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Arabica Robusta

Africans Face Competing Visions of Agricultural Development at a Critical Juncture | Fo... - 6 views

  • While it is not surprising that the IFIs mediate the global economy, often brutally, in favor of the OECD countries-the flip side would be to engage in development activities as if these global imbalances did not exist. This seems to be the Earth Institute's perspective. Their website describes their program as bringing the benefits of scientific expertise of "850 scientists, postdoctoral fellows, staff and students working in and across more than 30 Columbia University research centers" to solve "real world problems." The Earth Institute believes "finding solutions to one problem, such as extreme poverty, must involve tackling other related challenges, such as environmental degradation and lack of access to health care and education."
    • Arabica Robusta
       
      Good critique of the Earth Institute: "engage in development activities as if ... global imbalances did not exist."
  • The IFIs' fixation on macroeconomic indicators leads to the misguided belief that bumping up countries' GDPs will help poor Africans by way of some mythological trickle-down effect that has yet to materialize. This metric has led, among other things, to an inexorable push in Africa for large scale industrial agriculture for export markets, while leaving the peasant farmers who produce most of the food consumed by Africans out of the equation. The aid regime has thus done more to open Africa's agricultural resources for exploitation than to mitigate the roots of poverty and hunger in Africa.
  • It is not difficult to succeed when one has a lot of money and one defines success as eradicating poverty in individual villages.
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • The villagers in Sauri are understandably happy with the results, but off the record they have criticized the non-inclusiveness of the top-down approach.[i] UN officials and scientists have also been reluctant to speak against Sachs on the record for fear of retribution.
  • The Millennium Villages siphon off money better spent elsewhere, and draw attention away from creative, grassroots approaches to local problems. Long-term solutions require sustainable low-tech methods that farmers can control, such as permaculture, seed banks, and green manure; as well as redistributive land reform and marketing boards to provide some security.
  • Millennium Challenge Corporation (no direct relation to the Millennium Villages project). Created in 2004, the MCC is a U.S. Government aid organization that has spent $5.5 billion since 2004 awarding contracts to private businesses in target countries. The MCC's focus on raising the overall GDP is being pursued with the same failed policies as the IFIs: aggressive privatization, foreign direct investment (predatory capital), and global integration.  One of the more contentious aspects for small farmers are land grabs by foreign investors, facilitated via MCC contracts for "Systematic Land Regularization and Improvement of Rural Land Allocation." A recent report by GRAIN reveals that the MCC has been using "Land Regularization" to change land ownership rules and gain access to tens of thousands of acres of land in three of the ECOWAS countries: Benin, Ghana, and Mali.
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    Good critique of Earth Institute
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Barbara Smith

The Health Service That You Truly Deserve - 1 views

I have been suffering from my migraine for several years already. The medicines which I used only gave me temporary relief but did not really solve my problem. I was already hopeless thinking that ...

started by Barbara Smith on 10 Oct 12 no follow-up yet
Shaun William

Availability Of Quick Cash Payday Loans Canada Schemes Arranged! - Video Dailymotion - 0 views

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    @www.onlinepaydayloansottawa.ca Canada is a beautiful and large country with millions of working inhabitants and populations. Suddenly they are suffering from financial problems mid in the month, then are you looking for funds in the same day. Quick Cash Payday Loans Canada is the right schemes to offer best and reliable cash aid without any hassle…
opinions1 opinions1

billiga polo ralph lauren skjorta Men - 0 views

När Laias bror tas tillfånga söker hon upp motståndsrörelsen och nästlar sig in i militärskolan för att rädda honom. När hennes väg möter Elias tänds en gnista som är farlig - inte bara för de själ...

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started by opinions1 opinions1 on 27 Jul 16 no follow-up yet
Owen Avery

Tips That Help To Choose Right Option From Packed Loan Market! - 0 views

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    Before you sign the loan agreement it is important that you carefully check the final terms and conditions. This will assist you to get the suited and reasonable service that won't create problem in future. Do keep in mind these simple tips to find and opt the Bad Credit Loans that matches your situation completely and provide you positive lending experience.
Meredith Blige

Effective Solution to Snoring Problem - 1 views

I have been snoring for almost a year now and my wife is constantly complaining about it. Since I cannot point out the exact reason that causes this problem, I went to our resident doctor for consu...

sleep apnea symptoms

started by Meredith Blige on 15 Dec 11 no follow-up yet
Ciara Usher

Effective Solution to Snoring Problem - 1 views

I have been snoring for almost a year now and my wife is constantly complaining about it. Since I cannot point out the exact reason that causes this problem, I went to our resident doctor for consu...

sleep apnea symptoms

started by Ciara Usher on 17 Nov 11 no follow-up yet
eco20-20

Energy Engineer - 0 views

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    Energy engineering usually refers to a mixture of engineering disciplines, such as electrical and mechanical engineering, in such a way as to work on the problems of collecting and using energy resources to meet our needs.
Energy Net

Scientist Invents Truly Green Battery - Chlorophyll Green, That Is | greenUPGRADER - 0 views

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    The problem with batteries is that they often contain toxic chemicals that can leach out into the environment. But what if the chemicals were completely natural? Professor Chungpin Liao and researchers at Coherent Control Laboratory in Taiwan are thinking in that direction. They have invented an organic battery powered by chlorophyll - the green-colored photosynthetic pigments found in most plant life.
Energy Net

GreenTech: Cool Projects to Save the Planet - LIME - 0 views

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    The designers, engineers, and others tackling the environmental problems we face never cease to come up with amazingly imaginative ideas. Here are some of our favorite recent projects:
Energy Net

Peak Energy: Better Wind Turbines - 0 views

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    Technology Review has an article on advances in wind turbine technology - Better Wind Turbines. ExRo Technologies, a startup based in Vancouver, BC, has developed a new kind of generator that's well suited to harvesting energy from wind. It could lower the cost of wind turbines while increasing their power output by 50 percent. The new generator runs efficiently over a wider range of conditions than conventional generators do. When the shaft running through an ordinary generator is turning at the optimal rate, more than 90 percent of its energy can be converted into electricity. But if it speeds up or slows down, the generator's efficiency drops dramatically. This isn't a problem in conventional power plants, where the turbines turn at a steady rate, fed by a constant supply of energy from coal or some other fuel. But wind speed can vary wildly. Turbine blades that change pitch to catch more or less wind can help, as can transmissions that mediate between the spinning blades and the generator shaft. But transmissions add both manufacturing and maintenance costs, and there's a limit to how much changing the blade angle can compensate for changing winds.
Energy Net

Newsvine - Climate Change & Australia's water problem... - 0 views

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    Australia is the dryest nation on earth, always was always will be, the trouble is Global warming is making the situation worse and rainfall is reducing in a disturbing pattern. For two centuries since European settlement the States have fought over 'Water-Right's' and the use of water to the detriment of the environment and ultimately to the sustainability of everyone residing here. The Murray-Darling Basin is 3,370km long, drains one-seventh of the Australian land mass, and is currently by far the most significant agricultural area in Australia. The name of the basin is derived from its two major rivers, the Murray River and the Darling River.
Energy Net

Public Opinion Snapshot: Voters Want Renewable Energy, Not Drilling - 0 views

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    The current energy crisis has made American voters look more favorably on a wide range of ideas that can be used to deal with our energy problems. But voters don't favor all of these ideas equally; they have clear views on which approaches they think will work best. Consider these data from a recent Quinnipiac University poll of voters in four key swing states: Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.
Energy Net

Peak Oil: Association for the Study of Peak Oil & Gas - USA - Ignoring the Elephant in ... - 0 views

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    The disconnect between peak oil concerns and the presidential race is almost total. As prices at the pump rise, each candidate is now talking about their so-called solutions to the problem. Despite clear new warning signs from Russia, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and Nigeria that peak oil is nigh, the candidates remain unwaveringly oblivious to the true causes of rising fuel prices, preferring instead to dwell on irrelevant-actually, counterproductive-measures like suspending the federal gas tax during the summer months or taxing Big Oil. This is akin to putting a band-aid on a melanoma.
Ed Kerollis

FREE - Foundation for Research on Economics & the Environment - 0 views

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    FREE is an organization devoted to social change that harmonizes environmental quality with responsible liberty and economic progress. They apply economics and scientific analysis to generate and explore alternative and innovative solutions to environmental problems.
Energy Net

10 Solar Lending Programs in 10 Locations - 0 views

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    It's a question we've heard a lot lately: "Who will lend me money to finance solar installations?" In fact, a couple of our readers, Reeves and Byron, were kind enough to send comments on the subject: "We've heard there are some articles out there showing that if you get the right kind of financing, your solar installation can be cash flow positive right away. Problem is, I can't find those articles."
Energy Net

Berkeley Lab News Center » IMPACTS: On the Threshold of Abrupt Climate Changes - 0 views

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    Abrupt climate change is a potential menace that hasn't received much attention. That's about to change. Through its Climate Change Prediction Program, the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Biological and Environmental Research (OBER) recently launched IMPACTS - Investigation of the Magnitudes and Probabilities of Abrupt Climate Transitions - a program led by William Collins of Berkeley Lab's Earth Sciences Division (ESD) that brings together six national laboratories to attack the problem of abrupt climate change, or ACC.
Energy Net

The five reasons for an energy-efficient stimulus - 0 views

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    As President-elect Barack Obama prepares to tackle the vast problems ahead for America, he has consistently made two bold proposals. First, he intends to make an immense investment in infrastructure - roads, bridges, railways - to jump-start jobs. Second, he plans to boost clean green technologies to make up for the squandered opportunities of the Lost Decade. These are both powerful, worthy ideas. But they would be far more powerful if they were directly connected. The incoming administration has a historic opportunity to accomplish five major goals at once through a massive investment in stopping the waste of energy and dollars pouring out of American homes.
Energy Net

Reducing A Building's Energy Consumption = Smaller Sized, Less Expensive Equipment | Ho... - 0 views

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    Doing a few chores around the house this month can save homeowners major expense in the spring, according to Rick Felton, President of Homeservice Club of Canada. "By doing a little preventative maintenance now, you can prevent minor problems from escalating into a major headache in the spring," Felton said. "Minor repairs done now can prevent air and moisture penetration from attacking the structural integrity of your home down the road," he added.
Energy Net

Peak Energy: Project Get Ready Aims to Create Electric Vehicle Revolution - 0 views

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    WorldChanging has a post on a Rocky Mountain Institute backed initiative to pave the way fro smart grids and electric vehicles - Project Get Ready Aims to Create Electric Vehicle Revolution. Creating a well functioning smart grid - cyclically connected to smart vehicles and buildings and houses, as well as personal and public renewable energy systems - will be no small infrastructure feat. Utility providers, technology innovators, neighborhood councils and local governments will need to come together to provide needed support -- both monetarily and ideologically. Although U.S. President Obama and the recently passed stimulus plan are pushing the renewable, electric energy revolution forward, residents across the nation might need more motivation to make the leap from fossil fuel users to plug-in pioneers. A new project, headed by "think-and-do" tank the Rocky Mountain Institute, is offering to help city leaders provide community members with that extra inspiration. The initiative, Project Get Ready, supplies a menu of strategies that are meant to help cities prepare for the "plug-in" transition. According to RMI, problems related to individual hesitancy toward purchasing electric vehicles and investing in the infrastructure itself, can "be overcome if cities/regions become ecosystems that welcome electric vehicles."
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