EVENT. AIDS & Food Security:New Directions, New Questions

Hello,
IFPRI as always organizing relevant and exellent seminars. I'll be there.

****Policy Seminar****

AIDS & Food Security:New Directions, New Questions

Stuart Gillespie, IFPRI Bruce Frayne, IFPRI

Friday, 8 December 2006

2:00 p.m. -- 4:00 p.m.

Abstract: The seminar will explore the latest findings emerging from a series ofaction research studies in eastern and southern Africa undertaken by theRegional Network on AIDS, Livelihoods and Food Security (RENEWAL) andhow these findings are being translated into more effective policy andprogramming in the context of AIDS. This will be followed by a shortpresentation of plans for the next phase of RENEWAL activity (2007-2010)and an extended discussion of remaining knowledge and policy gaps inwhich participants are encouraged to share their institutionalexperiences in this field.

IFPRI is pleased to invite you to the following Policy Seminar which wewill hold in our fourth floor conference facility located at 2033 KStreet, NW (entrance on 21st Street, between K and L Streets). PleaseRSVP to Simone Hill Lee (s.hill-lee@cgiar.org; Tel: 202.862.8107).

School Gardens in Nicaragua

Hello,
The picture was taken in a school at San Jose de Cusmapa, Madriz. This state one of has the worst food insecurity indicators in Nicaragua.
Bellow is a summary of the School Garden project we're conducting. The report is not ready yet so this is rather a draft, yet it has some info you may find useful.

Project Rationale and Priorities

The main objective of PESA Nicaragua is to contribute to the access and availability of food and to improve the nutritional situation of the 16 municipalities where the project currently exists.

One of the many initiatives to achieve such objective is through the implementation of school gardens which are improving the food security of the communities where they are being grown. This is done mainly through both education and production. The gardens are used as tools for the teaching of the concept of nutrition, e.g. the importance of a balanced and diverse diet. The garden activities engage children more than the traditional confines of the classroom, guaranteeing a clear understanding of food and its role in their wellbeing.

A school garden encourages local children to transfer the gardening techniques learned in the school garden to gardens in their homes, introducing new vegetables into their diets and that of their families. In addition, the garden products can be used as complements to a School Lunch Program, whereby food can be taken home by the kids, or sold at the local markets.

Although school gardens around the world have been used to generate income, promote community participation, and improve the teaching of applied curriculum activities, the priorities of this project are the effective teaching of a) nutrition and b) practices of growing vegetables and other foods. This is not to say that the other components mentioned above are not important. In fact, there are some schools where the teaching of science, math, and other assignments through community gardens is achieved with good results. Nevertheless, FAO through the PESA project expects augmented nutritional and production patterns in the communities where the project is been implemented.

Such impact should be measured through: improved understanding of nutrition; recognition and consumption of new vegetables and fruits; creation of home gardens at the children’s homes; and, of course, a reduction of under-nutrition indicators.

Location and Size

The representation of FAO in Nicaragua has been working in school gardens for the past year. Thus far, FAO-PESA in alliance with members of the private, civil, and public sectors (see annexes) have set up about 60 gardens in the north and central region of the country, prioritizing those counties with severe under-nutrition indicators. The school gardens are mainly found in rural communities, but there are some gardens that have been implemented in the peri-urban belt of Managua.
There are about 14,000 students participating in the gardens in six different Nicaraguan states. In addition, 450 teachers, extension agents, and social workers have been trained to set up and oversee the school gardens.


Beneficiaries

The FAO-PESA provides training in setting up and running a school garden to extension agents of private and public entities, social workers, teachers, instructors, and parents. Nonetheless, the main beneficiaries of the school garden project are the children and their families. The project also expects positive influence on the community as a whole, resulting from better community organization, improved school environment, and, of course, healthier and brighter children.


Main Components

The methodology of the project can be divided into four main components: 1) Organization; 2) Education; 3) Nutrition; and 4) Production.

PESA considers community organization as one of the main means of achieving its goal of improved food security. Organization is key for guaranteeing the sustainability of the school garden project and the involvement and commitment of the participant agents. Before implementing the garden, the project assesses the level of interest of the parents, teachers, students, and other participant organizations in the area. If the level of organization and enthusiasm is adequate, committees are formed with specific tasks, e.g. watering, harvesting, security, etc. The parents participate in the committees conducting heavy labor that is inappropriate for children. They also play a crucial role during vacations as they have to ensure that the gardens are well maintained.

Education is another important component of the project as gardens can be used as tools in practical curriculum. Advocates of experimental learning like Jean Piaget and Maria Montessori have acknowledged the tremendous success of these techniques. School gardens can be used in subjects such as math, science, environmental studies, and even writing and arts. At a recent meeting, teachers were eager to show us the result of creative artistic work for labelling the garden beds and other decorations inside the garden. Also, the change of environment from a classroom to the garden has proven to provide positive impacts in the learning capabilities of children. California is a leading example in this area, as the state-wide campaign for greening the schools and using gardens for applied curriculum have had excellent results.

Nonetheless, the primary curricular component that the project wants children to clearly understand is nutrition. The project believes that a positive difference in food security can be made by changing the diet patterns of children at the school and, subsequently, at home. As a result, school gardens are used to introduce new vegetables that already exist in the communities but are not widely consumed. In addition, healthy snacks such as fruit and some vegetables are being encouraged as replacements for packaged munchies and sodas. Changing the diet habits of an adult is far more difficult that changing that of a child, and if the children are participating in the production of such new products, incorporation into the diets of children will be much easier.

The last subject is no less important than the others. Good production and a healthy garden are essential to keep the participants motivated and enthusiastic. In this regard, the project provides training in vegetable production using different techniques such as drip irrigation, raised bedding, tire gardening, and Earth Boxes (see annexes). Training in weed and pest management is also provided emphasizing the used of local resources and organic pesticides. For instance, neem tree seeds have been used widely as a repellent against Aphids, Coccoids, and Lepidoptera.

As mentioned before, the outcome of the garden is used in the school kitchen as a complement of a school nutrition program. However, there is no way a school garden will be able to replace such a program. Gardening is a difficult task that depends in a lot of variables like water, soil, light, pests, inputs, labor, etc. Thus, having a school food program that relies solely on the products from the garden is unwise and could put children in jeopardy.

There is evidence, however, of some school gardens in Sub-Saharan countries that depend on the school gardens to provide for a feeding program. Similarly, there are school gardens that effectively sell their harvests, process the food into value added, and obtain significant income from the gardening activities. Yet, these tend to be schools with decades of experiences at gardening, and under different conditions of those in Nicaragua.


Cost and Benefits

A cost-benefit analysis has been challenging to put in place as most of the benefits of the garden take the form of intangibles. There is still much controversy in the economic literature regarding the quantification or returns of benefits such as education, improved nutrition, better organization, etc. In this regard, my study lacks the tools and the time to gather primary information for a strong qualitative data set. However, I’m relaying on other studies to estimate the contributions of improved primary education, enhanced nutrition on children, and superior communal organization. Such studies quantify lost revenue for not having a school degree, or the forfeited wages due to illness, an indirect cause of malnutrition.

The only quantifiable benefit in a school garden project is the production coming out of the gardens. In this regard, garden production can be quantifiable by estimating the output per square meter and the commercial price of vegetables such as tomatoes, radishes, cucumbers, squash, onions, and beets among others. The results so far show that the financial contribution of such production is minimal compared to the investment required in setting up a school garden. However, students and parents have expressed in different workshops the advantage of not having to spend money in some items of their food basket. On this point, I have to emphasize that we are working with communities making less than two dollars a day, so small savings coming from the garden production are greatly appreciated.

Concerning the cost calculations of the project, the study has determined that it costs about US$300.00 to set up a garden with the necessary inputs for a year of production. Included in these calculations are tools, worm castings or compost mixture, fertilizer, some organic pesticides, seeds, and transport. I am in the process of calculating cost of technical assistance and opportunity costs of all the participating agents in the garden.

From a rigid financial point of view and assuming production to be the main benefit, gardens are an inefficient tool, as the school will be better off by obtaining the vegetables at the local market. This action would save time for both teachers and students, increase school space, make access to food more reliable (free from worries about pests and other problems), and contribute to the local economy by purchasing from nearby farmers. It may even be the case that the total quantity of food that US$300.00 can buy over a year is higher than what a garden could produce during the same period of time, implying that a cash transfer is a wiser option.

Nevertheless, the main benefits of the school garden are not on the production side. As mentioned before, they can be summarized in a better understanding of nutrition, so the children can make more educated decisions regarding their diets. Changes like the diversification of consumption patterns that include more and new vegetables and fruits that can be accessed locally is the project’s main goal. These changes will guarantee a reduction in malnutrition levels, and the adequate presence of micro nutrients that are so essential for the development of children and their future livelihoods. Therefore, school gardens appear to be an appropriate tool in the fight against food insecurity.



Main Issues

Even though Nicaragua has seen initiatives of school gardens dating back to the 40’s and 50’s, the sustainability of such programs has never been ensured. The U.S., under the Alliance for Progress (former USAID) promoted the use of gardens widely. In a similar way, and under the pressure from food scarcity, the Sandinista government sponsored in the 1980’s a nation-wide strategy for the implementation of school, community, and home gardens. However, the school gardens have never been implemented into the school curriculum, and no national agency has taken responsibility for their sustainability. Most of the promoters came from the civil sector and acted in an Ad Hoc way, with few linkages to research, extension, and educational intuitions of Nicaragua.

Although these aspects have been changing progressively (the Ministry of Education signed an agreement for a pilot program with school gardens and Nicaragua’s Agricultural Research and Extension Institute has been of the main participants of the school garden project), the sustainability of the school gardens in term of funding, technical support, and other aspects remains uncertain.

Another drawback of the school gardens is technical assistance. Vegetable gardening in particular requires careful oversight as these crops tend to be extremely susceptible to water depravation and vulnerable to a host of pests. So far, the amount of literature available to the instructors at the schools is limited. Although there are several manuals and guides in school gardening, the project is in the process of adapting those to the local circumstances.

The project is also using a technology called Earth Boxes. A close facsimile to tire gardening, the boxes maximize water usage and vegetable production (www.earthboxes.com). Although the sustainability of this technology is questionable as each cost about US$40 (they have been donated by Growing Connections), the boxes bring to the garden an attractive component that makes students and instructors more willing to participate.

The last issue has to do with the way many people in the project and at national institutions see school gardens. For them, gardening has no place at a school and sees no connection between a school garden and education and nutrition. These are typical misconceptions that will take time to change.


Annexes

List of organizations participating in the School Garden Project. NGO (1), Government (2), Private Sector (3)

Alcaldía de Managua. 2
Fundación COEN. 1
Fundación Familia Fabreto. 1
INPRHU. 1
Alcaldía de Las Sabanas. 2
CISA Exportadora. 3
INTA. 2
Fe y Alegría. 1
Europa Motor. 3
Café Soluble. 3
Continental Airlines. 3
Ganadería Santa Elisa.3
Cristiani Sánchez. 3
Química Word. 3
Televicentro Canal 2. 3
BANCENTRO. 3
Kola Chaler. 3
CARLAFISA. 3
Enrique Zamora. 3
COASTAL. 1
Fundación Pantaleón. 1

"it is imposible to fight poverty when we pay the poor to remain that way" something like that, but you get the message right?. Milton Friedman

Papers on Agricultural Economy

Hello,
Every week I'll be posting the latest papers on Agricultural Economy published by universities, journals, and Ag Econ meetings. These are extremely technical, with lots of econometrics that may seem too abstract to non-economist. Yet they can be useful to some of the readers out there with a trained eye on these subjects.

There are about 25 papers; read over the titles and click the ones that you find interesting. Check out the one on Returns on Education, using the case of Nigeria. The paper provides a very informative literature review about the different work done on this subject.

Remember to click the READ MORE link to see the full post. And also, click on the labels to see related posts.
Best,

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid=21706Food Sector Transformation and Standards in Zambia: Smallholder FarmerParticipation and Growth in the Dairy SectorDepartment of Agricultural Economics Staff Paper 2006-18Michigan State University2006David NEVEN; Hikuepi KATJIUONGUA; Ingrid ADJOSOEDIRO; Thomas REARDON;Pia CHUZU; Gelson TEMBO; Mukelabai NDIYOI********************************************
http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid=21707
probabilities introduce spurious correlationSelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Travis J. LYBBERT; David R. JUST
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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid\u003d21708
Bargaining and market power in a GIS-based hedonic pricing model of theagricultural land marketSelected Paper 154225American Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Geerte Cotteleer; Cornelis Gardebroek
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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid\u003d21709
Estimating Liquidity Costs in Agricultural Futures Markets usingBayesian MethodsSelected Paper 151826American Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Julieta FRANK; Philip GARCIA
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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid\u003d21710
Wholesale Markets, Horticulture Products, and Supermarkets in MexicoDepartment of Agricultural Economics Staff Paper 2006-17Michigan State University2006Flavia ECHANOVE; Thomas REARDON

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid=21708
Bargaining and market power in a GIS-based hedonic pricing model of theagricultural land marketSelected Paper 154225American Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Geerte Cotteleer; Cornelis Gardebroek
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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid=21709

Estimating Liquidity Costs in Agricultural Futures Markets usingBayesian MethodsSelected Paper 151826American Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Julieta FRANK; Philip
GARCIA
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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid=21710
Wholesale Markets, Horticulture Products, and Supermarkets in MexicoDepartment of Agricultural Economics Staff Paper 2006-17Michigan State University2006Flavia ECHANOVE; Thomas REARDON
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-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid\u003d21711
Supermarkets and Michoacan Guava Farmers in MexicoDepartment of Agricultural Economics Staff Paper 2006-16Michigan State University2006Julio A. BERDEGUE; Thomas REARDON; Fernando BALSEVICH; Anabel MARTINEZ,;Ruben MEDINA; Marx AGUIRRE; Flavia ECHANOVE
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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid\u003d21712
Spatial Clustering of the U.S. Biotech IndustrySelected Paper 156735American Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Pramod SAMBIDI; Wes HARRISON********************************************
http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid\u003d21713
Incentives for Ex Ante wildfire risk mitigation in the wildland-urbaninterface: The relationship between contingent wildfire insurance andfuel management subsidiesSelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Mariam Lankoande; Jonathan Yoder; Philip Wandschneider
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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid\u003d21715
Adoption of No-Tillage Practices, Other Conservation-Tillage Practicesand Herbicide-Resistant Cotton Seed, and Their Synergistic EnvironmentalImpactsSelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 2006",1]

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid=21712Spatial Clustering of the U.S. Biotech IndustrySelected Paper 156735American Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Pramod SAMBIDI; Wes HARRISON
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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid=21713Incentives for Ex Ante wildfire risk mitigation in the wildland-urbaninterface: The relationship between contingent wildfire insurance andfuel management subsidiesSelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Mariam Lankoande; Jonathan Yoder; Philip Wandschneider

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid=21715
Adoption of No-Tillage Practices, Other Conservation-Tillage Practicesand Herbicide-Resistant Cotton Seed, and Their Synergistic EnvironmentalImpactsSelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 2006
2006Roland K. Roberts; Burton C. English; Qi Gao; James A. Larson
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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid\u003d21716

Potential Effects of Transgenic Rice on Farm Households\' NutritionalStatus in BangladeshSelected Paper 156562American Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Yan Liang; Dixie W. Reaves; George W. Norton

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid\u003d21717

The Impact of Global Cotton Markets on Rural Poverty in PakistanSelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006David ORDEN; Abdul SALAM; Reno DEWINA; Hina NAZLI; Nick MINOT

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid\u003d21718

Can Cocoa Farmer Organizations Countervail Buyer Market Power?Selected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Michael WILCOX; Philip ABBOTT

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid=21716

Potential Effects of Transgenic Rice on Farm Households' NutritionalStatus in BangladeshSelected Paper 156562American Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Yan Liang; Dixie W. Reaves; George W. Norton

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid=21717

The Impact of Global Cotton Markets on Rural Poverty in PakistanSelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006David ORDEN; Abdul SALAM; Reno DEWINA; Hina NAZLI; Nick MINOT

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid=21718

Can Cocoa Farmer Organizations Countervail Buyer Market Power?Selected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Michael WILCOX; Philip ABBOTT

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi
U.S. and Canadian Livestock Prices: Market Integration and Trade DependenceSelected Paper 156074American Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Dragan Miljkovic

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid\u003d21720

Is Individual Behavior Oriented to Self-interest, Other-interest orboth? Empirical Evidence from a Case Study of Social CapitalSelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Zhenyu ZHANG; Gary D. LYNNE

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Cattle Producers? Participation in Market Channels in Central America:Supermarkets, Processors, and AuctionsDepartment of Agricultural Economics Staff Paper 2006-01Michigan State University2006Fernando BALSEVICH; Paul SCHUETZ; Edwin PEREZ

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Farmer Willingness to Grow Switchgrass for Energy ProductionSelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Kimberly Jensen; Christopher D. Clark; Pamela Ellis; Burton English;Jamey Menard; Marie Walsh",1]
Miljkovic

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid=21720I

s Individual Behavior Oriented to Self-interest, Other-interest orboth? Empirical Evidence from a Case Study of Social CapitalSelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Zhenyu ZHANG; Gary D. LYNNE

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid=21721

Cattle Producers? Participation in Market Channels in Central America:Supermarkets, Processors, and AuctionsDepartment of Agricultural Economics Staff Paper 2006-01Michigan State University2006Fernando BALSEVICH; Paul SCHUETZ; Edwin PEREZ

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid=21722

Farmer Willingness to Grow Switchgrass for Energy ProductionSelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Kimberly Jensen; Christopher D. Clark; Pamela Ellis; Burton English;Jamey Menard; Marie Walsh
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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid\u003d21723

Analysis of Farm Service Agency Direct Loan Loss Likelihoods and Loss RatesSelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Bruce L. Ahrendsen; Bruce L. Dixon; O. John Nwoha; Sandra J. Hamm; DianaDanforth

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Biological Invasions: The Case of Soybean Aphid InfestationSelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006C. S. Kim; G. Schaible; L. Garrett; R. Lubowski; D. Lee********************************************

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Effects of Herbicide-Resistant Technology Fees on the Plant PopulationDecision for Cotton ProductionSelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006James LARSON; Roland ROBERTS; Owen GWATHMEY

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Africa's Education Enigma? The Nigerian story.
American Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Ruth Uwaifo

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Modeling Conservation Program Impacts: Accounting for participationusing bootstrappingSelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Daniel Hellerstein

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid\u003d21728

On the spatial nature of the groundwater pumping externalitySelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Nicholas BROZOVIC; David SUNDING; David ZILBERMAN

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Factors Affecting Direct and Indirect Energy Use in U.S. Corn ProductionSelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Wesley Musser; Dayton Lambert; Stan Daberkow

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid=21723

Analysis of Farm Service Agency Direct Loan Loss Likelihoods and Loss RatesSelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Bruce L. Ahrendsen; Bruce L. Dixon; O. John Nwoha; Sandra J. Hamm; DianaDanforth

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid=21724

Biological Invasions: The Case of Soybean Aphid InfestationSelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006C. S. Kim; G. Schaible; L. Garrett; R. Lubowski; D. Lee

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid=21725

Effects of Herbicide-Resistant Technology Fees on the Plant PopulationDecision for Cotton ProductionSelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006James LARSON; Roland ROBERTS; Owen GWATHMEY

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid=21726

Africa's Education Enigma? The Nigerian story.
American Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Ruth Uwaifo

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid\u003d21727

Modeling Conservation Program Impacts: Accounting for participationusing bootstrappingSelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Daniel Hellerstein

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid\u003d21728

On the spatial nature of the groundwater pumping externalitySelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Nicholas BROZOVIC; David SUNDING; David ZILBERMAN

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid\u003d21729

Factors Affecting Direct and Indirect Energy Use in U.S. Corn ProductionSelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Wesley Musser; Dayton Lambert; Stan Daberkow

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid=21727

Modeling Conservation Program Impacts: Accounting for participationusing bootstrappingSelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Daniel Hellerstein

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid=21728

On the spatial nature of the groundwater pumping externalitySelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Nicholas BROZOVIC; David SUNDING; David ZILBERMAN

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http://agecon.lib.umn.edu/cgi-bin/pdf_view.pl?paperid=21729

Factors Affecting Direct and Indirect Energy Use in U.S. Corn ProductionSelected PaperAmerican Agricultural Economics Association - 20062006 Annual Meeting, July 23-26, 2006, Long Beach, California2006Wesley Musser; Dayton Lambert; Stan Daberkow********************************************

Is Raining Coffee in Nicaragua

As Juan Luis Guerra once hoped "I wish it rains coffee in the field" in Nicaragua it is coffee time and you can feel it in the atmosphere. Yesterday I had the opportunity to go to Jinotega, the department north of Matagalpa in the Honduran border, famous for its shade-grown Arabica coffee. The purpose of the visit was to check on the progress of a School Garden we had helped implement a couple months ago. But as we travelled this mountainous region, I was amazed by how it looks so different now that the coffee is being harvested.

The rural roads look like ant paths, with hundreds of people going back and forth carrying sacks of coffee, food, tools, and guitars. Although the pick of the seasons hasn’t started yet, you’ll be able to find Nicaraguan from all over. Some come from the Atlantic coast where poverty is more prevalent. Others live in the region and spend some time harvesting coffee, then sugar cane and then back to their farms. This region in fact, has been a reservoir of agricultural labour. This is one of the reasons why so many agricultural projects that try to convert these seasonal workers to producers fail.

The town is bursting and the money starts to trickledown to restaurants, shops, and obviously to the local tavern. There are problem, most of then alcohol related after pay-day, yet the mood is pleasant as the farmers know that all the hard work is finally producing the first fruits and the workers are getting some money to bring back to their families. The farms where the berry pickers work are filled with joy: don’t get me wrong as I’m not saying that coffee picking is an easy, pleasant job. What I’m saying is that to the foreign eye it looks like a romantic painting of blue skies and green landscapes: a resting yet deceiving image from colonial times.

But forget about the Germans and other Europeans who once owned and managed these coffee farms, although there is some left, most farms are now owned and operated by Nicas. So Nica is the music played on the radio, or sang by the workers as they pick the berries. At lunch time, you'll hear a whistle telling you is time for lunch. A Nica lunch of beans, tortilla, cuajada, meat (sometimes), and of course coffee, giving these good-hearted Nicaraguans the energy to keep going.

During the Sandinistas time and to some degree today, you hear many voices that complained about coffee and other monocultures as being promoters of poverty and food insecurity. The rationality of their argument is based on a colonial systems of production that reflect little to today’s reality. Nowdays, the wages for pickers are regulated and there are a wide range of standards for the conditions in which they have to work, guarantying their safety and wellbeing. People also think food security for farmers means producing food, when most of the time they are better off by producing goods to commerce and then buying food.

A quintal (100LB) of dry coffee is being paid at US$120.oo aprox. The coffee price is now recuperating from a two decade low that busted the market for speciality coffees such as shade-grown, fair treaded, organic, etc. Now, there are plenty of farmers that are meeting their ends by growing this berry. So next time you drink a cup coffee, imagine all the bliss that came into bringing it to you.
Salud,

“Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to fish; and you have fed him for a lifetime”.— Old Chinese Saying

My version: “Give a man a fish; you have fed him for today. Teach a man to sell the fish, so he can also eat some chicken”. – Rafael I Merchan

Why Daniel Ortega is back in power and why to Remain Suspicious

Ok, so the news that Daniel Ortega, the former Sandinista guerrilla combatant, won last Sunday presidential bid were digested easily as a learn that the democrats got back control of both houses of congress. That said, we need to explore why that Danielistas won and what are the prospects of his presidency.

There are several factors that influenced last Sunday election outcome. First and most important was the overwhelming support the Sandinistas obtained from the youth. In order to vote in Nicaragua you have to be 16 or older, so there is a big chunk of the population that did not experience the hardships of the 80’s and was eligible to vote. Youth “had it easy” -as and older guy told me- “they didn’t have to be part of the obligatory two year army service in the middle of a war and they didn’t have to harvest coffee and cotton for three months a year, eight hours a day”. They were in fact, easily persuaded by the overused, coldwared antiyanqui speech of the Sandinistas. With magnificent but undoable offers of employment, education, and other benefits, the youth selected to what their eyes was a new path, the Sandinista path. A path with not clear destination and a familiar blocks on the way to many of the older generations.

Another very important factor that influenced this election was the mess created by the liberal party in control for the past 16 years, the PLC (Partido Liberal Constitucionalista). Although two of their presidents, Violeta Chamorro and Enrique Bolaños were in fact conservative minded, the PLC must take blame for the corruption scandals and the clientelims characterized of their governments. Graft, bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, and patronage were common place after the end of the Sandinista era. Predictably, at the height of all this came the Political Pact (El Pacto) signed by the Arnoldo Aleman of the PLC and Daniel Ortega of the FSNL. This power sharing agreement had among others decrees that one could be president with 35% of the popular vote as long as they maintain a 5% lead. Before the pact, the percentage needed was 40 and since Ortega only got 38% of the vote, there would have been runoff election in which he would unquestionably loss.

The U.S, as in the last two centuries of Nicaragua history, played an important and influential role in the election outcome. This time by interfering directly with the electoral process of Nicaragua’s election. This blatant and often absurd interference lead to a boomerang effect, reinforcing Ortega’s claims of American interventionsionism and rallying the youth as already mention. In the words of Tim Padget of TIME “the yanqui politicking — which included a threat to cut off U.S. aid to impoverished Nicaragua if Ortega won — backfired miserably, actually helping boost the Sandinista leader to his first-round victory. That such U.S. pressure tends to work in favor of its opponents is a lesson Washington seems woefully unable to learn in a post-Cold War Latin America whose electorates have unexpectedly turned leftward in recent years” (Read article HERE). And Mr. Padget is not alone, Marcela Sanchez, a Colombian reporter of the Washington Post, writes “Scare tactics were the wrong choice for Washington. But this was again a case of pragmatism blinded by ideology. That was evident when Rep. Dan Burton, chairman of the House International Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, wrote that an Ortega victory raised the possibility that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and his ailing mentor Fidel Castro could be expanding their influence, meaning that "our enemies will be that much closer to our borders"” Read article HERE. En ESPAÑOL AQUI. However, I believe the percentage of the population that got turn off by Washington’s bad neighbour talk was miniscule as Nicaraguans have gotten used to the American ascent. This is not to say, though, that D.C’s foreign policy is antiquated, in need of a reality check, something hopefully democrats will do now they the control the congress.

Now that I’ve discussed what I see as the most important reasons for Ortega’s victory, lets look at the prospects of his presidency. First and foremost Nicaragua needs investment: after decades of war, natural disaster, and corruption is natural that the country ranks as the most food insecure and poor in continental America. So foreign currency is essential to lift the country out of poverty. Before going any forward, imagine I give you half million dollars for a tourism investment in Central America. You can choose any country as long as you maximize profits. So obviously you google all the countries trying to learn more about history, economic potential, governance, transparency, in other words business climate. It should take you less that an hour to realise that Nicaragua is a no–no. With a very recent history of expropriation (See my older post), corruption, and most important economic risk, investment in Nicaragua is a casino-like experience, is you like Vegas bring your money to Managua. Worst now that the man that was in charge of all economic chaos of the 80’s is back in power.

But where is the money coming from if is not from international investors? It won’t come from the black riches Ortega’s friend to the south sits on, or the vast agricultural and mineral exports of the others in the lefty South American wagon. Unfortunately, Nicaragua is energy dependent, lacks adequate infrastructure, and most of its land is unsuitable for productive agriculture. This raises the basic question of how to finance the large agenda of social investment without resource to access to.
For now we can only wait and see. Although Ortega may not turn out as bad as many predicted, it is almost undeniable that he will bring a climate of uncertainty: not a good weather forecast for a country with way too many political storms.
If you hate my grammar and my bias, data-lacking-right-leaning reporting, check out this article about Nicaragua’s recent news. First check out excellent World Opinion Roundup on Nicaragua’s election by Jeferson Morly of the Washington Post. Also, check out what my favourite magazine had to say The Economist-Fasten your Sit belts. The people from NicaNet had this to SAY. Finally, what the Brits had to say BBC.
From now on, I’ll finish every post with a quote: here is today’s.
There is a common tendency to ignore the poor or to develop some rationalization for the good fortune of the fortunate. John Kenneth Galbraith

School Garden Group

Hola Gente,
You are missing something big if you haven't open an account on FLICKR, the best photo sharing website out there.
Taking advantage of such technology, I've created a group of School Gardens around the world. Ideally, people will post picture of school gardens and share their experiences with them. But hey, just pics are fine. We already have 6 member (not bad...the group was created yesterday!!), but I want to see more. Thus, YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED
Stay tuned for a more detail analysis on the many benefits of School Gardens. In the meantime check out the group's pictures.

Also, check out The Growing Connection, an initiative to "link people and cultures in a revolutionary campaign that introduces low-cost water efficient and sustainable food growing innovations hand in hand with wireless IT connectivity. It provides a sound educational foundation, and offers hundreds of families, both in America and abroad, a concrete opportunity to earn income and climb out of desperation".
Photo Credit: Sustainable Harvest International. Original Link

VIEWS: Targeting Nicaraguans’ Stomachs

Hello,
Trying to remain partial in the discussion of politics in Nicaragua is a difficult task, specially now that we are four day away from the elections. So here is an article by Ben Beachy of Witness for Peace who talks about U.S interventionism in Nicaraguan elections, a subject I have to some extend ignore. As mentioned before, this blog is about Agriculture and Rural Development and the outcome of this election will have a certain effect on both.
Enjoy.

October 30, 2006
By Ben Beachy

Imagine the following: you and your family decide to remodel your kitchen. Your neighbor, also the principal at your children’s elementary school, hears of the plan and immediately states his opposition. He argues that the remodeling project is not the sort of investment your family needs and hints that carrying it out would jeopardize his friendship. Deciding to move ahead with the remodeling anyway, you and your family begin removing the kitchen cabinets one day, but are interrupted by a knock at the door. Your neighbor enters and grimly announces to the entire family that if the remodeling is carried out as planned, he will see to it that your children do not pass another grade in his elementary school.

Your neighbor’s behavior, however far-fetched it may seem, is no more ridiculous or offensive than the treatment U.S. political figures have been giving their neighboring Nicaraguans in the last several days. Nicaragua is currently gearing up for its national elections on Sunday, November 5.

For the last year, Nicaragua’s complicated electoral panorama has been further convoluted by a string of U.S. representatives endeavoring to ward off an electoral victory by Sandinista (FSLN) leader and former president Daniel Ortega. U.S. officials have publicly censured Ortega, attempted to unify his opposition, and threatened that an Ortega win would endanger U.S. financial support. The continuous intervention, however, has failed to unite Nicaragua’s divided right or significantly detract from Ortega’s base. Now U.S. meddlers are flustered and desperate in the face of recent polls revealing that Ortega is within a few percentage points of clinching the presidential office.

In a last-ditch effort to undermine Ortega, U.S. Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, chairman of the House’s International Relations Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigation, sent a letter on Friday, October 27, to Michael Chertoff, Secretary of Homeland Security. Rohrabacher enjoined Chertoff “to prepare in accordance with U.S. law, contingency plans to block any further money remittances from being sent to Nicaragua in the event that the FSLN enters government.” The nearly half million Nicaraguans currently living in the U.S. send around $500 million each year to their family members in Nicaragua, according to Nicaraguan economist Nestor Avendaño.

Nicaraguans have reason to believe Rohrabacher may not be bluffing. In the buildup to Nicaragua’s 1990 elections, the United States promised Nicaraguan voters that it would continue fueling the decade-old contra war and maintain its economic embargo on Nicaragua, both of which were wreaking havoc on Nicaragua’s economy, if Daniel Ortega were reelected as President. Beleaguered by a crippling war, food rationing, and empty supermarket shelves, Nicaraguans opted for U.S.-backed Violeta Chamorro over Ortega. Satisfied, the U.S. then released its stranglehold on the Nicaraguan economy.

Seeing that the FSLN now has a chance to return to power, Rohrabacher seems eager to once again target Nicaraguans’ stomachs with callous pressure. Thousands of Nicaraguan families depend on remittances to augment the meager wages paid for picking coffee, sewing jeans in assembly factories, or selling water at intersections. In an economy sacked with underemployment, stagnant salaries, and rising costs, remittances keep Nicaragua afloat by generating an income equivalent to 70% of the country’s total annual exports, according to the most recent estimates. Avendaño projects that a U.S. embargo on remittances would prove as disastrous for Nicaraguans as the U.S.-imposed trade embargo of the 1980’s. Once again, the hardest hit would be the impoverished majority.

Nicaraguan voters are not unaware of this reality. Nor is Rohrabacher, no doubt. Nicaraguans’ direct dependence on remittances is what makes his open threat particularly potent. In the face of a potential Ortega victory, Rohrabacher is striving to make longstanding U.S. interference more personal by pushing Nicaraguans to see a vote for Ortega as a vote against their own pocketbooks.

Rohrabacher’s letter is but one voice in a recent cacophony of U.S. meddling. Headlines of the last week have been laden with unsolicited U.S. opinions on Daniel Ortega and the sort of President Nicaraguans should want. The day after Rohrabacher sent his letter, Florida governor Jeb Bush authored a letter published in a La Prensa paid ad. Bush’s letter declares that Nicaraguans must choose between a “tragic step towards the past,” which he identifies as the “totalitarianism” of the Sandinistas, and “a vision towards the future.” Jeb Bush’s own vision for Nicaragua’s future is revealed at the bottom of the ad, where the Alianza Liberal Nicaraguense party, which is running the U.S.- preferred presidential candidate Eduardo Montealegre, is named as the ad’s sponsor.

Just a few pages away from Bush’s ad appears an article in which Adolfo Franco, USAID’s Assistant Administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean, warns that a FSLN victory next week could limit USAID support for Nicaragua, citing worries that Daniel Ortega might significantly alter Nicaragua’s current economic model. USAID’s admonition piggybacks on US Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez’s more explicit pressure in an interview publicized one week earlier. Gutierrez threatened that an Ortega win could preclude a $230 million combined investment from three foreign companies that would generate 123,000 jobs, a $220 million aid package promised through the Millenium Challenge Account, and implementation of CAFTA in Nicaragua.

On October 29, the day after printing Jeb Bush’s letter, La Prensa published an editorial by Otto Reich, former Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, in which he accuses the FSLN of maintaining ties with terrorist groups, a claim that Reich does not attempt to substantiate. Though Reich does not currently hold a position in the U.S. government, he writes as if he does, stating, “If the Sandinistas control the government of Nicaragua, there will be strong pressure in Washington to review all aspects of the bilateral relationship, including remittances.” Reich equates a Sandinista victory with “a return to a past of poverty and international isolation.” Such a dismal outcome indeed seems likely if the U.S., as the party responsible for the isolation of the past, would implement Reich’s thinly cloaked threat of aid and remittance cutoffs.

Ironically, Reich precedes all the above statements with the disclaimer, “No one can tell [Nicaraguans] who to vote for.” Jeb Bush, Adolfo Franco, and other outspoken U.S. figures have similarly acknowledged Nicaraguans’ sovereign right to pick their own leaders. Unfortunately, such statements come across as meaningless niceties when subsequently contradicted with threats and admonishments against choosing a president not to the U.S.’s liking. As Nicaraguans make their way to the polls on Sunday, they must not only consider “What will this candidate do for my country if elected?” but also “What will the U.S. do to my country if this candidate is elected?” The product of relentless outside interference, this sad reality is profoundly undemocratic.

With numerous internal challenges posed by this election, Nicaraguans do not need to be further encumbered by fears of U.S. reprisal. If U.S. representatives truly wish to see free, unfettered elections in Nicaragua on November 5, they would do well to keep their mouths shut.

Ben Beachy is an educator with Witness for Peace in Nicaragua. Witness for Peace is a politically independent, grassroots organization that educates U.S. citizens on the impacts of U.S. policies and corporate practices in Latin America and the Caribbean. www.witness forpeace.org