Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Monday, 26 September 2011
My week of funemployment in Londontown
Monday – I went to see Paul Collier speak at LSE on the
topic of Building Effective States
He presented some food for thought regarding the need to
start with building an effective tax system.
I particularly liked his comment about how aid agencies can
often lead to more harm than good, which is why throwing money at a problem is
hardly a solution. Ever. Agencies such as DFID that focus on the most fragile
states reduce the incentive for governments of these fragile states to ever
improve their conditions.
His ultimate answer pointed to the necessity of GOOD LEADERSHIP.
Tuesday – Film night at Rich Mix about the global food
system
I saw a few really powerful short films about the disaster
our current food system is leading us to. Some films also highlighted the plight
of many small farmers because of the unfair land grabs that are occurring and
the unfair rule of trade that allow the agribusiness to make large profits
under the guise of feeding the world’s population and yet a billion people are
left hungry..and so many more undernourished
Wednesday – Wilfred Madelung (senior fellow of the IIS)
spoke about succession in the Qur’an
He was a bit of a mumbler, but I found the discussion on
adoption in religion particularly interesting..
Thursday – Went to the Overseas Development Institute (ODI)
for the launch of the world disasters report, which focused on hunger and
malnutrition
This was very interesting; it was the academic and policy
side of the more activist-y event of Tuesday night.
One panelist in particular said that it’s very easy to
sloganize from a distance, saying things like “Dismantle the WTO”, but in
reality when working on the issues and closer to the issues, there is a tendency
to work with these organizations in a more friendly manner, despite knowing the
extent of problems they cause
There was also a lot of discussion on politics and power,
rather than technical solutions as well as the current famine raging in the
Horn of Africa.
And finally “development” in general. – lots of food for
thought (no pun intended)
Frustrating and inspiring at the same time. These people
seem to understand all the problems, which is good because they are ultimately
influencing policy (in theory at least) and yet policies are still failing so
many people..
Friday – lunch and great laughts with
the few classmates left in London
landed a short-term research assistant
position
Research Assistant for a case
study examining women’s political participation in Somaliland
Somaliland??! – spent the weekend reading about it
Saturday – Land and freedom camp – discussion on land in
clapham common – beautiful park!
Met some people who don’t spend money because they don’t
believe in capitalism and therefore do not want to contribute to it. Met a girl
travelling to Iran with no money to her name
An outdoor film screening about people living off the land
in Britain in the 17th century. Many of the same issues persist
today..
Dinner was cooked and served to everyone. Food came largely
from skips!
Refreshing in many ways
And then more UCL classmate fun
Sunday – Beautiful day to be outside in Londontown! Caught
up with a dear friend, napped in hyde park, covent garden - greenhouse made out
of legos, and helped a friend move in to her new residence –new beginnings!
Sunday, 11 September 2011
September 11, 2011
I am opposed to the concept of nationalism for several
reasons. I believe it separates people and causes unnecessary conflicts and
tensions, based on constructed and often arbitrary boundaries. Furthermore, the
nationalistic pride garnered within a boundary is based on an “imagined
community” (the concept coined by Benedict Anderson), when in fact there are
endless differences among people that belong to the same ‘nation’.
The point of this blog is to reflect on a conversation a
friend and I had today over the 10-year anniversary of September the 11th,
a day that “changed the world”.
He insisted on wearing his I <3 NY T-Shirt and a large
American Flag caped around him.
While I said, “you do what you got to do”, I told him that I
thought it was too much.
After some banter, in which he told me he was remembering
those that died in the tragedy and wearing his nation’s flag proudly to let
people know that He is an American and honoring the victims of the tragic event.
I recognize and sympathize with those that lost family
members, friends, colleagues, even acquaintances to the highly undignified and
cowardly terrorist acts. However, events such as this happen in many places
around the globe and the countless victims that die go almost unnoticed by the
world. So, the problem I have with the 11th of September and
commemorating the anniversary each year is that it is almost as though we are
saying, well the other lives that are lost to terrorist activities are less
significant.
Why is it that so much emphasis gets placed on an event when
it occurs on American soil?
Ok, maybe this is a bit too critical, but I feel that
because we placed so much emphasis on the attacks, it justified going into
Iraq, Afghanistan, sending drones to Pakistan, all of which have killed many
thousands of innocent lives. So for me, the nationalistic pride (which I have a
problem with in the first place) and the solidarity that is brought about came
at the expense of creating this “other” and attacking and killing so many
lives. To me, this is unjustified.
Tuesday, 6 September 2011
The need to break from large-scale agri-business
- A growing population and its growing food demand
- Increasing uncertainty of environmental changes
Both of these factors can be addressed
by organic agriculture. This is the way forward, not large-scale modern
agriculture that currently dominates farming practices globally.
Modern, large-scale farming has come
into existence within the past half century and is characterized by monocropping
which is the practice of growing only one crop each year on the same plot of
land, the constant and heavy use
of chemical inputs, and seeds which produce high-yielding crops, but do not
re-germinate. These practices lead modern large-scale agriculture to be highly
unsustainable because a) the soil becomes less productive, b) practices are not
resistant to shocks, and c) power is transferred from farmers and consumers to
multinational and seed corporations.
a) Soil
Degradation
Monocropping is a relatively new
farming practice that has replaced traditional methods of growing multiple
crops on a piece of land. This repeated process of growing the same crop on the
same land is harsh on the soil and causes soil to become less productive.
This soil degradation is enhanced
through the increased use of chemical inputs. It is a vicious cycle whereby
chemical inputs in the form of pesticides and fertilizers are meant to address
soil degradation. But this constant use exacerbates the problem and with each
harvest, more and more chemical inputs are needed.
b) Vulnerability
Another danger of modern, large-scale
farming is that it is less resilient to climate change and shocks. For example,
if the crop planted is not drought resistant then the whole harvest is ruined.
Likewise, if a pest attacks a crop, it will ultimately attack the whole
harvest. Traditional farming methods, on the other hand, respected the
diversity of seeds and crops and this diversity of farming allowed a certain
amount of safety in the event of a single crop failure.
c c) Power
to corporations
Finally, many small scale farmers are
unable to compete, let alone survive in an industry dominated largely by a few
multinational and seed corporations, where power is concentrated. These
corporations supply farmers with seeds that do not re-germinate. This means
that farmers are reliant on seed companies to provide them with seeds each
year, rather than becoming self-sufficient. So, in addition to requiring more
chemical inputs, which require additional spending, farmers now must also buy
seeds each year for their harvests. This takes control away from farmers and
places it into the growing agribusiness industry, which strives to make profits
rather than ensure food security for the needs of a growing population.
For these
reasons, modern large-scale
farming is highly unsustainable and will be unable to feed future generations
Saturday, 3 September 2011
This song is getting old
While riding the tube the other day, I couldn’t help but overhear 2 girls next to me, probably in their early 20s speaking about relationship woes. They were talking about a certain boy who seemed interested until the girl started reciprocating and then he lost all interest and eventually would disappear.
And the one girl would comfort the other by saying that she was better and to just forget about the guy and she’ll find someone better in time.
Their conversation could have been the lines in many romantic comedies, advice columns, or talk shows.
It was an all too familiar conversation.
Seriously, it’s just getting old..
And the one girl would comfort the other by saying that she was better and to just forget about the guy and she’ll find someone better in time.
Their conversation could have been the lines in many romantic comedies, advice columns, or talk shows.
It was an all too familiar conversation.
Seriously, it’s just getting old..
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)