Food security

Rite of Passage: U.S. Senate Hearing on a Speculation Regulator

Last week, the U.S. Senate Agricultural Committee held a hearing to review Gary Gensler’s record, the first step in confirming him as the head at the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

Radio Sustain on Food Chemicals and the Global Food Crisis

Check out our latest Radio Sustain podcast including interviews with:

Organic Agriculture in Africa

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) issued a remarkable little briefing paper last week titled "Sustaining African Agriculture: Organic Production." Right out of the gate, the brief directly takes on proponents for a "Gr

Joined at the Hip: The Food and Financial Crises

Last week's headlines were blazing with Congressional hearings on the Bernie Madoff fraud scandal and President Barack Obama's proposal for some non-retroactive limits (no disgorgement of ill-gotten riches!) to Wall Street "senior executives'" (whatever that means) compensation (excluding options to buy stock at discounted rates) for financial institutions whose libertine imprudence has been re

This is what colonialism looks like

When I landed in Geneva for a conference in mid-November, after the usual grueling 35 hours or so of travel from Adelaide, one of my first treats was to order a "renversé" (Genevois for café au lait) and to sit down to read the Financial Times, one of my favorite papers.

Global Partnership on Food and Agriculture: Where Is It Going?

From January 26-27, I attended the High-Level Meeting on Food Security for All in Madrid, with participation from 126 governments, several inter-governmental organizations, and representatives from the private sector and civil society.

Who Will Feed China. . .Again!

A press release from the University of Leeds last week announced a new study projecting that if current trends continue, China’s industrial growth and changing land use - combined with climate change - could threaten global food supplies.

Speculating on Oil and Food

Last night, 60 Minutes ran an excellent piece on the role of Wall Street speculators in driving the price of oil up and then down.