position:farmer

51 dont 11, une nouvelle province

China #H7N9 bird flu spreads to new province - FRANCE 24
http://www.france24.com/en/20130414-china-h7n9-bird-flu-spreads-new-province

China’s H7N9 bird flu virus spread to a new province on Sunday, with state media reporting two human cases in central Henan just west of the area where the disease has been centred.

(…)

One patient, a 34-year-old male chef, remains in critical condition since falling ill on April 6. The other, a 65-year-old male farmer who had regular contact with poultry, has stabilised since developing symptoms on April 8.

NB : je ne trouve pas la dépêche AFP en français. C’est celle en allemand qui a attiré mon attention.
http://www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jMXj2WCXUwaw-AxX696JDfZbrKaw?docId=TX-PAR-SXN99

Tales from Gaza: What is life really like in ’the world’s largest outdoor prison’? - Middle East - World - The Independent
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/tales-from-gaza-what-is-life-really-like-in-the-worlds-largest-outdoo

With its sandy beaches and sumptuous seafood, it could be a holiday resort. But life in Gaza, post-Israeli sanctions and with 50 per cent unemployment, has never been more difficult. Alistair Dawber meets the people trying to survive on the Palestinian coast.

L’agriculture soutient les dictatures (triste titre journalistique)

Attendue courant mars, la décision du gouvernement azerbaïdjanais est tombée : des charolais s’en iront bien paître en 2013 du côté de la mer Caspienne.

La signature du contrat interviendra courant avril, a confirmé l’ambassade d’Azerbaïdjan en France. Et devrait concerner 1.000 spécimens.

http://www.lyonne.fr/yonne/actualite/2013/04/03/1-000-charolais-en-azerbaidjan-1500418.html
VS.

Over the past three years, the government in Baku has spent $23 million importing some 4,500 pedigree cows from Germany and Austria in an effort to improve livestock quality and boost milk production.

“Considering that the government directs budget resources [to buy cattle from abroad] hastily and without any preparation,” Maharramov says, “you can suspect that there were some other intentions in this.”

http://www.rferl.org/content/imported-cows-production-azerbaijan/24776519.html
#azerbaidjan #vaches #agriculture

The G8 and Land Grabs in Africa

http://www.globalpolicy.org/social-and-economic-policy/world-hunger/land-ownership-and-hunger/52346-the-g8-and-land-grabs-in-africa.html?itemid=id#1292

The G8, several African governments and transnational corporations such as Cargill came together in 2012 to form the “New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition”. Cooperation framework, an agreement that forms part of the New Alliance, binds the African governments involved to reform land laws to facilitate foreign investment. As part of the agreement, foreign companies promise to invest heavily in agricultural expansion and development. At the beginning of this year, the government of Cote D’ivoire leased the grain trader Louis Dreyfus 100,000-200,000 hectares of land for rice production. These steps are the G8’s response to the global food crisis. However, these dealings force thousands of local communities and farmers off their land; undermine local food markets and lead to the destruction of livelihoods and the deepening of food insecurity. There are no policy obligations in the New Alliance to ensure the protection of peasants’ and farmers’ human rights or land rights. Instead, the group suggests voluntary guidelines for governments to monitor private investment. The UK presidency of the G8 meeting in June 2013 is citing food security as its top priority and will encourage transparency in foreign land deals. However, the guidelines will not be made compulsory and corporations will only be required to reveal basic information surrounding land acquisitions.

#faim #alimentation

Moonwalking Shetland pony stars in new Three advert | Metro News
http://metro.co.uk/2013/03/02/want-to-see-a-shetland-pony-called-socks-do-the-moonwalk-3523184

La vidéo qui buzze…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ekr05T9Iaio

Filmed in the northern Scottish outpost of the Shetlands, talented pony Socks displays moves the late Michael Jackson would be proud of.

Set to Fleetwood Mac’s hit single Everywhere, the only pause in the pony’s performance comes when a farmer nearly uncovers his secret talent.

The artistic animal is the star of mobile phone firm Three’s new advertising campaign launched on Friday

More than 300,000 people have watched Socks strutting his stuff on YouTube with his performance receiving rave reviews

300 000 vues, le 2 mars.
5 000 000, le 13 mars

et son détournement inévitable !

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM75eXq_FQE

publiée le 4 mars, presque 500 000 vues le 13 mars.

No escape from narcos for Mexican beauty queen
http://www.elpasotimes.com/ci_22653302/no-escape-from-narcos-mexican-beauty-queen

If you had asked her that February weekend, the new Sinaloa Woman would have said the future she’d chosen was clear: a calendar of pageants as far away as China, a chance to compete for the coveted Miss Sinaloa title, and then, Miss Mexico.

But Susy, as she was called, had chosen another path at the crossroads of power and beauty in a state known for drug lords and pageant queens. It was a fateful choice.

In November, Susy died like a mobster’s moll, carrying an AK-47 assault rifle into a spray of gunfire from Mexican soldiers. Hit below the neck, she dropped into a dirt field and bled to death, her carotid artery severed.

#mexique

Israel: Gaza Airstrikes Violated Laws of War

http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/02/12/israel-gaza-airstrikes-violated-laws-war

At least 18 Israeli airstrikes during the fighting in Gaza in November 2012 were in apparent violation of the laws of war, Human Rights Watch said today after a detailed investigation into the attacks. These airstrikes killed at least 43 Palestinian civilians, including 12 children.

Human Rights Watch field investigations found 14 strikes by aerial drones or other aircraft for which there was no indication of a legitimate military target at the site at the time of the attack. In four other cases, attacks may have targeted Palestinian fighters, but appeared to use indiscriminate means or caused disproportionate harm to civilians.

Human Rights Watch did not attempt to investigate all Israeli airstrikes during the eight days of fighting called “Operation Pillar of Defense,” from November 14 to 21.

The Uses of Paul Farmer » Counterpunch
http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/01/17/the-uses-of-paul-farmer

(Pour ce critique, Paul Farmer se serait rapproché des Clinton et se serait par conséquent ramolli.)

Farmer had always been a sharp critic of the international community’s treatment of #Haiti.

Eventually I asked him a blunt question: “Do you think the administration here was under pressure from international forces to fight the increase in the minimum wage?”

(...) Farmer stammered a little bit, said he didn’t know, and subtly changed the subject.

One reader left an ominous comment on the interview. “No disrespect to Dr. Farmer, as I believe he is sincere,” he wrote, “but he is now a part of the ‘machine’ that essentially drives Haiti.”

*

Two years later, WikiLeaks provided me and two colleagues with a window into that machine: 1,918 secret diplomatic cables from the US Embassy in Haiti.

The cables proved beyond any doubt what had seemed obvious. Behind the scenes, American officials had mounted a full-scale assault on the minimum wage increase, financing studies against it and pressuring the president to oppose it.

If Farmer had “engaged in the hard process of discernment” – an idea he promotes in his book Haiti After the Earthquake – the answer to my question would have been “Yes, of course.”

It was strange. In the past, Farmer wrote disapprovingly of plans to give Haitians low-paying jobs in textile factories – what many consider to be sweatshops. Either he had changed his mind or was holding his tongue.

#santé #choléra

Liquid gold: Farmers in #Nepal find resourceful way to fertilize crops
http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/urine-as-fertilizer

Urine contains mostly water, mixed in with nutrients that plants can quickly and easily absorb. It is often compared to the nitrogen-rich fertilizer urea, except in liquid form and cost-free.

Separating urine at the source saves resources that would otherwise be disposed of as waste through expensive sewage treatment systems. Farmers can slightly offset their carbon footprint, and reduce the need for phosphorous found in depleted reserves. In countries like Nepal, where the supply of mineral fertilizer is limited, urine offers an accessible alternative.

#urine #toilettes #agriculture #recyclage

http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/images/2012/ehn/december/urine/CabbageCauliflower.jpg
Roxy Cruz
Tamang is pleased with the size of the cabbages grown in his urine-fertilized field.

The Dust Bowl (Plog Photo Blog)
►http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2012/11/19/dust-bowl/5794

The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms causing major ecological and agricultural damage to prairie lands in the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by severe drought combined with farming methods that did not include crop rotation or other techniques such as soil terracing and wind-breaking trees to prevent wind erosion. During the drought of the 1930s, without natural anchors to keep the soil in place, it dried, turned to dust, and blew away with the prevailing winds. At times, the clouds blackened the sky, reaching all the way to East Coast cities such as New York and Washington, D.C. Millions of acres of farmland were damaged, and hundreds of thousands of people were forced to leave their homes; many of these families migrated to California and other states, where they found economic conditions little better during the Great Depression than those they had left. Filmmaker Ken Burns has produced a new documentary on the Dust Bowl airing on PBS stations this month. (...) Source: Plog Photo Blog

Photos : The Dust Bowl
►http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2012/11/19/dust-bowl/5794

The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms causing major ecological and agricultural damage to prairie lands in the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by severe drought combined with farming methods that did not include crop rotation or other techniques such as soil terracing and wind-breaking trees to prevent wind erosion.

http://denverpost.slideshowpro.com/albums/001/496/album-365539/cache/dustbowl16.sJPG_950_2000_0_75_0_50_50.JPG
#photographie

CHECK OUT THIS OZZIE! - masteradrian’s posterous
http://masteradrian.posterous.com/check-out-this-ozzie

This is a 16 year old sheep farmer’s son from the outback,
improvising on the piano during auditions for Australia’s Got Talent.
It’s very different but sensational.

This kid lives on a farm in Australia - middle of “nowhere”.

No bars, no TV so he thought he’d teach himself to play the piano!!!
Click the link.

http://www.chookaparker.com.au

Displacing farmers for grass production in Pakistan
http://farmlandgrab.org/post/view/21176

In #Pakistan, the United Arab Emirates company Al Dahra Agriculture has forcedly grabbed 500 acres (202.34 hectares) of land in the village of Sayed Khadim Ali Shah, Mirpurkhas district. Through a lease with the local landlord, lands formerly grown with food are now being planted with alfalfa and rhodes grass for export to countries in the Middle East, Europe, and US. Farmers were suddenly reduced to being underpaid grass production workers. Since heavy machinery does most of the work, labour opportunities are also few, driving many farmers to work as sharecroppers in other villages or to migrate to the cities.

They also cannot access their lands for fodder for their livestock and other purposes. “Now, we cannot even get a single dinghri(wild shrub) for making baar (a boundary wall made from wild shrubs around mud houses),” according to a farmer. Worse of all, most of them are left with nothing to eat. “Seven to eight years ago, we were producing cotton, sugarcane, wheat, chili and vegetables. We were rearing cows, buffalos and goats, and had an abundance of milk, curd and butter. All that has now vanished,” said another farmer. Grass production by Al Dahra has also caused water shortage in adjacent lands.

#terres

North Koreans Say Life Has Not Improved - NYTimes.com

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/15/world/asia/north-koreans-say-life-has-not-improved.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th

By ANDREW JACOBS
Published: October 14, 2012

Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, deals with fewer electricity shortages than other parts of the country.

DANDONG, China — On her weekly shopping trips to downtown Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, a 52-year-old pig farmer who gave her name as Mrs. Kim tries to ignore the dusting of prosperity that has begun to transform the city in recent years: the newly built apartment blocks, the increasing number of Mercedes-Benzes that zip along once-empty boulevards, the smartly dressed young women who conspicuously gab on their newly acquired cellphones. She has never been to the Rungna People’s Pleasure Ground, a new amusement park where children of the elite howled with delight this summer as they shot down a waterslide.

#corée-du-nord

Passionnant portrait : Mohammed Abul-Haija : Believing in Armed Struggle
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/mohammed-abul-haija-believing-armed-struggle

Palestinian freedom fighter Mohammed Abul-Haija has dedicated his life to the Palestinian cause, but despite losing his home and many of his comrades in arms, he still believes that the liberation of his homeland can only be achieved through armed resistance.

Syria’s rural economy adapts as conflict spreads
http://dailystar.com.lb/Business/Middle-East/2012/Aug-30/186104-syrias-rural-economy-adapts-as-conflict-spreads.ashx#axzz24vERJ

Intéressant article qui évoque les stratégies des paysans qui gardent une partie de leurs stocks, dans une économie où les échanges entre la ville et la campagne se sont réduits et où la production de biens manufacturés (notamment agro-alimentaires) s’est effondré. Pour l’auteur de l’article, les paysans pauvres, souvent obligés d’émigrer en ville, constituent une des bases sociales du mouvement rebelle.
Pour autant, le gouvernement s’est bien gardé de couper le cordon avec les campagnes :

While living conditions have deteriorated, the authorities continue to pay the salaries and pensions of tens of thousands of civilians in areas no longer under state control and have been reluctant to cut off electricity and water supplies in rebel-held towns, residents say.

#Syrie
#campagne
#Idlib
#electricité
#nourriture
#alimentation

Defending seed sovereignty - The Ecologist
http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_analysis/1547385/defending_seed_sovereignty.html

A new Global Campaign for Seed Freedom will be celebrating the fortnight from Ghandi’s birthday (October 2nd) to World Food Day (October 16th) as the first Seed Satyagraha during which all participants will declare No Patents On Seeds

The brainchild of Indian environmental activist Vandana Shiva and her Navdanya organisation, the new campaign is circulating a declaration (see details below) that you can sign to become a Seed Defender.

#semences #résistance #agriculture #alimentation

Chinese Farmer Is Both Luke Skywalker and Iron Man
http://kotaku.com/5935251/chinese-farmer-is-both-luke-skywalker-and-iron-man

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17w4emgwcvuw5jpg/original.jpg

Sun Jifa lost both hands while constructing a homemade bomb. The explosive was to be used for blast fishing, but accidentally went off. Unable to work on his family farm and unable to afford pricey prosthetic limbs, the 51 year-old came up with a plan: build the arms himself.

A Miserable Summer for Lebanese Bees
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/miserable-summer-lebanese-bees

Beekeepers in the Bekaa Valley are struggling to keep their bees alive and there is no chance of a honey harvest this year. The distinctive Bekaa honey will reach zero productivity this season.

Several problems conglomerated to cause this: from a heat wave to limited rainfall in the spring, and finally – the worst problem of all – the spraying of agricultural land and orchards with pesticides, destroying hundreds of hives.

Lebanon: Hashish Growers and the Government Face Off
http://english.al-akhbar.com/content/lebanon-hashish-growers-and-government-face

The farmers insist on confronting any such attempt, and the security forces are “determined” to destroy the cannabis crop.

While the security forces continue with their preparations – which include communicating with the owners of agricultural tractors as well as coordinating with the leadership of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the Internal Security Forces (ISF) – hashish growers are adamant that they will “protect their livelihood.”

Fighting the coming invasion is the farmers’ last resort after the state deserted them by “abandoning any attempt to address agricultural problems, support traditional crops, and compensate losses resulting from natural disasters or any downturn in agricultural production in light of the Syrian crisis,” according to one farmer.

Why Jim Kim Should Resign From the World Bank | Patrick Bond » Counterpunch
http://www.counterpunch.org/2012/04/16/why-jim-kim-should-resign-from-the-world-bank

#santé #développement #croissance

Critics of Biotech Crops Proved Wrong - Harvard
http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/publication/21807/critics_of_biotech_crops_proved_wrong.html

une défense des #OGM, par Calestous Juma, prof à Harvard, expert aux Nations Unies, membre de la Fondation Bill Gates :

the adoption of transgenic crops continues to expand at eight per cent per year (...) the fastest adoption rate of any technology in the history of modern agriculture.
(...) many of its [critics] were wrong to assume from the outset the risks of the technology were likely to outweigh its benefits. Emerging evidence runs counter to those fears.
Over the 1996–2010 period, biotechnology crops have reduced 443 million kilogrammes of pesticide use.
This did not only reduce the spraying of chemicals that destroyed biological diversity, but they also cut down harmful exposure by farmers.
Another major impact of the adoption of biotechnology crops has been reduction of carbon emissions.
In 2010 alone the world reduced 19 billion kilogrammes of carbon dioxide due to the use of biotechnology crops. This is the equivalent to taking about nine million cars off the road. The world also reduced its use of land by 91 million hectares by adopting the crops.

#biotechnologies #agriculture #afrique

Land Ownership and Hunger
http://www.globalpolicy.org/social-and-economic-policy/world-hunger/land-ownership-and-hunger.html

Unfair distribution and lack of access to land are key explanations for poverty and hunger. In many parts of the world, it is the rich elites, not poor rural people, who own the land. And even if they do, inequality in wealth and power relations makes the rural poor more vulnerable to losing their rights. The struggle for land reform, which would shift the balance of power in favor of marginalized landless farmers, has been going on for many decades. However the food and financial crises contribute to worsening the trend towards land concentration, in which governments, agro-industrial corporations and private investors buy up fertile land in poor countries, depriving small farmers of their ability to grow their own food.

#terres #agribusiness #pauvreté

Haiti’s Cholera Outraced the Experts and Tainted the U.N. - NYTimes.com
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/world/americas/haitis-cholera-outraced-the-experts-and-tainted-the-un.html?_r=1&nl=todaysh

Dr. Farmer said he kept thinking about the many water stations at the New York City Marathon: “That’s for a sport, for heaven’s sake. You’re telling me the giant humanitarian aid machine can’t do that in an epidemic?”

Et tout à l’avenant.... effrayant d’irresponsabilité !!!

The Movement To Teach The Economy What It Is Doing | Disinformation
http://www.disinfo.com/2012/02/the-movement-to-teach-the-economy-what-it-is-doing

In an essay penned over a decade ago titled “In Distrust of Movements”, farmer, author, and critic Wendell Berry beautifully summed up the nature of and need for an Occupy movement. Via the irrisistible fleet of bicycles:

One way we could describe the task ahead of us is by saying that we need to enlarge the consciousness and the conscience of the economy. Our economy needs to know — and care — what it is doing. This is revolutionary, of course, if you have a taste for revolution, but it is also a matter of common sense.

People in movements…often become too specialized, as if finally they cannot help taking refuge in the pinhole vision of the institutional intellectuals. They almost always fail to be radical enough, dealing finally in effects rather than causes. Or they deal with single issues or single solutions, as if to assure themselves that they will not be radical enough.

And so I must declare my dissatisfaction with movements to promote soil conservation or clean water or clean air or wilderness preservation or sustainable agriculture or community health or the welfare of children. Worthy as these and other goals may be, they cannot be achieved alone. I am dissatisfied with such efforts because they are too specialized, they are not comprehensive enough, they are not radical enough, they virtually predict their own failure by implying that we can remedy or control effects while leaving causes in place.