Contributing Writer: David Bronner, Adapted and updated from the 2003 Vote Hemp Report Spring 2013 The subject of why or whether to grow industrial hemp in the United States is often debated yet much misunderstood. The controversy surrounding the plant obscures much of its historical and potential impact — and its adaptability to diverse industries. [...]

Contributing Writer: Jason Freeman Spring 2013 Hemp provides the unique opportunity to create an innovative value chain which is both socially just and ecologically sustainable. The percentage of hemp that is organically grown versus conventionally grown is the highest relative to all other grains grown in North America. The price organic farmers are receiving for [...]

Contributing Writer: La Vía Campesina Spring 2013 Even in today’s high-tech world, almost half of the global population is peasants or, in our U.S. context, small-scale family farmers. The majority of people in the world still depend upon food produced by peasants. Small-scale agriculture is not just an economic activity — for many people, it [...]

Contributing Writer: Kari Hamerschlag Spring 2013 The federal Farm Bill is the single most important piece of legislation affecting the food you eat, the kinds of crops American farmers grow, the environment and the nation’s food security. In response to the groundswell of demand for local and sustainably grown food, the proposed 2012 Farm Bill [...]

Spring 2013 NAFTA has had negative and often unintended consequences for many people in North America, including farmers, workers and consumers. An example of some of these consequences can be seen in the infographic on the previous page. Right now, there is a similar trade agreement being negotiated by twelve countries, including the U.S., Mexico [...]

Contributing Writer: Nasser Abufarha Spring 2013 “Fair Trade” was originally conceived as a way to address disparities between conditions of small farmers in developing countries (“the Global South”) and those of subsidized farms in industrialized countries (the “North”) that have greater access to financing, crop insurance and other advantages. The goal was to help farmers [...]

Contributing Writer: Marcelle Renkin Spring 2013 Settled in the altiplano of Guatemala with views across four volcanoes, the town of Chuacruz is surrounded by cornfields through which the November winds whistle. The site of a massacre during the 36-year armed conflict in Guatemala (where more than 200,000 people were kidnapped, murdered or disappeared in state-led [...]

World Fair Trade Day is May 11! Spring 2013 Over 700 natural products retailers are expected to participate in Fair World Project’s 2nd Annual World Fair Trade Day celebration (May 4–18, 2013) sponsored by Alaffia, Alter Eco, Divine Chocolate, Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, Equal Exchange, Farmer Direct Co-operative and Maggie’s Organics. Participating retailers will feature [...]

Michael Sligh Fall 2012 During this period of turbulence and challenges in the Fair Trade movement, it seems appropriate to reflect on the mostly separate but parallel trajectories of fair trade and organic. Fair trade is at the crossroads and organics has been there before. This article hopes to shed some insights from the experience [...]

Rob Hardy, Safianu Moro, Gero Leson Fall 2012 Palm oil is a widely used, high volume and highly controversial plant oil. Its properties make it suitable for many applications in food, body care and energy use. Large palm plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia now achieve very high fruit and oil yields per unit area, making [...]