THE STORY OF CHANGE

AGROECOLOGY

Agroecology is a scientific discipline that uses ecological theory to study, design, manage and evaluate agricultural systems that are productive but also resource conserving. Agroecological research considers interactions of all important biophysical, technical and socioeconomic components of farming systems and regards these systems as the fundamental units of study, where mineral cycles, energy transformations, biological processes and socioeconomic relationships are analyzed as a whole in an interdisciplinary fashion.

Agroecology is concerned with the maintenance of a productive agriculture that sustains yields and optimizes the use of local resources while minimizing the negative environmental and socio-economic impacts of modern technologies. In industrial countries, modern agriculture with its yield maximizing high-input technologies generates environmental and health problems that often do not serve the needs of producers and consumers. In developing countries, in addition to promoting environmental degradation, modern agricultural technologies have bypassed the circumstances and socio-economic needs of large numbers of resource-poor farmers.

The contemporary challenges of agriculture have evolved from the merely technical to also include social, cultural, economic and particularly environmental concerns. Agricultural production issues cannot be considered separately from environmental issues. In this light, a new technological and development approach is needed to provide for the agricultural needs of present and future generations without depleting our natural resource base. The agroecological approach does just this because it is more sensitive to the complexities of local agriculture, and has a broad performance criteria which includes properties of ecological sustainability, food security, economic viability, resource conservation and social equity, as well as increased production.

To put agroecological technologies into practice requires technological innovations, agriculture policy changes, socio-economic changes, but mostly a deeper understanding of the complex long-term interactions among resources, people and their environment. To attain this understanding agriculture must be conceived of as an ecological system as well as a human dominated socio-economic system. A new interdisciplinary framework to integrate the biophysical sciences, ecology and other social sciences is indispensable. Agroecology provides a framework by applying ecological theory to the management of agroecosystems according to specific resource and socio-economic realities, and by providing a methodology to make the required interdisciplinary connections.

http://agroeco.org/

JEREMY RIFKIN "THE EMPATHIC CIVILIZATION"

APOPO: DETECTION RATS TECHNOLOGY!

APOPO is a social enterprise that researches, develops and disseminates detection rats technology for humanitarian purposes. It was initiated in response to the global landmine problem. Landmines pose a structural barrier to any development. Moreover, vulnerable communities remain dependent on imported expertise to address the complex problems of landmine detection and clearance of suspected areas. 

There are currently 66 countries and 7 territories around the world that are affected by landmines and/or explosive remnants of war. Landmines pose a structural barrier to development and economic growth, long after war ends.

Developing communities remain dependent on imported expertise to address the complex problems of landmine detection and clearance of suspected areas.

Detection of landmines is difficult, dangerous, costly and time-consuming. Currently, many developing countries are under pressure to meet their commitments to become landmine free by the Ottawa deadline (different for every country), but many lack the resources to fulfill that commitment.

APOPO has stepped up its war on landmines and aims to spread the use of its unique rat detection and land release methodology through its Mine Action Programs. APOPO continues to develop combined approaches using existing demining technology as well as its innovative Mine Detection Rats (MDRs), leading to greater land release rates. In addition to the current use of these HeroRATs in clearance procedures, the role of rats in technical survey is also being explored, which will have a positive effect on overall efficiency of releasing land.

WHY RATS?

Rats have an exceptional sense of smell, and can be trained to detect explosives. Unlike metal detectors, they can detect both metal and plastic-cased landmines.

Rats provide a low-tech solution to the landmine problem, especially in low-resource environments.

Rats are light-weight (approximately 1.5 kg or less) and they will not set off mines when they stand on them (it typically takes 5 kg to set off a pressure-activated landmine).

Rats are very sociable and easy to train, and they don't mind performing repetitive tasks (in exchange for a sweet reward!)

Rats are small and very cheap to feed, maintain, and transport.

Rats are motivated by food, and are less emotionally tied to their handlers than dogs - it is therefore easier to transfer them between handlers.

Rats require little veterinary care, are resilient to many tropical diseases and are highly adaptable creatures.

African giant pouched rats have a long life span (6-8 years) which means a solid return on the initial training investment.

APOPO currently has Mine Action Programs in Mozambique and Thailand. Since 2006 APOPO has run a fully operational mine clearance program in Mozambique, and in 2008 was tasked as the sole operator for continuing the clearance of Gaza Province. The goal is to clear all known remaining minefields in Gaza Province by 2014, in accordance with Mozambique’s mine-ban treaty extension request deadline.

For more information visit:

http://www.apopo.org/home.php

SOBRE EL 'LOBBIE' MILITAR

"La conjunción de un establishment militar inmenso y de una gran industria armamentística es nueva en Estados Unidos […] Debemos protegernos contra la adquisición de una influencia injustificada del complejo de la industria militar. La posibilidad desastrosa de una acumulación de poder inapropiado existe y persistirá". Con estas palabras el presidente y general militar estadounidense Dwight D. Eisenhower alertaba en 1961, en su discurso de despedida a la nación, y al mundo, de lo que estaba por venir: la indomable influencia del entramado de la guerra en la política estadounidense.

Desde entonces Washington ha lanzado cuatro guerras. En ellas se ha gastado alrededor de 2 billones de dólares, sin contar los gastos de reconstrucción, el cuidado a los veteranos o los intereses de los préstamos adquiridos: alrededor de 700.000 millones de dólares actuales en Vietnam, 100.000 millones en la Guerra del Golfo, 800.000 millones en Irak y 320.000 millones en Afganistán, según datos del Congreso. Y estas delirantes cantidades de dinero son sólo una parte del presupuesto de Defensa, que ronda el 25% del total anual, casi un billón de dólares en 2011. El equivalente al PIB español.

Con todos esos dólares en juego no es de extrañar que se considere al complejo de la industria militar estadounidense como uno de los lobbies más poderosos del mundo. Su impacto fuera de las fronteras del país norteamericano adquiere la forma de guerras e invasiones, de muerte y destrucción. Dentro, se plasma en el llamado Triángulo de Hierro formado por el Pentágono, los contratistas militares y los cabilderos. Los peces gordos de esta industria son las multinacionales Lockheed Martin, Boeing y General Dynamics. Lockheed Martin es el epítome del poder del lobby de la industria de Defensa. En 2008 se convirtió en la compañía que más cobró por contratos con el Estado en la Historia del país: 36.000 millones de dólares (unos 27.300 millones de euros), según cálculos de FedSpending.org. La cifra supone un tercio de lo que el país se gastó en educación ese mismo año.

¿Cómo lo hizo? Sólo en las gestiones directas y registradas, Lockheed se gasta cada año unos 15 millones de dólares, según datos públicos recopilados por la organización OpenSecrets. La Lockheed Martin es, por ejemplo, el principal contribuyente de las campañas electorales de Howard McKeon, el jefe del Comité de Servicios Armados de la Cámara de representantes. Otros dos de sus principales contribuyentes son, precisamente, Boeing y General Dynamics. Europa tiene ejércitos poderosos y armamento sofisticado, aunque rara vez los utiliza y eso la hace menos apetitosa que EE UU para las grandes firmas de Defensa.

El dinero gastado en cabildeo en Bruselas por esas empresas es del orden de ocho veces menor de lo que las mismas se gastan en Washington. Pero no es inmune: todas las principales empresas armamentísticas tienen oficina en Bruselas. Las grandes son EADS, Thales (Francia), Finmeccanica (Italia), y BAE Systems (Reino Unido). Combinadas, controlan dos tercios de los alrededor de 90.000 millones de euros del mercado europeo. "El acceso privilegiado de la industria [militar] a la política europea en la ausencia casi total de la sociedad civil representa un serio problema democrático en Europa", según un informe de la organización Corporate Europe.

CINCO DE LOS 'LOBBIES' MÁS PODEROSOS
por Mario Saavedra para
Foreing Policy.
Febrero 2012

WONDERFUL WORLD