[SustainableTompkins] IATP News: September 2006

[Tony Del Plato]

TCSustainers:
The films in the festival below might be worth bringing to our area.
Tony Del Plato

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: IATP News <iatp_news at lists.iatp.org>
Date: Sep 29, 2006 8:00 PM
Subject: [iatp_news] IATP News: September 2006
To: tonydelplato at gmail.com

 [image: IATP News: September 2006]  [image: IATP 20 Years]

The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy promotes resilient family
farms, rural communities and ecosystems around the world through research
and education, science and technology, and advocacy.

[image: IATP in the news]
9/26: Agrinews. Major advances in renewable fuels technology
seen<http://webstar.postbulletin.com/agrinews/341425104859256.bsp>

9/20: Scienceline. Food for Chickens, Poison for
Man<http://scienceline.org/2006/09/20/env-wenner-arsenic/>

9/12: Washington Times. Healthy Food Makes a
Recovery<http://washingtontimes.com/metro/20060911-103333-2108r.htm>

9/8: Bloomberg. Trade Ministers View Rio Meeting as Chance to Revive WTO
Talks<http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=a6ufTOx_1h0Q&refer=news>

8/26: Topeka Capital Journal. It was unions that built the middle
class<http://cjonline.com/stories/082606/opi_levins.shtml>

8/6: Albany Times Union. Food Policies Fail to Spur Good
Health<http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=505854&category=OPINION&newsdate=8/6/2006>

8/4: Interpress. Requiem for the
WTO<http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/HH04Dj02.html>

7/25: KSTP-TV (Minneapolis). Is former banned fertilizer now
safe?<http://www.kstp.com/article/stories/S17829.html?cat=5>

7/2: El Financiero. "Equivoca" EU su política agrícola:
IATP<http://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/Elfinanciero/portal/cfpages/contentmgr.cfm?docId=9629&docTipo=1&orderby=docid&sortby=ASC>

 Sustain Documentary Festival

[image: Scene from 'Black Gold'] On October 1, IATP kicks off the Sustain
Documentary Festival with a stellar line-up of documentaries. The films
cover different threats to global sustainability along with smart
alternatives. The festival is being held on Sundays, October 1, 8, 15, 22
and November 5. The venue, Bryant-Lake Bowl (810 West Lake St.,
Minneapolis), is known for hosting independent theater and film and its
award-winning menu featuring many locally grown and organic dishes.

The films are "Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price" on Oct. 1, "Broken
Limbs: Apples, Agriculture and the New American Farmer" on Oct. 8, "Black
Gold" on Oct. 15, "Life and Debt" on Oct. 22 and "The Yes Men" on Nov. 5.
Tickets are $7 to $14 (sliding scale) and can be bought in advance by
calling BLB's theater line at (612) 825-8949.

Join us!

   - Sustain Documentary Festival <http://www.iatp.org/sustainfestival/>
   - Bryant-Lake Bowl <http://www.bryantlakebowl.com/> (tickets,
   directions)

Minneapolis Mini-Markets Connect
Low-Income Communities and Farmers

[image: Farmers market] A new project to introduce small farmers markets to
low-income communities successfully launched four markets and contributed
hundreds of pounds of fresh produce to local food shelves this year,
announced IATP.

"The amazing thing about this project was how easy it was to set up these
markets," said Mark Muller, Director of the Environment and Agriculture
Program at IATP. "They expose how inefficient our food system is for many
communities, and how these types of markets could become much more common."

The markets were made possible through the city of Minneapolis' initiative,
STEPS to a Healthier Minneapolis. The markets were designed to increase
access to healthy food in low-income neighborhoods that have traditionally
lacked healthy food resources. Each market will run independently next year,
when additional markets will be organized in other locations in cooperation
with other groups.

   - Photos from the
markets<http://www.iatp.org/enviroag/projects_regionalfood.cfm>
   - Fact sheet<http://www.environmentalobservatory.org/library.cfm?refid=89106>(PDF)
   - IATP press
release<http://www.iatp.org/iatp/library/admin/uploadedfiles/Mini-Markets_Connect_Low-Income_Residents_and_.pdf>(PDF)

Listen to the Latest Radio Sustain

Learn about the controversy over organic dairy standards, the shrinking
middle class and the best booth at the Minnesota State Fair.

   - Listen to Radio
Sustain<http://www.iatp.org/radiosustain/audio/060821.mp3>(MP3)
   - Radio Sustain archives<http://www.iatp.org/iatp/iatpnews/sustain.cfm>
   - Subscribe via
iTunes<http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=161125227&s=143441>
   - Subscribe via XML <http://www.iatp.org/radiosustain/sustain.xml>

Pediatric Environmental Health Toolkit

As more science becomes available on the link between environmental
exposures and children's health, it becomes critical that the latest
research findings get directly into the hands of physicians. The Pediatric
Environmental Health Toolkit is a new resource on the relationship between
environmental exposures and children's health for physicians, physician
assistants, nurse practitioners and nurses in pediatric and family
practices.

On Nov. 18, IATP and others will hold a free one-day training on the toolkit
at the University of Minnesota. Making presentations will be: Mark Miller,
MD, MPH, Director of the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit at
University of California-San Francisco/San Francisco General Hospital; David
Wallinga, MD, MPH, Director of the Food and Health Program at IATP; Michelle
Gottlieb, MEM, Co-Executive Director for Greater Boston Physicians for
Social Responsibility; and Kathleen Schuler, MPH, environmental scientist
and senior policy analyst at IATP.

The training is co-sponsored by the University of Minnesota and IATP in
partnership with: Environmental Protection Agency; Greater Boston Physicians
for Social Responsibility; University of Minnesota Center for Public Health
Leadership in Maternal and Child Health; Minnesota Chapter, American Academy
of Pediatrics. The toolkit is endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics
and the University of Minnesota Children's Hospital/Department of
Pediatrics, Division of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Health.

   - Conference information page<http://www.iatp.org/foodandhealth/peht.cfm>

IATP Welcomes
Amy Stratton and Carin Skoog!

IATP is pleased to welcome Amy Stratton and Carin Skoog to the IATP team.

[image: Carin Skoog]Carin is the new program coordinator for IATP's work on
safer chemicals policy. Carin most recently worked for Grassroots Solutions
as the Minnesota field representative for the National Environmental Trust,
a media and environmental policy group based in Washington, D.C. In 2001,
she developed and initiated a Duluth City Council resolution to join the
Cities for Climate Protection campaign, and directed the energy conservation
program for the City of Duluth from 2001 to 2004. Carin received a grant
from the American Swedish Institute in 2000 to develop a collaborative
project between two United Nations programs in Växjö, Sweden: the Agenda-21
program for sustainability and the program for Children's Rights. She holds
a degree in environmental studies and Scandinavian studies from Gustavus
Adolphus College and is a native of Duluth. Carin can be reached at
cskoog at iatp.org.

[image: Amy Stratton]Amy Stratton is IATP's new rural communities organizer,
which will work with rural Midwestern communities to find viable solutions
to economic and environmental challenges they face. Amy received her
bachelor's in natural resources management from Colorado State University.
Since then, she has held positions as NGO and government staff on natural
resource and community development projects in South Dakota, Oregon and
Minnesota. Prior to joining the IATP team, Amy worked with Resource
Conservation and Development Councils in Minnesota. Amy can be reached at
astratton at iatp.org.
Concentration Distorts Global Food Markets

[image: Global Food] The growing market power of international food
companies is adversely affecting the lives of farmers and consumers
worldwide, according to a new paper by IATP's Senior Trade Advisor Sophia
Murphy.

Increased globalization has revolutionized food production, processing and
distribution, according to the paper. International trade agreements have
encouraged food market concentration. "The steady downward pressure on
tariffs has opened up markets in ways that favor companies in a position to
do business on a global scale," Murphy writes. "The strong policy push away
from government interference in markets...has changed markets for farmers
the world over."

*Concentrated Market Power and Agricultural Trade* is published by the
EcoFair Trade Dialogue: New Directions for Agricultural Trade Rules. The
EcoFair Trade Dialogue is an international project carried out by the
Heinrich Böll Foundation in cooperation with MISEREOR and moderated by the
Wuppertal Institute. More details can be found at www.ecofair-trade.org.

   - Concentrated Market Power and Agricultural
Trade<http://www.tradeobservatory.org/library.cfm?refid=89014>(PDF)

Can Aid Fix Trade?

[image: Can aid fix trade?] With the Doha Round's collapse, much of the
focus at the WTO has shifted toward the "Aid for Trade" negotiations. The
talks are important because they place questions about aid-who receives it,
how much countries receive and how the aid is used-within the context of the
WTO. There is a risk that Aid for Trade will distort multilateral trade
negotiations and further complicate already delicate relations between
developed and developing countries. Important questions still need to be
answered before WTO members decide to go forward with this agenda: Is Aid
for Trade a consolation prize for a failed Doha Agenda? Will Aid for Trade
be used to pressure developing countries to open markets more than they
otherwise would? Are donors serious about embracing Aid for Trade according
to recipients' needs? Will there be enough money? And is the WTO the best
forum for Aid for Trade? In a new paper, IATP's Carin Smaller answers the
tough questions.

   - Can Aid Fix Trade? Assessing the WTO's Aid For Trade
Agenda<http://www.tradeobservatory.org/library.cfm?refid=89070>(PDF)

Cross Retaliation in WTO Disputes

The WTO dispute resolution body is coming under increasing strain because
some of the WTO's wealthiest members are not fully implementing dispute
panel rulings. Non-compliance undermines the credibility and viability of
the WTO's rules-based multilateral trading system. In the wake of the July
2006 collapse of the Doha Round negotiations, many experts believe there
will be a significant rise in WTO legal disputes. In a new fact sheet, IATP
proposes that developing countries consider using a new strategy to ensure
compliance: cross-retaliation within the WTO system. Under this approach,
winners would be able to force implementation by suspending commitments to
WTO agreements not named in the dispute.

The fact sheet is based on a longer paper by IATP intern Nneka Morrison.

   - Strengthening Compliance at the
WTO<http://www.tradeobservatory.org/library.cfm?refid=89107>(PDF)

WTO's Cotton Crisis and the Crisis in Commodities

[image: Cotton] Significant disagreements over new agriculture trade rules
helped doom the WTO's Doha talks. Within the agriculture negotiations,
addressing the crisis of low cotton prices was consistently pushed to center
stage. If the Doha Round continues, the concerns of cotton-producing
countries will have to be addressed. In a new analysis, IATP's Steve Suppan
outlines the cotton initiative introduced by Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad and
Mali (the Cotton 4) and considers some factors affecting cotton prices that
fall outside the WTO's current purview, particularly competition from
oil-based and subsidized fibers. And it looks at the possibility of
addressing the concerns raised by the Cotton 4 in the context of the wider
African Group proposal on commodities.

   - The WTO's Cotton Crisis and the Crisis in
Commodities<http://www.tradeobservatory.org/library.cfm?refID=88936>(PDF)

Middle Class Losing Economic Power:
New Book

Increasing corporate power in the marketplace is causing stagnant wages,
increased cost of living and massive debt for America's middle class,
according to a new book by a University of Minnesota economist and Senior
Fellow at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.

*Middle Class: Union Made* (Itasca Books) by Dr. Richard Levins explains in
a common-sense style the importance of market power in a globalizing
economy. Dr. Levins is a professor emeritus of applied economics at the
University of Minnesota. He is an award-winning author of books about policy
and market power issues affecting the food system.

Dr. Levins writes, "All strategies that trade good jobs for cheap toasters
eventually erode the market for the goods and services provided. A handful
of hyper-wealthy individuals along with millions of people living on the
economic edge are not the sound, stable market needed for growth. Only the
middle class, with buying power widely distributed, can provide that."

   - Buy the book<http://www.itascabooks.com/index.cfm?page=Detail&isbn=0-9767054-4-3>
   - IATP's press
release<http://www.iatp.org/iatp/library/admin/uploadedfiles/Middle_Class_Losing_Economic_Power_New_Book.pdf>(PDF)

Woody Biomass Project Update

[image: Woody Biomass Project] Follow each step of IATP's Woody Biomass
Harvesting and Utilization Project online at Community Forestry Resource
Center. The project, based in northern Minnesota's Superior National Forest,
includes partners the Laurentian Energy Authority, Forest Management Systems
Cooperative and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.

This page provides information on the project, photos, harvest and field day
schedules, documents and news related to woody biomass harvesting.

   - Woody Biomass
Project<http://www.forestrycenter.org/biomassproject.cfm>at Community
Forestry Resource Center

New Social Watch Calls for Reform

A new report from Social Watch calls for reform of the current international
financial system to eradicate poverty and promote gender equity. IATP's
Alexandra Spieldoch, Patricia Jurewicz and Steve Suppan authored the U.S.
chapter of the report, "Impossible Architecture: Why the financial structure
is not working for the poor and how to redesign it for equity and
development."

   - Social Watch 2006<http://www.socialwatch.org/en/informeImpreso/index.htm>
   - U.S. chapter<http://www.socialwatch.org/en/informeImpreso/pdfs/usa2006_eng.pdf>(PDF)

*Donate to IATP!* You can help. IATP does very important work to keep family
farmers on the land, to ensure the safety of our food supply and to preserve
biodiversity and the environment for future generations. We cannot do this
work without you. Your tax-deductible contribution will help us secure a
sustainable world. Please make your tax-deductible contribution today. If
you would like more information about our programs, or if you would like to
discuss different contribution options, please contact Kate Hoff,
Development Director, at khoff at iatp.org or (612) 870-3404. We appreciate
your interest in our work. Thank you for your support.

You can help support IATP by contributing
online<https://www.thedatabank.com/dpg/27612/>.
We thank you for your continued support!

*IATP News* is an occasional publication reporting on recent events and
activities at the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP). It is
sent to board members, supporters, partners and friends. To manage your
subscription—including removing your name from this list—visit: IATP's
listservs <http://lists.iatp.org/listarchive/subscriptions.cfm>. Your
comments and suggestions are appreciated.

Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP)
Mark Ritchie, President
2105 First Avenue South Minneapolis, Minnesota 55404 USA
Tel. 1 (612) 870-0453 Fax. 1 (612) 870-4846
Email: iatp at iatp.org Web: iatp.org <http://www.iatp.org/>



-- 
"In times of universal deceit, telling the truth is a
revolutionary act."
George Orwell