Ban Monsanto's new super poison!

 

secure.avaaz.org

 

Monsanto is launching a super poison that kills plants in its path -- except for Monsanto GMOs. It even flies through the air onto neighbouring land!
But in days we can shut it down.
After a massive outcry from 1,000 affected farmers, a key US state could now ban this poison. This will set a precedent to influence regulation around the world.
Monsanto is mounting an intense pressure campaign, and hoping to keep it to a local fight. But if one million of us sign this petition now, we’ll submit it to the official process and show that the whole world wants this toxic chemical out of our fields and off our food! Add your name! 

 

About

 

This miracle weed killer was supposed to save farms. Instead, it’s devastating them.

 

By Caitlin Dewey August 29 - The Washington Post

 

Lyle Hadden, a soybean farmer, walks through a field he's planted that shows signs of being affected by the herbicide dicamba. (Andrea Morales/For The Washington Post)  

BLYTHEVILLE, ARK. — Clay Mayes slams on the brakes of his Chevy Silverado and jumps out with the engine running, yelling at a dogwood by the side of the dirt road as if it had said something insulting.
Its leaves curl downward and in on themselves like tiny, broken umbrellas. It’s the telltale mark of inadvertent exposure to a controversial herbicide called dicamba.
“This is crazy. Crazy!” shouts Mayes, a farm manager, gesticulating toward the shriveled canopy off Highway 61. “I just think if this keeps going on . . .”
“Everything’ll be dead,” says Brian Smith, his passenger.
The damage here in northeast Arkansas and across the Midwest — sickly soybeans, trees and other crops — has become emblematic of a deepening crisis in American agriculture.
Farmers are locked in an arms race between ever-stronger weeds and ever-stronger weed killers.
The dicamba system, approved for use for the first time this spring, was supposed to break the cycle and guarantee weed control in soybeans and cotton. The herbicide — used in combination with a genetically modified dicamba-resistant soybean — promises better control of unwanted plants such as pigweed, which has become resistant to common weed killers.

The problem, farmers and weed scientists say, is that dicamba has drifted from the fields where it was sprayed, damaging millions of acres of unprotected soybeans and other crops in what some are calling a man-made disaster. Critics say that the herbicide was approved by federal officials without enough data, particularly on the critical question of whether it could drift off target.
Government officials and manufacturers Monsanto and BASF deny the charge, saying the system worked as Congress designed it.

Leaves and a stalk from a soybean plant showing signs of being affected by dicamba. (Andrea Morales/For The Washington Post)

The backlash against dicamba has spurred lawsuits, state and federal investigations, and one argument that ended in a farmer’s shooting death and related murder charges.
“This should be a wake-up call,” said David Mortensen, a weed scientist at Pennsylvania State University.
Herbicide-resistant weeds are thought to cost U.S. agriculture millions of dollars per year in lost crops.
After the Environmental Protection Agency approved the updated formulation of the herbicide for use this spring and summer, farmers across the country planted more than 20 million acres of dicamba-resistant soybeans, according to Monsanto.

But as dicamba use has increased, so too have reports that it “volatilizes,” or re-vaporizes and travels to other fields. That harms nearby trees, such as the dogwood outside Blytheville, as well as nonresistant soybeans, fruits and vegetables, and plants used as habitats by bees and other pollinators.

According to a 2004 assessment, dicamba is 75 to 400 times more dangerous to off-target plants than the common weed killer glyphosate, even at very low doses. It is particularly toxic to soybeans — the very crop it was designed to protect — that haven’t been modified for resistance.
Kevin Bradley, a University of Missouri researcher, estimates that more than 3.1 million acres of soybeans have been damaged by dicamba in at least 16 states, including major producers such as Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota. That figure is probably low, according to researchers, and it represents almost 4 percent of all U.S. soybean acres.
“It’s really hard to get a handle on how widespread the damage is,” said Bob Hartzler, a professor of agronomy at Iowa State University. “But I’ve come to the conclusion that [dicamba] is not manageable.”

[Forget GMOs. The next big battle is over genetically edited foods.]

The dicamba crisis comes on top of lower-than-forecast soybean prices and 14 straight quarters of declining farm income. The pressures on farmers are intense.
  
Arkansas one step from dicamba ban

Jeannine Otto AgriNews Publications - Sep 27, 2017

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas State Plant Board voted on Sept. 21 to approve a ban on the application of dicamba herbicide, from April 16 to Oct. 31, 2018.
“The whole process has been troubling all along. Yesterday was just another point that the process isn’t following science,” said Ty Vaughn, vice president of global regulatory affairs for Monsanto, after the board’s decision was announced.
“At the end of the day, they rejected our petition and voted for recommending the taskforce’s ban of all dicamba after April 16,” he said.
Vaughn spent the day at the plant board meeting trying to make the case for the board to allow farmers in Arkansas to use dicamba herbicide in 2018. The herbicide has been linked to crop damage of non-dicamba-tolerant soybeans and produce and fruit crops.
The proposed ban now will be subject to a 30-day comment period, followed by a public hearing on Nov. 8. Following the comment period and the hearing, the final rule proposal will go to the executive subcommittee of the Arkansas Legislative Council to be approved.
Vaughn said that Monsanto has “options,” but said it was too early to talk about the next steps the seed company might take.
“We’ve got options, of course, with the public comment period and other things we’ll have to consider. This is new news, so it’s premature on what course of action we’ll take, but all options are going to have to be considered,” he said.

Rural Voices

Vaughn said that a petition signed by Arkansas farmers who want access to the dicamba herbicide for their farms was submitted to the plant board, but farmers were not asked to speak during the meeting.
“Other industry representatives talked and other stakeholders were also allowed to talk. The one group that wasn’t allowed to speak was growers, which is clearly an unfortunate situation since we’re trying to solve for growers having weed resistance issues,” he said.
Vaughn added that time is of the essence so that farmers in Arkansas can make their seed decisions for the 2018 growing season.
“That’s the dilemma. Growers would normally be buying seed now,” he said.
He said some farmers in the state purchased the Xtend platform, which includes dicamba-tolerant soybeans, for the genetics, but most growers also wanted the weed control benefits.
“Even yesterday, that was mentioned, that growers bought the trait, but not just for the herbicide tolerance, but for the germplasm. So some growers are going to continue to do that anyway, but those growers who have the weed resistance issues do have to make a decision,” he said.

See also

Orthodox Church & Capitalism: Orthodox Fathers of Church on poverty, wealth and social justice
Is capitalism compatible with Orthodox Christianity?
Grace and “the Inverted Pyramid”
The Orthodox African Church (Patriarchate of Alexandria) denounces the exploitation of Africa by contemporary colonialists
   
The ancient Christian Church - About Orthodox Church in USA & in the West World
African Americans & Orthodox Church
Natural Environment 
Native American Orthodox Christian Fellowship (NAOCF)  
Fr. Moses Berry, a descendant of African slaves, Orthodox priest and teacher in USA
A Letter from an Orthodox Christian to our Native Americans Brothers

An Orthodox Christian Response in Support of the Indigenous and non-Indigenous Water Protectors in Standing Rock, North Dakota, and their Principles

Africa on the road to industrial progress

 

Li Yong, Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Photo: Africa Renewal/Eleni Mourdoukoutas

 

By: Kingsley Ighobor

From Africa Renewal: 

August - November 2017

 

As the director general of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Li Yong leads a specialised agency that promotes industrial development, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability. Recently in New York, Mr. Yong took part in a special meeting on “innovation in infrastructure development and sustainable industrialization” in developing countries and countries with special needs. He spoke with Africa Renewal’s Kingsley Ighobor on a range of issues pertaining to Africa’s industrialization. Here are the excerpts:

 

Africa Renewal: You are attending a meeting on industrialization in developing countries, which includes many African countries. How does Africa fit in the picture?

Li Yong: The ECOSOC [UN’s Economic and Social Council] meeting is important because of SDG 9, which calls for inclusive sustainable industrialization, innovation and infrastructure. Africa has to compete within the global value chain, the manufacturing value addition and with the growth and speed of other regions. Two-thirds of the least developed countries are in Africa. Due to underdevelopment of the industrial sector, some countries are not growing fast enough.

What are the factors hindering Africa’s industrialization?

The sudden drop in commodity prices caused problems because it lowered the competitiveness of commodities-dependent countries.

But commodity prices dropped only recently.

No, not just recently. Let’s say this has been the case throughout the last century. But let me talk about factors hindering industrialization. Long ago the international development institutions wrongly prescribed deindustrialization for some countries. An ambassador of an African country actually told me that the very painful process of deindustrialization forced them to stop exporting cheese, cocoa beans and other products. Another reason is that countries change policies too often. Insecurity occasioned by frequent changes of policies scares away investors and disrupts the industrialization process.

Were the structural adjustment programmes (SAPs) of the 1980s a wrong prescription?

I do not want to talk about that because I was involved in the whole process of structural adjustment lending when I was working at the World Bank. I would just say that some of the prescriptions provided to African countries were not very good.

Critics say meetings such as the one you are attending are all talk but no action. What’s your take on this?

I think that sometimes if there’s too much talk, too much debate on the theories, on the reports and studies, action is lost. Just do it! If it’s creating jobs, let’s go for it.

UNIDO’s Programme for Country Partnership (PCP) aims to mobilise private and public sector resources for industrialisation and to provide technical assistance to countries. How is that going?

It’s an innovative way to support a country’s industrial development. We collaborate with governments and development institutions to create industrial development strategies, and we support such strategies. Usually there is a financing issue: the government needs to allocate resources to basic infrastructure. But development institutions also need to provide supplementary financing for infrastructure such as roads, highways, railroads, electricity, water supply, etc. We advise governments to formulate policies that protect investments that will trigger private-sector financing and FDI [foreign direct investment].

You were heavily involved in the development of agricultural and small and medium-size enterprises in China. What lessons can Africa learn from China?

There must be a vision and a strategy. Develop policies that support small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) in the agriculture sector, to begin with. In China, the number one document released at the beginning of the year was a plan to support agriculture development. Second, take concrete measures. We cannot talk about empty themes. Third, support with financial resources, capacity building and training. Fourth, provide an environment for SMEs to thrive. Lastly, link the agricultural sector to agro-industry, agribusiness and manufacturing.

Not long ago, a World Bank report stated that Africa’s agribusiness could be worth $1 trillion by 2030. Could agribusiness be a game changer for the continent?

Yes, although I wouldn’t say that the $1 trillion figure is exactly accurate. But agriculture is a very important sector for Africa. The job creation element in the sector requires innovation. If you try to grow wheat, corn, fruits, etc without connecting to agro-processing food packaging and the global value chain, there is very little opportunity for job creation. Some people argue that if you introduce modern technology, some farmers may lose jobs. I don’t accept this argument because farming services connect to the market. With agro-processing, farmers have more time and capacity to do things beyond planting and growing crops.

The goal of the African Agribusiness and Africa Development Initiative, which UNIDO supports, is to link farmers to big markets. But African farmers cannot compete in the global marketplace because many Western governments subsidize farming. What’s your take?

Africa can be innovative about this. For instance, cocoa-producing African countries that used to export cocoa beans are currently producing some chocolate products locally. In Ghana, a private company is producing cocoa butter, cocoa oil and cocoa cake for domestic consumption. And UNIDO supported them with a laboratory, equipment and technicians to enable them to receive certifications to export to Europe and Asia. Consider Ethiopia, with 95 million people and millions of cattle and sheep and cows. But they only export around 7% of their live cattle to other countries because they don’t have processing capacity. They don’t have the standard certifications for export, although the quality of meat is excellent. Currently we are supporting Ethiopia to set up a project for testing so that they meet the criteria for exporting to other countries. Actually, African agriculture can connect to the global value chain.

Countries may set up agro-industries in areas where they have a competitive advantage, but the lack of technical skills and inadequate infrastructure, particularly roads and electricity, is still an issue.

We have the traditional toolboxes, including vocational training. Capacity training is a very popular UNIDO programme. With donor support, we develop training programmes like we did in Tunisia and Ethiopia, where young engineers received training in how to operate big equipment. The second example is that countries need large-scale agro-processing projects. For instance, Ethiopia developed hundreds of industrial parks that are helping develop the capacity to manufacture many more products. 

Most foreign investors target Africa’s extractive sector, which generates few jobs. How do you encourage investments in the agriculture sector?

The best approach for Africa is not to say, “Don’t export raw materials.” Look at Australia and other countries that still export raw materials. They did their cost-benefits analysis and decided not to set up manufacturing companies. What is needed is market discipline. But this doesn’t mean that all countries must export raw materials. If they have the capacity, if there are foreign investors that come in to build factories and create jobs, why not?

Sustainable industrialization produces long-term results, I believe. Countries grappling with poverty need resources immediately. Such countries cannot slow down their unsustainable exploitation of natural resources.

I believe we should have industrial development in an inclusive, sustainable way. If we manufacture goods with a heavy pollution of water, soil or air, there’s a cost to people’s health. Think about what it will cost to address those pollutions in the future. At UNIDO, we do not approve projects for implementation unless they meet our environmental standards.

Are African leaders receptive to your ideas?

Most leaders I’ve met request UNIDO’s support. Except for countries in difficult situations such as those in conflicts, others need to show a strong commitment to industrialization.

Are you seeing such commitments?

Yes, in Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Senegal, Tanzania and Zambia—many leaders are showing a commitment. The new Nigerian president is committed to industrialization. However, countries in conflict, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo [DRC], may have difficulties industrializing. The DRC has many resources, including gold and oil. They have a vast land—you can grow anything there—and a huge population. But internal conflict is slowing industrialization. Yet a peaceful Rwanda is moving very fast with industrialization. So it depends on a country’s situation, the commitments of its leadership and the efficiency of its administrative systems.

How do you see Africa in about 10 years?

Many countries will move up the socioeconomic ladder and become middle-income countries. There will be more industries to manufacture goods and create jobs. I think it’s possible. The global community is ready to support Africa. Most importantly, African countries are committed to industrial progress and economic growth.

Please, see also our tags:

Capitalism 
Multinational corporations 
Neocolonialism 
Dictators in Africa

Eglise orthodoxe du Togo

http://egliseorthodoxe-togo.com/

Présentation de l’Eglise Orthodoxe du Togo 

Créée depuis le 8 septembre 2005, la jeune Eglise orthodoxe du Togo regroupe en 2012, quatre  communautés de fidèles : trois au sud et une au nord du pays.

• La Paroisse de « la Nativité de la Très-Sainte-Mère-de-Dieu » est située au sud-est de la capitale, Lomé, dans le quartier Bê-Attiégou.
• La Communauté des Saints Apôtres Pierre et Paul, dans la ville de Kpalimé (Région des Plateaux).
• La Communauté de « la Dormition de la Mère de Dieu », dans le village d’Ahépé (au sud-est) à 80 km au nord de la ville de Lomé.
• La communauté « Saint Raphaël » de Kara regroupe les fidèles orthodoxes du nord du pays.

La paroisse de la Nativité de la Très-Sainte Mère de Dieu de Lomé

La paroisse de Lomé est la seule à disposer en 2012 d’un édifice de célébration, l’Eglise de la Nativité de la Très-Sainte-Mère-de-Dieu de Bê-Attiégou.

Célébrations liturgiques par le Père Thomas
à la Paroisse de la Nativité de Très-Sainte-Mère-de-Dieu de Lomé (Bê-Attiegou)

La ville de Lomé

Les projets de construction de nouvelles Paroisses pour les nouveaux convertis à la foi orthodoxe, de même que la création d’Écoles font partie de l’œuvre missionnaire de l’Eglise orthodoxe du Togo. Elle souhaite offrir aux nouveaux baptisés et aux fidèles chrétiens qui se convertissent, des lieux de célébration des Mystères pour l’enracinement et le rayonnement de la foi orthodoxe dans différentes régions du pays. Elle a besoin, à ce titre, d’être aidée pour mener à bien ces différents projets.

La Communauté Saint Raphaël de Kara

La Communauté Saint Raphaël comptait à la fin de l’année 2012, plus de deux cents fidèles. Cette communauté dispose, dans la ville de Kara, d’un terrain qu’elle destine à la construction d’une Eglise. Elle fait appel, à ce titre, aux communautés orthodoxes qui pourraient l’aider à édifier ce lieu de culte pour les fidèles du nord du pays.

Des fidèles de la Communauté Saint Raphaël de Kara

Situation géographique des Communautés paroissiales orthodoxes du Togo en 2012

Œuvres sociales / ASSEDD-TOGO

L’Association ASSEDD-TOGO (à partir de là)

L’Eglise Orthodoxe du Togo a créé en 2010, l’Association ASSEDD-TOGO pour venir en aide aux victimes de la paupérisation croissante de la population qui a résulté des crises politiques et économiques successives que le pays a connues durant la première décennie du XXI^e siècle.

ASSEDD-TOGO a un statut juridique d’association relevant de la Loi 1901. Elle est reconnue par le Ministère de l’Administration territoriale et des collectivités locales et enregistrée le 19 octobre 2010 sous le numéro : 0835/MATDCL-SG-DLPAP-DOCA.

En raison de la loi de séparation de l’Eglise et de l’Etat au Togo et de son régime politique laïque, ASSEDD-TOGO, de par son statut d’association Loi 1901, est le partenaire privilégié de l’Eglise Orthodoxe  auprès des autorités politiques et des institutions publiques du pays, pour la conduite de tous les projets sociaux de l’Eglise en faveur de la population. Ses actions sanitaire, social et éducatif, orientées vers les plus démunis : les victimes du chômage, de la misère et de la précarité, ont débuté dans un quartier de la capitale, Attiégou. Elles se sont ensuite étendues à d’autres villes du pays.

ASSEDD-TOGO est aujourd’hui présente dans les régions sud et nord du pays. Elle est reconnue par les autorités régionales préfectorales, ainsi que par les chef-coutumiers traditionnels qui encouragent et soutiennent ses actions.

Santé / Soins médicaux (à partir de là)

Centre médical

Un Centre médical a été créé par le personnel soignant de l’Eglise orthodoxe, au sud-est de Lomé, dans le quartier de Bê-Attiégou. Ce Centre  propose un accès aux soins à moindre coût et une offre de gratuité de soins aux personnes sans ressources. Ce Centre médical assure également une prévention et une éducation à la santé.

Centre de prise en charge psychologique et psychiatrique

L’Association « Espoir des malades mentaux » fait partie des œuvres sociales de l’Eglise orthodoxe. Elle a été créée dans le village de Soumbou, au nord du pays.

Ce Centre propose une prise en charge morale et médicale (orientée vers la pharmacopée traditionnelle) aux personnes atteintes de troubles psychologiques ou souffrant de maladies psychiatriques. Face au rejet de la part de leurs familles souvent démunies de ressources devant les situations de troubles mentaux de leur proche, l’Association assure le suivi thérapeutique des malades recueillis par ses soins au sein d’une structure de traitement adaptée. Elle veille également, suivant les objectifs définis dans ses statuts à proposer en cas de guérison ou d’un recouvrement total ou partiel de leur santé mental, une formation professionnelle à ses protégés en vue de leur assurer une réinsertion dans la société. Elle a défini dans le cadre de ses activités, la constitution d’une pharmacopée, par la culture et la promotion de plantes médicinales traditionnelles dont les vertus se sont avérées efficaces dans le traitement de certaines maladies mentales.

Association_Espoir des malades mentaux 

Projet agro-pastoral de Kpalimé (à partir de là)

 

Afin d’assurer une autonomie alimentaire aux élèves et aux enseignants de l’Institut d’Ahépé, de même qu’au personnel impliqué dans les différents projets de l’Eglise, une exploitation agricole d’une surface totale de 12 hectares vient d’être créée à Kpalimé dans la Région centre des Plateaux. Le choix de l’Eglise s’est portée sur cette région luxuriante et fertile au climat humide et chaud favorable aux plantations maraîchères, aux cultures céréalières et aux tubercules, tels que l’igname et le manioc, qui constitueront, dans un premier temps, une des principale production de l’exploitation. Ce projet agricole sera complété à partir de l’année 2013 par une ferme de petit élevage de volailles et des espèces caprines et ovines.

La région de Kpalimé

L’exploitation agricole de Kpalimé de même que le complexe scolaire d’Ahépé ont bénéficié d’une importante donation de fidèles orthodoxes, français et grecs. Ces amis de l’Eglise ont pris intégralement en charge les frais d’achat des lotissements ainsi que la construction des édifices.

Qu’ils trouvent ici, l’expression de la profonde gratitude des fidèles de la jeune Église orthodoxe du Togo.

Eglise orthodoxe du Togo - Contacts

voir aussi

Le Togo
Patriarcat grec Orthodoxe d’Alexandrie et de toute l’Afrique

Historique de l’accueil de la tradition de l’Église orthodoxe dans les pays d’Afrique subsaharienne au début du XXe siècle

Eglise orthodoxe du Benin

Archidiocèse du Nigéria

Les Eglises et les communautés de l’Archidiocèse

 

Eglise orthodoxe du Benin (site)
 

Sénégal: La BAD arme les femmes

Photo: FAO/Gianluigi Guercia

Une cultivatrice de maïs et son enfant au Lesotho.
 De Autonomiser les femmes africaines dans l'agriculture - La BAD dévoile son plan

Par Pathé Touré
Fr.allafrica
 
Ce jeudi 27 août, à Abidjan, la Banque africaine de développement (BAD) dévoile en son siège un nouveau rapport, dédié aux femmes et au secteur de l'agriculture en Afrique. L'objectif est de les autonomiser pour une meilleure participation dans l'économie.

Manque d'accès à des intrants de qualité, difficultés d'accès au financement, formation limitée, contraintes domestiques lourdes, rémunérations faibles sinon inexistantes, absence de contrôle sur les revenus générés par les ventes, foncier... , les Africaines travaillant dans le secteur font face à de nombreuses difficultés, qui affectent leur productivité et entrave leur pleine intégration dans l'économie agricole. Et pour inverser la tendance, pour une bonne participation dans l'agriculture, les femmes peuvent bien compter la BAD. En effet, l'institution bancaire a produit via son Bureau pour le genre et le Département de l'agriculture et de l'agro-Industrie (OSAN) une étude intitulée : «L'autonomisation économique des femmes africaines grâce à la participation équitable aux chaînes de valeur agricoles».

«Ce rapport prépare le terrain pour l'autonomisation des femmes, afin qu'elles prennent un rôle de premier plan dans le secteur de l'agriculture et dans les chaînes de valeur agricoles, au niveau régional comme au niveau mondial», estimé le président de la Banque africaine de développement, Donald Kaberuka.

Si la BAD a mis l'accent sur les femmes, c'est que l'agriculture représente 25 % environ du PIB de l'Afrique et les femmes constituent près de la moitié de la main d'œuvre de ce secteur en Afrique subsaharienne. Sur l'ensemble du continent, l'agriculture s'avère même le tout premier employeur des femmes, concentrant 62 % des femmes actives. Dans certains pays, comme le Rwanda, le Malawi et le Burkina Faso, elles sont même plus de 90 % à y travailler.
«Les femmes africaines nourrissent le continent et peuvent aussi nourrir le monde», estime pour sa part Géraldine Fraser-Moleketi, envoyée spéciale de la BAD sur le genre. En Côte d'Ivoire, par exemple, si la production de cacao concentre une main d'œuvre à 68 % féminine, seuls 21 % des revenus générés vont aux femmes. De même, en Éthiopie, les femmes représentent 75 % de la main-d'œuvre dans la production de café mais ne perçoivent que 34 % des revenus.

 Tagged:

• Agroindustrie
• Aide et Assistance
• Banques
• Finance
• Entreprises
• Sénégal
• Afrique de l'Ouest
• Femmes et Genre