Salzburg: How does it feel to live in a postcard?

Almost Organic...

"Walk down the aisles of any Whole Foods Market (WFM) or browse the wholesale catalogue of industry giant United Natural Foods (UNFI) and look closely. What do you see? Row after row of attractively displayed, but mostly non-organic “natural” (i.e. conventional) foods and products. By marketing sleight of hand, these conventional foods, vitamins, private label “365” items, and personal care products become “natural” or “almost organic” (and overpriced) in the Whole Foods setting. The overwhelming majority of WFM products, even their best-selling private label, “365” house brand, are not organic, but rather the products of chemical-intensive and energy-intensive farm and food production factories. Test these so-called natural products in a lab and what will you find: pesticide residues, Genetically Modified Organisms, and a long list of problematic and/or carcinogenic synthetic chemicals and additives. Trace these products back to the farm or factory and what will you find: climate destabilizing chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, herbicides, and sewage sludge—not to mention exploited farm workers and workers in the food processing industry. Of course there are many products in WFM (and in UNFI’s catalogue} that bear the label “USDA Organic.” But the overwhelming majority of their products, even their best selling private label, “365,” are not. " (Thanks Daniel)

Rich food

"After much food for thought, the documentary closes with prescriptions ranging from buying produce in season and eating organic to changing school meals and writing to political representatives. While good in intention, the list falls short of addressing the main problem of the working class: that of getting a head of broccoli on the dinner plate in an affordable way. In lacking this dimension it falls prey to the prevailing criticism it set out to defeat: that the food debate is open only to the better-off. "

Wipe-O

"In its free trade agreement with the United States, Peru ignores the Andean Community trade bloc agreement regarding the protection of traditional knowledge, said Argumedo. This bilateral agreement opens the door to bioprospecting by U.S. companies and the growing of genetically engineered crops, which Argumedo says have the potential to "destroy the richness of our landscapes." According to Pimbert, even if WIPO were to establish rules favourable to indigenous knowledge, the United States, Canada and European Union will happily bypass them. At the same time, traditional knowledge and customary rules are not frozen in time, but are highly dynamic and incorporate new ideas and concepts such as human rights on their own terms, he said. "What we have here (at WIPO) is a huge clash of values," Pimbert said. "

http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=47544

Ilegal

"The Jordanian government said Sunday that a sit-in against the import of Israeli agricultural products was forceably dispersed because had not obtained a proper protest license. "The sit-in was illegal because the participants did not obtain a prior license in compliance with the law," Minister of State for Information Affairs and Communication Nabil Sharif said in a statement. "

Diet siege

"The security company also dictates the quantity of items allowed:
Five pitas,
one container of hummus and canned tuna,
one small bottle or can of beverage,
one or two slices of cheese,
a few spoonfuls of sugar,
and 5 to 10 olives. The exact amount depends on the mood of the Israeli guard, but its important that the Palestinian not try to cross with less than 5 olives.
Workers are also not allowed to carry cooking utensils and work tools.This is just cultural sensitivity, because Arabs like to eat with their hands. "

From the indispensable Kabobfest (Thanks Marcy)

Austria

Off for rainy Salzburg to attend a seminar. Back on the 16th, but I'll try to blog from there...

Alternatives?

"The association Land and People aids in managing field crops in a scientific and practical manner, to minimize the production cost without changing the quality of the crop. They work with farmers in citrus, banana or vegetable production, or even alternative crops such as thyme.

“We are working on finding alternative crops for tobacco, in order to help Lebanese farmers who are struggling due to the increase of input cost, decrease in water availability, labor and absence of markets,” says local engineer and farmer Khalil Oleik who created the Land and People Association along with Dr. Rami Zurayk after the 2006 July war.

“We help the farmers by allowing them to use these facilities, providing them markets and advertising to sell their products.”

In addition, they fund alternative crops to tobacco, in order to help Lebanese farmers struggling to survive the increase of the input cost, decrease in water availability and labor and absence of markets.

Thyme is one of the crops Land and People works to support to ensure its cultivation. "

By Simba Russeau for Menassat

http://www.menassat.com/?q=en/news-articles/6807-arab-media-and-environment

Badael-Alternatives

Plans to enhance Arab food security are good because they allow local people to liberate themselves from the control of the 4 mega corporation that deal with food trade. But if this means that they will need to purchase seeds and agrochemical from the 5 mega corporations that deal with agribusiness, I'm not sure they're going to be better off. This was the message of my editorial today in al akhbar. Rameh Hamiyyeh wrote about the watermelon farmers of the North Bekaa who have to buy improved varieties at high cost, which means that small farmers have gone out of business and only large operators have prevailed. And Muhammad Muhsin wrote about the lure of summer fruits and the misconception that eating fruits make you thin.

I love this article by Madeleine Bunting

"There is one school of thought which claims that it's best to forget Westminster, given its miserable failures to regulate itself or the City. Political parties are charades operating antediluvian parliamentary systems; the best chance of renewal is in the myriad of community organising across the country. It's become almost de rigueur to genuflect at the potential of the grassroots. The argument runs that this will gather strength and organisational capacity, and eventually feed back a reformed politics to the centre.

It sounds authentic and impeccably democratic, but the communitarianism cited, while admirable and transformational to those involved, offers frail green shoots. Compass, London Citizens or Transition are all inspirational initiatives, but they are tiny. Their growth is hard won and vulnerable to setbacks. Though I would be happy to be proved wrong, they seem to be more a measure of our desperation with mainstream politics than a credible politics of renewal."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/jun/28/society-values-morality-political-vision

Obama to help poor farmers (and maybe some mega-agribusinesses?)

"This aid package effectively recognizes the growing consensus among philanthropists, economists and African governments that efforts to reduce poverty on the continent are probably doomed without far greater investment in agriculture. While aid to educate the poor and keep them healthy is critical, so is helping millions of farmers grow more food and earn some income.

Mr. Obama, who has made improving the productivity of farmers in the developing world a top priority since taking office, lobbied other world leaders to join him in backing this venture during telephone conversations in recent weeks. Leaders from Italy and Japan, among others, also took the lead in forging a consensus. The resulting commitments, to be unveiled Friday, may be among the most tangible achievements of his first summit meeting with the Group of 8 powers, here in L’Aquila."

My concern is that these ventures may rely on the introduction of new agricultural technologies produced by big agribusinesses. What a market! 15 Billion $!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/world/europe/09food.html?emc=eta1

I'm in cafe Younes

"Drinking five cups of coffee a day could reverse memory problems seen in Alzheimer's disease, US scientists say." (Thanks Muna)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8132122.stm

Organic classroom

"While other college students are in stuffy classrooms, about a dozen are earning credit tending a Vermont farm. For 13 weeks, 12 credits and about $12,500, the Green Mountain College students plow fields with oxen or horses, milk cows, weed crops and grow and make their own food, part of an intensive course in sustainable agriculture using the least amount of fossil fuels."

Street farmer

"Like others in the so-called good-food movement, Allen, who is 60, asserts that our industrial food system is depleting soil, poisoning water, gobbling fossil fuels and stuffing us with bad calories. Like others, he advocates eating locally grown food. But to Allen, local doesn’t mean a rolling pasture or even a suburban garden: it means 14 greenhouses crammed onto two acres in a working-class neighborhood on Milwaukee’s northwest side, less than half a mile from the city’s largest public-housing project." Thanks D. and Bessma

My friend Istfan does even better: he plants the streets and the side walks.

Land grab

Land Grab conference in the Wilson Institute (Thanks Nadim)

Joyeux Bordel

An article by my friend Dima Sharif in Al Akhbar about Pierre Bourdieu, who wrote a lot about food, farming and rural society in Algeria (among many many other things).

Liberez, messieurs, liberez...

The World protects its food production and Lebanon pushes towards more liberalization

La confiance regne

"Despite well-defined certification standards, organic products are among those that consumers distrust; 31 percent of respondents said ‘100 percent natural’ is the most desirable eco-friendly product label claim, compared to 14 percent who chose ‘100 percent organic’. "

The Khudarji Report 05: 4/07/09

'Inab ahmar (red grapes) have arrived, as have 'inab sghir (miniature green grapes); both are baladeh and are at 5,000 LL/kilo.

Somalian bananas are currently from Ecuador and carry the Chiquita label.

The mahal acts as a waystation for electric bills, mail, and cassette tapes shared by maids. It is also a reception area for the neighborhood, with most deliveries on motorbike stopping here first to ask directions.

Peas are at 3,000 LL/kilo. Baqleh (purslane) has gone up to 1,000 LL/bunch.
karaz ahmar (red cherries) are at 6,000 LL/kilo; karaz aswad (black cherries) are at 5,000 LL/kilo.

Valencia oranges are in the market.

Ideally three are required to run the shop; one to man the store, one to help in the store and make deliveries, and one to shop the souq. To get the best produce means going to the souq at 1:00 a.m. This shop manages to run with just two men.

The souq merchants give out stickers to place on fruit once in the market; the word "king" predominates, as in "King of Lebanese watermelon". This has become a standing joke in the neighborhood; I have been dubbed "King of onions" based on the task of removing excess peel, root, and sprouts when adding onions to the bin.

Red nectarines (with orange flesh) have replaced the red and yellow variety.

The Khudarji Report, by Zayd, reflects conditions unique to a neighborhood in central Beirut; the status at your local mahal al-khudra will most likely vary.

Marach ino

I went to Little Aleppo again yesterday (Marach Street in Burj Hammoud) and here's what I found:

A strange small vegetable, a cucurbit which seems to be a mix of watermelon and snake cucumber (mu'ti) called `ajour. There are 2 kinds in the picture, a dark green with lines (center) and a smaller, paler kind. They are eaten in salad like cucumbers or mu'ti. I tried them and they're good. In the back of the picture are clusters of unripe grapes called husrom, eaten sour or used to make a sour juice for salad dressing and cooking.

I also found these tiny sour tasting wild cherries. They are used for making a cherry sauce for the famous Halabi Kebab or for jams. I sampled the jam: that's how cherry jam should taste.

Both `ajour and the sour cherries are imported from Aleppo.