Iowa celebrated Cinco de Mayo with a unique speech by Senator Bernie Sanders and Iowan farmers who called for an agricultural and rural transformation. “This is a game changer, a key paradigm change for the Farm and Food Movement and beyond,” said Presbyterian Iowa farmer, Brad Wilson. The Des Moines Register article led with: U.S…. Read more »
May 7, 2019
Rural Revitalization Revelation!
Iowa celebrated Cinco de Mayo with a unique speech by Senator Bernie Sanders and Iowan farmers who called for an agricultural and rural transformation. “This is a game changer, a key paradigm change for the Farm and Food Movement and beyond,” said Presbyterian Iowa farmer, Brad Wilson. The Des Moines Register article led with: U.S…. Read more »
We’re winding down National Ag Week with this post on Agriculture and Climate. IATP provides a brief summary and some great resources below. And speaking of resources, you can download our Food and the Climate Crisis poster/placemat right here. Stay tuned for the launch of PHP’s Climate Challenge this summer! From the Institute for Agriculture… 
Yes, this week is National Ag Week, a recognition and celebration of agriculture in the United States. Throughout the week, our strategic partner in Minnesota, the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) is sharing their excellent investigative work, analysis and campaigns to move toward a fairer and sustainable agricultural system in the U.S. and… 
Climate Justice Alliance (CJA), a grantee partner of the Presbyterian Hunger Program, has the ear of Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez. CJA members support the Green New Deal, but they continue to push for language and legislation that aims for zero emissions, not just a net-zero. Net-zero goals allows high-emission polluters to continue polluting and to rely on… 
This is the second part of a two-part series on Puerto Rico, Climate Change and Food. Part one can be found here. “Back to the Land” and Agroecology Jesús Vázquez Negron and I visited Ian Pagán Roig at Finca (farm) Josco Bravo in Toa Alta, Puerto Rico, which is one of the three sites at… 
Overview In December, I participated in a delegation comprised of staff from Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA), Presbyterian Self-Development of People (SDOP), and Special Offerings, and we invited local pastors and mid-council staff to join us for the visits to Fideicomiso de la Tierra, a decimated family farm in Lares, and Presbyterian Camp Guacio over the course of… 
Take-aways from COP24 The nations of the world agreed on many of the tricky parts of the Paris Agreement ‘rulebook’, including how governments will measure, report on and verify their emissions-cutting efforts. This provides standards and makes it harder for countries to wriggle out of their commitments. What wasn’t hammered out was how countries will step up… 
Getting at the Roots The best session I attended at the global climate summit was How Do We Get There? Agriculture, Energy and Systemic Change to Meet the Paris Agreement, which included this presentation by Shefali Sharma. Shefali is the director of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) European office. IATP has been a great partner in… 
Thousands fill the streets of Katowice calling for climate action Protesters included people of faith from many religions, farmers from Latin America, environmentalists from Asia, students from the United States and families from Europe, many of whom said climate change is already affecting their lives. Thousands of people from around the world marched Saturday through… 
Hope in our vision On this cold, rainy day in Poland, hope could be a rare commodity. But the beautiful efforts and creativity of others produces a kind of Commons that can help us find meaningful perspectives and actions that transcend material limitations (i.e. into the spiritual dimension). So – and I say this to…