Tag Archives: agriculture

New Humanitarian Aid for Libya / Food Costs Soar Globally / A Monumental Work by an Indian Artist

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President Obama announces more humanitarian aid for Libya. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton unveils a new initiative on women’s leadership. Global food prices have reached record highs. Learn about the legacy of the Alliance for Progress, launched by President Kennedy in 1961. And an Indian artist offers up a monumental work.

Aid for Libya Refugees
More Humanitarian Aid for Libya
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President Obama says the United States and other countries will stand with the people of Libya and announces additional U.S. humanitarian assistance to support international aid organizations in Libya. Both the United States and Australia support democracy and human rights around the world and will stand with the Libyan people, says Obama in remarks with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard.

Women’s Leadership Initiative
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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton launches a new initiative aimed at using international exchanges to nurture women in leadership positions around the world. “Women’s Leadership: The Next Hundred Years” is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and is bringing 100 women leaders from 92 countries to the United States this year to explore women’s political, economic and civic leadership.

Food Prices Reach Record High
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Global food prices reached a record-high level in February, driven mainly by higher prices for cereals, meat and dairy products. The increases have raised concerns that millions more people could be pushed further into poverty and civil unrest could result, according to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.

The Alliance for Progress
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In 1961, President John F. Kennedy launched the Alliance for Progress, an ambitious foreign-aid program for Latin America which called for broad social and economic reforms. Although the Alliance is perhaps largely forgotten now, it marked a fresh approach to U.S.-Latin American relations, says Arturo Valenzuela, assistant secretary of state for Western Hemisphere affairs.

Maximum India’s Falling Fables 
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Indian artist Reena Saini Kallat’s monumental installation, Falling Fables, celebrates and mourns the passing of time and disappearance of architecture. On display at “maximum INDIA,” a 20-day festival of dance, theater, music, art and crafts at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, the work is a massive fallen pillar covered with more than 30,000 hand-crafted rubber stamps, Kallat’s signature motif.

Clinton Condemns Libyan Violence / Growing U.S. Farm Exports / Hoops Diplomacy

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The chorus of condemnation of the Libyan government continues with remarks from the U.S. representative to the U.N. and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. The U.S. is promoting its agricultural products worldwide. As they prepare to host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, U.S. officials believe governments must foster innnovation. Armenian, Turkish and U.S. athletes meet on the basketball court.

The World Speaks “With One Voice”
The world has spoken “with one voice” and “with an unusual and important sense of urgency” in condemning the Libyan government’s violence against its people, says Susan Rice, the U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations. Rice speaks at the White House following President Obama’s meeting with U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

Clinton on Libyan Violence
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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton calls for Libya’s leader, Muammar Qadhafi, to be held accountable for violent acts “which violate international legal obligations and common decency.” “These violations of universal rights are unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” Clinton, right, tells the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Growing U.S. Farm Exports
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U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says that the United States will continue to aggressively promote its agricultural products around the world. “We are very focused on exports, and we are doing it in a very strategic way,” Vilsack said during the 2011 Agricultural Outlook Forum.

Fostering Innovation
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Fostering and supporting innovation is a key message the United States government wants to convey as it prepares to host the annual meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation in November. Speaking at a recent meeting in Washington, Under Secretary of State for Economic, Energy and Agricultural Affairs Robert D. Hormats says “government policies can help create an environment conducive of innovation.”

Muresan with Turkish and Armenian playersHoops Diplomacy
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Two dozen Armenian and Turkish basketball players came to the U.S. for a second round of hoops diplomacy January 29-February 12. The teams, who first met in August 2010 at a U.S.-hosted basketball program in Turkey, aimed to learn about scholastic sports and leadership, and trained with former professional star Gheorghe Mureşan, at right, in Izmir and in Washington, D.C.

New U.S. Pressure on Libya / The Kiwi Quake / A Boost in Biotech Crops

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President Obama says it is time for Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi to go. Rescuers continue to search for survivors of the New Zealand earthquake, though hope is dimming. An American blogger digitally speaks with students in Palestine’s West Bank about social media as a means for social change. February is Black History Month in the United States. And studies show large gains in the production of biotech crops.

Obama Backs Qadhafi Ouster
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President Obama calls on Libya’s leader, Muammar Qadhafi, to leave power now, saying that he and his government must be held accountable for violating the human rights and brutalization of the Libyan people. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton further amplifies the president’s position, saying that it is clear the Libyan people want Qadhafi out of power.

Kiwi Quake’s Deadly Toll
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A U.S. Search and Recovery team is on the scene in Christchurch, New Zealand hoping more survivors can be pulled from the city’s rubble. New Zealand Police put the death toll at 113 late February 25, while 70 survivors have been found alive in the days since the 6.3 magnitude quake. More than 200 people are still thought to be missing.

Social Media, Social Change
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Blogger Zerlina Maxwell spoke with 25 students in the Palestinian Territories’ West Bank via digital video conference for a State Department dialogue on “Promoting Social Media as a Means for Change.” Speaking about Hosni Mubarak’s resignation as president of Egypt, Maxwell said, “I think that social media allowed me, someone who is sitting in New Jersey with a computer, to experience that moment as if I were there.”

Black History Month
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Each February, Black History Month honors the struggles and triumphs of millions of American citizens and their contributions to the nation’s cultural and political life. February was chosen because it includes the birthdays of President Abraham Lincoln and the abolitionist Frederick Douglass.

Biotech Boosts Small Farm Yield
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Between 1996 and 2010, the production of crops genetically modified to increase yield rose 87-fold, surpassing 1 billion hectares, according to new statistics from the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications. Of the 15.4 million farmers planting such biotech crops, 90 percent are small, resource-poor farmers in developing countries. Developing countries produce 48 percent of global biotech crops. Above, a farmer tends to genetically enhance papayas in Hawaii.

Biden on Iraq / African Stocks / Modifying Crops

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In an op-ed, Vice President Joe Biden discusses what America must do for Iraq. North Korea issues provocative claims about its nuclear program. Visiting Arab journalists share their impressions of America. Africa is getting increased attention at the stock exchanges. And finally, advances in modified crops could help avert a global food crisis.

Biden on Iraq
In an op-ed by Vice President Joe Biden in The New York Times, he discusses “what we must do for Iraq now.” Biden, right, says, “The United States must also continue to do its part to reinforce Iraq’s progress. That is why we are not disengaging from Iraq — rather, the nature of our engagement is changing from a military to a civilian lead.”

North Korea’s Nuclear Claims
North Korea’s claims that it has centrifuges for the production of enriched uranium reinforce longstanding international concerns over its nuclear activities, U.S. officials say. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs says North Korea needs to “be serious about living up to their obligations” to the international community.

Arab Journalists Visit U.S.
150 emerging media leaders from around the world recently traveled to the United States through the State Department’s Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists. The journalists visited grass-roots programs, educational institutions, radio and television stations and newspapers.

African Stocks Heat Up
The NYSE Euronext – the home of the New York Stock Exchange – has seen a threefold increase in the trading of African stocks on its exchanges over the past five years.

The Need for Modified Crops
Advances in genetically modified crops could help avert a food crisis of massive proportions, agriculture experts say. Between now and 2050, food production must increase 70 percent to feed a rapidly growing population. This will require a dramatic overhaul of farming practices along with a new generation of superefficient and “climate-ready” crops. At right, farmers planting rice in the Philippines.

Clinton in New Zealand / Help for Haiti / The World’s Small Farms

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton continues her Asia Pacific trip, stopping in New Zealand. The U.S. is helping Haiti deal with nature’s latest onslaught. We’ve got two reports on the U.S. congressional elections, one looking at the balance of power in the Senate and another at its impact on President Obama’s agenda. On the eve of President Obama’s trip to India, there is a call for a renewed U.S.-India partnership. Indonesia has become a test bed for entrepreneurship. And finally, in agriculture, there is a focus on small farms.

U.S., New Zealand Sign Accord
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Murray Stuart McCully signed The Wellington Declaration to enhance the partnership between the nations. The agreement is designed to address a variety of issues including nuclear nonproliferation, counterterrorism and climate change. “This Wellington Declaration makes it clear that we want to cooperate across the board in every aspect of our civilian efforts and our military as well,” says Clinton.

U.S. to Provide Storm Relief in Haiti
The United States has supported the Haitian government’s response to Tropical Storm Tomas by prepositioning relief supplies for 125,000. An official said U.S. relief supplies are stockpiled in several areas of the country and they are able to get these supplies out quickly to those in need.

Democrats Keep Senate Gavel
The results of U.S. midterm elections will shift the composition of the Senate a bit to the right as Republicans gain seats, but Democrats will retain control of the chamber when the next Congress convenes. The Democrats will control at least 53 of the Senate’s 100 seats, with the outcome of the race in Alaska yet to be determined.

After Election, No Shift in U.S. Foreign Policy
Republican gains in the November 2 congressional elections will present new challenges for President Obama and his legislative agenda, but his foreign policy objectives are not expected to change.

McCain: Expand U.S.-India Ties
Senator John McCain says the U.S.-India strategic partnership, substantial though it is, should be expanded greatly in coming years for the benefit of both countries and the Asia-Pacific region. “The potential to expand our partnership is immense,” McCain said on the eve of President Obama’s state visit to India.

Indonesia’s Entrepreneurs
As Indonesia gets ready to welcome President Obama November 9, the country already has become a test bed for his administration’s efforts to promote entrepreneurship. Indonesian entrepreneurs have formed the Global Enterprise Program Indonesia, which launches in Jakarta in mid-November as part of Global Entrepreneurship Week.

New Tools Boost Small Farms
Agribusinesses are designing tools to help smallholder farmers in countries seeking to produce more food. Such measures may slow down a predicted food shortage in years ahead, as the world’s population continues to grow, especially in regions like Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. At right, an Indian farmer heads to work on a tractor designed for use on small plots.

A New Fund for Women / Clinton’s East Asia Trip / Cows to Kazakhstan

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announces a new $44 million fund devoted to women’s empowerment and preps for her upcoming trip to Asia. The world’s major economies come to an agreement on currency. Among mobile phone users, there is a major gender gap. Learn about the craft of Lowcountry basket-weaving. And, finally, find out why the U.S. is shipping cows to Kazakhstan.

A $44 Million Fund for Women
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced that the Obama administration will commit nearly $44 million to fund women’s empowerment initiatives around the world in order to advance U.N. Security Council goals of integrating women into international peace and security efforts. Speaking at the Security Council, Clinton, right, said that the largest portion of the U.S. funding – $17 million – will support civil society groups in Afghanistan that focus on women, who she said are “rightly worried that in the very legitimate search for peace their rights will be sacrificed.”


Clinton to Travel to East Asia
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton plans extensive talks with leaders and senior officials from at least eight East Asian and Pacific nations during a 13-day trip to the region to show U.S. engagement on a range of issues. She will also address the East Asia Summit in Hanoi.

An Agreement on Currency
Only two weeks after failing to resolve differences at a meeting in Washington, financial officials of the world’s major economies agreed to avoid conflicting currency interventions and, in principle, to reduce trade imbalances.

A Mobile Gender Gap
A gender gap is preventing approximately 300 million women from taking advantage of the potential of mobile phones to improve conditions for the world’s poor.

Lowcountry Baskets on Display
The weaving of coiled baskets is a craft that was brought from West and Central Africa to the American Colonies more than 300 years ago and is still passed from generation to generation among the Gullah/Geechee people of South Carolina and Georgia.

Cows for Kazakhstan
Under an agreement between a U.S. company and the Kazakh government, the first shipments of pregnant heifers have begun making the trip from Fargo, North Dakota, to Astana, Kazakhstan. The goal is to upgrade Kazakhstan’s beef breeding stock and reinvigorate its agricultural industry by shipping cattle. In Kazakhstan, a once-strong cattle industry that sent much of its beef to Russia went into decline after the fall of the Soviet Union. A dozen flights between North Dakota and Kazakhstan are scheduled by early December, each shipping nearly 170 heifers. At left, a heifer is packed for shipping.

Palestinian Reforms / The Midterms are Coming / Choose Our New Logo!

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton congratulates the Palestinians on recent institutional reforms. The U.S. midterm elections are approaching; find out how a new law and new technologies are affecting them. In Africa, a call for a Green Revolution. And, finally, eJournal USA is changing its name to America.gov; help us choose the new logo.

Reform in Palestine
A two-state solution to the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is “essential to the future of the Palestinian people,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says. Speaking to members of the American Task Force on Palestine in Washington, Clinton, right, says that given the recent institutional reforms by the Palestinian Authority, “it is easier than ever to envision an independent Palestine able to govern itself, uphold its responsibilities to provide for its own people, and ensure security.”

A New Voice in U.S. Elections
Under a January U.S. Supreme Court ruling, entities such as companies and labor unions can spend as much money as they want in the 2010 midterm election to promote their political views. That means Americans are seeing a lot more political advertising this election season.

Recasting the U.S. Vote
As the U.S. midterm elections approach, Americans have more options than ever before in deciding how, and when, to exercise their right to vote. More than 3 million people already have cast their ballots under rules that allow early voting in 32 states and the District of Columbia.

In Africa, a Green Revolution
In Africa, governments, foundations and scientists are pooling their knowledge, resources and capital to push forward the Green Revolution, which is the development and dissemination of high yield strains of wheat. In the mid-20th century, high yield grain saved about 1 billion people in Asia from starvation.

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Help us choose! eJournal USA is changing its name to America.gov on November 1. Only the name is changing, not the great discussions amongst our vibrant online community. Please help us select the logo that best reflects our community from the three shown above. To vote, click on your choice and then “like” it on Facebook. More choices will be available soon. Visit the site.

U.S., E.U. Face Issues Ahead of Summit || New Trends in Farming || President Obama on MTV

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The United States and the European Union prepare for a summit. Woman are taking the lead in agriculture in many developing countries. Meet Modadugu Gupta, a pioneer in the field of aquaculture. And President Obama appears on MTV.

Critical Issues Ahead of the G20 Summit
In October 2008, at the peak of the financial crisis, world financial leaders cooperated to take “exceptional action” to stabilize the global financial system. However, in recent months, trans-Atlantic differences have emerged over a variety of international financial issues. Now, less than one month before the summit of the Group of 20 major economies in Seoul, South Korea, the United States and European Union are facing a critical test of their will to agree on financial issues critical not only to their own economies, but to the rest of the world too. Above, Obama with other G20 leaders.

Growing Opportunities for Women Farmers
In rural Kenya, women have very few resources of their own, but are primarily responsible for feeding their families and doing the bulk of the household and farm work. Now, 80 percent of the farmers are women. In this feature, we profile women who have taken the initiative to change their lives, and, in the process, increase the perception that women can contribute economically to their society.

Photo Gallery: A Pioneer in Fish Farming
Modadugu Gupta, who witnessed the struggles of local fisherman while growing up in eastern India, is a biologist and humanitarian whose work has multiplied the quantity of edible fish in Asia and improved the lives of farmers. Gupta was also instrumental in getting women involved in fish farming, and now they outnumber male fish farmers in many countries. “My father used to take me to the seashore, and I saw the fishermen coming in. They could hardly meet their daily needs. That’s where my interest in fisheries started,” says Gupta, who received the World Food Prize in 2005. Learn more about Gupta and his techniques in this photo gallery.

President Obama on MTV
President Obama led a discussion on MTV last week; an appearance that helped him connect with the country’s youth.  Approximately 250 people attended the event, and many more tuned in on MTV, Country Music Television (CMT) and Black Entertainment Television (BET), all of which are known to attract young audiences.

In Ethiopia Efficient Orchards to Grow on Superior Plant Tissue

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[guest name="Michael Asamere" biography="Michael Asamere, who has lived in the United States for more than 20 years, has a background in information technology. He resides in Seattle where he works for Fidelity National Information Services."]

The African Diaspora Marketplace contest recently awarded $50,000 to $100,000 to 14 immigrants to the United States from African countries to help them start or expand businesses in Africa. Some of them share how they plan to use the money on the New Enterprise blog.

Hunger and malnutrition are not foreign to Ethiopians. I see improvements in local farming as the best way to address these problems. My father-in-law – an Ethiopian American who teaches agriculture at Fort Valley State University in Georgia – suggested that one could contribute to these improvements in a major way by propagating quality tissue cultures selected from local edible plant stock, particularly fruit stock. With that goal in our minds, the company we jointly started – TAF Plc. – will build and operate a commercial-scale plant in Addis Ababa, which will grow and multiply select plant cells, tissues and organs in a laboratory-type environment for sale to farmers. (Later, we plan to open satellite offices in Oromia, Amhara and other regions.) A lab building already has been constructed and a small greenhouse will be ready soon. The $100,000 grant will be used to buy laboratory equipment.

So far farmers have had to rely on the government to provide them with seeds and other planting materials. But those supplies are insufficient, costly and often not of the best quality. As a result, some large farmers idle chunks of their farm lands. With foreign investors buying or leasing land for large-scale farming, demand for quality planting materials will grow tremendously.

When the company was launched three years ago, it had to gain trust of the farmers as it had no name recognition to rely on. Through the word of mouth – with support of a network of relatives and family friends – TAF has established an initial customer base. Now potential customers come to our local partner – well-connected businessman Tsega Asamere – asking him when we will open.

Our main goal is to help farmers increase crop, produce technological spill-over effect in the agriculture sector and make profits in the process. The venture also will create close to 100 jobs. In the future, TAF also wants to make a concrete contribution to sustainable economic development by producing materials for reforestation of deforested areas.

We are excited about this venture and the prospect of helping the agricultural sector in Ethiopia that represents a significant portion of the economy.

Better Palm Oil to Improve Diet in Sierra Leone

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[guest name="Joe-Lahai Sormana" biography="Joe-Lahai Sormana worked for two multinational chemical companies as a senior engineer and scientist. He has a doctoral degree in chemical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, Georgia. He lives in Pennsylvania."]

The African Diaspora Marketplace contest recently awarded $50,000 to $100,000 to 14 immigrants to the United States from African countries to help them start or expand businesses in Africa. Some of them share how they plan to use the money on the New Enterprise blog.

Joe-Lahai Sormana

Joe-Lahai Sormana

In Sierra Leone, crude palm oil is an essential ingredient in traditional dishes. Between 30,000 and 40,000 metric tons of palm oil per year is consumed in the country. Over 95 percent is derived from palm fruit through traditional methods that are labor intensive and inefficient.

That wasn’t always the case. But during the civil war, all palm-oil processing mills were either destroyed or became inoperable and, to the best of our knowledge, none of them have been re-established or re-started.

I have established a company called Palm Fruit Processing Company Limited with the primary goal of producing palm oil in a modern mill. My local partner, Aloysius A. Beah, is negotiating contracts with palm plantations to provide us with a steady supply of palm fruit. In the future, we plan to develop our own plantation.

Palm Fruit Processing company’s logo

Palm Fruit Processing company’s logo

Our oil will carry health benefits as it is cleaner and has a lower level of saturated fat. But the company will be selling it at a discount relative to local prices. We will be able to afford it because of greater efficiency of our processing mill, which will allow us to produce significantly more palm oil from the same quantity of palm fruit than traditional producers will ever do. Our company’s pricing strategy and product quality will give us a competitive advantage from the start.

The company will create jobs, thereby contributing to the economic development of the country and to improvements in the standard of living in the local community.

A win in the competition validates our business model and value-proposition. Grant funding will be used to purchase equipment and develop the necessary infrastructure to house it. We already have selected sites, bought land and obtained the design of the mill.