Advocacy

Announcing: A New Popular Education Tool!

Carol Schachet — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 14:00:56 +0000

Subheadline

Food for Thought and Action: A Food Sovereignty Curriculum now available for free download

Partner

Outside Link

Manufacturing Hunger: Indonesia’s Food Crisis

Carol Schachet — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 17:40:49 +0000

The principle of food sovereignty places local control of food production and distribution at its core. Unfortunately, throughout the world industrial farms, corporations and the policies that benefit them take that control away from local farmers and communities. In a recent report , Grassroots International's colleagues at the Oakland Institute describe this situation and its dire consequences in Indonesia where "excessive dependence on global markets, followed by the collapse of traditional agricultural structures, as well as almost non-existent social policies, have manufactured widespread hunger in Indonesia today."

A Crisis of Empty Promises

Saulo Araujo — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 18:14:15 +0000

Our partners in Guatemala have told us: the current food crisis will continue unless we guarantee the land, water and seeds rights of communities necessary to grow food. The same message is being echoed in Brazil, Mexico and many neighborhoods in the U.S.

In two separate statements, Guatemala's National Peasant and Indigenous Coordination (CONIC) and Brazil's Small Producers Movement (MPA) put forth food sovereignty as a solution to the crisis: the right of communities to produce food for local markets and for consumers to have access to local healthy foods. Both organizations denounce the expansion of industrial agriculture and growing control of agribusinesses for contributing to the hunger of urban and rural communities.

Blue Helmets in Haiti: Reminders of Unmet Needs

Maria Aguiar — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:59:03 +0000

Hello from Port au Prince! I've just returned to Haiti for the first time since May 2004 and wanted to share my impressions with you.

A Message for Monsanto: Beet It!

Daniel Moss — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 15:13:18 +0000

It's safe to say that beets have never been a hot topic in the U.S. financial world.

But now a group of more than 300 socially-concerned institutional investors is asking consumers to urge major food corporations not to buy genetically engineered sugar beets. The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) has launched a web site that helps consumers write effective letters to corporations like Kraft and Heinz about their desire not to see Monsanto's soon-to-be-released "Roundup Ready" sugar beets used in food products.

Grassroots International is a Finalist in the MySpace Impact Awards

Marty Wrin — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 15:52:12 +0000

Grassroots International was selected as a finalist for the MySpace Impact Awards. Grassroots is in the final 3, with the winner receiving a $10,000 donation and extensive promotion throughout the MySpace website. If you are a MySpace user, please vote for us right now, then each day until December 24th and forward this to others: http://www.myspace.com/impactawards.

Food Security, Clean Environment and Diversity at Stake in Farm Bill

Jake Miller — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:05:06 +0000

The Farm Bill is one of the last major pieces of legislation that will make it to the floor of the Senate during the current legislative season, which makes it a ripe target for political maneuvering and special-interest pork.

Grassroots is working with a coalition of allies to fight for farming policies that will protect the human right to food, support family farmers in the United States and abroad and build a healthier food and farming system for consumers, communities and the environment.

The Senate's plan to set aside $25 million for locally-sourced food aid is a big win for family farmers in some of the world's poorest regions, but there is a lot that is still at stake in this farm bill.

Threatened Power Cuts in Gaza Violate Human Rights

Jennifer Lemire — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 14:59:59 +0000

Amidst talk of "peace-making" at Annapolis, the situation in Gaza grows worse by the day and any lingering hopes Palestinians may have had for a just peace are fading fast.

After declaring the Gaza Strip an "enemy entity" in September, the Israeli Cabinet last week approved the cutoff of fuel supplies and electricity to the Gaza Strip in response to ongoing rocket attacks. Israeli Defense Minister, Ehud Barak gave the order to cut electricity for increasing periods and to reduce fuel shipments.

Stop Israeli Policy of Siege and Isolation of the Gaza strip

Jake Miller — Thu, 01 Nov 2007 19:27:33 +0000

Subheadline

Partner

Palestinian Agricultural Relief Committees (PARC)

Outside Link

Senate to Vote on Local Food Aid in Farm Bill Next Week

Nikhil Aziz — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 04:00:00 +0000

We have some exciting news to share.

Your voice was heard in the U.S. Senate.

The Farm Bill, scheduled to be voted on by the full Senate next week, includes funding for a $25 million pilot project for locally-sourced food aid for hungry people around the world.

We want to thank you for your support of this crucial legislation.

This is a big win.

At the last minute, Senator Pat Roberts (KS-R) threatened to call an amendment that would have squashed the pilot project. Thanks to the support of activists like you, this program that will offer support to family farmers around the world and improve our ability to feed the hungry is alive.