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Showing posts with the label Agriculture

Wildrose Leader Brian Jean is opposing same changes protecting farm workers he once agreed with

PRESSPROGRESS It sounds like Brian Jean is  flip flopping once again. The leader of Alberta's Wildrose Party has been  making hay over Bill 6 lately, new legislation that seeks to correct Alberta's potentially unconstitutional labour laws by  extending Workers' Compensation Board coverage to paid farm workers and bringing workplace safety up to par with other Canadian provinces . "What goes around comes around," Jean recently told one rally  opposing these changes. Funny thing about that, mind you – Jean didn't seem to think the proposed WCB changes he's currently opposing were such a bad idea eight months ago. MORE HERE.

Tech-Savvy Indian Women Farmers Find Success With "Sim Cards."

INTER PRESS SERVICE MAHABUBNAGAR, India:  “My profits have increased from 5,000 to 20,000 rupees (80-232 dollars) each season,” declares  a smallholder farmer participating in a mobile technology scheme to create awareness among rural women. Story here.

The National Farmers Union is a Voice Canadian Farmers Need — if Only They Would Listen

The Manitoba Co-Operator The NFU has a message that Canadians desperately need to hear. Time and time again the union is not only right about the effects of policy change on producers, it is practically clairvoyant. Story here.

Overgrowth

By George Monbiot Every child should visit an abattoir. If you disagree, ask yourself why. Story here. Related: "Saving the Planet, One Meal at aTime."

Another 5,000 Farms Disappear Under Conservatives

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New Democratic Party OTTAWA – New numbers from Statistics  Canada reveal that the number of farms in  Canada continues to decline.     “In just one year, almost 5,000 farms of all sizes disappeared from the Canadian landscape. We need to act now to help farming families and protect our local food system,” said Agriculture critic Malcom Allen (Welland), “With food prices going up, the last thing we need is less security in our food supply.”   Earlier this year, New Democrats raised the alarm that less than a tenth of farms are operated by an owner under the age of 40.     “Conservatives are turning a blind eye as our rural economies suffer. We need to give our family farms the support they need before they disappear,” added deputy critic Ruth Ellen Brosseau (Berthier – MaskinongĆ©).   – 30 – For more information, please contact: VĆ©ronique Breton, Press Secretary, (613) 408-1483 or  veroniqu...@parl.gc.ca   http://www.ndp.ca/news/ another-5000-farms-dissappear- unde

Alberta Says Farm Weather Disaster up to $589M in Crop Hail Insurance Payouts

By: The Canadian Press EDMONTON - Extreme weather has prompted Alberta to declare this year an agricultural economic disaster, paving the way for up to $589 million in crop and hail insurance payments to producers. Story here.

Livestock Die As The Caribbean Gets Hotter

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PARAMARIBO, Suriname, Oct 8 2014 (IPS) - Livestock farmers in the Caribbean are finding it increasingly difficult and expensive to rear healthy animals because of climate change, a situation that poses a significant threat to a region that is already too dependent on imports to feed its population. Story here. A cow skeleton in Canada. PinP photo.

U.N. Pushes Climate-Smart Agriculture – But Are the Farmers Willing to Change?

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INTER PRESS SERVICE Is this climate-smart agriculture? Farmin' North American style! KARNAL, India, Sep 17 2014 (IPS) - United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is expected to make a strong pitch to world political leaders at the U.N. Climate Summit in New York on Sep. 23 to accept new emissions targets and their timelines. Story here.