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The Future of Food - Review

Wednesday, September 13th, 2006

By Lena Stahlschmidt

The information that the film presents is so interesting and terrifying that I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. Although the format is what some may call a little dry’ the movie had my full attention the entire time. This is the type of film that you’d expect to see in class; educational, informative and no Hollywood action scenes’.

The movie presents food in the 21st century: the way we grow it, the way we mess with it and the current corruption, deceit, and dangers that exist. It also gives an even dimmer outlook of our planet’s future related to food. The movie looks at the many aspects of genetic engineering ranging from the cellular make-up to its global impact. The main focus is on the lack of studies, precautions, and knowledge about the effects of GE and the role that the American government and agriculture companies played in the development of GE food.

It is a documentation of corruption, deceit, money, and power that has lead to our generation being the guinea pig in the fight for the global control over food. The issues raised in this movie are crucial to the sustainability of our planet and existence.

Stars: 4 ****

Find out more.
Learn more about where New Zealand stands in genetic engineering Here is what another Just Focus members had to say.

Take Action!!!

Food Altert.

The Campaign

Greens

Tags: agriculture, corporations, economy, food, genetic engineering, hunger, justice, research, sustainability
Posted in Economics & Trade, Environment, Global Themes, Human Rights & Social Justice, Politics, Reviews | No Comments »

PYF - first thoughts

Thursday, August 3rd, 2006

women at the pacific youth festival Over 1000 young people aged 16-30 attended the first Pacific Youth Festival held in Pape’ete in Tahiti from 17-22 July 2006. Aotearoa NZ had a delegation of 16 people (from the North and South islands, and the Chathams) , 8 of whom were selected by Just Focus to participate at our first international event.

Between April and July they all looked into ways to get sponsorship to cover the cost of the registration fee and flights, and JF also went hard on the fundraising to be able to help out with some extra $$.
just focus crew at NZ info booth
The group worked together before the event to learn about the 9 themes which were the topics of the Festival.

Just Focus held a one day workshop in Auckland the day before departure, and invited the entire delegation to come and spend the day and night together.

We played games to get to know each other, as well as doing the serious stuff of preparing for what would happen while we were away and discussing the issues.
aotearoa delegation
The Festival was a mix of workshops (run by young people from the various countries) and speeches by adults working in the areas cvered by the festival. Eva from Just Focus and Annie from the Peace Foundation ran a workshop on Peace, and Char and Omar from JF facilitated a discussion on “Decolonisation with Justice”. Both sessions got rave reviews and made it into the local newspapers!

new caledonians on the bus
There was a lof discussion about the many issues, including HIV/AIDS, the problems young people across the Pacific have in finding good jobs, sustainable development, and other issues which impact on the Pacific region.

In the evenings there were amazing cultural performances - traditional dances and music from all across the Pacific, from Rapanui (Easter Island) to Fiji to Melanesia and Polynesia.

All in all, we spent 9 days in Pape’ete, staying at a local school (sharing a classroom as our dorm, with mattresses on the floor!). The conference lasted 6 days, including a fantastic day off when we all went across the water on the ferry to stunningly beautiful Mo’orea where we spent the day at the beach just chilling out!

beach on moorea

The other days were mostly spent talking, relaxing, shopping and lying on the beach - catching some of the Tahitian sunshine before heading home to winter!
huts over the sea in mo'orea
There will be lots of articles to come from the JF gang, but in the meantime, while they are still busy reflecting and writing up their thoughts and experiences, here’s a few comments to give you a flavour of how they found it:

“The people stood out for me — the diversity of cultures and experiences was so interesting, making for compelling discussion, but also an opportunity to connect on so many different levels”

flags at opening ceremony

“I got a better cultural understanding of the Pacific — loved the performances” man in tradtional dress

TeRito and kids at NZ info booth “I’ve got a new awareness of colonisation issues in Aotearoa NZ, having seen colonisation through a French lens in the Pacific region”

“I’ve been able to participate in the sense of talking to people of other cultures about their own struggles. I learnt so much just talking.”

“I have learnt much more about the Pacific, Aotearoa NZ and our role in the Pacific”

“It was inspiring hearing people’s stories, listening to issues and possible solutions. It makes me want to get more involved.”

“I’ve gained more awareness of myself, my lifestyle, my country and my work”
hope and peace poster

All photos by Elise Broadbent.

With thanks to all the sponsors and supporters of the Aotearoa delegation to the Pacific Youth Festival:

Development Resource Centre
Ministry of Youth Development
Shore Youth Bank
Hokotehi Moriori Trust
Buller District Council
Bill Blackadder Trust
Presbyterian Support (Upper South Island)
Te Puni Kokiri
Council for International Development (CID)
Trade Aid
Craig Potton Publishing
Commonsense Organics (Wellington)
The Quakers Peace and Service Trust (Christchuch)
The Disarmament and Security Centre
The Peace and Disarmament Education Trust
Wellington City Council
Samuel Marsden Collegiate School Old Girl’s Association
Just Action (Victoria University, Wellington)
Rotuman Congregation at Kingsland Trinity Methodist Church, Auckland
(And others)

Tags: colonisation, cultures, dance, health, music, Pacific, sustainability, Tahiti
Posted in Articles, Culture & Society, Politics, Your Stories | No Comments »

Is this really progress?

Monday, July 31st, 2006

Oliver Bruce

Ever seen the news when the government releases its figures for the economic activity over the last year or quarter? Ever wondered what it all meant? Or why, even though we seem to be making “progress”, often it has little impact on our lives in our community?

The Origins of our Success
At present, we measure how we are doing economically as a country with something called the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It was first created during the Second World War as a way of measuring productivity, and has been in place ever since as a way of measuring the size and growth of economies. It is formulated as being the total amount of spending (both governmental and private as well as investment) and exports of a country minus the imports.

Why might we be heading in the wrong direction?
If a woman was to get breast cancer, does that sit with you as being a good or bad thing? If we use the GDP to measure our “progress”, you will find that the cost of the chemotherapy, drugs, surgery, hospital visits, fuel to get to the hospital etc. are all contributing to the GDP of a country, that would not have been spent if she hadn’t got sick. This illustration reveals the dilemma: not all economic growth is actually contributing to the wellbeing of those in society. In fact, most undesirable factors (oil spills, unsustainable native forestry etc) are considered to be beneficial to the economy. And where does that lead us?

Where might we go from here?
In the mid 1980’s it was identified that we needed to look at the way we were measuring progress. Thanks to the work of people like NZer Marilyn Waring and Professor Herman Daly in the field of uneconomic development (identifying that some economic activity creates a decline in human wellbeing) there have been several attempts at creating newer, more realistic looks at how to measure our economic gains and impact. One such measure called the Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) was formulated to take into account such things as crime and income distribution, and balance these measures with that of economic activity.

Why is GPI better?
This means that the picture that is presented of our ‘progress’ directly correlates to the issues that determine our standard of living (such as how safe we are). It’s a far more holistic representation of what is going on both economically, socially and environmentally - which is integral in shifting how we measure our progress, and our subsequent actions, towards causing positive change. Sustainable development is a concept based on the balance of these three pillars’: economic, social and environmental development.

Why is how we measure things so important?
Decisions made by policymakers (governments, councils and the like) are based upon wanting to progress and work towards a better quality of life. As the saying goes, “when you have a hammer in your hand, every problem starts looking like a nail”. When you have a measurement as narrowly focussed as that of the GDP, the decisions made will often not have the intended effects. It is not a simple matter to explain, and the answers are not black and white. What is important is that we recognise that what we have isn’t serving us, and that we need to work towards implementing better methods of analysis so that we can accurately aim towards a better world.

LEARN MORE

For a more in depth explanation on the Genuine Progress Indicator visit Converge website
Read the Wikipedia entry on GDP
For more information on the other methods of measuring progress, and environmental impact, look at the Redefining Progress website
Check out work by Marilyn Waring, including her book “Counting for Nothing” and her documentary “Who’s Counting?” For more information on the theories of uneconomic development (Remember this woman was in government at age 23!) Read about her on wikipedia
The magazine Adbusters explains the problem well
The documentary “The Corporation” explains the problem faced with the institution of the multinational corporation. A fantastic film that explains more about the problems of not valuing that which cannot be quantified. This can be borrowed FREE from the Global Education Centre library. Contact eva@globaled.org.nz for details.

TAKE ACTION:

Tell people.
If you are at university, ask the economic professors about the questions.
Read more.
Make a film for the Media that Matters festival

To tell you the truth, one of the most difficult things about this is that there are few concrete actions that can directly impact this. The process of change requires first for us to realise what we are doing, then actively seek to help change the course of the field of economics towards that of a more holisitic discipline…in other words do the same thing to economics that has affected nearly every other academic discipline = Postmodernist thought.

But yeah, it’s not as simple as that. If you have any ideas let me know, I am happy to hear what any of you suggest — comment in the forum…

Tags: economy, government, research, resources, sustainability
Posted in Articles, Economics & Trade, Human Rights & Social Justice | No Comments »

Ethical business - an impossible dream?

Wednesday, June 7th, 2006

Corinna Howland

Money and morals. It appears that, in a capitalist society, you have to sacrifice one for the other. You can’t have your cake and eat it too. Or coffee for that matter.

So how can we bring the two together? Matt Lamason, 27, founder of Peoples Coffee in Wellington, seems to have hit on the magic formula. His business sells only fair-trade coffee, which means that the coffee beans are sourced directly from growers who pay their employees a fair wage, “The fair trade mark sets a base wage for coffee growers, which means that the growers have extra money in the hand… This means that they will have a better standard of living, better buildings, a chance at an education for themselves and their children. Basically fair-trade means a better deal for the people who produce the coffee”, Matt says.

Fair Trade items are easily recognizable by the fair-trade logo on the back of the packet, which ensures that the product is produced in accordance with Fair Trade ideals, namely a fair wage (enough money to live on and to accrue savings), good working conditions and sustainability.

What is Fair Trade?
The concept of Fair Trade was formulated in the early nineties, and is becoming recognizable world-wide, through campaigns such as Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair, and more recently the Chocolate Kisses campaign. (For more information, see www.oxfam.org). Despite these efforts, in Matt’s opinion, Fair Trade in New Zealand is still viewed as an alternative or left-wing’ phenomenon, “I think Fair Trade is still associated with bleeding heart liberals or extreme lefties”.

However, through Fair Trade companies such as Peoples Coffee, consumers are being given options that they have not been given before. It is the consumer’s ability to choose Fair Trade coffee that has set this company apart from the rest.

Although the idea of so-called ethical business’ is not new, with established companies such as Trade Aid on the scene for more than a decade, Peoples Coffee is the first home-grown fair-trade business of its kind in New Zealand. Since its opening, Peoples Coffee has enjoyed a steadily-growing customer base, which Matt attributes to increased consumer-consciousness, “Customers do want to know where their products are coming from, which is extremely powerful. At this stage however, New Zealand is ten to twelve years behind the UK in terms of consumer-consciousness”. Although currently only in a fledgling state in New Zealand, consumer-consciousness has meant that there is a growing market for Fair Trade products, which is great for Matt’s company.

So, how has Peoples Coffee managed to remain ethical and yet still turn a profit? Ultimately, the proof is in the pudding, “At the end of the day, people want a great espresso. For some customers Fair Trade is a bonus, but if the coffee was shite, people would not be coming here.”

LEARN MORE

Peoples Coffee
Trade Aid
Oxfam
Fair Trade Association of Australia and New Zealand FTAANZ

TAKE ACTION!

buy Fair Trade coffee — available at the Peoples Coffee Roastery in Constable Street, Newtown, Wellington and at various cafés around the country — find out where from FTAANZ
buy your coffee (and chocolate, and other items) from Trade Aid
ask your favourite café to sell Fair Trade certified coffee
join Oxfam’s Make Trade Fair campaign by signing up on their website
get involved in the upcoming Just Focus Fair Trade Chocolate campaign
start your own ethical business!

Photos kindly provided by Matt Lamason.

Tags: consumerism, education and training, fair trade, Oxfam, Peoples Coffee, sustainability, Trade Aid
Posted in Aid & Development, Articles, Economics & Trade, Human Rights & Social Justice, Take Action | No Comments »

The bitter side of chocolate

Wednesday, May 3rd, 2006

Eva Lawrence, Just Focus Coordinator

Whether you are a whitey, darkie, nutty or gooey on the inside what we all have in common is that we love chocolate. Oh chocolate, it is one of those rare pleasures that releases endorphins and keeps us coming back for more… well enough on that.

When you find out about where chocolate comes from and the unfair conditions that people experience to bring us that magic bar, it can leave a nasty bitter taste in your mouth.

Chocolate comes from the cocoa bean and is produced tropical countries. Most of the world’s cocoa is grown in West Africa — the Ivory Coast, Ghana, Nigeria and the Cameroon. Almost half of the cocoa worldwide comes from the Ivory Coast.

Conditions for people working on cocoa farms are often terrible. Poverty is extreme, hours long and tasks unsafe. Child labour is common on cocoa farms, and these children often lack any chance of gaining an education as they are working from a young age.

In the Ivory Coast slavery is also occurring. Children and young men, many from neighbouring Mali are being sold or tricked into slavery. Child slaves are forced to work long hours, are underfed and of course, not paid. They are kept in inhuman conditions — often locked in at night so they can’t run away. Those that do try to escape are physically punished.

Chocolate in New Zealand

Cadburys claim to source their cocoa from Ghana and Malaysia
Whittakers claim to source their cocoa from Ghana
Nestle source their cocoa from a number of countries including the Ivory Coast.

(Source: Oxfam)

Bitter Ingredients
Cocoa prices are unfair and unstable on the international market. A small number of multinational corporations control the market and exploit the need of poor farmers to have an income — once the crop is grown a low price is better that no price. Therefore exporters are competing for sales by offering the lowest prices. This means that farmers have few options other than paying their workers low wages.

Cocoa makes up a significant part of the income of some West African Countries. For the Ivory Coast for example, approximately one third of the national income comes from cocoa. Cash cropping has replaced the diverse and locally sustaining farming of the past. This means that the population is dependent on earning money from international markets to earn money to be able to buy food. Cash cropping, as well and removing the independence of communities, also creates vulnerability of economic collapse due to natural disasters, pests and crop disease.

Poverty, as always, is a huge factor in the unfair conditions. Most of the enslaved workers come from Mali, which is one of the poorest countries in the world. Young people hoping for work in neighbouring countries have been easy prey for child traffickers.

The sweeter side - Fairtrade
There is a positive side to this story though. Fairtrade cooperatives have been set up for cocoa growing in a number of countries. With fairtrade, farms are guaranteed a fair price for their cocoa and the workers receive a fair wage. Fairtrade certification forbids the use of slave labour or children working if it interferes with their education or in dangerous conditions. Furthermore, money is paid to invest in developing the community and schools

Global Links
Chocolate, which is so associated with positive stuff here in Aotearoa New Zealand, is directly linked with a whole lot of very negative stuff in some poor countries. It is a clear illustration of the link between us all in this globalised world. As is the case in many trade situations, we in the west gain goods from the labour of those in developing countries The good thing about this link is that we can do something about it.

There is no need to give up your chocolate addiction, but there are a number of things you can do to make chocolate sweeter for everyone.

TAKE ACTION!

Join the fair-trade chocolate campaign!
Fairtrade Fortnight goes from April 29 to May 13 2006— Get involved
Write to your favourite chocolate company and tell them you want them to use fair-trade cocoa
Buy fair-trade chocolate — available from Trade Aid and some health food stores.

LEARN MORE

Oxfam
Fairtrade Association of Australia and New Zealand
Trade Aid
globalexchange
divinechocolate
fairtrade.org.uk
antislavery.org

This article was originally published in Jet magazine in the Focus column. All photos courtesy of Oxfam.

Tags: Africa, agriculture, child labour, chocolate, corporations, education and training, fair trade, poverty, slavery, sustainability, Trade Aid, trafficking
Posted in Articles, Culture & Society, Economics & Trade, Global Headlines, Human Rights & Social Justice, News, Take Action | No Comments »

Beyond fair trade - brewing hope

Friday, April 7th, 2006

Grace Leung

The Fair Trade movement has been growing significantly over the years and many more cafes and shops now sell fair trade coffee. However, a campus group at The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, called “Brewing Hope” works to take a step beyond fair trade by creating relationships between consumers and the communities which grow and harvest their coffee. Brewing Hope buys coffee directly from the autonomous, Zapatista-affiliated coffee cooperative Yachil in Chiapas, Mexico. Taking Fair Trade a step further, Brewing Hope organizes exchanges programs. It brings coffee farmers and cooperative members from Chiapas to Ann Arbor to teach communities about their struggles for autonomy and freedom. Conversely, Brewing Hope brings delegates from Ann Arbor to Chiapas to learn about the stories behind their daily cup of joe.

In July 2005, I was one of 12-person delegation to visit San Cristobal de las Casas and nearby communities in Chiapas.

Our visit included meeting with local and international social and economic justice groups ranging from Chiapas Peace House (an organization that supports overseas volunteers) to CEDICI (a research and advocacy group that investigates into the Mexican military’s oppression of autonomous communities). We visited a vocational training school for indigenous youth so we could see how the next generation acquires skills to bring back to their communities, so that they may be autonomous and independent of government agencies.

We were also fortunate enough to stay the night in Chixilon with a community affiliated with Las Abejas, a non-violent group with similar principles to the Zapatistas. In accordance with the community’s needs, we brought with us medical supplies and other provisions to improve their water storage system. We also visited Acteal, a community who lost 45 members to an attack by paramilitaries, with the aid of the Mexican military, in 1997. It is highly likely that the attack was a response to the community’s quest for autonomy and independence from a corrupt government. We were all deeply inspired by the determination for true justice, and rebellious dignity of the people that we met at Acteal.

One particular woman at Acteal, who had introduced us to the women’s handicraft cooperative, recounted the murder of her brother and father in the 1997 massacre. Speaking only her native tongue of Tzetzal at the time, the event provoked her to learn Spanish, make contacts in nearby cities and organize a women’s handicrafts cooperative to revive and bring economic independence to her community.

Despite the benefits of Fair Trade, many potentials remain to be fulfilled. Indeed, despite getting the certified fair trade price of US$1.26 per pound of unroasted coffee beans, the community that we visited must still walk up to 2 hours to the nearest source of marginally potable water in the dry season. Moreover, with the global price of coffee rising, Fair Trade prices are beginning to be less lucrative for farmers, many of whom are tempted to avoid the processes of fair trade and cooperative participation and selling to middlemen (locally called coyotes) instead. Although in the short term, this means less work for the farmers, it leads to the loss of their Fair Trade certification and leaves them vulnerable to the price fluctuations determined by the coyotes.

Because of the recovering prices of conventional coffee on the international market, the next few years will be testing for the Fair Trade communities to continue to comply with the Fair Trade regulations. Many communities also face labour shortages due to the migration of young people to urban areas in search of waged labour. These were some of the concerns that the community shared with us that consumers usually give limited thought

The delegation provided a valuable opportunity for a reciprocal interaction between consumers and coffee growers, the complexities of which go far beyond a cup of coffee. Visits like ours are a small but significant way of showing solidarity with people struggling for justice and freedom. Perhaps this is a future direction for the Fair Trade movement, one in which the consumer looks beyond the latte in their hands and indeed, all goods, creating a new global economy which brings consumers and producers together in the fight for justice and sustainability.

TAKE ACTION!