---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Great Transition Network <gtnetwork@greattransition.org>
Date: Fri, Mar 25, 2016 at 8:21 AM
Subject: Farming for a Small Planet: Agroecology Now (GTN Discussion)
To: michelsub2004@gmail.com



>From Greg Watson <gregwatson@centerforneweconomics.org>

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Dear GTI Colleagues,

Frances Moore Lappé’s GTI contribution “Farming for a Small Planet: Agroecology Now” is an incredibly powerful and timely articulation of an unprecedented opportunity for humanity to rescue itself from itself. It comes none too soon.

Her essay has a special resonance for me.

Just under a year ago, I helped launched the Cuba-U.S. Agroecology Network (CUSAN) at the Schumacher Center for a New Economics with the goal of connecting members of the Cuban and U.S. agroecology movements. We established the network following a trip to Cuba in October of 2014 – two months before Presidents Obama and Castro announced that talks aimed at restoring diplomatic relations between the two countries would commence.

One month following that historic announcement, the U.S. Agriculture Coalition for Cuba (USACC) came into existence. USACC is chaired by Cargill and comprised of more than 30 American agricultural trade organizations and companies. The coalition wants to open Cuba up further as a market for U.S. agriculture exports. The formation of this organization was a cause for some concern among sustainable agriculture stakeholders who anticipate and fear a big push to reestablish industrial farming in Cuba with all of its trappings.

The Cuba-US. Agroecology Network offers an alternative face of U.S. agriculture to Cuba – one whose members support the incredible agroecology system that emerged there out of dire necessity following the collapse of the Soviet Bloc. CUSAN seeks to create a venue where Cuban and U.S. agroecology advocates can learn from and collaborate with one another. Our network consists of rural, suburban, and urban farmers who are committed to supporting, developing, and using ecological agricultural practices that are sustainable, resilient, do not undermine the Earth's ecological integrity and meet the needs of local citizens. We are also the stakeholders who help make the larger food system more accommodating for sustainable farmers and farm products. We believe that agroecology holds the key to feeding the world’s population while avoiding the worst-case climate change scenario.

Bringing about the systemic change that Ms. Lappé advocates for so persuasively begins with educating both policy makers and the general public about our agroecology options. My hope is that her essay will help galvanize that national dialogue.

Greg Watson

Schumacher Center for a New Economics

Cuba-U.S. Agroecology Network

www.agroecologynetwork.org

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February 29, 2016

>From Paul Raskin <praskin@tellus.org>
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GTN Colleagues:

The MARCH DISCUSSION will focus on a key dimension of transition: the future of agriculture. I am pleased to kick it off by sharing with you Frances Moore Lappé’s GTI essay, “Farming for a Small Planet: Agroecology Now.” Please access it at www.greattransition.org/publication/farming-for-a-small-planet.

Frankie’s best-selling “Diet for a Small Planet,” first published in 1971, mapped the way to better eating; her new essay points to a better way of farming. The essay sharply critiques the system design and dire consequences of industrial agriculture, and finds hope in the alternative agroecological model now gaining traction. This debate about farming systems defines a critical field of struggle for the larger Great Transition movement.

The essay touches on many key questions: Is the industrial model doomed? Can ecological farming meet the nutrition needs of a large and growing world population? What’s the scope for change within the reigning political economy? What are the implications for development in poor countries?

Let’s extend our winning streak of rich, animated discussions! If you work in this neck of the woods, please draw from your experience to comment on the essay and the issues it raises. The rest of us will have questions to ask and connections to make. Remember, both expansive and brief comments are appreciated.

Comments are welcome through MARCH 31. Frankie’s essay and selected comments will be published in April, along with an interview with Wes Jackson and a review by Randy Hayes, both long-time leaders of the effort to forge a society in harmony with the land.

Looking forward,
Paul Raskin
GTI Director

GTI’S PUBLICATION CYCLE:
ODD-NUMBERED months are for discussions of new essays or viewpoints for GTN eyes only. EVEN-NUMBERED months are for publication and distribution of the piece. You will receive discussion comments by email. You can also access them on-line at www.greattransition.org/forum/gti-forum, where you will find, as well, an archive of previous discussions.

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