight from the earth!! It’s not a fancy term meaning some elitist magical thing! Well said True Activist!!!!!~ Nuff LOVE!! The next thing we have to work on is the price of “organic”!

2 months ago

things are getting too wordy on here : )

2 months ago

Bhutan, First Country to Go 100% Organic

This news makes me sooo happy!

“What this comes down to is no GMO, no pesticides, no herbicides, no fluoride-based spray products, no Monsanto intrusion at all, and a whole lot of high quality food available for the 700,000 citizens of Bhutan. Food that, at one time, was simply called ‘food’. In the statement to other policy makers, Prime Minister Jigmi Thinley explained the move [beautifully]:

“By working in harmony with nature, they can help sustain the flow of nature’s bounties.”

Bhutan’s land currently supplys most corn, rice, fruits, and some vegetables, and it is perfectly positioned to begin developing 100% organic farming. In addition to containing a population that is mostly farmers, it also has extremely rich lands that are truly beyond what many consider organic.

Some lands in Bhutan have not even been touched with harsh chemicals of any kind, and traditional techniques are utilized to produce high yields without Monsanto dipping into the pockets of family farmers. This is in sharp contrast to India’s farming community, which has been shafted by Monsanto and subsequently nicknamed the ‘suicide belt‘ due to the rampant suicides that can be blamed in part by Monsanto-induced financial ruin.

continue reading: http://www.trueactivist.com/bhutan-to-be-first-country-to-go-100-organic/

2 months ago

”

Although we meet the guidelines to use the term “organic”, we do not want to pay the government for the right to use it, so we do not claim the food from our small CSA to be “organic”. Donna La Chey

Farmer at the Hillbilly Farms in Colorado. Isn’t it crazy that we have to pay the government to use the word organic? Yet Big Agriculture doesn’t have to pay to label their foods? Organic is natural. From the earth…

3 months ago

Do Farm Subsidies Cause Obesity?

I have not read this yet, and it may be contrary to a post I made last week - but nonetheless I think we can probably learn a few things from the document (or at least develop solid arguments for why we don’t agree with it if necessary). There was a really good discussion around this topic in my food class, sorry I cant post it all here!

3 months ago

”

Unless the structural links to subsidized cheap food made of surplus commodity by-products are somehow radically severed, the nutritional benefits of hunger policies will remain compromised. Bellies may feel temporarily satiated, even while bodies are improperly nourished.

Daniel Imhoff, Food Fight, the Citizens Guide to A Food and Farm Bill

3 months ago

Farming Proxy

proxy: an ally who can be relied upon to speak or act in one's behalf.

Ask me anything

30 Foods You Can Make!

Buycott: App that lets you boycott Koch Brothers, Monsanto and more

Amendment to Repeal the Monsanto Protection Act

Monsanto Protection Act signed

Source non-GM, or sell elsewhere

Bhutan, First Country to Go 100% Organic

Although we meet the guidelines to use the term “organic”, we do not want to pay the government for the right to use it, so we do not claim the food from our small CSA to be “organic”. Donna La Chey

Do Farm Subsidies Cause Obesity?

Unless the structural links to subsidized cheap food made of surplus commodity by-products are somehow radically severed, the nutritional benefits of hunger policies will remain compromised. Bellies may feel temporarily satiated, even while bodies are improperly nourished.