Ecological 'Wake-Up' Call Counters Corporate-Friendly 'Free' Trade

[xchrom]

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/09/23-5




The world needs to "wake up before it is too late" and usher in a paradigm shift in agriculture that moves away from industrial agriculture in favor of “mosaics of sustainable regenerative production system" that favor small-scale farmers and local food production, a new report from a UN body states.

However, the call from the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) flies in the face of the goals laid out by trade deals now being negotiated including the secretive Trans Pacific Partnership.

The report—Wake up before it is too late: Make agriculture truly sustainable now for food security in a changing climate (pdf)—was written with contributions from over 60 experts, and finds that "urgent and far-reaching action" is needed to address the "collective crisis" of "rural poverty, persistent hunger around the world, growing populations, and mounting environmental concerns."

The UNCTAD report was welcomed by groups who have long advocated for agroecological approaches, including GRAIN, La Via Campesina and the ETC Group.

[Mnemosyne]

1. K&R nt