US Working Group on the Food Crisis

Press Release November 2, 2009: U.S. WORKING GROUP ON THE FOOD CRISIS UNITES DIVERSE GROUPS AROUND A CAMPAIGN TO BUILD A JUST AND SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEM

Ending Poverty Through Localized Food Economies

The global food crisis has motivated diverse groups in the US – including progressive labor, faith, indigenous, community food, farm, environmental, and trade justice groups – to join forces in response.  In late spring of 2008, a number of groups representing different areas of the food system came together to form the U.S. Working Group on the Food Crisis.  The Working Group’s goal has been to bring attention to the underlying causes of the crisis and to promote transformative solutions to fix our broken food system. Read more.

Press Release 08/04/2009: U.S. WORKING GROUP ON THE FOOD CRISIS CRITICIZES CLINTON/VILSACK TOUR OF KENYAN PRO-BIOTECH INSTITUTE

USAID-Monsanto-KARI Spent $6 Million on Failed GM Sweet Potato Project

On the eve of an upcoming visit to the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Representatives Donald Payne and Nita Lowey, the U.S. Working Group on the Food Crisis today challenged the Obama Administration’s plans to fund a new “Green Revolution” in Africa in tandem with the Gates Foundation. The Working Group believes a new approach to agriculture research is needed instead of the broken status quo that emphasizes biotechnology and industrial agriculture models.  Read More.

U.S. WORKING GROUP ON THE FOOD CRISIS STATEMENT ON THE G8 MEETING IN L’AQUILA, ITALY

The U.S. Working Group on the Food Crisis calls upon the Group of Eight Countries meeting from July 8-10 in L’Aquila, Italy to reject the broken status quo of reliance on biotechnology and the WTO Doha free trade agenda as solutions to the global food crisis. Instead, the Working Group, representing religious, anti-hunger, international development, family farm, food justice, labor, consumer and environmental groups, urges the nations of the G8 to base investment in agriculture research and productivity on the authoritative findings of the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science, and Technology for Development (IAASTD), a landmark study sponsored by the United Nations and the World Bank and conducted by 400 scientists and development experts. Read More.

Press Release 7/7/2009: U.S. WORKING GROUP ON THE FOOD CRISIS ISSUES STATEMENT TO G8 URGING NEW APPROACH TO FOOD SECURITY

The U.S. Working Group on the Food Crisis today released an official statement urging the G8 to focus on sustainable agriculture practices as a solution to the global food crisis. The statement was issued in anticipation of the July 8-10 G8 Meeting in L'Aquila, Italy. The Working Group, comprised of religious, anti-hunger, family farm, environmental, food justice, labor, consumer and international development groups, believes new approaches towards the food crisis should be based on the findings of the International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science, and Technology for Development (IAASTD) report, a landmark study sponsored by the United Nations and the World Bank. The IAASTD emphasizes agroecological methods instead of chemical-intensive production and biotechnology. Read More.

Press Release 04/16/2009: U.S. WORKING GROUP ON THE FOOD CRISIS URGES G8 TO REJECT FAILED GREEN  REVOLUTION POLICIES FOR AFRICA

The U.S. Working Group on the Food Crisis, a group representing anti-hunger, family farm, community food security, environmental, international aid, labor, food justice, consumers and other food system actors, urges the G8 at the upcoming Agricultural Ministerial in Treviso, Italy to reject the failed policies of the Green Revolution. A recent landmark report backed by the UN and World Bank argues for agroecological and sustainable agriculture, rather than reliance on chemical-intensive practices and genetic engineering. Read more.

Press Release 03/26/2009: SENATE HEARING ON GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS OFFERS SAME FAILED SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS GLOBAL HUNGER

The U.S. Working Group on the Food Crisis, a group representing various sectors of the food system, including anti-hunger, family farm, community food security, environmental, international aid, labor, food justice, consumers and others, expressed deep disappointment with the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on “Alleviating Global Hunger: Challenges and Opportunities for U.S. Leadership” held on March 24. The hearing relied primarily on testimonies from “Green Revolution” advocates for the industrial agriculture system, even though it is broken, and failed to address many of the real causes and solutions to the food crisis. Read more.