Why is the World Angry About the US Farm Bill?
by Hal Hamilton
— September 19, 2002 —
Editorials and proclamations around the world express dismay about the 2002 U.S. farm bill. Media releases from the world summit in Johannesburg were full of criticisms by people in the developing world.
They blame us for hypocritically touting free trade while we subsidize exports that are dumped in their markets. Their local farmers are pushed [...]
New Shoes
by Elizabeth Sawin
— September 2, 2002 —
Kindergarten is starting next week, and the worn-out old sneakers from last spring are pinching my daughter’s toes. There are no sneakers that fit at our favorite used-clothing store, and no neighbors have just the right pair of outgrown sneakers to offer this season. There is no avoiding it. One morning, as early as [...]
Moving In
by Elizabeth Sawin
— August 1, 2002 —
At 9:30 at night the phone rings. It is my neighbor Lorie. “Would you mind stepping out onto your porch for a minute?” I think I know what this is about. Up the hill on Tom and Lorie’s porch there are candles burning on tables covered with the scattered remains of dinner. Children are [...]
Farming Nature in Holland
by Marleen van den Top, Anton Stortelder, and Hal Hamilton
— July 19, 2002 —
We can glimpse one future for agriculture by taking a trip to the land of tulips and Gouda cheese.
Holland is one of the densest populated agricultural countries in the world, and the Dutch people place a premium on nature. They created a government fund to support what [...]
We Can’t Afford to “Wait and See” on Climate Change
by Andrew Jones
— July 19, 2002 —
Recent Bush administration statements on climate change just do not add up. Our president and his advisers keep talking about climate as though we can wait for overwhelming signs of trouble and then switch our course in time, but the climate system is notoriously slow to respond to our policies. The Bush administration talks [...]
