Food
Solutions for food distribution and production
(a) For the Third World
- The West to assist in making production more profitable but to resist using GMO’s until the impact of these is fully known
- Engage in sustainable food production – small-scale and working with nature
- Encourage biodiversity by using a mixed variety of crops and systems
- Make available a wide range of domestic plants and animals to protect against disease and crop failure.
(a) For the West
- Replace chemicals with organic nutrients
- Reduce agricultural subsidies - without forcing farmers into bankruptcy
- Improve market access for food imports from the Third World
- Pay fairer prices for produce from the Third World
- Buy local produce.
Benefits of helping Less Developed Countries to develop agriculture
- Better health through better nutrition
- Reduced poverty.
Examples of environmentally sustainable agriculture and fairer trade
The International Society for Ecology and Culture, which has branches in the UK and USA, has established a project at Ladakh in Tibet to help local farmers create an alternative to plantation-type growing, which is heavily dependent on agrichemicals. Farmers are now using organic methods and local varieties of crops.
Oxfam is involved in a number of projects. In Haiti it is helping to establish co-operatives to enable small scale coffee growers to sell their produce at a fair price. Oxfam also instigated a Coffee Rescue Plan to help growers in many different countries. It has asked major coffee roasters Nestle, Starbucks, Sara Lee (Douwe Egberts) and Proctor & Gamble to buy Fair Trade Certified coffee. In Brazil it is helping a community at Ludovico to make a viable industry out of the local Baba or Babacu nuts. For more information see www.maketradefair.com
