Friday 31 July 2009
Carbon protection rackets
Carbon offsetting described as a protection racket by two economists Steven Stoft and Daniel Kirschner
Thursday 30 July 2009
Organic - healthier or not?
UK Food Safety Authority says organic is no healthier than non organic food.
The organic sector and academics criticize the methodology in the report.
An EU wide academic study coordinated by Carlo Leifert at Newcastle University found that levels of nutritionally desirable compounds, such as antioxidants and vitamins, were higher in organic crops, while levels of nutritionally undesirable compounds such as toxic chemicals, mycotoxins and metals such as cadmium and nickel, were lower in organic crops.
via The Guardian
The organic sector and academics criticize the methodology in the report.
An EU wide academic study coordinated by Carlo Leifert at Newcastle University found that levels of nutritionally desirable compounds, such as antioxidants and vitamins, were higher in organic crops, while levels of nutritionally undesirable compounds such as toxic chemicals, mycotoxins and metals such as cadmium and nickel, were lower in organic crops.
via The Guardian
Wednesday 29 July 2009
Monday 27 July 2009
Wednesday 8 July 2009
Tuesday 7 July 2009
Best adverts to save the planetFriday 3 July 2009
AGRA on African agriculture
In Geneva this week, Akinwumi Adesina, the head of AGRA, the Rockefellar and Gates backed organization with a mission to bring a new "green revolution" to Africa was speaking. He described how the green revolution that had success in India did not get a foothold in Africa because of it was unsuitable for rainfed farming and diverse agro ecosystems.
He went on to describe how agriculture failed in Africa due to structural adjustment programmes combined with a downturn in assistance. SAPs removed some of the distortions and biases against agriculture (e.g. overvalued exchange rate) but they also led to an abandonment of support. The private sector was too weak to fill gaps. Farmers were abandoned.
This echoes similar finding of work by Andrew Dorward at SOAS who says that missing markets and high transaction costs characterize rural economies in Africa due for example to the removal of state marketing boards and withdrawal of extension services.
He went on to describe how agriculture failed in Africa due to structural adjustment programmes combined with a downturn in assistance. SAPs removed some of the distortions and biases against agriculture (e.g. overvalued exchange rate) but they also led to an abandonment of support. The private sector was too weak to fill gaps. Farmers were abandoned.
This echoes similar finding of work by Andrew Dorward at SOAS who says that missing markets and high transaction costs characterize rural economies in Africa due for example to the removal of state marketing boards and withdrawal of extension services.
Thursday 2 July 2009
Links
1. Failed states photo gallery via Foreign Policy
2. Why reporting giving the complete picture on climate related phenomena is important
3. Classical music from the Kinshasa Symphony Orchestra
2. Why reporting giving the complete picture on climate related phenomena is important
3. Classical music from the Kinshasa Symphony Orchestra
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