Hey Everyone,
Oxfam America is currently recruiting new volunteers for 2012-2013. If you are interested in joining the Oxfam Action Corps please sign up and spread the word by February 14th at http://www.oxfamactioncorps.org.
Join the Oxfam Action Corps to support women farmers, fight global hunger, and build a better food system! You will meet great people and work together to change laws that can save lives, defend the rights of the world’s poorest farmers, and protect communities from rising food prices and climate change. You will gain leadership skills, have fun, and change the world!
Anybody can join the local effort! All levels of experience are welcome. You can also apply for Oxfam’s free four-day leadership training in Washington D.C. May 12 – May 15.
This year, we will mobilize for the GROW campaign for global food justice. The women and men in poor countries who struggle to grow enough food to feed their families are facing competition for land and water, rising prices, and climate change. We will call for laws that support women and farmers, sustainable practices, and resilience to climate change, and ensure a better future for people in the poorest regions of the world.
This is a year-round volunteer opportunity, with a deadline of February 14 to apply for the spring training. Find out more and sign up at http://www.oxfamactioncorps.org.
Check out this video to see what we are all about:
Oxfam Action Corps 2012 Recruitment
Last monthly meeting of 2011
With the holidays approaching, we're having one last meeting before the new year. Please come join us in Berkeley as we plan events and outreach for the first few months of 2012. We're interested in hearing what you'd like our Action Corps to do, so let us know your ideas!
What: Monthly Meeting
Date: Thursday, December 8, 2011
Time: 6:30 pm
Where: PIQ Berkeley (91 Shattuck Ave, between University Ave & Addison St)
If you know you can come, please send us an RSVP at sanfrancisco@oxfamactioncorps.org so we know how much space to reserve. But please join us even if you can't RSVP in advance!
Say it with sweet potatoes - "Don't uproot foreign aid!"
Today and in coming days, Congress is debating cuts to life-saving foreign aid. Our local Action Corps and Oxfam volunteer leaders are delivering petitions to Senate offices across the country along with an unusual twist: sweet potatoes. Why sweet potatoes? Because this Thanksgiving staple is also a feature of aid programs that boost nutrition in Africa.
A special orange-fleshed variety (conventionally bred) is rich in vitamin-A and drought resistant. Promoting it in place of less-nutritious varieties in communities in Africa has helped boost immune systems, prevent blindness, and improve livelihoods for growers.
But this noble root is just one out of hundreds of such simple, cost-effective projects that are saving lives and livelihoods around the world - and funded by US foreign aid programs like Feed the Future!
We delivered sweet potatoes along with 3,877 signatures and several handwritten letters from constituents to Senator Feinstein's and Senator Boxer's local offices. The petition was signed by more than 20,000 people nationwide.
Thank you to all who attended the Film Screening and Hunger Banquet
Monthly meeting tomorrow, October 27
Finally, take online action here to urge Congress to fully fund poverty-focused development assistance in the FY12 International Affairs Budget.
Free Film Screening and Oxfam Hunger Banquet
We're hosting a free screening of Africa's Last Famine along with an Oxfam Hunger Banquet in November. RSVP now and join us!
What: Free Film Screening and Oxfam Hunger Banquet
Date: Sunday, November 13, 2011
Time: 5:30 - 7:30 pm
Where: David Brower Center, Tamalpais Room
2150 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94704
RSVP: sanfrancisco@oxfamactioncorps.org
Screening of Africa’s Last Famine, a co-production of Oxfam America and LinkTV:
Sadly, World Food Day 2011 was marked by one of the worst famines in recent history. But, with the right planning and a few new ideas, it could be the last. This 22 minute film features recent stories from the Horn of Africa and beyond, and including solutions being implemented around the world to prove that hunger isn't inevitable.
Oxfam America Hunger Banquet:
Guests randomly draw tickets when they arrive that assign them to different income levels, based on the latest statistics about the number of people living in poverty. While not all guests leave with full stomachs, many will gain a new perspective on the root causes of hunger and poverty—and will feel motivated to do something to help.
Why?
Everyone on earth has the same basic needs; it is only our circumstances— where we live and the culture into which we are born—that differ. Some are born into relative prosperity and security, while millions, through no choice of their own, are born into poverty.
We are all tied to a global food system that is broken. Yet there is a strong and growing movement of individuals and organizations working to repair and improve the system. In a world facing the challenges of the current famine in East Africa, constrained land and water, and an erratic climate, one of the best ways to combat global food insecurity is to invest in farmers and remove the barriers that limit their productivity. Please join us to learn more about the issues, the solutions, and how you can help!
Food donations from:
World Food Prize, final post
Today was my final day at the World Food Prize. Though the other Oxfam Action Corps organizers and staff are staying until tomorrow to attend tonight's Oxfam Hunger Banquet and tomorrow's Des Moines farmers' market, I'm heading back to San Francisco.
This Morning we heard the laureate keynote address by the former President of Brazil, Luis Inacio Lula da Silva. An energetic and charismatic speaker, President Lula described government programs he instituted to address poverty and hunger, including the Zero Hunger programs. With the goal of eradicating hunger by 2015 in Brazil, several complementary programs addressing food security, health, education, and gender equality were combined to improve social inclusion of the poor. President Lula is serious about ending hunger, saying that "fighting hunger is government responsibility" and that "hunger is the worst weapon of mass destruction in the world". His plans are a combination of social inclusion and economic development, and he highlighted the benefit to all of Brazil's society by bringing more people to their domestic market and improving their economy. Though I cringe to think that the developing countries will make similar mistakes as us by relying on consumerism, it's true that as the poor are lifted out of poverty, they become consumers and strengthen the economy. At least President Lula mentioned the benefit of responsible consumerism and also voiced his support to regulate the international financial system, urging the G20 to make such a political decision. His speech ended with his experience putting forth policies to help the poor. He remarked how all his social inclusion programs were considered government spending, but giving to big business and the rich was considered investment. He considers the money he used for programs for the poor to be government investment, disliking the negative differentiation as spending.
Following President Lula's address, we went to Marshalltown Community College were we learned about their Entrepreurial and Diversified Ag program. We had a delicious vegetarian lunch made with local vegetables, fruits, and herbs, and our guest farmers - Silas Samson Biru from Ethiopia and Nelly Velandia from Colombia - shared their stories with Marshalltown students and educators. During lunch, I sat at a table with several others, including a Marshalltown freshman student in the program. He explained how he grew up on a nearby farm of about 1000 acres, which he said was medium-sized as some of his neighbors had farms of 5000 acres. An Oxfam America staff member originally from Uganda was also at our table and commented on food and agriculture in Uganda. He discussed how the average size farm in Uganda is probably around 2 acres, with only 10% of farms at least 10 acres in size and about 50% of farms at least 5 acres. What a shock to hear the difference in size of farms in Iowa compared to Uganda! And to realize that most farmers in Uganda, similar to much of the developing world, have so little land to grow enough food to feed their families with a little extra to sell. Once again we were reminded of why it's so important to invest in small-scale farmers in developing countries, so that farmers like Silas and Nelly have resources available (such as land, water, seeds), build resilience in their farming, and have access to markets with a fair price for their crops.
With so many aspects of agriculture and food discussed at this year's World Food Prize, there is much for me to digest (pun intended!) as I return to the Bay Area and share my experiences with our local Action Corps. Join us in the GROW campaign and add your name to the online petition telling Congress you oppose cuts to poverty-focused development assistance.
Please feel free to email us if you'd like to join us in our support of farmers around the world to enable changes to our food system to ensure everyone has enough to eat.
World Food Prize, continued
Today was another full day of learning and sharing at the World Food Prize in Des Moines. Conversations about food and agriculture continued, as many players involved in food production and food-related policies were included on today's schedule.
One of the day's earliest sessions was a report of the 2011 Global Hunger Index by the International Food Policy Research Institute. This report is based on the most recent data about hunger and malnutrition and makes recommendations for ways to address food security. The full report is available online, with much information relevant to Oxfam's GROW campaign.
There were also several panel discussions focused on the inclusion of women and girls in agriculture development. Mary Rono, a dairy farmer from the Kendu region of Kenya, spoke about her experiences as co-founder and chairperson of the Koitogos Dairy Cooperative Society. She described social and cultural barriers she faced in her community and home while establishing her group, which gained status as a coop earlier this year. The coop is now very successful with 350 members, including 33% women and 15% youth. By pooling their milk for sale at a nearby processor, the farmers have secured a good price and steady income. They also have training sessions to learn about better practices to raise and tend their animals. Mary's story is very inspirational, with her determined personality apparent to ensure the livelihood of her family and community.
The Secretary's Roundtable and African Presidential Leadership Roundtable were also held today. It was very interesting to learn about the agricultural development goals and practices of several African countries. On the positive side it seems some of the African countries represented in the sessions are working to improve and maintain small-scale farming. For example Tanzania is using rice seeds from their own research efforts, with rice yields more than twice as much for small-scale farmers compared to large farms. Also, Mozambique has 1000 demonstration plots that are used to educate farmers on improve methods. However, it was surprising, to me, to learn about the use of subsidies for seed and fertilizer in Ghana and Tanzania without well-formed exit strategies. Due to the limited budgets of the governments in these countries, the Ministers of Agriculture from both recognize the likely non-sustainability of subsidy programs. One can only hope their farmers will have long-term security if government subsidies are reduced or eliminated in the future.
Once again a common message was to realize and embrace that different solutions are required to ensure food security in different areas. Though it seems that many see the importance of taking geographical and some social differences into consideration for food and agriculture development, it's not clear whether developed countries have fully realized that there should be more than a one-way exchange of ideas and programs. A two-way exchange between developed countries and developing countries is needed to realize long-term and sustainable success for implementation of agriculture development strategies. We in the developed world are faced with many problems in our own food system (e.g. obesity and nutrition, environmental impact, loss of family farms), and a more holistic approach is needed in developing countries to avoid facing the same problems we face today.
World Food Prize
It's been a busy day at the World Food Prize in Des Moines, Iowa. Oxfam Action Corps volunteers from Des Moines, Chicago, Columbus, New York City, and San Francisco are here along with Oxfam America staff and special guest farmers from Colombia and Ethiopia.
The day was filled with talks and panel discussions from many sectors of agriculture and food, including governmental, nonprofit, private business, and academic. Nearly every talk I attended expressed a need to increase food production to feed a growing population of 9 billion people by 2050, though, not surprisingly, the approaches described varied from high tech products and methods to development assistance programs for farmers in developing countries.
Two descriptions of the food system that resonated with me were from Howard G. Buffett from the Howard G. Buffett Foundation and Judy Beals from Oxfam America. Mr. Buffett said, "Different farmers need different solutions," which he has witnessed on his own research farms here in the Midwest and in South Africa. He shared four stories of projects, all that were unsuccessful but proved to be great lessons in the importance of local and geographic-specific considerations for determining technology feasibility environmentally, economically, and socially. Echoing a similar view, Judy Beals explained how we are faced with the need to reform the food system, which is a complex problem and "there is no silver bullet and no magic seeds".
We were also very fortunate to have two female farmers from developing countries come to share their experiences at an Oxfam-sponsored panel. Nelly Velandia, a farmer from Colombia, and Silas Samson Biru, an Ethiopian farmer, spoke about their work with farmer-led initiatives in their countries. Nelly is a leader for the Farmers' Markets Program in Bogota, which aims to promote the small farm economy and bring fresh food produced by small farmers directly to the consumer at fair prices. Silas participates in a risk-management program: Horn of Africa Risk Transfer for Adaptation (HARITA). Both women have worked hard as leaders in their communities, facing difficulties as they break cultural norms for women and convince local government to include them in decision-making. Their stories in inspiring, not only for their successes, but also for their perseverance to continually improve their programs.
Tomorrow will be another day full of information at the World Food Prize. Stay tuned for more updates.
Oxfam at Treasure Island Music Festival
Join the Oxfam Action Corps at the Treasure Island Music Festival this Saturday and Sunday. Will will have free CDs and online downloads to give away along with great information and material for our GROW campaign. Most importantly, stop by to sign our petition telling congress NOT to cut life saving aid! It will be a great weekend, see you there!
Oxfam at the Slow Money National Conference
Are you ready for World Food Day?
Farmers' market outreach this weekend
Call-in day of action to save foreign aid
Life-saving funding is on the line – and your call could be the one to save it!
Congress is threatening to cut support for poverty-fighting foreign assistance, including for programs that:
- Feed more than 46 million of the world's poorest people,
- Prevent more than 114,000 children from being born with HIV,
- Save 3 million lives through immunization programs, and
- Help poor people lift themselves out of poverty.
It's up to us to speak up for those whose lives are changed – and saved – by this funding. Congress is about to finalize the budget for next year and years to come. Before they do, we need you to make a quick call to send them a clear message: don't cut poverty-fighting foreign assistance.
Here's how to make your call:
- Call the Congressional switchboard at 202-224-3121 and tell the operator your name and where you're calling from. Ask to speak to your Senators – the operator will connect you.
- Tell the staffer: "I'm calling to oppose cuts to poverty-focused foreign aid. Reducing funding for these programs won't help our national deficit, but it will have a terrible impact on life-improving and life-saving programs. We must continue to make these investments and give people the tools they need to lift themselves out of poverty – too many lives depend on it."
- When you're done, you can call your Representative through the switchboard and ask for their support as well.
- Once you've ended your call, email us at sanfrancisco@oxfamactioncorps.org to let us know how it went! You can also fill out this form online.
Monthly meeting on Thursday, September 22
Make this World Food Day (Sunday, October 16) a cause for celebration and action!
Here's a follow-up to last week's post, with more information about resources available to discuss food justice at dinner on World Food Day:
When we sit down to dinner every day, rarely do we realize that our meal depends on a global system that involves people both next door and across oceans. This World Food Day, Oxfam America is teaming up with allies across the USA and around the globe to encourage people to take a simple yet profound action. We’re asking you and thousands of others to dedicate your Sunday Dinner on October 16th to a conversation about where your food comes from, who is behind its cultivation and how we can make the food system more just and sustainable.
Just click on www.oxfamamerica.org/worldfoodday
We are all tied to a global food system that is broken. Yet there is a strong and growing movement of individuals and organizations working to repair and improve the system. In a world facing the challenges of the current famine in East Africa, constrained land and water, and an erratic climate, one of the best ways to combat global food insecurity is to invest in farmers and remove the barriers that limit their productivity.
Creating this awareness is what a World Food Day Sunday Dinner is all about.
For your Sunday World Food Day Dinner this October, Oxfam America will provide free resources so you can host a fun, educational and engaging conversation about food justice, including:
• Recruitment videos from Desmond Tutu, Frances Moore Lappe and Ellen Walsh-Rossman to get your friends, classmates, and neighbors fired up
• A Sunday Dinner discussion guide to give you conversation starters for your event
• Recipe ideas from famous chefs
• Dinner supplies – from placemats to posters and more! See placemat above.
All these and more can be found at www.oxfamamerica.org/worldfoodday
No matter where – or when – you eat, hosting a Sunday Dinner will link you to thousands of supporters across the world who are using their mealtime to change the world on October 16th. In dozens of countries, people like you will gather on that day to share a meal and start a conversation about how we can create a fairer and sustainable food system.
Conversations that start at your dinner table can turn into actions that transform our world. Thanks for being part of this day and please pass on to others!
Dedicate your Sunday dinner on World Food Day to farmers
It's time to start planning your Sunday dinner on World Food Day. Oxfam America has resources available to include a conversation about where your food comes from, who cultivates it, and how we can make the food system more just and sustainable.
Upcoming events
Monthly meeting this Thursday
"Like" Oxfam America on Facebook
Outside Lands outreach
Recommended articles
Conference call with USAID Administrator Raj Shah
Right now a crisis is unfolding in the Horn of Africa. The region is confronting the worst drought in 60 years, while a staggering 11.6 million people severely lack access to food and water. Tens of thousands of lives have already been lost due to this famine. Meanwhile, the United States is working with the international community around the clock to avert a major humanitarian disaster.
USAID Administrator Raj Shah just returned from the region and has asked to speak directly with ONE members about some important developments he's seen on the ground and what we can do right now to help.
The call will begin TODAY (Wednesday) at 5:10 PM PDT. Just RSVP here, and they'll call you promptly at 5:10: http://act.one.org/go/33?akid=2336.1476897.21o_cd&t=3
Thank you, Ben Sollee!
Food crisis in East Africa: A call for local food advocates to expand their border
by Desiree Thayer, SF Bay Area Oxfam Action Corps Organizer
Thousands of people, mostly women and children, have been walking for days. Not just a day or two, they've been walking for fifteen to twenty days, bound for Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. Many of the women have lost children to hunger during the trek or taken unaccompanied minors (likely orphans) found along the way into their care. All of these people were in utter desperation to leave their homes and come to a camp in such a remote place for food and water. There are now 400,000 people in Dadaab. The influx of 9,000 people per week is taxing on the resources of the camp.
The ongoing food crisis in East Africa, including Kenya and Ethiopia and the famine in parts of Somalia, is affecting over 11 million people and the result of a series of circumstances. In Somalia, a two-year drought devastated harvests and depleted livestock. This in turn led to record food prices beyond the reach of many. There is also internal conflict in Somalia, tied to a lack of basic infrastructure and social services.
Of course emergency humanitarian relief is needed to save lives now. But equally important is the need to address underlying problems to achieve long-term solutions.
Overall this is an issue of food and power. There is enough food produced to feed everyone but still nearly 1 billion people go to bed hungry every night. The food system is broken, and we need to change the way we grow and share food so everyone has enough to eat.
Here in the San Francisco Bay Area, there are many great efforts to change our local food system and how we eat. We have support for eating local and organic food through farmers’ markets and community supported agriculture, more people taking part in urban gardening in community gardens or their own backyard, many chefs in our restaurants who prepare local and sustainable foods, and efforts to reform school lunches. And from travels to other cities and regions, I’ve witnessed the local food movement’s presence from coast to coast.
Much like the benefits we will reap locally and nationally by moving to more sustainable agriculture and supporting local farmers, these same advantages are desirable to the global food system. Most of the hungry in developing countries are actually small-scale food producers (farmers, pastoralists, fishers). So in order to help those who are vulnerable to hunger, there should be investment in small-scale food producers, protection of their rights to land and other natural resources, and support to maintain resilience through climate change and food price increases.
When it comes to the food movement here, a common saying is “Think globally, act locally”. It’s time for local food advocates to embrace the global food system and to push for changes by focusing on local efforts here and abroad. “Think globally, act locally and support global reform.”
Learn more and take the GROW pledge on Oxfam America’s website. Take action today at http://www.oxfamamerica.org/grow.
Tede Lokapelo, age 85 from Turkana, holds a day's worth of food. Photo by RANKIN. http://bit.ly/rt3ReG
Thanks to everyone who attended our summer kick-off meeting
Summer Kick-off Meeting
Table for Nine Billion
Thanks to everyone who helped make our IWD event a success!
Join Oxfam America in Celebration of International Women’s Day!
th, 2011 marks the 100th Anniversary of International Women’s Day. Around the world, organizations and individuals will be celebrating this exciting historic landmark. From coast to coast, Oxfam America supporters will organize 100 events in 100 days, and you're invited! Join the Bay Area Oxfam Action Corps at a very special event called “Ending Hunger Starts with Women.” - 6:30 to 7:10 pm: Informational networking reception in the gallery where guests can enjoy sustainable appetizers, organic wine and fair trade tea and coffee, while mingling with local luminaries and browsing informational tables featuring local non-profits.
- 7:10 to 8:30 pm: The evening will continue in the Goldman Theater with short films and a presentation from special guest Ms. Prak Souern, a rice farmer and community leader from Cambodia, followed by a panel discussion and Q&A with some of the Bay Area's pioneers for ethical change, food experts, and leaders in business and government.
- Ms. Prak Soeun, rice farmer and food justice pioneer from Cambodia
- Musician Thao Nguyen
- Bay Area Green Tours' Marisa LaManga
- Oakland Food Policy Council's Alethea Harper
- Pluck & Feather's Esperanza Pallana
Oxfam Action Corps 2011 Recruitment
Oxfam America is currently in the process of recruiting new volunteers for 2011-2012. If you are interested in joining the Oxfam Action Corps or if you know someone that might be interested, please spread the word and sign up by February 14th at http://www.oxfamactioncorps.org.
You will meet great people and work together to change laws that can save lives, defend the rights of women and farmers, and protect communities from climate change. You will gain leadership skills, have fun, and change the world!
Anybody can join the local effort! All levels of experience are welcome. You can also apply for Oxfam’s free four-day leadership training in Washington D.C.
This year, we will mobilize a political response to the urgent problem of global hunger. The women and men in poor countries who struggle to grow enough food to feed their families are facing competition for land and water, rising prices, and climate change. We will call for laws that support women and farmers, sustainable practices, and resilience to climate change, and ensure a better future for people in the poorest regions of the world.
This is a year-round volunteer opportunity, with a deadline of February 14 to apply for the spring training. Find out more and sign up at http://www.oxfamactioncorps.org .
Check out this video to see what we are all about: