AJWS Blog

The AJWS community has a lot to say about what's happening in the world. Read our insights about the struggle for justice and human rights around the globe — and meet the activists on the frontlines of the fight to build a better world.

Coffee and Climate Change… and the Farmers Caught Between

I’m a serious coffee drinker. But, admittedly, I know little about roasts, brews, or the land on which my beans are grown. Coffee is the U.S.’s largest food import, the second most valuable traded commodity only after oil. It’s also entangled in a complex web of issues involving human labor, the environment, climate change and …

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Women, Farming and Food: Weekly Link Round-Up

During a week that marked the 100th celebration of International Women’s Day, there was a lot of news and blog buzz about women, farming and food. The new FAO report finds that while women make up 43 percent of the world’s farmers, only about 10 to 20 percent own the land they farm. Without land ownership, …

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Agro-Ecology is the Future of Food

The news has been buzzing with articles and commentary about the new UN report that about how agroecology can double food production in 10 years. “Agro-ecology mimics nature not industrial processes. It replaces the external inputs like fertiliser with knowledge of how a combination of plants, trees and animals can enhance productivity of the land,” …

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Kenyan Farmers, Ethiopia’s Water, Corn Ethanol and More – Weekly Link Round-Up

A quick round-up of this week’s food justice highlights: In Kenya, Improving Yields is Key to Boosting Rice Farmers’ Livelihoods [AlertNet] Climate-Linked Drought Pushes Kenyan Farmers to Sell Land [AlertNet] Ethiopia Posts Big Gains in Access to Drinking Water [The Guardian] Photo of the Week: Increasing Farmer Productivity in Haiti [U.S. Department of State blog] …

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Diabetes in Thailand

HIV/AIDS and TB are the diseases that often come to mind when we think about the relationship between food and health in the developing world. But what about diabetes? According to a new study by the US-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, ineffective or insufficient diabetes treatment can be fatal for millions worldwide. Of …

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