Community Agriculture Alliance: An old beginning with a new twist

Agriculture is nothing if not consistent. Against all odds, agricultural producers continue to provide food, fiber, products and services for the region, country and world. Despite the loss of agriculture acreages, more food is grown today than at any time in history. Higher prices for equipment and fuel force farmers to tighten their belts. When there is greater demand for lands previously used for grazing, ranchers find alternative areas for their cattle and sheep. When government regulations continue to encroach on business decisions, ag folks step up their research. The list of adversities is long. It always has been.

My grandfather talked about starving during the Nebraska Dust Bowl before moving his family of five kids to Steamboat in November 1939. I remember my parents’ despair when it was time to buy a new baler because there simply wasn’t the money to invest. I personally know of the deep anguish when cattle prices dropped overnight and the bank loan was due in a month. And I listen to my kids discuss future expenses against potential incomes. Four generations in one small family wanting to stay in agriculture against all odds because they love the lifestyle.

Now we are in 2013. A new year poses new problems, but we have the same desire to be productive, display good values, respect our natural resources and honor our heritage. Agriculture remains consistent.

In the same manner, the Community Agriculture Alliance is facing challenges. We are struggling to meet the expenses of our nonprofit group. But at the same time, the demand for producer-consumer enhancement and promotion within our community is huge. Our desire to provide education about the critical importance of agriculture is powerful. The need for us to serve as an agriculture resource connection continues to grow.

Since October 2012, the directors, advisers and staff of the Ag Alliance have been evaluating the future of the organization. They agree that we are important to the future of Northwest Colorado and that they want to be part of the discussions that impact regional agriculture. Strategic work sessions have become the norm to discuss financial stability, organizational clarity, board development and public relations. Because of the diverse backgrounds and interests of the board members, we are able to put a variety of issues and suggestions on the table. And in the typical manner of people who respect agriculture, we are finding answers to the difficult questions.

We elected officers during our January board meeting. Leading the Community Agriculture Alliance’s Executive Committee during 2013 will be Carol Atha and Greg Brown (co-chairs), Brett Mason (past chair), Dan Bell (secretary), Medora Fralick (treasurer), Barry Castagnasso, Erika Murphy and Brian Smith (members at large). They are supported by directors Chris Bradley, Diane Holly, Kathy Smith, Regina Wendler, Deb Werner, Wayne Shoemaker and advisers Adonna Allen, Tammie Delaney, Vonnie Frentress, Rod Hanna, Carl Herold, Pete Kurtz, Ren Martyn, Nancy Merrill, Andy Schaffner, Nancy Stahoviak and Rich Tremaine.

We continue to welcome your opinions and thoughts. Stop by the Community Agriculture Alliance office at 141 Ninth St. in Steamboat, call us at 970-879-4370 or visit our website at www.communityagalliance.org.

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IFAD team evaluates agriculture programmes

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: A delegation from the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) headed by its assistant president Lakshmi Menon and Asia Pacific director Hoonae Kim is in the country this week.

In collaboration with the Nepali government and the Asia and Pacific Division, the Independent Office of Evaluation organised a National Roundtable Workshop for the Nepal Country Programme Evaluation (CPE), today in Kathmandu.

Participants at the workshop included representatives from the government, civil society organisations, academia, private sector and donor partners. The objectives of the Nepal CPE national roundtable workshop were to discuss the main issues emerging from the Nepal CPE; provide inputs for the preparation of the evaluation’s Agreement at Completion Point; and provide an opportunity for reflecting on key issues for the forthcoming Nepal Country Strategic Opportunities Programme (COSOP).

The COSOP is established through a participatory process by the Country Programme Management Team (CPMT) grouping representatives of the government, private sector and civil society as well as farmer organisations. The CPMT will determine the country’s national plans, agriculture development strategy and the needs of smallholders farmers, and the strategic orientations to be taken by the IFAD funded project for the next six years (2013-2018).

In addition to participating in the workshop on 23 January, the IFAD delegation from Rome conducted a field visit to the sites of an IFAD-funded project — the Leasehold Forestry and Livestock Programme. The visit offered the IFAD delegation an opportunity to directly hold discussions with beneficiaries and their groups, project staff, district-level government authorities and others, as well as see project activities on the ground.

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Sowing the seeds of profitable agriculture in Romania

The development of sustainable and profitable agriculture in Romania, problems with genetically modified organism (GMO) regulations in Europe and controversies over GM crops, the trade dynamics of agricultural products in Romania over the last decade and EU policies and their impact on Romania are among the most significant problems local agriculture is facing, say industry players. And these topics were duly raised and debated at the event. Currently, Romanian agriculture must undergo many changes to reach European Union levels. Although the country has no irrigation system, little storage space, a productivity level that is half the EU average, and just a fraction of European funds have been absorbed, market players are trying to see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

Achim Irimescu, secretary of state, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development 

"Sustainable agriculture is a very new concept but highlighted in the last decade. The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has focused on sustainable agriculture. As long as the farms respect EU rules, we can talk about sustainable agriculture at a local level. Large producers should be able to meet high standards. I believe that sustainable agriculture is the basis for future agricultural development." 

"The goal is to transform the European farmer into a rural entrepreneur. Romanians can align to European requirements. Also, one solution would be agronomic research to come up with revolutionary solutions to produce more with fewer resources." 

Veronica Toncea, general director, the Guarantee Fund for Rural Credit 

"Among Romanian agriculture’s advantages are that it is the only sector that has something like the Common Agricultural Policy, which means a common market, common rules and standards and a common budget, European funding sources and substantial national budgets, which are used to support agricultural production and environmental development areas." 

"Another advantage is the partnership with the banking system, given that all the sums will be distributed to beneficiaries through bank accounts." 

"The objectives of the Guarantee Fund include supporting food security and increasing the export of value-added agricultural products, in the context in which global demand is greater than the supply of such products, and some EU countries have reached their peak of productivity, plus the efficient use of natural resources and social cohesion in rural areas." 

Maria Cirja, marketing manager for Romania & Moldova at Pioneer 

"The European and Romanian farmer has to develop into an entrepreneur, and act according to business principles, if we want to develop profitable agriculture." 

"Production must grow continuously to cope with population growth, the consumption of fuel and increasing meat market demands. If the production cannot cope, marginal non-agricultural areas will be forced to become agricultural. Production must increase by 70 percent by 2050 to feed over 9 billion people." 

"We can develop through research and innovation. Sustainable agriculture is profitable long-term agriculture. Production on acreage obtained from Pioneer corn hybrids can provide animals with enough food to meet the annual average consumption of beef (2 billion people), pork (1.8 billion people) and chicken (1.4 billion people)." 

Klaus Amman, Bern University, Switzerland 

"I think we should change our focus from process to product. We should look at products because the processes change anyway. In Romania I love that farmers can talk to scientists. We are making progress and GMOs will develop in the future." 

Financing for farms 

Due to its weather conditions and higher than the average European arable area, Romania has excellent primary agricultural resources, but to achieve performance like farms in other European countries it needs major investments in upgrading and modernization, argue players. Compared with other EU members, Romania’s agricultural system is poorly financed, has major differences in unit production, a weak organization of capitalization and must fight farmers’ reluctance to join a cooperative. The Romanian agricultural sector has a high capacity to absorb new funds and to develop further and longer than any other field. The support of the European Union through grants is an advantage for those who wish to invest, without having a significant financial contribution of their own to make. The majority of financing in agriculture is done through banks, whether it takes the form of a grant, EU funds or a loan. 

In 2011, considered one of the best agricultural years since the revolution, agriculture contributed 11.3 percent to GDP growth, compared to previous years when the average contribution was 6-7 percent, and both high yields and good prices gave relief to Romanian farmers. 

Achim Irimescu, state secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Romania 

"Romania will benefit from EUR 13 billion for agriculture over 2007-2013, of which just EUR 6 billion has been accessed so far. Time is short and an acceleration of absorption is required. We have a partnership with the Guarantee Fund and the banks." 

"In Romania there are two main problems for agriculture: financing and bureaucracy. Clearly, investments in agriculture are very important and direct payments will continue to support farmers’ income." 

"It is difficult to achieve a balance between Pillar 1 and Pillar II. Romania needs both and we have supported this. For objective reasons Romania is among the countries with low direct payments. EUR 8 billion was allocated to Pillar II and EUR 5 billion to Pillar I. As long as the overall amount remains constant, GDP will not be affected. If it changes it will affect Pillar II." 

Veronica Toncea, general director, Guarantee Fund for Rural Credit 

"There is less interest in financial solutions for farmers than in 2011. Our recommendation for farmers is to take out credit in the national currency as they have revenues in RON. The maximum guarantee ceiling is 80 percent, while the maximum value of a guaranteed fund is EUR 2.5 million. There is open competition between banks to give credit for this sector. It is important to emphasize that individuals cannot obtain financing for agricultural projects unless they are authorized individuals (PFA), family associations, enterprises or other small companies. In terms of procedure, nothing has changed since 2011." 

"Current legislation allows the reduction of agricultural risk by having secured guarantees for both short-term and long-term loans. Financing agriculture and projects using European funds are among the main strategies of commercial banks (with an increase of about 10 percent in 2011). The volume of loans to companies has higher growth rates than to individuals and financing costs have dropped compared to previous years." 

"Commercial banks compete in agricultural lending and in creating new loan products adapted to agriculture, given that prices are still in line with the 2011 trend. Commercial banks have set up offices and hired staff dedicated to funding European projects." 

"The introduction of a letter of comfort has ensured that the project value takes account of the financial capacity of beneficiaries, which has reduced the risk of projects not being implemented. In terms of guarantees required by commercial banks there have been no significant changes in the percentage of coverage of guarantees of credit exposure, but due to the depreciation value of assets as collateral securities, their value is not the same." 

Dan Florian Petre, agriculture market officer, BRD-Groupe Societe Generale 

"We represent a bank that signed the first partnership with APIA in 2008, targeting financial products for agriculture. We have delivered in recent years, and we continue to deliver, financial products for farmers, to meet their need. I know that the general feeling is that banks are closely competing by launching different products in this segment, but actually their claim is limited to the safest level of financing, that of pre-financing subsidies or European funds." 

"Farmers should take note of a product that can be used all along the process and that covers their needs. For instance, we have a financial product with a maturity of 10 years and a grace period of 9 months, in order to cover the seasons of the agriculture cycle." 

Weeding out the biggest problems 

Technical challenges, lack of proper subsidies, tax evasion, lack of state help and the fragmentation of agricultural land are among the main problems dogging Romanian agriculture. Currently, of the 10 million hectares of Romanian arable land only 600,000 hectares are irrigated and the amount of fertilizer per hectare in Romania is 6-10 times lower than in the EU. In addition, there is a lack of storage space around the country. 

Laurentiu Baciu, president of the Romanian Agriculture Producers’ League (LAPAR) 

"We are currently facing the largest disaster in the last 50 years in Romanian agriculture, with production equaling the same vales as 50 years ago. Some of the causes that I can indentify are the lack of irrigation, lack of proper subsidies, tax evasion, inaction from state authorities and ministries when it comes to finding basic solutions for farmers and the fragmentation of agricultural land." 

"Currently 54 percent of Romania’s agricultural surfaces are holdings of up to 1.7 ha. The added value is obtained from the 46 percent which are productive in agriculture. We have the lowest subsidies in Europe and expect others to decide for us." 

Gheorghe Sin, professor and president of the ASAS (the Academy of Agricultural and Forestry Sciences) 

"Given the context of several crises - financial, economic, environmental and food - plain solutions are needed from politicians. Even if agriculture has been invoked many times in rhetorical speeches, it seems that, in fact, it hasn’t attracted too much attention from the political sphere." 

"The local potential of this segment, which could feed a population two or three times the size of Romania’s, is not being used and we should analyze several aspects: the lack of efficiency of subsidies, the banks which are not acting according to partnership principles and ineffective lobbying by those in favor of GMOs." 

Dorel Benu, president of the Romanian Payment and Intervention Agency in Agriculture (APIA) 

"Our most urgent need is to find a more coherent and organized system for our dialog partners. Currently, we are in discussions, individually, with over 1 million farmers. Another downside of our work process is the lack of the cadastre for agriculture land." 

"Also, farmers are complaining that the diesel subsidy is too small." 

Veronica Toncea, general director, Guarantee Fund for Rural Credit: 

"Currently agriculture vulnerabilities include the excessive division of land plots, which has caused a high percentage of self-consumption, and the elderly farming population due to young people emigrating. In Romania farmers between 50 and 70 years old own over 2.3 million ha, meaning 24.3 percent of the total agricultural area." 

"Low profitability has caused the decapitalization of the sector and was the main factor in the stagnation of agricultural production." 

"Other problems are the lack of a land cadastre, the underdeveloped agricultural production marketing chain, lack of irrigation facilities, lack of state support for energy and water and tax evasion caused by the dual tax system (individual farmers, VAT excluded, corporate-VAT included)." 

"Another problem is the nonexistent marketing structure to integrate farmers, processors and traders in strategic alliances, with effects on produce (the diversity of producers has raised issues in providing the appropriate volume of standardized products to market requirements)." 

The future of agriculture: GMO and biotechnology? 

One of the most contention topics regarding agricultural development in Romania, and, to a wider degree, in Europe, is the cultivating of genetically modified organisms (GMO) and how this could boost the growth of this strategic industry. This year’s Romanian Agribusiness Forum, organized by The Diplomat - Bucharest in partnership with some of the most significant and biggest companies, financial institutions, state authorities decision-makers and scientists operating in this field, tried to identify the pros and cons of genetically modified crops and address the most troubling aspects of this sector. 

Achim Irimescu, state secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development 

"At European level, we sense that there is no interest in cultivating genetically modified crops. Romania is among the few countries in Europe that appears to be open to this segment. I suggest we let the scientists confirm whether or not it is safe to cultivate GMOs, rather than throw ourselves into emotional debates." 

"On the other hand, Romania imports 45 million tons of soya beans each year and I find it rather weird to fight against cultivating this locally but, in the meantime, import such an amount." 

"I don’t think that the position of the Ministry of Environment will affect the introduction of GMOs." 

Toma Dinu, PhD Professor at the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Bucharest (USAMV Bucuresti) 

"Romania is dependent on agricultural imports. The good thing is that exports have also increased. Mostly, we exports grains, seeds and tobacco, and the numbers of imports and exports dramatically changed for instance in 2000, when GM soya started to be cultivated, and again in 2007, when GM soya was forbidden in local farming." 

"Between 2002 and 2011 Romania exported agricultural products worth a total of USD 20.2 billion. Meat production in Romania is a goal but it is limited to satisfying vegetable protein needs. In 2011 Romania imported feed and soybean cakes worth USD 340 million. Quantities imported exceed 600,000 tons (420,000 tons of soybean cake and 186,000 tons of feed, especially premixed feed). To encourage the production of meat the domestic production of vegetable protein must also be stimulated." 

"In the last decade (2002-2011) in Romania agrifood imports far exceeded exports and the accumulated deficit of the period is USD 16.7 billion of which USD 11.8 billion involved EU member states." 

Doru Pamfil, professor and president of the Commission of Biotechnology of ASAS, rector of the Agricultural University in Cluj-Napoca 

"The present century belongs to biotechnology, as, according to forecasts and scientific studies, 50 percent of the global culture production will be based on biotechnology by 2050. Worldwide food production is also expected to double by that year, in order to be able to feed the estimated global population of 9 billion." 

"Biotechnology, by definition, plans to address the issues of food security and safety issues. Even so, it seems that currently, biotechnologies are better applied in industries, especially in bio fuel, pharmaceuticals and medicine, than the food industry." 

"We should ask a question in the future: whether we want cheaper fuel or food. Currently, European regulations are pushing towards a target of 20 percent bio fuel of the total production. By 2015 more than 50 percent of global production, food, feed and feedstock will be biotechnologically processed, not necessarily GM. It is clear that for the future we must bend more to biotechnology, to establish our priorities."

USDA, Co-ops Back Rural Jobs Efforts

By Steven Johnson

A proven energy-efficiency program and a jet engine complex are among the electric cooperative-backed economic development initiatives in line to receive about $13 million in loans and grants from the Agriculture Department.

The money, which will underwrite job creation and retention projects in a dozen states, represents the latest round of funding under the Rural Economic Development Loan and Grant program.

Under REDLG, the Agriculture Department provides zero-interest loans to co-ops, which they relend to back projects in their communities. Co-ops support the program through prepayment of Rural Utilities Service loans.

“These investments will give businesses access to capital and new markets, allowing them to expand and increase hiring,” Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said in a statement.

A $1 million loan will go to Midwest Energy,  Hays, Kan., to support its award-winning How$mart program.

The co-op provides low-interest loans to eligible members for energy-efficiency upgrades such as insulation, air sealing and new heating and cooling systems. Members repay the loans through savings on their monthly bills. Since 2008, participants have saved nearly 1.7 million kilowatt-hours.

“The REDLG loan will allow us to expand the How$mart program to many more of our 91,000 electric and natural gas customers,” said Earnie Lehman, president and general manager.

“This loan reduces costs and saves energy for our customer-owners, and brings work to dozens of plumbing, heating and general contractors in central and western Kansas that perform the How$mart upgrades.”

In Mississippi, Coast Electric Power Association,  Kiln, will receive a $300,000 grant and $740,000 loan to support work at the Stennis Space Center.

The Hancock County Development Commission plans to purchase an industrial site and build a fuel farm for a jet engine test facility, which Rolls-Royce will lease.

Additionally, White River Valley Electric Cooperative, Branson, Mo., will receive a $300,000 grant and a $740,000 loan to relend to Ozark Technical College. That will help the college construct a new campus in Hollister, and provide educational and vocational training courses to area residents.

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Agriculture funding welcome

The setting-up of the $15 million Credit for Agriculture Trade and Expansion fund by the Zimbabwe Agriculture Development Trust is a welcome development for farmers and agro-processors throughout the country.

The revolving fund, which is targeted at agricultural chain actors with the aim of stimulating productivity and incomes of small-holder farmers, is commendable.

It will have a tenor of between three to 12 months at an interest rate of 11,5% per annum.
While the fund can by no means quench the demand for finance from would-be beneficiaries, it will go a long way in ensuring that there is some activity on the farms.

There is no doubt that the country’s agriculture sector touted as the backbone of the economy is underfunded and hence any new lines of credit would be most welcome.

Failure to fund agriculture is much more costly as the country would be forced to resort to importing goods and in the process incur unnecessary costs.
Given the country’s limited fiscal space, there is therefore a need to ensure everything that could be generated locally should be done in order to free up finance for other critical sectors.

Of critical importance is that the funds are being availed at much lower interest rates compared to prevailing rates that are as high as 30% per annum.
This should ease the burden on beneficiaries who have had to contend with expensive finance.

As demonstrated by the Grain Millers’ Association of Zimbabwe, the failure by the government to mobilise $20 million funding for winter wheat farming would result in the State forking out $100 million towards the importation of the cereal.
During the first four months of the year Zimbabwe remained a net importer of goods and services.
Current statistics from the Zimbabwe Stastical Agency show that the month of April recorded the highest figure for net imports followed by January while exports remain skewed towards primary products and intermediate goods which basically have low value.

It is our hope that while more support should be given to actual growers of the crops, the importance of value addition cannot be over-emphasised.

Through value addition, the country once regarded as the breadbasket of Southern Africa can reclaim its status.

We hope that there will be no bureaucracy in the handling of funds as has happened with other financing facilities, in particular the Zimbabwe Trade Revival Facility, which will slow down the disbursement of finance.

Beneficiaries should strive by all means to repay the money so that as many companies as possible can benefit from the fund.

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Fund for agriculture disasters on track

By Wassim Mroueh BEIRUT: Agriculture Minister Hussein Hajj Hasan said Friday that he would soon announce the establishment of a disaster fund for the agriculture sector, half of which is to be funded by the government. The minister also explained that he was looking for markets to compensate for declining exports to neighboring Syria, where an uprising is now in its 15th month.

“We will soon announce its [the fund’s] establishment, after one or two months; we are now authoring the bylaws,” Hajj Hasan told The Daily Star in an exclusive interview.

The minister said that the government would provide half of the funds while the rest would be raised from subscriptions to be paid by farmers.

The fund will provide financial compensations to farmers suffering losses from natural disasters.

Currently, these compensations are paid by the Higher Relief Committee which operates under the prime minister’s office.

However, not all farmers are receiving compensations, as no funds were allocated to farmers in the south for damages their crops incurred as a result of a storm which hit the country in 2010.

“Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri decided that only grape farmers in the Bekaa and fishermen would get compensations [after the 2010 storm],” Hajj Hasan said.

“Listen, chaos will continue until we establish this fund, and it will be formed,” he added.

Regarding Hajj Hasan’s efforts to enroll farmers in the National Social Security Fund, the minister said no good news was on the immediate horizon.

He explained that the move requires a decision by the Labor Ministry and the entire Cabinet.

The Cabinet, Hajj Hasan continued, understands the need for farmers to join the NSSF. “But I cannot give you a date as to when this will happen.”

Another concern for the minister is securing markets for agriculture produce to replace the Syrian market, as demand for Lebanese products has dropped sharply in Syria due to the ongoing uprising against Syria’s President Bashar Assad. Syria happens to be Lebanon’s sole land outlet for agricultural exports.

“We are continuously looking for new markets ... all options are open [for transportation means], we are now transporting products to Iraq and getting ready to enter the Libyan market ... but you know the [regional] situation is difficult,” he said.

“Syria was the destination of 30 percent of Lebanon’s agricultural exports,” the minister added.

He said this number had dropped due to the depreciation of the Syrian currency and the general security situation in the neighboring country.

Hajj Hasan said he was working on resolving a transportation problem which hindered an initiative by Iran to import 5,000 tons of Lebanese oranges. “I think it is resolved,” he said.

The minister said he would hold a meeting with Public Works and Transport Minister Ghazi Aridi Wednesday to discuss means to reduce transport costs, which skyrocketed after a decision by the Aridi’s ministry to limit the export of goods to Lebanese trucks.

Hajj Hasan dismissed as “untrue” claims that regulations by the ministry on the use of pesticides and fertilizers were only being implemented on Lebanese produce and not on agricultural imports, making it harder for Lebanese produce to compete.

“We are implementing these regulations on imports. We just introduced them in an agreement we made with Egypt to import Egyptian apples and cherries,” he said.

“We are also closely monitoring potatoes exported from Egypt,” he said.

As for calls by some farmers to ban Syrian olive oil imports, which are creating fierce competition for Lebanese olive oil producers, Hajj Hasan believes such demands are unrealistic.

“First, Syrian olive oil enters Lebanon in line with the Greater Arab Free Trade Area,” he said. “Second, if I make a decision to ban Syrian olive oil imports, how will I still export via Syria?” he asked.

“We can work on the quality and ... marketing of our olive oil [to face competition],” he said.

Hajj Hasan added that his ministry was going ahead with plans to subsidize agricultural produce.

He said the government had already paid LL193 billion in subsidies in 2012 for cereals, fodder, agricultural exports, olive oil, fishermen and tobacco, as well as compensations for farmers whose crops had suffered damage due to natural disasters.

Hajj Hasan also said it was necessary to grant agriculture more independence by forming independent agriculture chambers in each governorate.

However, since such a move is not supported by other parties in the Cabinet, the minister is working on boosting the agriculture sector within the current Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture.

Hajj Hasan said his ministry was strongly supporting Integrated Pest Management, which involves combating pests through means that ensure favorable economic, ecological and sociological consequences.

He said the ministry was now spending LL4 billion to support IPM, and that farmers were responding in an “excellent manner.”

“We used to spend zero liras on this.”

Original Article Here

Environmental Justice: Hope And Change, Or Power And Control?

Jeremy Gonzalez picks tomatoes on a farm in
Steele, Ala., in October 2011. The marriage of
environmentalism and civil rights has given
federal agencies new powers to dictate what
local governments must do to protect the health
and welfare of migrant agricultural workers like him.
Photo Credit:AP/Dave Martin

by: Katherine Timpf

Third in a series

The marriage of environmentalism and civil rights has created a perfect storm of regulatory power that has the potential to control or kill any project anywhere in the United States.

For the Obama administration, it is not enough for federal agencies to simply solicit the viewpoints of minority and low-income groups before undertaking a new project. An agency must prove it did all it could to try to convince these groups to participate — or potentially face civil-rights charges and a loss of funding.

These requirements — based on a little-known executive order issued during the Clinton administration — are part of President Obama's focus on environmental justice, which is meant to ensure "the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies,” according to the definition provided in a guidebook published by the Environmental Protection Agency in July 2010.

An example: In 2008, Southern Migrant Legal Services complained to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry that 14 migrant workers suffered coughing, headaches, stomach aches and skin rashes after exposure to pesticides.

LDAF said it would have to interview the workers at its office in Baton Rouge, and that it would provide an interpreter if necessary. But most of the migrants had either returned to Mexico or could not make it to Baton Rouge for other reasons, so SMLS filed a Title VI complaint alleging that requiring in-person interviews “created a disparate impact against migrant agricultural workers based on their national origin.”

Title VI is the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which prohibits "discrimination under any program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance." In the 2011 memorandum of understanding that Mr. Obama issued on environmental justice, he explicitly suggests using this act in order to advance a radical environmental agenda.

The EPA agreedwith SMLS. It allowed the Louisiana agriculture department to settle the case out of court as long as the department agreed to a host of “commitments in accordance with the requirements of Title VI,” including allowing interviews about pesticide complaints to be conducted by telephone, and conducting at least four “outreach sessions” about pesticide exposure throughout the state each year. A representative from each group signed the agreement in December 2011.

The EPA deemed the LDAF's existing methods of pesticide “outreach” to be insufficient. In this case, the marriage of environmental justice to Title VI gave the federal government power to dictate a minimum number of meetings that a local forestry department must conduct to inform migrant agricultural workers of the risks of pesticide exposure.

At the State of Environmental Justice 2012 Conference, held in April in Crystal City, Va., speakers explained how the “meaningful involvement” requirement of the president's environmental justice initiative increases the federal government's role in local activities.

Conference speaker Marc Brenman, a former senior policy adviser to the U.S. Department of Transportation, explained how it works in the transportation industry.

"If an MPO [Metropolitan Planning Organization] doesn’t perform outreach to its population in a way that that population understands, that could well be a separate violation of Title VI right there," Mr. Brenman said. "It’s the responsibility of the MPO to know its demographics and to know the people in its service area and to perform that outreach in a way they understand."

Paul Driessen, a senior fellow at the Center for the Defense of Free Enterprise, a nonpartisan think tank based in Bellevue, Wash., says the propensity for control is exactly why he worries about environmental justice regulations.

“I have a real problem with groups that seize on a particular nice-sounding term and use it to advance an agenda … that I find unfairly and excessively commands many communities.

“They’re terms that they use that sound good. Everybody wants to be socially responsible,” he said. “And yet it has the potential to be misused, to be used in a way that advances a particular political agenda.”

David Almasi, executive director for the National Center for Public Policy Research, a conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C., said this desire to be “socially responsible” makes the movement much more powerful.

“They're pushing environmental justice not, in my opinion, as a way to help a minority community, but as a way to play the race card and make their arguments harder to fight,” he said.

Mr. Brenman explained how all government agencies are now held accountable to EPA for each and every one of their projects.

He explained that it is now considered federal policy to undertake a “social equity impact analysis” before a federal agency takes on any new project, and that study must contain “the documented inclusion of minority and low-income populations in the study and decision-making process.”

And, as evidenced by the Louisiana case, the EPA has final say in deciding whether any local project meets this burden of adequate outreach.

Another speaker at April's environmental justice conference, Kim Lambert, environmental justice coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, readily admitted that environmental justice makes every local action the business of the federal government.

“So what the agencies are basically required to do is please integrate EJ in your programs, policies, procedures, and activities. That’s a close relationship with federal government.

“You are supposed to be engaged from the very beginning. … Every program and policy and procedure that is on every federal website, you’re supposed to be engaged.”

Ms. Lambert reminded conference participants that having the Department of Interior involved in the first place gave the environmental justice movement a lot of power.

“Fish and Wildlife … the National Park Service, and … Bureau of Land Management — those are three agencies under the Department of Interior. We own most of the lands in the United States, including the White House and all national monuments. So — keep that in mind,” she said.

Original Article Here

Roads, agriculture, education get more funds

By Apollo Mubiru

Finance minister Maria Kiwanuka has allocated a bigger percentage of the 2012/13 budget to the roads sector, agriculture and education sectors.

As a result, the following roads will be constructed:

Fort-Portal-Bundibugyo (104km), Busega-Masaka (116km), Nyakahita-Kazo-Kamwenge (143km), Kawempe-Kafu (166km), Malaba/Busia-Bugiri (82km), Tororo-Mbale-Soroti (152km), Mbarara-Katuna (124km), Jinja-Kamuli (60km), Mbarara-Kikagati-Murongo Bridge (75km), Hoima-Kaiso-Tonya (85km), Vurra-Arua-Koboko-Oraba (92km), Gulu-Atiak (74km), Ishaka-Kagamba (35.4km), Kabale-Kisoro-Bunagana/Kyanika (101km), Masaka-Mbarara (154km).

Construction will be started on the following roads:

Kampala-Entebbe Expressway (51km), Moroto-Nakapiripirit (93km), dualing of Kampala Northern Bypass (17km), construction of Mbarara Bypass (40km), upgrading of Kamwenge-Fort Portal (66km) and  upgrading of Atiak-Nimule (35km).

Government will also seek funding from available sources to implement the following priority road projects in the medium term:

Olwiyo-Gulu-Kitgum (167 kms), Moroto-Nakapiripirit (92 kms), Muyembe-Nakapiripirit/Moroto-Kotido (193 kms), Soroti-Katakwi-Moroto-Lokitanyala (208 kms), Kapchorwa-Suam (77 kms), Villa Maria-Sembabule (48 kms), Mpigi-Maddu-Sembabule (135 kms), Mukono-Kyetume-Katosi-Nyenga (74 kms), Ntungamo-Kakitumba/Mirama Hills (37 kms), Rukungiri-Kihihi-Kanungu-Ishasha  (74 kms), Kyenjojo-Kabwoya (102.4 km), Buwaya-Kasanje-Mpigi-Kibibi-Mityana (90 kms), Hoima-Butiaba-Wanseko (111 kms), Kayunga-Galiraya-Bbale (88.5 kms), Kabale (Ikumba)-Kanungu-Buhoma (120.0 kms), Ishasha-Katunguru (88.0 kms), Kabale-Bunyonyi (6.0 kms), Mbale-Lwakhakha (41.0 kms), Atiak-Adjumani-Moyo-Afoji (104.0 kms)

In addition, the construction works and repairs of the following bridges will be undertaken:

Commence construction of Second Nile Bridge at Jinja, Nalubaale-Kiira Bridge, completion of Bulyamusenyu and Muzizi Bridges, 3 bridges on Atiak-Moyo-Afogi Road, Kanyamateke (Kisoro), Karujumba (Kasese), Alala (Nebbi) and Kasaigi (Kibale) and Semuliki Bridges;

Other bridges include bridges in North and North Eastern Uganda at Olyanai, Abalanga, Alipa, Ajeliek, Ojanai, Opot, Aakol, Airong all in Kumi, Balla, Agali and Engeti all in Lira and Kochi and Nyawa in Moyo.

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Corporations boost agricultural research funding

By ALAN SCHER ZAGIER

The gap between federal support for agricultural research at large public universities and private investment continues to grow _ and the divide comes with increased threats to academic freedom and more instances of meddling in the lab, a new research report suggests.

A recent study by Food and Water Watch, a Washington-based environmental group, shows that nearly one-quarter of the money spent on agricultural research at land-grant universities comes from corporations, trade associations and foundations, an all-time high. Financial support from the U.S. Department of Agriculture accounts for less than 15 percent, the lowest level in nearly two decades.

The consumer advocacy group's report is rife with what it calls examples of how corporate money "corrupts" the public research mission at land-grant schools, which were created by the Morrill Act of 1862. The law provided federal land for states to establish agriculture and engineering colleges.

The examples range from a University of Georgia food safety program that allows industry groups to join an advisory board in exchange for annual $20,000 donations, to an Ohio State University professor whose research on genetically modified sunflowers was blocked by two seed companies after the initial results suggested the biotech sunflowers fostered the growth of weeds.

The report, entitled "Public Research, Private Gain," also explores the blurry lines created when universities and industry work hand-in-hand, such as when South Dakota State University sued farmers over wheat seed patents as part of a public-private coalition formed with a Monsanto Co. subsidiary. The Missouri-based company is known for aggressive litigation against what it calls seed piracy. Kansas State University, Colorado State and Texas A&M have pursued similar lawsuits.

Such alliances are a far cry from land-grant universities' historic role in promoting public knowledge and freely sharing the fruits of their research, said Patty Lovara, Food and Water Watch's assistant director. The report notes that publicly funded university research led to the domestication of blueberries, early varieties of high-yield hybrid corn and common tools to fight soil erosion.

"There's a real sense in agriculture of what these schools used to be," Lovara said. "There was much more trust in what they put out. This is not the same research system of decades ago, and we're acting like it is."

Deans at several agricultural schools singled out for criticism in the report maintained that while corporate support is vital, it's unlikely to sway research results or even influence what research gets done.

"We're kind of caught between a rock and a hard place," said Thomas Payne, dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources at the University of Missouri. "In order for research to continue, we have to have support from a variety of sources."

Payne said industry support accounts for just 5 percent of the agricultural research budget at Missouri _ though the Food and Water Watch report notes that the percentages were significantly higher in the university's plant sciences department (42 percent from 2007 to 2010) and its College of Veterinary Medicine (63 percent from 2004 to 2010).

Monsanto plays a prominent role on the Missouri campus, where science students attend lectures in Monsanto Auditorium _ built in part with a $950,000 grant from the St. Louis company _ and professors spin their university research off into private companies at the Monsanto Place "life sciences business incubator," which was built with the help of a $2 million corporate grant.

The company and others in food and agriculture production have given substantial sums to other universities as well. There's a $1 million Monsanto Student Services Wing at Iowa State University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and a $250,000 endowed Monsanto chair in agricultural communications at the University of Illinois.

Cargill Inc. donated $10 million more than a decade ago for naming rights on a plant genomics building at the University of Minnesota, while two sensory labs at Purdue carry the imprimaturs of the Kroger Co. and ConAgra Foods Inc.

While the Food and Water Watch report suggests spending millions of dollars on building naming rights may also buy access to key decision makers, the donors and university officials say that's not true.

"In our experience, there is no correlation between naming rights and university research," Monsanto spokeswoman Sara Miller said.

Another Monsanto spokeswoman, Kelli Powers, said the company "is proud of its contributions to land-grant universities and support of university agricultural research," whether through naming rights or student scholarships.

Michael Doyle, a professor of food microbiology at Georgia and director of its Center for Food Safety, rejected the notion that companies such as Cargill, ConAgra and the Coca-Cola Co. unduly influence the center's research agenda when they buy seats on the Board of Advisors.

"Industry does not tell me how to spend that money," he said, noting that corporate support accounts for just 10 percent of the program's research budget. "But I ask the industry, `What are the areas you are interested in?'"

Those interests range from pathogen control to insider access to scientists and regulators from the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control. Corporate partners are promised "special consideration" by Center for Food Safety faculty members, and the center's website reassures industry members that a prying press isn't allowed to attend those discussions.

"What we're trying to do is come up with practical ways the industry can make our food safer," Doyle added. "It's not specific to a company ... Sometimes the research doesn't work out the way the industry wants. We don't hold back."

With the current five-year farm bill set to expire at the end of September, Food and Water Watch wants Congress to boost the federal investment in campus agricultural research, with more resources steered toward sustainable methods, organic farming and reduced use of pesticides. The group also is calling for land-grant universities to more fully disclose gifts by private donors and wants agricultural research journals to adopt more stringent conflict-of-interest rules, similar to the recent crackdown by medical journals.

"This is a conversation that needs to be had about how we support this research," Lovara said. "There are a lot of consequences of land grant-funding of industry research that haven't been examined."

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Lawmakers push for federal funds to help farmers across New York

he U.S. Agriculture Dept. says the apple, cherry and peach crops were
down in New York in 2010.

This year's late freeze destroyed more than three million acres of farmland across New York State, and Tuesday's hail storm just added insult to injury.

Now, Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Chuck Schumer are asking for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to make disaster funding available to farmers whose crops are left in ruin.

Gillibrand and Schumer are requesting that the USDA Secretary declare 34 New York counties, including a few in the Capital Region, as federal disaster areas.

That would make federal funds available to local farmers like Larry Devoe, who owns Devoe’s Rainbow Orchard in Clifton Park.

“You can’t do a thing about mother nature,” Devoe said. “She loves us.”

The sarcasm is strong, but Devoe said he has kept his spirits up.

“This is a ten acre block here and this is the only one that's got any apples on it at all,” Devoe said.

The orchard has forty acres of apple trees. The freeze knocked that number down to ten.

When those apples got hit hard with the hail storm, Devoe guessed he's lost about 90 percent of this year's crop.

“Here is a hail mark on this one already,” Devoe said, as he pointed out a rotted spot on one of the small apples.

But Devoe said he’s just glad there are any apples at all.

He showed us another row of different trees that faired better than the others.

“This is more what a crop should look like,” he said.

Back in 1958, Devoe said his family’s farm was one of the first in the Northeast to install a wind machine.

Now, Devoe said it saved his crop.

“If it wasn't for that wind machine, there wouldn't be an apple on these trees not one,” he said.

Devoe's Orchard has expanded over the decades. Through five generations, the farm stand has started to sell more than just fruit.

“When you look around you see mulch, firewood, flowers, and all that,” Devoe said. “We've gone into those things to diversify to get through because if we were just doing apples we couldn't survive.”

Devoe said after Irene and Lee, a warm winter, a late freeze, and a strong hail storm, this will be one of his toughest years yet.

When asked if the farm stand would still remain open, Devoe didn’t hesitate: “Oh yeah, we've got to, we've been around too long.”

Devoe said the hail storm will also double packing expenses because each apple needs to be hand checked, which takes a lot more time.

He said he won't know the full extent of the damage for another few weeks.

For more information on the effort to get federal funding for local farmers, CLICK HERE.

Agriculture : EC could approve funding for investment program devoted to irrigation infrastructure

The European Commission could approve the funding for an investment program devoted to the irrigation infrastructure and water source and this was also confirmed by European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Dacian Ciolos, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Daniel Constantin told Agerpres.

'Commissioner Dacian Ciolos confirmed that my objectives for this irrigation program are feasible from the point of view of the European Commission. It is for the first time that we shall have a special program devoted to the irrigation infrastructure and water source in Romania. No other EU member state has so far made this request, although there is a sort of precedent in Portugal, ' Daniel Constantin said.

He said that the funding of this program through EU funds will be an extremely important aid for Romania's agricultural sector.

'If Romania has access to this program that I want to request from the EC, it will be an extremely important aid for Romania's agricultural sector. Over the past 22 years, everybody considered the agriculture as a priority, but no one came up with this kind of project,' the MADR head pointed out.

Dacian Ciolos said in Bucharest on Monday that Romania must design big projects to support the development of agriculture in the upcoming years.

'I think about the irrigation sector, about big infrastructure projects and also regional and local projects of irrigation systems adapted to a sectoral specific. These projects can be financed not only through the Common Agricultural Policy, but also through structural funds,' Dacian Ciolos said.

He gave the example of the Siret-Baragan Channel (east), its infrastructure can be funded through cohesion funds, while the connection of the farms to these systems could be financed through the CAP funds.

'If Romania thinks up an irrigation project, the Siret-Baragan Channel, for example, it will also be able to negotiate that the infrastructure part to be funded through cohesion and structural funds and the connection of the farms to these systems through the CAP funds. Romania should draw up the plans as soon as possible in order for the projects to be ready and coherent starting 2014,' the EU commissioner stressed.

In his turn, Minister of European Affairs Leonard Orban said he supports the allotment of significant amounts out of structural funds to investments in irrigation infrastructures

  European Commission wants to avoid suspending payments under Fisheries Operational Programme

The wish of the European Commission is to avoid suspending payments under the Fisheries Operational Programme provided that the Romanian authorities take the necessary measures, European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Dacian Ciolos told a news conference on Tuesday in Bucharest.

'There is currently no suspension of payments under the Fisheries Operational Programme, but a programme the Romanian authorities have to implement in the following weeks, particularly in relation to the projects for which payments were wrong. At the same time, the wrongfully paid money has to be retrieved and measures will have to be taken to strengthen the efficiency of controls to avoid such situations on a wider scale in the future,' said Ciolos.

He added that he hopes the decision to suspend payments will be avoided because he has repeatedly submitted the measures that the Romanian authorities should take. 'I made sure in my conversations with the agriculture minister that such instances will be avoided,' Ciolos added.

State Secretary with Romania's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Achim Irimescu last week said the ministry will present to the European Commission the measures to be taken to rectify the situation recorded at the Management Authority of the Fisheries Operational Programme, in two weeks' time, at the longest.

In a letter sent by the European Commission, the commission says there are some errors and irregularities in the selection of projects submitted in Romania, as well as deficiencies in separating the offices and tasks inside the Management Authority.

Payments under the Fisheries Operational Programme were interrupted on January 13. 2012 for six months, pending the rectification of the deficiencies, with Romania risking a suspension of payments under the same programme unless it does the rectification by July 13, 2012. If the rectification fails, the Romanian Government risks being penalised.

Under the Fisheries Operational Programme, national payments worth 60 million euros have so far been made, an amount that has yet to be refunded by the European Commission.

Commissioner Ciolos recommends Romanian Gov't to analyse impact of cutting VAT on food

European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Dacian Ciolos has recommended the Romanian Government to analyse the impact of cutting the Value-Added Tax (VAT) on food for consumers and producers, as well as the taxation of the income of agricultural producers, so that the final measures may sustain higher fiscalisation of agriculture.

'I have recommended the Romanian Government on the one hand to analyse the impact on producers and consumers of the solution contemplated by the Government to cut the VAT on food and how such decision can be sustained by the Budget. On the other hand, the implementation of taxation on the income of agricultural producers of various sizes should be analysed, as that could be another way in which agricultural producers may be stimulated to state their production, and also the policy of the Romanian Government in relation to the associations of producers for trade purposes. I believe the producers may not state the production individually, but if they want to trade on the market and decide to do so through a cooperative or in a group of producers, then there must be some facilities in this respect,' Ciolos told a news conference in Bucharest.

Ciolos also argued that untaxed agriculture in Romania is in a vicious circle that has to be broken.

'This is a vicious circle because there is no fiscalisation in agriculture in order to avoid entering the market, but if there is no market entry there will be no public investment funds and without such funds there is no modernisation. This vicious circle has to be broken,' said Ciolos.

Romania's Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Daniel Constantin has recently told the specialist committees of Parliament that he is considering cutting the VAT to 9 percent, from a current 24 percent, on bakery and wheat milling products throughout the year, as he argued tax evasion reached an alarming 70-percent level after the VAT increased from 19 percent to 24 percent on July 1, 2010.

Commissioner Ciolos recommends Romanian Gov't to analyse impact of cutting VAT on food

European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Dacian Ciolos has recommended the Romanian Government to analyse the impact of cutting the Value-Added Tax (VAT) on food for consumers and producers, as well as the taxation of the income of agricultural producers, so that the final measures may sustain higher fiscalisation of agriculture.

'I have recommended the Romanian Government on the one hand to analyse the impact on producers and consumers of the solution contemplated by the Government to cut the VAT on food and how such decision can be sustained by the Budget. On the other hand, the implementation of taxation on the income of agricultural producers of various sizes should be analysed, as that could be another way in which agricultural producers may be stimulated to state their production, and also the policy of the Romanian Government in relation to the associations of producers for trade purposes. I believe the producers may not state the production individually, but if they want to trade on the market and decide to do so through a cooperative or in a group of producers, then there must be some facilities in this respect,' Ciolos told a news conference in Bucharest.

Ciolos also argued that untaxed agriculture in Romania is in a vicious circle that has to be broken.

'This is a vicious circle because there is no fiscalisation in agriculture in order to avoid entering the market, but if there is no market entry there will be no public investment funds and without such funds there is no modernisation. This vicious circle has to be broken,' said Ciolos.

Romania's Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Daniel Constantin has recently told the specialist committees of Parliament that he is considering cutting the VAT to 9 percent, from a current 24 percent, on bakery and wheat milling products throughout the year, as he argued tax evasion reached an alarming 70-percent level after the VAT increased from 19 percent to 24 percent on July 1, 2010.

Ciolos: Romania must trim to hundreds or even dozens of traditional products registered in Europe

European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Dacian Ciolos believes Romania must have several dozens or hundreds traditional products registered in Europe, as an improvement from the 4,000 registered in Romania at the moment.

'I believe the time has come for an evolution in Romania, from the several thousand traditional products several hundreds or even dozens registered in Europe, with origin name or with geographical indication. A quantity and quality effort must be made,' European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development Dacian Ciolos told a press conference on Tuesday, May 22.

He thinks it is not enough to have an amount of traditional products if the consumer cannot identify them or does not understand which is the difference between a traditional product and the other products. 'I think a regulated framework is necessary as a complement, easy to implement for the producer and easy to understand for the consumer to make a difference between a traditional product and the other products which might claim they are traditional but there is nothing to make a difference from those which have features of the traditional. ... I want to watch this matter personally and I will resume these talks in the autumn because there is a potential in Romania on this segment and I would like them to make use of the opportunities Europe enjoys.' Ciolos explained.

The European Commissioner also stressed that he recently held a European conference on the topic of local products and markets from the point of view of the financial support through the common agricultural policy, where the talks were held about the sanitary-veterinary rules.

'I included the sanitary-veterinary rules in the discussion, the food safety regulations and the special rules that can be implemented for these traditional products created at a small scale. We have to underline this aspect with a guideline to show the member states and the sanitary-veterinary services how they can implement these special rules without jeopardizing the consumers, and without leading to an administrative fuss which might trigger expenses incurred by producers,' Dacian Ciolos said.

As regards the matter of small B&B (bed & breakfast) units getting access to local products, the European commissioner said that the European Commission will present a report on the development potential of the local markets with food in the EU and he will decide later on which measures should be taken to encourage consumption of local products in Europe.

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