Lois Ross

Agriculture is part of the climate change solution

rabble staff — Tue, 24 Jan 2017 15:23:27 +0000

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

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.

Agriculture can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, but it is going to mean putting stewardship and food production ahead of profit and expansion. It is possible.

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

rabble staff — Tue, 20 Dec 2016 14:44:18 +0000

Tuesday, December 20, 2016

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.

For more than 25 years, Cuba has been modelling its food production on agroecology and applying organic agriculture to a multitude of small-scale projects. It's time we took note.

Hungering for commitments on a new Canadian food policy

rabble staff — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 15:35:58 +0000

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

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.

Harvest season may be over in Canada, but for activist farmers the work is never done. As winter approaches, food activists are advocating for long-term policy changes that are increasingly urgent.

Top 10 books to celebrate World Food Day

rabble staff — Tue, 18 Oct 2016 13:13:18 +0000

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

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.

World Food Day has Lois Ross opening her bookshelf to share good reads about food, agriculture and communities. Here are our farming columnist's top 10 resources this harvest season.

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

rabble staff — Tue, 27 Sep 2016 13:14:39 +0000

Tuesday, September 27, 2016

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.

Land use, access to agricultural land, and who stewards land, are key issues in food production. Land-grabbing is a growing concern because it determines not only access but also how land is used.

Plant a seed and watch it grow: Incubating farmers

rabble staff — Tue, 16 Aug 2016 15:18:19 +0000

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

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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.

For decades, the trend has been a continuous loss of family farmers in Canada. But now individuals and groups working for food justice are providing alternatives to the corporate model of farming.

The ABCs of genetically modified crops

rabble staff — Tue, 19 Jul 2016 13:54:31 +0000

Tuesday, July 19, 2016

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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.

In recent months, there have been a number of announcements related to genetically modified crops. So, what actions are being taken in Canada and internationally to expand the debate about GM crops?

Who owns seed and what are the alternatives?

rabble staff — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 18:51:54 +0000

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

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Canadian farmers are contending with increasingly strict commercial rights on the seeds they buy. And there are fewer options in the public domain. These issues have led to calls for policy change.

How corporate rights protections are threatening farmers' right to seed

rabble staff — Mon, 16 May 2016 18:52:14 +0000

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

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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.

Today's farmers can no longer assume they will continue to have the right to store and save seed from one year to the next. Storing of "copyrighted" seed is now regulated as "privilege."

At the farm gate: Bridging the urban-rural divide

rabble staff — Wed, 20 Apr 2016 21:44:13 +0000

Thursday, April 21, 2016

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Today we launch a new column about agriculture and our relationships to food. It will look at food production issues that affect urban and rural dwellers alike.

Peoples' Social Forum: Day three

Victoria Fenner — Sat, 23 Aug 2014 22:47:50 +0000

peo-ples_social_forum_day_3_final.mp3

It's the last full day of the Peoples' Social Forum. Tomorrow afternoon we'll be heading home to our various places in Canada. But it's not over yet. Here are some highlights from Saturday, August 23.

1:28 Ellen Gabriel -- Human Rights Advocate for collective and individual rights of indigenous people

16:43 Word on the Street -- Lois Ross, roving reporter, talks to delegates

23:16 -- Sounds from the Powwow on Sparks Street Mall, featuring music by Spirit Flower.