Lois Ross

Lois L. Ross has spent the past 30 years working in Communications for a variety of non-profit organizations in Canada, including the North-South Institute. Born into a farm family in southern Saskatchewan, trained as a journalist and photographer, she is the author of both fiction and non-fiction books. Two of these books are based on the lives of Prairie farm people. Lois has also worked internationally in Latin America and the Caribbean, reporting and writing about life in Mexico, Nicaragua, and Cuba. The topics she is passionate about include agriculture, rural and international development, and health.

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Agriculture is part of the climate change solution

Small farmers face pretty much the same issues no matter what part of the world they happen to till -- access to land, seed, financing and more.

I learned that lesson while rolling through the hills of northern Nicaragua, acting as an interpreter for a brigade of Canadian farmers hoping to transfer their skills to support local farmers. At that time mechanization for many small farmers in Nicaragua seemed to be the main impediment. But thinking back to the exchanges I translated, the lack of tractors, chemicals and artificial fertilizers presented challenges but also possibilities to explore.

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The world has much to learn from Cuba's agroecological revolution

When Fidel Castro died on November 25, the amount of negative press in Canadian media about his contribution and the revolution he led was incredible. Perhaps because of Trump's election in the United States a few weeks before, the spillover of U.S. journalistic drivel regarding all things Cuba, and the herd mentality of Canadian reporters, it became de rigueur to make unsubstantiated statements, repeatedly.

It was more than a little embarrassing and aggravating if you are a Cuba watcher, as I am. I had not quite anticipated such disrespect, at least not here in Canada.

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Fidel Castro SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE Cuban Revolution sustainable food systems cuban agriculture cuban farming

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Hungering for commitments on a new Canadian food policy

Harvest season may be over in Canada, but for activist farmers the work is never done. In fact, winter can be just as busy a season as spring or fall as they advocate for long-term policy changes that are increasingly urgent.

Since its election last year, the federal Liberal government has committed to public consultations on a number of topics (recently I counted more than 80 still open), including agriculture and food. By November 30, the online consultations to hopefully inform a new agricultural framework will be closed. You still have a few weeks to participate if you are interested.

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food security Food Sovereignty food policy food secure canada Canadian food system Canadian agriculture At the farm gate

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Top 10 books to celebrate World Food Day

For quite some time I have been wanting to find a way to share my "good reads" about food, agriculture and communities. World Food Day has motivated me to reflect on the prescience of the timeless classics that I hold dear, as well as some newer books hot off the press.

On October 16, 1945, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization was founded in Québec City. Since 1981, October 16 has also been known as World Food Day. And every year, this day carries a particular theme. "Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must too" is the 2016 theme. During the past 35 years, themes have also echoed the environment, climate change, and issues of water, rural poverty, food security and more.

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Climate Change books farming food policy World food day agricultural policy At the farm gate

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'Gold with yield': A primer on land-grabbing

Land use, access to agricultural land, and who owns and stewards land, are key issues in food production. But, it is another one of those issues that is complex and takes time to unravel. And it knows no borders -- meaning that the impact of land concentration is happening in the South as well as the North.

In recent years the word "land-grabbing" has entered our lexicon. Land-grabbing is a growing concern because it determines not only access but also how land is used.

"Land-grabbing" is a term coined by GRAIN, a small international non-profit organization founded to support small farmers and community-controlled food systems.

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Canadian Farmers Canadian agriculture land grabbing agricultural policy At the farm gate land concentration

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Plant a seed and watch it grow: Incubating farmers

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There's a lot wrong with the industrialized model of agriculture. Most days, not much of what is happening to family farmers is good news, unfortunately. But, sometimes, away from the "bigger is better" mentality, there are glimmers of a better future.

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urban farming Canadian Farmers Canadian agriculture Agriculture Policy At the farm gate incubator farms

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The ABCs of genetically modified crops

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In recent months, there have been a number of announcements related to genetically modified (GM) crops. It's these events that have inspired me to write about GM crops now.

Genetic modification is the introduction of new traits to an organism by making changes to its genetic makeup -- essentially by manipulating DNA.

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farming GM crops GMOS gm foods Canadian agriculture food labelling At the farm gate

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Who owns seed and what are the alternatives?

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genetically engineered seeds Canadian Farmers corporate trade deals agricultural growth act bill C-18 Seed Act for Farmers agricultural policy At the farm gate right to seed seed accessibility

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How corporate rights protections are threatening farmers' right to seed

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As I write, spring seeding on farms across the country is well underway.

I love this time of year. As a kid growing up on the Prairies, March, April and May were always a special time. While the kids played in the dwindling puddles of mud and water, farmers were monitoring soil conditions, readying machinery and checking on their store of seed grains.

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genetically engineered seeds Canadian Farmers corporate trade deals agricultural growth act bill C-18 agricultural policy At the farm gate right to seed seed accessibility

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At the farm gate: Bridging the urban-rural divide

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farming urban farming rural issues urban food Canadian agriculture food production Agriculture Policy At the farm gate

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Lois Ross

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