Links

1.  The US Working Group on the Food Crisis is urging ag ministers at the upcoming G8 agricultural meeting to reject "green revolution policies" as a way forward for African agriculture.

2.  Farmers in India agree as they struggle to deal with the repercussions of their own failed "green revolution:"

But now these farmers are running out of groundwater.

They have to buy three times as much fertilizer as they did 30 years ago to grow the same amount of crops. They blitz their crops with pesticides, but insects have become so resistant that they still often destroy large portions of crops.

The state's agriculture "has become unsustainable and nonprofitable.

3.  I think I may have linked to this before but in case I forgot be sure to check out Yes magazine's spring issue.  The theme is Food for Everyone: The Local Food Revolution and there is some good content there, including a sweet chart (free pdf download) showing how a community food system works, excerpted below:

4.  An increasingly relevant topic in our household: homemade baby food.

5.  I've long been fascinated by the postal system and the amazing fact that you can drop a piece of paper in a metal box and for less than two quarters have someone carry it across the country for you and deliver it to another little box that you specify.  Amazing and incredibly inefficient but what can you do - here's an in depth attempt at an answer.  (via)

6.  Some press on WFP's P4P.  U c?

7.  On the religion and development front this piece by Bryant Myers entitled, "Working with the Poor with a Bias towards Peace" is worth your time.  Myers worked with World Vision for thirty years and left to take a teaching position at Fuller Seminary a couple of years ago.  A move that, as an alum, I was particularly glad to see as it signals a recognition that good intentions are not enough, but faith-based relief and development must also be grounded in and aware of best practices (an admittedly moving target).

8.  Muji's online US store is up and running.

9.  Elizabeth Warren totally won me over on the Daily Show this week - engaging, open, honest and smart.  This four minute clip from the end was as solid an explanation of the lay of the land and a possible way forward as I've heard, but watch her whole interview if you have the time.