Originally published May 5 2012
Agriculture cooperatives could end hunger while boosting socio-economic development in impoverished regions
by PF Louis
(NaturalNews) Monsanto and Cargill keep rolling on, leading a handful of other mega-corporations toward planetary food and farming control that ensures our demise. Meanwhile, important studies are ignored by our corrupt governments who are heavily influenced and infiltrated by those very same companies.
A world-wide study was initiated by the United Nations (UN) a few years ago to investigate solutions for world hunger as our population increases. This contradicts the efforts of certain elites who create humanitarian covers for their agenda of radically decreasing the population with unworkable and toxic large-scale agricultural programs.
The UN study's conclusion contradicts their plans completely.
The UN report involved many experts and took a few years to complete. The report's coordinator, Olivier De Schutter, presented this press release that received scant attention: "We won't solve hunger and stop climate change with industrial farming on large plantations. The solution lies in supporting small-scale farmers [and to] contribute to rural development. Each region must be able to feed itself."
Other reports ignored and marginalized
The UN report was not the only study conducted recently favoring small-scale organic farming. Feeding the Future, a report released by the UK's Soil Association, confirmed the UN study with the added focus of organic farming for soil preservation.
The Rodale Institute released their long study with the conclusion that locking farmers into GMO seed contracts was certain to destroy most farmers. Additionally, crop yields are less with GM farming than both conventional and organic farming (http://www.naturalnews.com).
Nevertheless, Monsanto and others get their "feeding the world" press releases out to the "lamestream" media to convince a majority of the public that GMOs and Big-Ag are the solutions for feeding the world. Their disinformation obscures the issues of less nutrition and more toxins going into our food.
This extremely tilted playing field for determining our food supply can be disheartening for participants of the "good fight". But resist we must for us and our progeny (http://www.naturalnews.com/033772_Monsanto_Roundup.html).
As farming activist Dr. Vandana Shiva of India points out: "Seeds controlled by Monsanto, agribusiness trade controlled by Cargill, processing controlled by Pepsi and Phillip Morris, retail controlled by Walmart - is a recipe for food dictatorship. We must occupy the food system to create food democracy."
The effort to create regional agricultural cooperatives world-wide
The rising price of food could be restrained by keeping Wall Street out of the mix. Greedy investors speculate with food commodities, driving prices up more than even supply shortages affect prices.
Large commercial farms create the need for large food broker/distributors such as Cargill who wield too much influence on pricing, distribution, and how agriculture should be managed.
Regional food distribution is a solution for creating support for local organic farming and decentralizing food distribution while restricting commodities market's latest game of derivatives trading that destabilizes prices.
The UN has declared 2012 as the "International Year of Cooperatives."
Agricultural cooperatives do exist currently. Now the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) is pooling more resources to make the UN declaration for 2012 an eventual reality.
IFAD has created training programs for small rural farmers to understand better basic natural farming techniques with no GMOs or excessive chemical use. This ensures fresher, healthier food for consumers while enabling farmers to enjoy higher profits within regional direct marketing networks.
IFAD President Kanayo Nwanze asserts that farmers should be recognized as important small entrepreneurs for the future of our food. Having each region responsible for feeding itself is a viable solution for farmers and consumers.
Buying locally now as often as possible helps this cause if you can't get directly involved with the IFAD effort.
Sources for this article include:
PDF of UN agriculture report submitted December 2010: http://www.srfood.org
IFAD: http://www.worldwatch.org/node/10470
http://www.change.org
http://www.slashfood.com
http://www.worldwatch.org/node/4060
http://www.soilassociation.org
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