In this issue, we celebrate spring’s approach with stories of Renewal, Hope and Hard Work. With the thrilling transition in Washington, we have seen signals that business as usual may change. Agriculture is at a crossroads. Perhaps as a nation we will now begin to promote healthy food, social equity and environmental regeneration with wise investments and sustainable policies. Fundamental to this change must be a loosening of the hold that Monsanto and other multinationals exercise on food and agricultural policy.
We are hopeful because we know that the architects and builders of the fair, healthy and green food and farming systems we need are already hard at work in fields, orchards, forests and markets across North America and around the world. It is incumbent on us to do everything we can to catalyze support for their work and their harvest.
-- Kathryn Gilje, Executive Director
First Word
In this issue, we celebrate spring’s approach with stories of Renewal, Hope and Hard Work. With the thrilling transition in Washington, we have seen signals that business as usual may change. Agriculture is at a crossroads.
News
Solutions
Swanton's Berries: Sweet, Organic & Visonary
In 1987, Swanton’s, a member of the National Family Farm Coalition, became the California’s first strawberry farm to
be certified organic.
The Silent Suburban War
Each April, as the dandelions rear their yellow heads above suburban lawns, a cloud of pesticides emerges to
eradicate them. In my neighborhood, the war on dandelions begins in the spring; the battles continue all summer
long.
Solutions from our Members
In observance of PAN’s annual international Day of No Pesticides, December 3, we invited our Action Center
members to share their stories about managing “pests” without pesticides.
Help Yourself: Resources for a better world
List of resources for a healthy life.
Stories from the PAN Network
Defending the Family Farm at Home and Abroad
The National Family Farm Coalition (NFFC), comprised of 25 member and advocacy groups, works with family
farmers across the U.S. to promote a more socially just farm and food policy. We envision that “future
generations will thrive when the family farm is an economically viable livelihood supported by environmentally
sustainable and socially diverse, vibrant rural communities.”
Renewal: Hope and Hard Work
Agriculture at the Crossroads
More than 1.4 billion of the world’s people live on less than $1.25 a
day. Most are women. The United Nations estimates that the 2008 spike
in food costs pushed another 100 million to the edge of starvation.
The Rise of the Domestic Fair Trade Movement
In the midst of the worldwide financial industry meltdown, the global
food crisis continues unabated. More than 925 million people—mostly
women and children—are still unable to buy food, despite the fact that
there is enough to go around.
The Politics of Food
Without concerted action, the global food crisis will only deepen
because the problem is systemic and structural.
The Food Gap: Ending Hunger & Income Disparity
Without concerted action, the global food crisis will only deepen
because the problem is systemic and structural.
PAN's Agenda for a New U.S. Administration
Without concerted action, the global food crisis will only deepen
because the problem is systemic and structural.
Slow Money: Feeding the Soil of the Economy
Without concerted action, the global food crisis will only deepen
because the problem is systemic and structural.
Campaigns
No Methyl Iodide for New York
The state of New York has made a very sensible decision,” said PAN Senior Scientist Dr. Susan Kegley. “California should also refuse registration of methyl iodide and instead focus on helping growers farm without fumigants.”
Lindane's Last Stand?
A global lindane ban is finally within reach. In November, scientists from around the world agreed that this
neurotoxic pesticide should be added to the Stockholm Convention’s list of chemicals to be eliminated
worldwide. Governments will make a final decision in May.
Endosulfan Faces Growing Bans around the World
Global opinion continues to turn against this persistent, bioaccumlative neurotoxin. Last year endosulfan jumped the first of several hurdles for inclusion in the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants—where listing would mean an international ban.
Last Word
Chemicals: Our Champions, Our Killers, by Al Meyerhoff
Al Meyerhoff was a prominent environmental lawyer who, during his years as director of Natural Resources
Defense Council’s public health program, collaborated with PAN on a number of pesticide campaigns.
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