Posted by
Jaman
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Thursday, September 02, 2010
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NYT Magazine has a story about Plumpy’Nut, a high-calorie, peanut butter-like paste distributed after disasters, in this case, post-quake Haiti.
But not everybody loves Plumpy'Nut. We at World Ark spoke with nutritionist and real-food advocate Marion Nestle earlier this year. Here’s what she said about Plumpy’Nut, which she calls a technological solution instead of a social one:
“I think it’s completely unsustainable. It’s a 500-calorie peanut butter supplement in a foil pack. Studies have shown that if you give kids this treat they do much better than kids who don’t get it. Of course they would, it’s 500 calories. I think it’s a really bad idea. Somebody has to pay for them ... You gets kids thinking they’re supposed to eat food that comes in packages. It’s sweet, also not a good idea. ...”
Visit the World Ark online archives to read the entire interview.
Posted by
Jaman
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Tuesday, August 31, 2010
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Last weekend was Maker Faire Africa, a gathering of “makers”—inventors, retoolers, upcyclers, etc.—from across the continent that celebrated small-scale innovation and ingenuity, held this year in Nairobi, Kenya. It’s the latest reminder of the rising consciousness about African inventors and innovators, heralded by books like The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind and websites like Afrigadget.
Steve Daniels, a 21-year-old designer and IBM researcher, has written about African makers in his new book, Making Do: Innovations in Kenya’s Informal Economy. (In keeping with the spirit, the book also has an innovative purchase system: You can pay with a tweet and read it online, or pay for the cost of printing to receive a hard copy.)
An excerpt from the book ran on The Atlantic’s blog:
“... Informal artisans who engage in the production of goods are known as jua kali (Swahili for ‘hot sun’) and have established entire ecosystems of production, from scrap sourcing to repair. ...
“The jua kali provide important lessons for Western economics that compel us to revise our notion of efficiency. ... Indeed, instating these notions of efficiency will be necessary to foster a more sustainable and equitable form of development around the globe.”
Want to learn more about technological innovation and Africa? Stay tuned for the Holiday 2010 issue of World Ark magazine, where you'll read “Can You Hear Us Now? Why Technology Is Africa’s Latest, Greatest Poverty Fighter,” by Frank Bures.
Posted by
Casey
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Monday, August 30, 2010
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by Kirk Bergstrom
The Story of Your Food
Do you ever stop and wonder: What's the story of my food? Where did it come from, and how did it get to me? If so, we invite you to join actress Cameron Diaz, best-selling author Michael Pollan, healthy food advocate Anna Lappé, chef Jamie Oliver, and others in exploring these timely questions.
This group has contributed their talents to Nourish, a national educational initiative designed to open a meaningful conversation about food and sustainability. To inform and inspire, Nourish combines a public television special, a collection of short films, web content, and learning tools. With a distinctly positive vision, Nourish celebrates both food and community. Learn more at www.nourishlife.org.
In this first video post, watch the cinematic opening of the Nourish film and hear Cameron Diaz set the stage for the one of the biggest stories of our time.
What’s Coming?
In the coming weeks, the Heifer blog will post selections from the Nourish Video Encyclopedia, a collection of 2-3 minute short films on topics such as Why Eat Local?, Edible Education, Supermarket Secrets, and Urban Farms.
In late October and November, 2010, look for the Nourish: Food + Community television special on your local PBS station. This award-winning half-hour program traces our relationship to food from a global perspective to personal action steps.
If you’re an educator, a Nourish middle school curriculum guide will be available in October 2010. And if you’re a non-profit leader, active congregation member, or good food advocate, Nourish will offer tool kits for organizing community screenings and conversations.
Be part of the food revolution. Nourish yourself. Nourish the world.
Kirk Bergstrom is the founder and executive director of WorldLink, a non-profit organization dedicated to education for sustainability.Nourish is a program of WorldLink, and Heifer International is a sponsor of the Nourish initiative.
Posted by
Jaman
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Friday, August 27, 2010
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In a recent blog post about the growing number of chronically hungry in the world, I mentioned the rise in commodity prices from 2006 to 2008 as one culprit. Those spiking commodity prices also effected consumer food prices in the U.S., which rose sharply in 2007 and 2008.
Commodity futures have again been on the rise, as rising production costs suggested an impending increase in prices for consumers. The USDA was forecasting a 1.5-2.5 percent rise in food prices for consumers, but a new estimation lowers it to 0.5-1.5 percent, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch. The announcement also quells fears of food inflation. (The predictions were not so rosy earlier this year.)
While the USDA's forecast means we can continue to expect low prices at the grocery store, prices for some foods will increase more than the average:
"Consumers can expect to pay more for meat at the store. ... In addition, prices for sugar and sweets could be up as much as 3%, dairy products up to 2.5%, and cereals and bakery products as much as 2%, the USDA reported."
Posted by
Austin Bailey, World Ark senior editor
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Thursday, August 26, 2010
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What animal kills more people than any other? If you've vacationed anywhere that requires those dizziness-inducing anti-malarials lately, you probably already know. Pesky mosquitoes are far more than just pesky. For the million people each year who succumb to malaria, they're deadly.
Writer Constance Casey cozies up to the tiny assassins today in an article in Slate, where she offers the gloomy stat that most deaths from malaria occur in children under 5. But she's also a mosquito apologist of sorts, pointing out that most mosquitoes don't bite people, and the detestable bugs are an important part of the food chain. Good points, but I'll still swat any potential bloodsuckers coming my way.
When traveling to areas where malaria strikes, I'm always struck by how nonchalant survivors of the disease can be. A friend in Senegal brushed off my worries about what could happen to him when the rainy season started up and the mosquitoes came out in full force. "Oh yeah, I've had malaria lots of times," he told me, shrugging his shoulders like it was no big deal. I suppose that attitude makes sense considering that there's a limit to how much people in malaria-endemic areas can do to keep themselves safe, and living in a perpetual state of panic isn't going to help anything.
One problem is that poor people are far more vulnerable to malaria. Their houses often lack screens to keep the bugs out, and they're far more likely to have to work outdoors where they're vulnerable to bites. The poor are also less likely to seek treatment in time because visits to the hospital can be prohibitively expensive.
It's frustrating to think that humans have been battling this tiny opponent for centuries and the victory is not yet ours. In the spirit of knowing your enemy, give Casey's article a read.
Posted by
Jaman
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Thursday, August 26, 2010
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Any guess as to what this man from a Heifer project in southern Mexico is doing? Leave your guess and check back Friday morning for the answer.
UPDATE: In the photo below, Neftali Guellen is wetting down mushroom "logs"—blocks of organic waste material like corncobs and coffee pulp inoculated with mushroom spores. After several weeks, edible mushrooms sprout from the surface, which Guellen harvests and sells from his home. It's just one part of a Heifer project in the coffee-growing communities of Chiapas that is trying to alleviate seasonal hunger and poverty during the "thin months" between coffee harvests.
"For those who want to become more engaged in hunger and poverty work, educational travel can be an invaluable tool. 'Nothing beats face-to-face interaction if you want to learn about an issue, a community or an organization,' said Nancy McGehee, a sociologist at Virginia Tech who studies volunteer tourism. 'All the Web surfing, social networking and YouTube videos in the world cannot come close to the actual person-to-person experience.' "
Heifer’s mission is to end hunger and poverty while caring for the earth. Since 1944, Heifer International has provided livestock and environmentally sound agricultural training to improve the lives of those who struggle daily for reliable sources of food and income. Heifer is currently working in 50 countries, including the U.S., to help families and communities become more self-reliant.
For more information, visit www.heifer.org or call 1-800-696-1918.
