The excellent folk at Focus on the Global South have just put out a special issue of their Focus on Trade dealing with the current food crisis. This issue has the full version of Walden Bello's thoughts on the crisis (abridged in The Nation) and an abridged version of an excellent piece by Shalmali Guttal, looking at the effects of the food crisis in Timor Leste and Cambodia (click for full unabridged version).

I'm particularly keen on Shalmali's writing, in which you'll find a clear example of disaster capitalism at work in East Timor, recovering from decades of abuse under Indonesian rule. It starts with this observation:

Land used for rice production during Indonesian times cannot be used now, it was destroyed because of too many chemicals to intensify rice production. The soil needs to be regenerated.

and yet the solution is this:

The donors and World Bank are trying to increase production using hybrid seeds, chemical fertilisers, etc. Their emphasis is not on increasing food security through internal capacity and resources, or by promoting local foods, but by importing rice and food from outside, including food aid from the World Food Programme and the FAO.

The story doesn't end well. At least not yet. Read the full issue of Focus on Trade below the fold. ... read more »

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Posted on 26 May, 2008 - 05:42

Irene at the National Family Farm Coalition sent along this link to a blog covering the geopolitics of African agriculture. Doesn't sound promising, but it's a winner, and is the newest inductee into the blogroll and newswire.

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Posted on 26 May, 2008 - 05:47