FOCUS ON HEALTH: WSAA Health Directorate Update (synopsis)
NEWS IN BRIEF
"Two Years After UNCED" Conference Set for July in US
America's Farmers are Gaining Ground
Australians Look to Future with Sustainable Farming
Special Thanks to Contributing Editors
RESOURCES
Brief Reviews of Publications:
Two Steps Backward, One Step Forward: Cuba
Growing our Future: Food Security and the Environment
Growing Dilemmas: Guatemala, the Environment, Global Economy
Pesticide Problems in Caribbean Basin
FactSheet on Agriculture and the World Bank
FOCUS ON RESEARCH: Working with Nature in Mexico
A WSAA HEALTH DIRECTORATE UPDATE (synopsis)
by Maria Arias-Zeballos, WSAA/Health and Medical Science
Directorate Coordinator
On March 9th, 1994, at the invitation of the Health and
Environment Task Force of the UN NGO Planning Comittee for the
Fourth International Conference on Women, three of WSAA Health
Directorate members, Dr. Kazuo Nitta, Dr. Patrick Madden and Dr.
Bernard Bihari, had the unique opportunity to raise public awareness
with respect to several of WSAA's Health and Medical Science
Directorate goals* at a discussion panel organized by Maria Arias-
Zeballos, co-chair of the Health and Environment Task Force and
WSAA Health Directorate Coordinator. A fourth speaker, Dr. Rosalie
Bertell, also spoke to the well-attended gathering of scientists, local
and international NGO representatives and concerned individuals.
The Health and Environment Task Force has been extremely active in
the preparatory process, which will continue through the 4th UN
Conference on Women in Beijing, China in September of 1995.
Impact on health and well-being
Dr. Kazuo Nitta, Chairman of the WSAA Health Directorate
travelled from Japan to participate as a panelist. He discussed the
damaging residual chemicals and food additives in conventional
foods available at the supermarket, and how the complex
combinations of these chemicals can produce harmful effects in the
body. His presentation also stressed the diverse environmental,
physical and spiritual components influencing health. He presented
a case of atopic dermatitis to illustrate how in particular two of these
factors, the spiritual element, through the practice of Johrei, and
proper nutrition comprised of a diet of natural foods, can be effective
in improving various health disorders.
Women, Health and Environment
Dr. Patrick Madden, Executive Vice President of WSAA, spoke
of the relationship between the environment and women's health,
portraying women at the same time as victims, stewards of the earth
and agents of change. He introduced data on the detrimental effects
of pesticides on farm workers' health, documenting the reported
number of cases of fatal poisonings per year, taking into account the
largely unknown number of toxic poisoning cases both in developed
and developing nations. In discussing the findings of various
scientific studies, his presentation eloquently illustrated the reasons
why pesticides especially affect women. He expressed concern about
the significantly elevated incidences of disease among women
farmers, in particular various types of cancer, infections,
reproductive effects and fetal abnormalities, neuro-toxic effects and
general suppression of immune system function.
A greater need for involvement of women in their role of
activists and agents of change was stressed in order to get at the
cause of these problems, to find alternatives to pesticides and to help
shape policies and institutions effectively. His concluding reference
to American Indian wisdom reminded the audience of our role as
caretakers and stewards of the earth.
Relevant Language Introduced into Draft for Women's Conference
Another noteworthy event for advancing Health Directorate
goals has been the introduction of relevant language in the official
Platform of Action for the Women's Conference (the official document
being drafted by representatives of governments working toward the
Beijing Conference.) Arias-Zeballos was instrumental in including the
need for "Disease Prevention and Health Promotion" in the official
language of the document. She also worked closely with the government
of Papua, New Guinea for inclusion of acceptable language in UN Resolution
L-17 that contains language for risk prevention and health promotion
education to counter the most serious toxic hazards: toxic chemicals
and biological and radioactive contamination, that threaten women's,
men's and planetary health. This resolution, while somewhat
controversial for some governments, is expected to be passed, perhaps
with some modification, at the next UN Preparatory Committee
meeting in March, 1995.
* Eds. Note: The goals of the WSAA Health and Medical Science
Directorate include researching theories and techniques which prevent
and cure illness and promote wellness, with the aim of achieving
improved health in a world in which detrimental aspects of civilization
are harming people at an alarming rate. Addressing the relationship
between wellness and natural, social and living environments is a
priority.
NEWS IN BRIEF
"TWO YEARS AFTER UNCED" CONFERENCE SET FOR JULY IN US
Sustainable food systems will be high on the agenda at the
"Two Years After UNCED -- Exploring Partnerships for Sustainable
Development" Conference in Davenport, Iowa, USA July 20-24, 1994.
It is sponsored by the Citizens Network for Sustainable Development,
the Stanley Foundation, and the Iowa Division UNA-USA. Linking
sustainable agriculture and sustainable development is a key focus
of the gathering, which aims to make the links between grassroots
local initiatives towards sustainability and global policy-making
arenas.
The Citizens Network, established to facilitate U.S. citizen
involvement in the UN Conference on Environment and Development
(Rio Earth Summit), continues to strengthen and expand coalition
building efforts, and provides additional channels to U.S. policy
makers who are required to submit to the United Nations A national
report on progress made since Agenda 21, the 800 page "blueprint
for sustainable development in the 21st century." A workshop on
sustainable agriculture and the 1995 UN Commission on Sustainable
Development, development of a sustainable food systems platform,
and strategizing ways citizens can work with government on the
National Report process to further their own agenda for agricultural
sustainability will be featured. Groups from other countries will also
attend to share their experiences and learn from U.S. efforts.
Contact: WSAA or Sustainable Food Systems Working Group, c/o
Citizens Network for Sustainable Development, 73 Spring Street, New
York, NY 10012; Tel: (718) 622-4314; Fax: (212) 431-4427;
Email: klawrence@igc.apc.org
AMERICA'S FARMERS ARE GAINING GROUND
Paul W. Johnson, chief of USDA's Soil Conservation Service,
announced recently that "agriculture is well on its way in carrying
out the most intensive conservation effort ever undertaken on
private lands." A status review of the conservation plans for
America's most highly erodible cropland are being carried out on
schedule, and USDA's Soil Conservation Service has found that fifty
percent of these plans have already been fully implemented.
The U.S. Congress legislated a conservation provision in the
Food Security Act of 1985, which linked soil conservation to farm
program benefits for the first time. Under the law, producers need
to have their plans fully implemented by December 31, 1994 to stay
eligible for USDA program benefits.
It is expected that erosion on the most highly erodible lands
will be reduced by about 66 percent going from an estimated
national average of 17.5 tons per acre in 1985 to 6 tons per acre
annually by the end of 1994. Benefits include reduced damage
by soil erosion to water and air quality, enhancement of wildlife
habitat, and protection of the long-term productivity of America's
most vulnerable cropland.
Source: USDA This Week - Natural Resources and Environment
Edition, Office of Communications. Contact: Diana Morse at the Soil
Conservation Service; Tel: (202) 720-4772
AUSTRALIANS LOOK TO FUTURE WITH SUSTAINABLE FARMING
Over 200 people attended "Environmental Agriculture Towards
2000" (ISEAT 2000), a highly successful hands on working symposium
held in Queensland, Australia June 5-8, 1994 to "share issues and
concerns, to learn, network and to find answers." WSAA joined with
Griffith University, Greening Australia, Queensland Department of
Primary Industries, Biological Farmers of Australia (BFA), Australian
Cane Farmers Association (ACFA), Horticultural Research and
Development Corporation (HRDC) and several Rotary Clubs from across
Australia to host the conference. An organizing committee from these
groups and others worked to insure broad participation. Sponsorship
of young farming couples by Rotary International, interest by many
producer groups and strong media coverage insured a stimulating
conference which has already sparked follow-up efforts as both rural
and urban Australians tackle the task of sustaining both producers
and the land.
Proceedings are available from Paul Saffigna, Griffith University,
Tel: 61 7 875 7492; Fax: 61 7 875 5282. An electronic computer
conference has been set up for the Australian Media and Communications
Group of WSAA, the Sustainable Agriculture Network Media Chat
(san.media.chat) on the Pegasus Network of the Association for Progressive
Communications (APC). Contact Sabina Douglas-Hill, Fax: 61 6 281 8590;
email: sanmedia@peg.apc.org; or Geoff Wilson, Fax: 61 7 849 2247.
Special Thanks to Contributing Editors Mark Ellis and Kim
Bumgarner
The review of resources on Central America and Focus on
Research for this issue was done by Mark Ellis, contributing editor
to the WSAA Newsletter. Mark has four years international
experience promoting grass-roots sustainable agricultural
development and resource management in West Africa and two
years Peace Corps service in Guatemala. Fluent in French and
Spanish, his background includes base-line data collection, proposal
writing, cooperative group formation and training, and grassroots
project management.
Kim Bumgarner also contributed a great deal to this issue
of the WSAA Newsletter. A specialist in population and development
issues, Kim brings her expertise to both the newsletter and the
WSAA Resource Center on Sustainable Agriculture. She recently
reviewed over 30 international sustainable agriculture resources for
WSAA's contribution to the Showcase of Sustainable Agriculture
Information and Educational Materials, sponsored by the Sustainable
Agriculture Network (SAN), a consortium of universities,
government, business and non-profit organizations in the United
States dedicated to information exchange. For further information
about the Showcase, contact Gabriel Hegyes, c/o Alternative Farming
Systems Information Center (AFSIC), Room 111, National Agricultural
Library, 10301 Baltimore Blvd., Beltsville, MD, USA 20705-2351;
Tel: (301) 504-6425; Fax: (301) 504-6409; Email (Internet):
ghegyes@nalusda.gov
Editors' Note: The WSAA Newsletter, expanded from four pages to
twelve, is now being produced quarterly. Please contact the
Washington Office with comments, suggestions, and/or ideas about
what information would be most useful to you. For subscriptions
and/or change of address, contact the Office of the Executive Director
in Los Angeles (addresses are elsewhere in this issue.) Subscriptions
are US$18/year. People's organizations, NGOs and interested others
working in sustainable agriculture are invited to exchange
newsletters. Please send them to Washington where they will be
included in our small but growing Resource Center. Thank you for
your work, your encouragement, and your interest in sustainable
agriculture.
RESOURCES
Publications
TWO STEPS BACKWARD, ONE STEP FORWARD: CUBA'S
NATIONWIDE EXPERIMENT WITH ORGANIC AGRICULTURE
Reviewed by Roger Blobaum
A new report by an international scientific delegation
concludes that Cuba is "undergoing what is essentially the largest
conversion from conventional agriculture to organic or semi-organic
farming that the world has ever known." The report was prepared
by members of a fact-finding mission headed by Peter Rosset,
Stanford University entomologist and agricultural ecologist. The 20-
member delegation, which spent 10 days in Cuba last November,
concluded that the new direction is based on the Low Input
Sustainable Agriculture (LISA) approach being demonstrated in the
United States.
A new approach was dictated by necessiYy. Before the collapse
of its favorable trade relationship with Soviet bloc nations at the end
of the 1980s, Cuba was importing all of the oil it needed, much of its
machinery, most of its farm chemicals, and more than half its food.
In 1990, oil imports were drastically cut, pesticide imports dropped
more than 60 percent, fertilizer imports fell 77 percent, and food
imports were cut in half.
A Dual Challenge: Double Food Production and Halve Inputs
"Suddenly, an agricultural system almost as modern and
industrialized as that of California was faced with a dual challenge:
the need to essentially double food production while more than
halving inputs," the delegation reported. "At the same time it had to
maintain export crop production to avoid further erosion of the
country's desperate foreign exchange position."
The delegation reported that Cuba, with 11 percent of Latin
America's scientists and a well-developed research infrastructure,
was in a unique position to move its agriculture in an entirely new
direction. "Luckily, an 'alternative agriculture' movement had taken
hold among Cuban researchers as early as 1982, and many promising
but relatively unused research results were available for immediate
and widespread implementation," the delegation noted. "Cuban
scientists were also able to rapidly switch the bulk of their new
research in the same new direction."
New Approach in Cuba Replacing Unsustainable Practices
The new approach is replacing dependence on heavy farm
machinery and on oil and chemical inputs with animal traction, crop
and pasture rotations, soil conservation, organic soil amendments,
biological pest control, and microbial fertilizers and pesticides that
are non-toxic to humans. Members of the delegation included two
geographers from the University of California at Los Angeles, an
entomologist and a soil scientist from the University of California at
Berkeley, two ecologists and an entomologist from the University of
Michigan, and a plant pathologist from the U.S. Department of
Agriculture.
Copies of Two Steps Backward, One Step Forward: Cuba's
Nationwide Experiment with Organic Agriculture are available for
$8.95 plus $1.50 postage and handling from Global Exchange, 2017
Mission St., Rm. 303, San Francisco, CA 94110, USA.
GROWING OUR FUTURE: FOOD SECURITY AND THE
ENVIRONMENT. Edited by Katie Smith and Tetsunao Yamamori,
this book presents eight papers and six case studies given at an
Arizona State University symposium in November, 1991. Preceding
the United Nations' 1992 Earth Summit in Rio, the meeting attracted
over 100 conservationists, agriculturalists and resource managers
from around the world to discuss people powered initiatives for
sustainable development.
Papers presented address important development topics,
including a debate of growth versus development, strategies for
spreading development messages, a framework for strengthening
and encouraging grassroots NGO involvement, and a model based
on the Navajo belief of development as a circle including family,
environment, economics and spiritual life.
Case studies representing grassroots and institutional efforts
offer examples of the range of responses to the challenges of
alleviating hunger and poverty while preserving Earth's
environmental integrity. Of particular interest to activists in
sustainable agriculture is an essay by Atherton Martin, former
Minister of Agriculture of the Caribbean nation of Dominica and
former general secretary of the Dominican Farmers Union, "People-
Centered Development, Democracy and the Environment -- Towards
a Sustainable Development Alternative Through the Transformation
of Agriculture." He notes that "the very technologies and systems of
modern agriculture, which were heralded as the means for resolving
the problems of hunger and satisfying the demands of international
trade, have contributed to the degradation of soils and pollution of
the water systems so essential to sustain agricultural production."
Published by Kumarian Press, Inc., 630 Oakwood Avenue,
Suite 119, West Hartford, Connecticut 06110-1529. US$19.95
paperback, 172 pp. Order toll free in the U.S. by credit card Tel:
1-800-289-2664; Inquiries: (203) 953-0214; Fax: (203) 953-8579.
GROWING DILEMMAS: GUATEMALA, THE ENVIRONMENT,
AND THE GLOBAL ECONOMY. A joint publication of AVANCSO
(Asociacion para el Avance de las Ciencias Sociales en Guatemala) and
PACCA (Policy Alternatives for the Caribbean and Central America)
examines a part of the New Global Economy from the perspective of
Guatemala's indigenous majority by explaining the social, economic
and ecological impacts of adopting a nontraditional agricultural
export strategy. It demonstrates how many factors (diminishing
land availability, a need for foreign capital, falling grain prices,
multilateral aid agency policies) have forced farmers to grow
nontraditional crops, highlights the problems created by their
cultivation, and proposes alternative strategies to be implemented at
the local, national and international level to "address some of the
problems of inequity and ecological damage that characterize the
new global economy." Nominal cost. Contact the Documentation
Exchange, PO Box 2327, Austin, Texas 78768, (512) 476-9841, or
PACCA, Suite 2, 1506, 19th St. NW, Washington, DC 20036, (202)
332-6333.
RECURRING CONTRADICTIONS IN AGRARIAN DEVELOPMENT:
PESTICIDE PROBLEMS IN CARIBBEAN BASIN
NONTRADITIONAL AGRICULTURE. This paper by Douglas L.
Murray, Stanford University, and Polly Hoppin, World Wildlife Fund,
chronicles the introduction of nontraditional agricultural export
crops, and their subsequent pesticide dependency growth, into the
Caribbean basin by presenting two country case studies - Guatemala
and the Dominican Republic. It details the causes and effects of
increased pesticide use, including residue problems, upsurges in
secondary pests, and the mechanisms by which the involvement of
large national and transnational firms tends to marginalize small
holder-independent farmers. The authors propose that fundamental
changes in U.S development policies may be necessary to insure
economic growth with equity at the local level. The article was
published in World Development, Vol. 20, No. 4, pp. 587-608, 1992,
and is also available through Polly Hoppin, WWF, 1250 24th Street
NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC 20037-1175.
FACTSHEET ON AGRICULTURE AND THE WORLD BANK
"Food for Thought: Agriculture and the World Bank,"
a 2-page Environment/Factsheet that describes the impact of
past lending policies on agriculture, and suggests alternative
approaches to be used when designing agricultural projects in the
future. The Factsheet is part of a series produced for the World
Bank/IMF 50 Years is Enough US Campaign. Others include "Water
& the World Bank," "A Clear Cut Above" (Forestry) and "A Matter
of Power: Energy and the World Bank."
Contact WSAA Washington or the Campaign, 1025 Vermont
Avenue, NW, Ste 300,Washington, D.C. 20005.
FOCUS ON RESEARCH
WORKING WITH NATURE IN MEXICO
There is a growing tendency among some of Mexico's farmers
to "go natural." This trend is resulting in a lowered dependence on
chemical fertilizers and pesticides, while increasing farmers'
knowledge and capacity to effectively grow crops and conserve and
enrich their soil. The Fundacion-Centro Internacional de
Investigacion y Desarrollo de la Agricultura Natural, in a project
promoted by WSAA, is one organization experimenting with, and
adapting, methodologies promoted by the proponents of Natural
Agriculture.
Using a forest floor as an example of how a thin layer of rich
soil, through a constant recycling of nutrients, can support large
amounts of luxuriant growth, the group became convinced of the
benefits of the natural recycling processes of nature. And they have
begun to incorporate these processes into their agricultural activities.
Adding mulch and compost is a relatively easy way to provide many
benefits to the soil. It protects the soil surface from wind and water
erosion, and helps maintain soil humidity. Decomposed material
adds organic matter to the soil providing nutrients for plants and
stimulating the growth of beneficial microorganisms. It also reduces
temperature fluctuations in the soil, deters weed growth, and makes
the soil porous, promoting good drainage and root growth. Crop
rotation schemes are a traditonal way of maintaining soil fertility as
well as reducing crop and soil pests, and are an important component
of the Natural Agriculture methods being used.
Crop selections should include varieties producing large
amounts of organic matter that can be easily incorporated into the
soil to improve its physical properties. The use of green manures is
an effective way of increasing nitrogen and potassium levels on lands
that are too large to viably utilize compost. These cultivars, such as
tropical legumes, peas, clover, alfalfa, etc., should be included in the
crop rotation scheme. The roots of these plants normally grow much
deeper that typical crops, contributing to the physical improvement
of the soil. Care must be taken, however, to properly incorporate
these materials into the soil to insure decomposition and eliminate
competition with the next crop.
The control of diseases, insects and weeds by the Nature
Farming method should be done with products or activities that do
not contaminate or degrade the natural environment of the soil. To
this end, the group is experimenting with physical and cultural
methods to minimize their crop losses. These methods include:
incorporating only decomposed organic matter into the soil to avoid
the production of organic acids and ammonia that can damage plant
roots; coordinating planting activities to coincide with times of least
pest risk; incorporating plants that have a symbiotic effect in
repelling plant pests; using pathogen free seeds; promoting or
introducing natural pest enemies; the use of color and light traps to
capture insects; and nets to keep insects off crops. They are also
experimenting with a variety of liquid repellants and attractants
made from extracts of local plants combined with vinegar, alcohol
and fermented sugar byproducts, and with pheromones.
Eds. Note: This edited translation by Mark Ellis of "Fundamentos de
las Practicas Agricolas de la Agricultura Natural" is based on the
work of the Fundacion-Centro Internacional de Investigacion y
Desarrollo de la Agricultura Natural. The farm manager of the
project described, located about 2 hours from Mexico City, is Mr.
Jesus Araneo Torres. For further information, contact WSAA/MOA
Mexico at San Francisco 326-101, Col. del Valle, CP 03100 Mexico DF;
Tel: (525) 682-6695; or (525) 669-0444.