AIDemocracy.org | Sarah Frazer

Six Organizing Principles for a Sustainable Future

July 28, 2010 by Sarah Frazer

An inspiring news article from Grassroots International: Six Organizing Principles for a Sustainable Future Lessons from Wendell Berry and Grassroots International Partners By Carol Schachet July 27th, 2010 Some of the most important lessons I know about grassroots organizing come from the poet Wendell Berry, who advises, “Invest in the millennium; plant Sequoias.” Growing trees, like organizing for social change, may not provide the short-term gratification. (A tomato plant will feed you this summer, and a bake sale might provide books for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Hunger Tagged With: agriculture, Brazil, Gaza Strip, global development, Haiti, organizing, Palestine

Africans Face Competing Visions of Agricultural Development at a Critical Juncture

July 23, 2010 by Sarah Frazer

A follow up post to the one below, also from the Food First blog. A little long, but well worth it. Africans Face Competing Visions of Agricultural Development at Critical Juncture Posted May 20th, 2010 by rjonasse By Richard Jonasse, Food First A contest of competing visions over the future of Agriculture is playing out across Sub-Saharan Africa. Farmers' organizations are lining up against an aid regime that threatens to swamp smallholders with purported "solutions" to which these farmers have not assented and do not desire. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Hunger Tagged With: agriculture, aid, food sovereignty, IMF, MDGs, transnational corporations, USAID, World Bank, WTO

Congress Discusses Ways to "Feed the Future"

July 23, 2010 by Sarah Frazer

Doing some research on food security today. Stumbled across a post from Food First, reflecting on the latest conversations around the President's strategy to "Feed the Future". On May 21st, I posted on "Feed the Future", after attending the Chicago Council on Global Affairs food symposium. The Chicago Council audience applauded the initiative, without much criticism. While that experience--listening to Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and top government officials from Mali and Banladesh--was interesting, I had this hunch that certain parts … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Hunger Tagged With: agribusiness, agriculture, food security, hunger

A Renewed Commitment to Feed the Future

May 21, 2010 by Sarah Frazer

"Cause you can’t build a peaceful world on empty stomachs and human misery” – Paul Schickler, President of Pioneer Hi-Bred This week I had the privilege of attending the release of Feed the Future (FTF), the Obama Administration’s strategy to address global hunger and food insecurity. Approximately 300 senior leaders from the Administration, Congress, and the business, policy, and NGO communities packed into the Mayflower Renaissance Hotel to hear USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah unveil the Administration’s plan. With more than a billion people … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Hunger Tagged With: G8, Global Food Security Act, hunger, MDGs, poverty, USAID

Tell Congress: Haiti Can't Wait

May 21, 2010 by Sarah Frazer

On March 24th, President Obama sent his request to Congress for a supplemental spending bill to support relief and reconstruction efforts in Haiti. Millions of people in Haiti could use that aid to feed their children and begin rebuilding their lives, but Congress still has not passed this crucial bill. Contact your members of Congress today to tell them to pass the aid bill now! With more than 230,000 people killed, 300,000 people injured, and at least 1.7 million forced from their homes by the earthquake, Haiti will require ongoing support … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Hunger Tagged With: Barack Obama, Haiti

Durbin, Clinton, Lewis Lend Their Voices to CARE at CNC 2010

May 13, 2010 by Sarah Frazer

Hi Everyone! Just in from two great days at the 2010 CARE National Conference here in Washington, D.C. We'll have some more personalized news coming to you soon. In the meantime, check out these videos of Senator Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Secretary of State Clinton, and Representative John Lewis (D-GA) and what they had to say regarding CARE and the "necessary trouble" of fighting global poverty. Keep your eyes out for AID staff and interns in this one! … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Hunger Tagged With: CARE, poverty

"Twitter Will Undermine Dictators"

May 4, 2010 by Sarah Frazer

Now I don't usually look to Foreign Policy magazine for my advice on revolution, but this article just seemed too relevant not to share. Not only have I long struggled against this country's over-enthusiasm for online organizing (seemingly at the sacrifice of actually rolling up sleeves and getting out in the streets talking to people), but as some of you know, my college classmate Adnan Hajizada was jailed last July for his politicized video blogging as a part of his effort to organize Azeri youth for democracy in Azerbaiajan. Food for thought to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Security Tagged With: Barack Obama, Burma, Culture Schmulture, Human Rights and Social Justice, Iran, organizing, Rwanda

Fair Trade in Congress

April 9, 2010 by Sarah Frazer

Fun news from Green America's Fair Trade Alliances Newsletter. For more info on alternative trade models visit: http://www.citizen.org/trade/ Congressman Sandy Levin Supports Fair Trade On March 12, Michigan Congressman Sander Levin publicly declared his support for Fair Trade! According to an Oakland Press article, “Levin has always been an advocate of ‘Fair Trade’ and has openly challenged the conventional wisdom around ‘free trade.’” One thing we have learned from globalization is that the global free market system often favors … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Climate Change, Hunger Tagged With: fair trade, free trade, globalization

Cuba's Young People in Pictures

April 8, 2010 by Sarah Frazer

You've heard about Fidel, Che, and the Bay of Pigs. But what about the Red Bull-sponsored skating demos and parks dedicated to British rock stars? Cross post by Chris Lewis, CampusProgress.org Competitive skateboarding--and the bravado that goes along with it--are one of the many things Cuban young people have in common with American counterparts. (Chris Lewis) Arriving in Cuba, I was caught off guard by all the young people. It may sound a bit silly, but for some reason, it never occurred to me that this nation would be full of citizens the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Blog, Hunger Tagged With: Cold War, Cuba, Culture Schmulture, hip hop, race