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Why Are Agricultural Trade Disputes Trapped in Biotechnology?
by Hal Hamilton
— March 1, 2003 —
The weed-killer Roundup and “Roundup-Ready” biotech crops have become dominant features of U.S. crop farming as well as the subject of trade disputes with the rest of the world. Do we really want our negotiators promoting the products of a few chemical companies? Shouldn’t they be promoting a wider range of solutions for agriculture [...]
Petitioning a Government That Does Not Yet Exist
by Elizabeth Sawin
— February 3, 2003 —
Petitions have been arriving in a flurry in my email in-box lately. I have some doubts about the effectiveness of all this petitioning and tend to be quick with the delete button, but one recent petition drew me in.
The message itself – which stated that the United Nations is collecting signatures of people opposed [...]
Agribusiness Executives Tune-Up at Harvard
by Hal Hamilton
— January 27, 2003 —
I felt a bit like a fish out of water as I walked into the Harvard Business School Agribusiness Executive Seminar. My whole professional life has been spent working on behalf of farming communities. At Harvard I was in the midst of a fraternity of people who run the food system.
There were 160 participants, [...]
Questions to Shape the Future
by Elizabeth Sawin
— January 15, 2003 —
Viagra may help to save endangered species. That was the odd sounding headline of a recent Reuters story.
It turns out that Viagra has reduced demand for reindeer antler velvet and for the sex organs of Canadian seals. It may be helping green turtles, geckos, and sea horses, too. Parts of these animals are used [...]
Imagine Agriculture as a Competitive Game: Who Wins?
by Hal Hamilton
— December 3, 2002 —
Imagine agriculture as a vast competitive game structured by economic rules. All the players are competing to win with one formula of success: the highest returns and the lowest costs.
The power of this game is that it’s the only game. To farm, buy, process and market food and fiber you play by the efficiency [...]
