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Please remember to rec the BP Catastrophe Liveblog Mothership: 97
Today's gimme gimme more gimme more gimme more great African land grab earthship soley represents the views of today's editor, Boatsie, and not necessarily those of eKos.
It started out sounding like a good idea. Actively engage the private sector in collaborating with the UN, NGOs, developed countries to lend a hand helping the 'third world' pull itself up by its bootstraps outta poverty by 2025. Set forward a simple slate of eight Millennium Development Goals to be realized by 2015, and encourage those locals to welcome foreign investors with open arms and eager hearts: "Jambo. Nafurahi kukuona. Nisaidie, tafadhali?"
Banana Boat At Floating Market In ThailandBy Butch Osborne (Back Again)
Ten years in to this unprecedented project, one true thing appears certain. In the eyes of "the suits", "Once a banana boat man, always a banana boat man."
"Brussels, Belgium and Benin City, Nigeria, August 30, 2010 – The amount of land being taken in Africa to meet Europe’s increasing demand for biofuels is underestimated and out of control, new investigations by Friends of the Earth reveal today. Link
According to Adrian Bebb, an agriculture campaigner for FOE Europe, the EU's ever increasing demand for biofuels is THE major driver of land grabbing in Africa. "Local communities are facing increasing hunger and food insecurity just so Europe can fuel its cars. The EU must urgently scrap its biofuel policy. Europe must invest instead in environmentally friendly agriculture and decrease the energy we use for transport."
Photo by Wolfgang Schiller
"The expansion of biofuels on our continent is transforming forests and natural vegetation into fuel crops, taking away food-growing farmland from communities, and creating conflicts with local people over land ownership. says Mariann Bassey, food and agriculture coordinator for Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria said. "We want real investment in agriculture that allows us to produce food and not fuel for foreign cars." Link
Basket fishing, Mozambique By www.AlastairHumphreys.com
ardhi ardhi ardhi
Just as African countries have seen fossil fuels and other natural resources exploited for the benefit of richer countries, there is a risk that agrofuels, and with them, Africa’s agricultural land and natural resources, will be exported abroad with minimal benefit for local communities and national economies.
Currently one third of all land that is sold or acquired in 11 countries in Africa is intended for fuel crops. Small scale farmers are no match for the heavily funded agrofuel industry and, therefore, lose rights to their traditional lands, putting their communities more at risk of food insecurity.
In a 2009 article Mozambique, Ethanol's African Land Grab, MoJo's Adam Welz wonders if Mozambique,having survived colonialism and civil war, can survive the massive European land grab by mega Euro-ethanol industries.
In theory, he discovers, the law grants Mozambican peasants control over the land, but the government habitually wimps out after an intoxicating whiff of bio-ag bucks.
The maps make it clear that much of the land around Massingir has been allocated to two, sometimes three, different people or entities. This is widespread in Mozambique; in practice, land is owned by those who have the most influence, or the money to fence or patrol it, no matter what the documents say. Foreign governments and donor agencies—which supply fully one-half the government's budget—generally won't get involved in land disputes, even if these conflicts cause projects funded by their own donors' or taxpayers' money to go up in smoke (or into Mercedes-Benzes and Hummers for the corrupt elite). They refuse to upset the government—which, as it happens, is busy handing out rights to a string of potentially lucrative gas, oil, and coal deposits.
Carlos Castel-Branco, a respected local economist, tells me that the primary function of politicians in Mozambique is to mediate between competing private interests, including their own. They lack both the political will and the administrative capacity, he says, to build a modern state. The current land rush—for biofuel plantations, export-oriented farms, and private hunting concessions—is the first stage in a war over land that Mozambique's fragile democratic and legal systems might not survive. "The government is not politically capable of stopping this process of land speculation. People feel that the dignity of the state and of themselves has been taken away. It's not hopeless, but it's going to be a big fight."
Land Grabs Outside Africa
Gazprom, Shell and Clinton Fdn Back Rainforest Carbon Deal in Borneo
A forest conservation project backed by Shell, Gazprom Market and Trading and the Clinton Foundation on the island of Borneo has won approval under a carbon accounting standard, reports Reuters.
The Rimba Raya project, which covers nearly 100,000 ha (250,000 acres) of peat forest in Indonesia’s Central Kalimantan province, could reduce projected emissions by 75 million metric tons over the next 30 years, generating hundreds of millions in carbon finance under the reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD) program backed by the U.N. and World Bank.
... the first REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation) project to be approved through the "Voluntary Carbon Standard Program". It allows the privatization of forests in Indonesia for use as carbon offsets by Shell and Gazprom–enabling them to continue polluting. This project could also signal the future of REDD, with forest carbon offset projects brought online through bilateral agreements organized outside of the UN’s Climate Convention.
It is clear to us that putting forests in the carbon market will not solve climate change, but will certainly create economic incentives to rob Indigenous and marginalized peoples of their forested lands.—GJEP
photo by Sustainable Harvest International
BioChar
"Groups have been warning for years that the biochar techno-fix will mean land-grabbing on a vast scale. Time and time again, biochar advocates have misled the public with claims that we can produce vast amounts of charcoal from residues alone. Now they are showing their true colours: Large-scale biochar means large-scale land grabs."
(Editors Note: Yet, used as intended Biochar is successfully being used to address biodiversity, soil degredation while decelerating the carbon cycle. Link)
On a positive note, at the local level community group and individuals are becoming aware and informed about just how detrimental the agofuel boom is to the sustainability of their communities. Just as the climate benefits of these alternative fuels are being questioned more aggressively by scientists and international institutions, so also are some national governments realizing the downsides of land grabs on their country's environment and economy.
Duncan Green, Head of Research for Oxfam GB and author of 'From Poverty to Power' writes in a 2009 entry in his blog that an International Land Coalition (ILC) paper points out that the current wave of land grabs, charactrized by huge land acquisitions, (often over 100,000Ha; is driven by food and energy security as opposed to economies of scale from largescale production;
characterized by serious breaches in transparency and little public consultation; and the increased involvement of government and government agencies in negotiations. The report suggests that these land grabs not only adversely impact food security but also local 'fuel, fibre, tourism, mining and ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration ... 'Expected long-term trends in all of these sectors are promoting investor interest in land that was previously marginal to economic interest... [but] investors are more and more coming into direct competition with local populations.'
The ILC argues that given neglect by governments and aid donors, private or foreign investment in agriculture is necessary, and suggests five ways to curb risks and seize opportunities:
Ensuring the fair sharing of benefits, particularly opportunities to benefit from growing economic rents
Ensuring that foreign investment in land does not adversely impact on host country food security
Recognising the land rights of the poor as a starting point when considering land-based investments
Ensuring more inclusive and transparent processes for decision-making
Developing and promoting alternative models for agricultural investments See the ILC's Commercial Pressures on Land blog
WB’s seven principles are seven deadly sins of global landgrabbing and against farmers’ interests
Meanwhile, just this year, organizations like the Asian Peasant Coalition (APC) and Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas, for example, recently decried the World Bank's call for 7 principles of "responsible agro-enterprise" as it announced 20 countries being targeted for agro land grabs: Benin, Congo, Ethiopia, Liberia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania, Zambia, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Pakistan, Ukraine, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Paraguay and Peru.
"The first principle talks about respect and recognition of the farmers over the lands. This is a naive and outright lie as farmers have experienced gross violations of their rights even at implementation of their national laws pushed by puppet governments. Thus, WB has no legal responsibility to realize this so-called principle," said (Danielo)Ramos (Asian Peasant Coalition (APC).
The second principle states that investment should not jeopardize food security but rather strengthen it. International farmers groups and institutions are all aware that agro-business pushed by rich countries are for the interests of the latter, such as for food production, industrial raw materials sourcing, bio-fuels and more. There is no legal measure to oblige the foreign country and it is very impossible to implement to a country whose government puts income-generation as primary than the interest of local farmers.
"All these principles sounded like a bogus land reform law, such as the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program Extension with ‘Reforms’ or CARPer in the Philippines. The words are pretty but heavy as steel in ridding off farmers rights over the lands," said Ramos.
"These seven principles are actually seven deadly sins against the farmers as they would surely cause dislocations, rights abuses, oppression and exploitation to farmers globally," he said.
(snip)
"This is a new basis for our further unity and cooperation. We call on all farmers all over the world to be vigilant and prepare to defend your rights on your land as rich and capitalist countries are vultures flying around for lands," Ramos called.
Help Pakistan
There has been a concerted effort on Daily Kos to bring attention to the disaster in Pakistan. You can find the latest diaries here and here.
Greg (Three Cups of Tea, Stones Into Schools) Mortnenson's non-profit (CAI) recommends supporting a local (Pakistani) group to which donations will likely have a large, immediate, and lasting impact-
Healing Development Foundation
http://www.hdf.com
(800) 705 1310
From their page about the flooding:
HDF is committed to work towards relief and reconstruction efforts in flood affected HDF program areas including Mardan and Tandoo Muhammad Khan. HDF already has the existing infrastructure and a team of trained employees and volunteers in place. Currently there is need for basic necessities like tents, blankets, cooking sets, utility containers, soap and bedding as well as, basic healthcare.
More details and videos at their site and their YouTube channel.
• • • • • •
Other groups that deserve support as well.
Doctors without Borders (MSF):
DONATE
The Red Cross:
DONATE
OXFAM:
OXFAM's Pakistan page:
With an estimated 6 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, I am concerned that so far the international community hasn’t responded with the speed or on the scale warranted by a disaster of this magnitude.
DONATE
• • • • • •
From the US State dept.
How You Can Help:
Text "SWAT" to 50555; $10 goes to fund for flood victims
(All times Eastern!)
eKos diaries from 09/01/2010 |
Diary | Author | Time (Eastern) | Tags |
Update #8: The Week in Editorial Cartoons - Of Kings and Wingnut Clowns, with Special Comment | JekyllnHyde | 16:02:41 | Recommended, The Week in Editorial Cartoons, eKos, Martin Luther King, Jr. |
AK-SEN: Thinking past Lisa ... to Scott | A Siegel | 15:26:00 | ak-sen, Scott McAdams, Lisa Murkowski, ekos, climate change |
Staying Tuned for More Innovations | NourishingthePlanet | 14:16:17 | Nourishing the Planet, Worldwatch, Innovation, Agriculture, Farm Radio International |
Nobody Knows | matching mole | 14:09:04 | BP, oil, Gulf, ekos, reality based |
Bioaccumulation: the gift that keeps on giving | mwmwm | 12:55:38 | bioaccumulation, eco, green, ekos, dk-greenroots |
Village Green: to Aid NOLA Recovery, Lose the Treme Expressway | Kaid at NRDC | 09:58:41 | New Orleans, Katrina, transportation, neighborhoods, community |
Everybody Knows | Crashing Vor | 08:36:48 | Recommended, Louisiana, oil spill, Deepwater Horizon, oil hell, seafood |
BP Catastrophe Liveblog Mothership: 99 | Gulf Watchers | 06:00:17 | Recommended, Oilpocalypse, BP, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico, LMRP |
eKos diaries from 08/31/2010 |
Diary | Author | Time (Eastern) | Tags |
French Perspective: The World's Planet Page | A Siegel | 15:32:08 | le monde, journalism, reporting, climate change, environmental journalism |
Can Wind Power Save School Budgets? | ManfromMiddletown | 14:47:49 | wind power, state budgets, ekos, energy, renewable energy |
Bjorn Lomborg Now Thinks We Should Fight Global Warming | Dartagnan | 11:38:00 | Bjorn Lomborg, Global Warming, Copenhagen, climate change, ekos |
BP Catastrophe Liveblog Mothership: 98 | Gulf Watchers | 06:00:28 | Recommended, Oilpocalypse, BP, Deepwater Horizon, Gulf of Mexico, LMRP |
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