No subject

Sun Mar 13 21:04:13 CET 2016

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Dear GTI Colleagues,

Frances Moore Lapp=C3=A9=E2=80=99s GTI contribution =E2=80=9CFarming for a =
Small Planet:
Agroecology Now=E2=80=9D 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 =E2=80=
=93 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 =E2=80=93 one whose members support the incredible agro=
ecology
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=E2=80=99s population while avoiding the worst-=
case
climate change scenario.

Bringing about the systemic change that Ms. Lapp=C3=A9 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