A student's perspective on Merrigan

Contagious glee filled the classroom Wednesday morning as we eagerly awaited the arrival of our Agriculture, Science and Policy class lecturer. A Reuters UK story hit the internet earlier Monday night and immediately went viral among the food world. A jubilation of Facebook status changes, GChats, text messages, emails, blog posts and phone calls carried the evening into the night. While any of the Friedman School students at Tufts were astute enough to know that something was coming, we were certainly astonished when we saw “No. 2 USDA post.” The class broke into applause as Kathleen, as her students call her, sheepishly entered the room. “Okay, so I’ve been holding a secret,” she claimed.

I met Kathleen my first semester at Tufts through two courses that she was instructing, both in the arena of policy and agriculture. Her approaches to teaching policy involved a mix of structural theory, ambiguous creativity, and story telling. One of the underlying themes, which she proposed the first day, was to “think big.” No idea was too ridiculous. While there may be a science to policy making, there is also a human element that keeps it imaginative and inspired. One of my favorite “big ideas” from class was the idea to build grocery stores in the shape of the food pyramid.

Kathleen holds an extraordinary appreciation for democracy and the role of government holding servitude to the people. She made it a point to show our classes how transparent the government really is, and the opportunity (and duty) that each of us has to participate in the rules that govern our land. Following a comment from a student on how struck they were at the “opportunities that exist for any citizen to try to influence policy by adding their voice, if they were just aware that they are out there,” Kathleen walked into the seats, requested the student stand and wrapped her arms around her in gratitude.

Kathleen’s classes were spent looking at many problems with solution based approaches, all the while peering through a historical window. Her background in the organic and sustainable agriculture, pesticides, animal and plant health, marketing, conservation and business, is impressive, but more importantly is her understanding of the processes of government and how to get things done by bringing all interests to the table.

So what can we expect from Kathleen? I think it is advantageous to note her use of Deborah Stone's Policy Paradox: The Art of Political Decision Making text in class. From this we can see that Kathleen appreciates and utilizes the theories of government and policy that are flexible, yet strategic, that uphold equity and focus on real root problems when developing solutions.

Any special interest group that believes their and only their agenda is going to be served by this nomination is undermining the process that makes this country great. While this news is in fact the most exciting news for those citizens who know we are overdue for a revamp in the country’s food system, I would argue that the work has only just begun. While Kathleen will help implement Obama and Vilsack’s agenda, it remains our duty to be imaginative and vigilant in solving the problems facing our own communities.

On a personal note, Kathleen has had an esteemed influence on me. Some of that endearment probably comes from her time spent earning her Masters in my hometown of Austin, but moreover, she has always had an open door and honest and realistic perspective. She is pragmatic and powerful, yet modest and civilized. I am honored to have had the opportunity to learn from ‘the best.’ I know I speak on behalf of all of her students when I say how truly proud I am of her and how excited I am to be in this field during this time. It is a bitter sweet loss for the Tufts community, but I think our “policy window” is wide open.

Crossposted from Epicurean Ideal.

leather jackets

src : lastnightsparty

Clean coal ...

... harnesses the awesome power of the word "clean."

From the Coen brothers:

smileys & cigarettes

src : thecobrasnake

Second "Living Richly" dinner

My family and I hosted our second "Living Richly" dinner this past weekend. Almost 40 people came this time, but other families had schedule conflicts and the group of interested people seems to be growing rapidly.

Future coverage will discuss the projects our little community is planning: an information sharing web page (perhaps wiki) that links to our listserv and hyper-local frugal living advice and resources, a local food shared purchase and preservation project (including establishing a CSA pickup site, plus a schedule of food canning parties during the growing season, which I hope will involve some of the older women at our church who still remember canning from their childhood), a small gardening project, a "shared stuff" project for tools and equipment, and a small babysitting coop. We identified "champions" or leaders plus volunteers for each of these projects.

For this post, I thought you might be interested in the more detailed nutrition economics of the meal we served. The statistics are approximations, but pretty close. The menu was chicken curry, lentil dal, and coconut black-eyed peas, over large volumes of white and brown rice, with carrot sticks on the side and fruit salad for desert. The cost was about $1.40 per person, which happened to come close to the pro-rated cost of the Thrifty Food Plan (the official basis for the maximum food stamp or SNAP benefit).

The agenda for our next gathering will be just songs and games after dinner. The dinner meeting after that will give the leaders and volunteers for each of our projects a chance to explain what they have planned for the season.

LRichly2

Publish at Scribd or explore others: Essays Academic Work

Chick peas and Spinach Soup

Have you ever tried to cook your own chick peas? Have you achieved a good result the first time you tried? Have they been tender and tasty? Of course it's always easier to buy a can of precooked chick peas but I enjoy learning and preparing things by myself and chick peas have been a hard challenge for a long time.

So, here you have some tips and tricks to get soft home made garbanzos :D.
* When soaking them in water: do it the previous night, double volume of water, hot/warm water, add a teaspoon of salt. Only if the chick peas are a bit old, add also a teaspoon of bicarbonate.
* When cooking them: Pour the chick peas into boiling water and make sure the water never stops boiling until they become tender.
* Adding herbs or a ham bone will improve their taste and flavour.
I'm sending this recipe to Running with Tweezers and her Souper Soup Challenge, is there anything better than a hot soup during cold winter days?

Also sending it to Tasty Recipes and her event SWC: Soups. Because we all want to eat healthy, don't we?

There's still some days to send your recipes to both events... surely you have a soup you want to share :D.

Ingredients for 4 servings: 300 grs of dry chickpeas, 300 grs of fresh spinach, 100 grs of smoked bacon, 2 onion, 1 ham bone, 3 ripe tomatoes (if you don't have then 3 table spoons of canned fried tomatoe), 3 garlic cloves, olive oil, and salt.

• Soak the chickpeas hot water the previous day (see tips).
• Get water boiling in a big pot. Make sure it doubles the volume of the chickpeas. Add the ham bone and 1 onion to the water and some salt. When it boils, strain the chickpeas and add to the pot. Make sure the boiling doesn't stop. It can take 1 or 2 or even 3 hours to get them soft, it will all depend on how old are they. Taste now and then to see if they are soft enough. If you should add some water, boil it aside in a different pot and add it to the chickpeas pot only when it boils.
• Meanwhile, pour some oil in a casserole, fry the bacon cut in strips, when golden, reserve. Peel and cut the other onion and fry at low heat until it becomes transparent, then add the chopped garlic and when fragrant the tomatoes. When the tomatoes have lost its water add the bacon back and stir for 2 minutes.
• When you see the chickpeas are getting soft, add the bacon and veggies sofrito to the big pot and stir. Once they are tender, add the cleaned and dry spinach leaves and cook for 5 more minutes. Taste and add some salt if needed.
• Enjoy!

In the mood for more soups? Try this one and impress your guests! Tomatoe Soup with Shrimps. No more soups? maybe you prefer a legume based dish like this one: Fabes con Almejas, land and sea in a perfect marriage. Or a greener option... Green peas with eggs and bacon.

As soon as I post this dish, I'm running to my terrace with a beer and some nuts... the sun is shouting my name and I don't want to make it angry ;D.

The Epilogue and the...!! - Naruto 383

Title: The epilogue and the... !!

Chapter: naruto 383

Category: naruto chapter 383, manga series, naruto english, naruto, Naruto Shippuden, naruto episode, naruto comics

Download Link:



* English Version

- Naruto 383 English part 1
- Naruto 383 English part 2
- Naruto 383 English part 3





NOTE:
- Use WinZip/WinRar/IZArc to extracting the file
- Enjoy reading with PDF Reader or FoxIt Reader

bags & shoes .

source : thecobrasnake

Kathleen Merrigan nominated to be Deputy Agriculture Secretary

Today, President Obama nominated Kathleen Merrigan, who was Administrator of the Agricultural Marketing Service in the Clinton Administration, as Deputy Secretary of Agriculture.

From the announcement:

Merrigan is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Agriculture, Food and Environment MS and PhD Program at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, Boston MA. Prior to joining the Friedman School, Merrigan held a variety of policymaking jobs at the state, federal, and international level. From 1999 to 2001, she was Administrator of Agricultural Marketing Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. From 1994 to 1999, she worked at the Wallace Institute for Alternative Agriculture, and served as an expert consultant at the Food Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. From 1987 to 1992 she was a staff member on the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, working for Chairman Patrick Leahy. From 1986 to 1987, Merrigan worked in the regulatory division of the Texas Department of Agriculture and from 1982 to 1985, she worked for Congressman John Olver during his tenure in the Massachusetts State Senate. Merrigan holds a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in environmental planning and policy, a Master of Public Affairs from the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, and a B.A. in Political Science and English from Williams College.

This is good news for nearly everybody in the country who cares about food policy, except me! Kathleen is one of my closest professional colleagues here, and she'll be irreplaceable.

i love leopard scarves & fringe bags .

src : olsenfiles

Calçotada... a typical country meal these days.

My apologies dear readers and bloggers... the sun has finally warmed up our land and I can't be more than 10 minutes seating in front of the computer. Spring is here! Almond trees are blooming and pollen is getting ready to fill our lungs. My mimosa tree is all yellow and its smell is so sweet; the orquidea embarrasingly starts showing the first flowers and they all cry for some personal care.
I want to buy some new flowers and paint my terrace in bright colours... food and recipes will have to wait a bit.

This is how I spent last Saturday... a glorious day with sun, friends, wine, calçots, romesco, grilled lamb and smoke! See what a calçotada is :D (play the video... it's only 10 or 15 seconds).The Calçot is an onion picked at the end of the summer, cut in a particular way and returned to the earth, buried at the beginning of the autumn. During the growing process, we get a new onion from the bulb and the calçot that grows down into the ground. The result is a sweet onion that won't make you cry if you cut it raw and won't leave a hard breath in your mouth. The time to harvest them starts in January and the best way to cook them is burning them in a fire done with the prunning branches of the vine.

Peel the calçot's burned leaves, dip in Romesco sauce and eat... it's a Feast!

My Real Decision!! - Naruto 382

Title: My Real Decision!

Category: naruto chapter 382, manga series, naruto english, naruto indonesian, Naruto Shippuden, naruto episode, naruto comics

Download Link:


* English Version

- Naruto 382 English part 1
- Naruto 382 English part 2
- Naruto 382 English part 3








NOTE:
- Use WinZip/WinRar/IZArc to extracting the file
- Enjoy reading with PDF Reader or FoxIt Reader

JBS has abandoned its bid to take over National Beef Packing Co.

The world’s largest beef producer and packer, Brazilian-based JBS-Swift, announced it was abandoning its attempted takeover of the National Beef Packing Company. Last year JBS-Swift purchased Smithfield Foods’ beef business as well as majority shares in Italian and Australian beef companies. It had been in talks with the US Department of Justice trying to gain approval of its next takeover target, but now appears to be backing out. According to the Reuters article, JBS abandoned the takeover due to a “lack of satisfactory conditions.”

Since March 2008, the Organization for Competitive Markets (OCM)has aggressively opposed the JBS/National Beef merger on the grounds that it would exacerbate the distortions already evidenced in the U.S. cattle market and would strengthen JBS’ ability to use packer-owned cattle and other forms of captive supplies to manipulate prices paid to hundreds of thousands of independent cattle producers.

My, July 14, 2008 Epicurean Ideal post called "Meat conglomerates" showed my home-made graphic of the market hold that JBS would have potentially held had the merger had taken place.

Erin Wasson vs RVCA .

src : thecobrasnake

Industry thwarting research

As the economy continues to slump, publicly funded research is also drying up. Are there risks associated with private industry funding research, and if so, how do we, as citizens, read research with a concerning eye? An article published in the New York Times yesterday by Andrew Pollack: Crop Scientist Say Biotechnology Seed Companies Are Thwarting Research addresses biased research in agriculture.

A statement made to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) by 26 scientists was posted to a non-rule making docket titled: Evaluation of the Resistance Risks from Using a Seed Mix Refuge with Pioneer's Optimum AcreMax 1 Corn Rootworm-Protected Corn. The statement says:

"Technology/stewardship agreements required for the purchase of genetically modified seed explicitly prohibit research. These agreements inhibit public scientists from pursuing their mandated role on behalf of the public good unless the research is approved by industry. As a result of restricted access, no truly independent research can be legally conducted on many critical questions regarding the technology, its performance, its management implications, IRM, and its interactions with insect biology. Consequently, data flowing to an EPA Scientific Advisory Panel from the public sector is unduly limited."

In other words, some scientists feel as if industry has a chokehold not only on the research that is being conducted, but on what is actually being disseminated to the public. This research problem is largely under-reported and under-addressed to a science illiterate public. An article by the Committee for Skeptical Inquiry called Who's Getting It Right and Who's Getting in Wrong in the Debate About Science Literacy, dives deeper into this equally important issue. You can add science based blogs to your RSS here.

Research should be a public good and government should be conducting research to protect the well-being of its citizens from corporate strongholds. Another example of the system failing by Tom Philpott of the Grist is in the issue of Why is the FDA unwilling to study evidence of mercury in high-fructose corn syrup? I would argue much has to do with attractive jobs. The Crème de la Crop of scientists and researchers are easily enticed by high paying jobs in industry, not in regulatory positions at FDA. The FDA lacks man power and funding. On the flip side, those who are working in for the public interest (i.e. the scientists who just published their statement to the EPA) are being manipulated as well.

A professor at Tufts, Sheldon Krimsky, has done extensive work on the effects of industry on research. He argues that a series of laws, federal policies and court decisions have enabled private interest "stakeholder science" to gain influence over university research. His book "Science in the Private Interest"sparked a website that continues to address these issues.
The key to change, Krimsky says, is separating the financial interests from the science. A daunting task indeed.

Cross posted from Epicurean Ideal.

Capitol Hill event on school meals, Feb. 26

From the press release:

Interested in how your member of Congress can help make over the school lunch line, infamous for mystery meat, with fresh fruits and vegetables? In a free lecture on Capitol Hill on Thursday, Feb. 26, Neal Barnard, M.D., president of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), Robert Lawrence, M.D., director of the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, and Eboni Morris, M.P.P., health policy fellow for the National Urban League, will discuss ways to improve the food served in the nation’s lunch rooms to help reverse America’s obesity epidemic.

Participants will learn how federal nutrition policies, especially the Child Nutrition Act, which will soon come up for congressional review, play a critical role in our nation’s health.

EVENT DETAILS:
WHAT: Take a Bite Out of Childhood Obesity, a FREE Capitol Hill event
WHEN: Thursday, Feb. 26, 2009, 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. WHERE: 345 Cannon House Office Building
SPONSOR: The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine
COST: FREE REGISTRATION: No RSVP Necessary
INFO: Contact Ruby Lathon at 202-686-2210, ext. 379, or rlathon@pcrm.org . For more information or an interview with Dr. Barnard or another PCRM nutrition expert, please contact Tara Failey at 202-686-2210, ext. 319, or tfailey@pcrm.org.

The IOM considers what to do about salt

If a new food additive had the same effects as salt, promoting high blood pressure in a large fraction of the population, it is doubtful the additive would be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Yet, the official status of salt in federal regulations is "GRAS" or "Generally Recognized as Safe" -- a broad category that includes food ingredients such as vinegar that were grandfathered at the time that modern regulation of food additives began.

Nobody seems to know the right way to regulate salt. Strict regulation as a food additive raises concerns about Orwellian government overreach. Doing nothing leads to thousands of deaths from stroke and heart disease each year. Consumer education is a weak response, because most salt in the diet comes from processed and restaurant food, not salt from shakers. The American Medical Association recommends warning labels.

An Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee of experts is preparing a new report on Strategies to Reduce Sodium Intake. The three presentations from federal agencies at the committee's first meeting were very different in tone, ranging from ambitious to nearly complacent. The next open meeting of the IOM committee, on March 30 in Washington, DC, will be an important venue for policy debate about salt and sodium.

Bloggers at Tufts

The Tufts website has a profile this week with links to a wide range of faculty bloggers.

In addition to U.S. Food Policy, the article discusses blogs by professors Lisa Neal Gualtieri, Peter Levine, Sam Sommers, and Peter Walker.

One could also mention the leading politics, culture, and international affairs blog by Daniel Drezner, at the Fletcher School at Tufts, which is now hosted by the journal Foreign Affairs. Some graduate students in the Friedman School community with interesting related blogs include Asta Schuette, Ashley Colpaart, and Amy Scheuerman. Others can be mentioned in the comments.

Here is the profile section on U.S. Food Policy:

Parke Wilde, an associate professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, has connected with a community of fellow bloggers who cover food policy issues from a public interest perspective. Wilde says he would like to see this community make a major public policy impact, similar to efforts he has seen from Porkbusters, a blog community that focuses on government waste. Important goals, though Wilde admits blogging has its drawbacks.

"It's not for everyone," says the former USDA economist. "You have to develop a pace you can sustain, and avoid the boom and bust cycle where you first commit too much time to it and then follow that by setting it aside for awhile."

For Wilde, one of the interesting aspects of maintaining his blog is tracking the number of views and the types of people who end up at his blog.

"What's interesting isn't so much the traffic numbers, but the searches that bring people to the blog," Wilde says. "I think that 20 percent of my traffic comes from people looking for nutrition information from fast food restaurants that don't disclose it. Even though it's not the thing I cover most, it's a mass market issue. Much of what I cover, I'm the main source for it."

Wilde adds, "A cautionary tale to companies is that it's better to share information than not to."

Wilde says his U.S. food policy blog has been motivating for his class on the same subject. It has also helped him connect with his students, some of whom contribute to the blog.

"Currently there are two students listed on the masthead, but there are also others that have sent in material from time to time," Wilde says. "I don't know why, but every time we get a new voice on the site, it often scores a big link from some other major Web site, leading to a spike in readership."

Chocolate: The dessert, the Movie... the 8th Capital Sin.

Are you a chocolate addict? Do you know that we should eat 15 Chocolate kilos per day to become addicts? Therefore, don't worry anymore, it only gives you pleasure but you are not addicted to it :D.
Chocolate contains essential ingredients that turn on our "I'm feeling great" switch! It gives us energy, it eases premenstrual syndrome, it helps us to get in a better mood, and I could go on and on! However, it has had some bad advertisement through the years that today we can say it's not true.
It's not true that will make you fat. Moderate its consume and have it 60% Cocoa minimum (it has less sugar and cocoa butter).
It's not true that contains cholesterol. What may contain a bit of cholesterol is the power milk added to the cocoa.
It hasn't been completely demonstrated that Chocolate could cause migraines. Migraines are due to more than one factor and the substances that appear in the Cocoa have been linked with migraines but its relation it's not conclusive.
It's not true that Chocolate aggravates acne. There's no Clinical study confirming that.
The first cocoa plantations were in Maya territory, in the year 600! In 1519 Hernán Cortés tries it for the first time. In 1528 Cortés comes back to Spain and brings a huge cacao cargo over. In 1606 it's introduced in Italy, in 1615 in France. During 1646 it appears in Germany and the British find out about it in 1657. Switzerland in 1697, Austria 1711 and Sweden 1737.
In 1815, the cocoa butter is finally separated from the cocoa and the result is: cocoa powder.
In 1847, a new production process makes possible to eat the Chocolate in a stick.
In 1875, the first Chocolate with milk is produced in Switzerland.
I have loved chocolate ever since! I only know 1 person who doesn't enjoy chocolate! My sister in law... I keep on forgetting every time she comes over and I offer her something chocolaty... so today I'm offering you all this fantastic bi coloured dessert: Vanilla and Chocolate with chocolaty peanut. I'm also sending it over to Susan from Sticky, Gooey, Creamy, Chewy and Marc from NoRecipes and their brand new Event: Dinner & Movie. Come join and see Chocolate, the movie!
To prepare this dessert you will need: 1 liter of milk, 3 yolk eggs, 175 grs of sugar, 40 grs of cornstarch, 1 vanilla pod, 4 tablespoons of powder cocoa, some chocolaty peanut.

• Pour the milk, half the sugar and the open vanilla pod in a pot and turn the heat on. Let it boil for only one minute. Reserve and cover with a lid so that the vanilla infuses for some more time.
• Whisk the egg yolks and the other half of the sugar in a bowl until they get a bit white. Add the cornstarch and whisk until you get an homogeneous mixture. Pour it inside the milk pot and stir well.
• Put the pot back to heat and stir non stop until it thickens at medium heat. It will take aprox. 8 minutes. Take away from the heat.
• Divide the mixture in two different bowls. Mix the cocoa powder in one of them. Stir it well and let it cool down.
• Only when both bowls ingredients are cold prepare the cups, if you don't do so, layers will mix one with the other (this is experience talking). Place in the fridge and just before serving add the peanut chocolates on top.

This will serve 4 to 5.But if you are still craving for other desserts, why don't you try these?

Walnut and banana bundt cake, this was my first one... you can do it too!
Muffins, cupcakes, madalenas... always a good election!
Walnut cake, we should all eat walnuts frequently... they are so good, and much better in a cake.



Make sure you have your bib on before clicking any of these links :D
Chocolate Factory, a Spanish Chocolate company.
Beldelice, a Belgian and Spanish Chocolate company.
Bubó, a shop in Barcelona... heaven for many of us!
Caffarel, an exquisite Italian Chocolate company.
Xavier Mor, a Catalan Chocolatier.
Godiva, probably the most known Belgian Chocolate.
Nestlé, the Swiss brand for chocolates.
Knipschildt, probably the most expensive chocolate in the whole world!
Oriol Balaguer, you shouldn't miss his creations!
Pastisseria Escribà, a delicious City classic!

Subsidies to corn sweeteners in the U.S.

The Global Development and Environment Institute at Tufts University has released a policy brief: Sweetening the Pot: Implicit Subsidies to Corn Sweeteners and the U.S. Obesity Epidemic. Alicia Harvie, a Masters candidate in Agriculture, Food, and the Environment at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy and a Research Assistant, along with Timothy A. Wise the Director of the Research and Policy Program at the GDEI produced the document.

They explore how much cheaper high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a critical ingredient in the American diet, was from 1997-2005 due to corn prices below corn’s cost of production and the possible connection to USDA subsidies.

"While this (corn subsidies) may not have reduced soda prices to an extent that would account for rising consumption, there is little doubt U.S. agricultural policies have indirectly subsidized a sector that may be contributing to health problems."

The research was mentioned in Farm Subsidies, Bitter and Sweet, by Grist blogger, Tom Philpott.

Cross posted from Epicurean Ideal.

Organic agriculture: an approach to African food security

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development released a policy brief stating that organic agriculture could boost African food security. The brief begins:

“the way the world grows its food will have to change radically to better serve the poor and hungry if the world is to cope with growing population and climate change while avoiding social breakdown and environmental collapse”.

It is often argued that Africa needs to follow the agro-industrial “Green Revolution” model implemented in many parts of Asia and Latin America in previous decades. Using strains of crops that required agrochemical fertilizer, pesticides and irrigation, these methods increased yields. But they also damaged the environment, caused dramatic loss of agrobiodiversity and associated traditional knowledge, favoured wealthier farmers and left some poorer ones deeper in debt.

This can not be sustainable in Africa, a continent that imports 90 per cent of its agrochemicals, which most of the smallscale farmers cannot afford. It will increase dependencies on foreign inputs (agrochemical and seeds of protected plant varieties) and foreign aid. Africa should build on its strengths – its land, local resources, indigenous plant varieties, indigenous knowledge, biologically diverse smallholder farms and limited use (to date) of agrochemicals. It is time for the African Sustainable Green Revolution – to increase agricultural productivity by using sustainable agricultural practices that minimize harm to the environment and build soil fertility.

The brief defines 'organic agriculture' as "a holistic production system based on active agroecosystem management rather than on external inputs. It builds on traditional agriculture and utilizes both traditional and scientific knowledge. It is a form of sustainable or ecological agriculture that involves production according to precise standards."

I know some big agro-companies that won't be too thrilled about this brief, especially to hear the research (that has obviously not been funded by them):

"research shows that organic agriculture is a good option for food security in Africa – equal or better than most conventional systems and more likely to be sustainable in the longer term. The study’s analysis of 114 cases in Africa revealed that a conversion of farms to organic or near-organic production methods increased agricultural productivity of 116 per cent. Moreover, a shift towards organic production systems has enduring impact, as it builds up levels of natural, human, social, financial and physical capital in farming communities."

The brief does not avoid the challenges facing African agriculture. Building production capacities, market access (against a buy local movement), lack of government support for alternative methods, expensive certification processes, and lack of research and awareness are all major noted hurdles.

A few of their recommendations, according to the UNCTAD–UNEP Best Practices for Organic Policy: What Developing Country Governments Can Do to Promote the Organic Agriculture Sector include:

• Setting sustainable agriculture as a priority;
• Assessing current policies and programmes, and remove disincentives to sustainable/ecological/organic agriculture – for example, subsidies on agrochemicals;
• Training extension workers in sustainable agricultural practices;
• Encouraging farmer-to-farmer exchanges;
• Compiling and disseminating indigenous agricultural knowledge and varieties;
• Funding research on sustainable agriculture, building on indigenous knowledge in response and in partnership with farmers; and
• Promoting development of local and regional markets for organic products.

The international community should;
• Reverse the decline in development aid to African agriculture
• Increase support to African sustainable agriculture;
• Reduce organic market entry barriers, including by recognizing African standards such as the East African Organic Products Standard.
• Explore schemes to make payments to smallholder organic farmers in Africa for carbon sequestration and ecosystem services.

Cross posted from Epicurean Ideal.

Best 2008 economics paper: food safety and nutrition

Make your nominations (and self-nominations) for the annual journal article award from the Food Safety and Nutrition Section (FSN) of the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA).

To recognize excellence in research endeavors that advance knowledge of the economics of food safety and human nutrition, the Food Safety and Nutrition Section of the American Agricultural Economics Association (AAEA) is pleased to invite nominations for the 4th Annual Award for the Best Economics Paper in the areas of food safety and human nutrition. Theoretical and applied research papers are equally acceptable. Reviewers will look for innovative original research with a high impact. Authors do not need to be members of AAEA or the Section to be considered.

In order to be eligible, a paper must have been published in an English-language peer-reviewed journal with a publication date of 2008. Nominations, including self nominations, should include a copy of the paper and a brief letter of nomination highlighting the contribution of the piece. Electronic nominations (with a pdf version of the paper) are preferred.

The award and plaque will be presented to the winning author(s) during the Food Safety and Nutrition Section meeting at the 2009 annual meeting of the AAEA with the American Council on Consumer Interests in Milwaukee, WI, July 26-28.

The deadline for nominations is April 10, 2009. The new announcement will be posted shortly to the section website, but, if you are getting an early start, the address for submissions is the same as last year (.pdf).

girls .

source : superfantasticpicturetime

Pollo en Escabeche - Chicken in a Pickle

Is this a pickle or a marinated chicken? When looking for the translation of the word Escabeche, I can find both options. Will you throw some light here? How would you call it? It sure has vinegar, but it also marinates in the sauce. Whatever the answer is... give it a try!!!! Either is winter, or summer, this is a fantastic way to eat chicken... see how versatile can be... in a salad or in its own sauce. Or rather, would you have it in a sandwich?
The cooking method is so simple that even a kid could prepare it! No complex processes implied, no difficult and rare ingredients... the kind of dish you can have prepared in advance, perfect for Psychgrad's TTT3!

Today I won't show you any chicken's crest ;D. Let's get our sleeves rolled!

Ingredients for 4 servings: 1 chicken, 1/2 liter of water, 200 grs of olive oil, 100 grs of vinegar, 2 or 3 branches of rosemary, 2 or 3 of thyme, half a garlic's head, 2 carrots, a small amount of different coloured round peppers, 1 cinnamon stick and some salt.

• Prepare a big casserole with enough olive oil to roast the chicken. Cut the breasts and legs and wings and add salt and black ground pepper. Place in the casserole when the oil is hot. Roast the chicken until it gets all golden. Reserve.
• Pour the oil inside a recipient and add more up to 200 grs. Pour back to the casserole. Add the rest of ingredients in the casserole and the chicken and simmer until the chicken is tender.
• Let it cool down in the casserole. And when cold place in the fridge with all the sauce.
• Just this simple!

I had it in a salad and cold, but you could have it hot in its sauce with some potatoes or in a sandwich... Whatever you choose it will be great! Use its own sauce to dress the dish.

Looking for any other easy and simple recipes? Try these ones :D
Sardines in a pickle... let's change the chicken meat for some fish meat.
Leek and Mushroom sandwich... want to go out for a picnic?
Pa amb tomàquet i Pernil... the best decision of your life!

so simple, but chic .

shirt american apparel
jeans ksubi
bag miumiu
shoes louboutin

love love love love love love love ♥

i'm sorry, blogspot somehow did not work yesterday.
i hope you had a nice 14th of february !
did you get any gifts ?

Philpott: Don't Suffer Biofuels Gladly

Tom Philpott at Grist covers the new report from a coalition of environmental groups, suggesting reasonable changes to biofuels policy.

They charge that the U.S. biofuel program actually "exacerbates global warming" because of greenhouse gas emissions from nitrogen fertilizers and the conversion of grasslands and rainforest to cropland. Further, the mass production of monocropped fuel feedstocks like corn, soy, and palm degrades soils, increases water pollution, drives out biodiversity, and endangers the food security of vulnerable populations. In the process of creating these lamentable side effects, biofuels are offsetting a relatively small amount of conventional fuel use -- and are grabbing the lion's share of federal support for alternative energy. In short, biofuels have been an abject failure.

Whether or not you agree with their analysis, it's hard to see how any sane person could object to their policy proposals....

Here are the proposals Tom mentioned:

1. Ensure that all policy incentives for renewable fuels, including mandates and subsidies, require attainment of minimum environmental performance standards for production and use, to ensure that publicly supported "renewable fuels" do not degrade our natural resources. Such standards would: certify net life-cycle greenhouse gas emission reductions through 2050, taking into account direct and indirect land use change; and do not cause or contribute to increased damage to soil quality, air quality, water quality, habitat protection, and biodiversity loss. Compliance with these standards must be verified regularly.

2. Restrict the RFS to fuel options that do not cause environmental harm, adverse human health impacts or economic disruption.

• Cap the RFS at current levels and gradually phase out the mandate for biofuels, unless it is clearly demonstrated that such fuels can meet minimum environment, health, and consumer protection standards.
• Establish feedstock- and technology-neutral fuel and environmental performance standards for all biofuels and let the market devise ways of reaching them.
• Periodically reevaluate the sustainability and performance of renewable fuels.
• Provide a mechanism and requirement to mitigate unintended adverse effects, including authority to adjust any mandate downward.

3. Tie the biofuels tax credits to the performance standards

• Phase out the biofuels tax credit to blenders while phasing in tax credits or subsidies for renewable fuels that are scaled in accordance to the fuels' relative environmental, health, and consumer protection merits.

4. Rebalance the U.S. renewable energy and energy conservation portfolio to reflect the relative contribution these options can make to reducing fossil fuel use, enhancing the environment, spurring economic development, and increasing energy security.

• Subsidies to renewable energy and conservation should be distributed more evenly between alternative energy sources, and should be allocated in a manner that is fuel - and feedstock -neutral; biofuels, particularly corn ethanol, must no longer receive the lion's share of federal renewable energy subsidies.
• New policy must: Emphasize energy conservation (we cannot drill or grow our way out of the energy crisis); Create a level playing field among renewable energy options; Set fuel-, feedstock- and technology-neutral standards, so as to reduce fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, improve environmental quality and biodiversity, and reduce pressure on agricultural markets.

5. Support research to improve the analysis of net climate impacts, net non-climate environmental impacts, commodity price impacts, and other social factors that are substantially affected by policies that promote biofuels. All of the previous policy asks must be based on better research on the impacts from biofuels; understanding these impacts are crucial to developing sound policies.

The environmental groups include the Clear Air Task Force, Environmental Working Group, Friends of the Earth, Network for New Energy Choices, and the New York Public Interest Research Group.

Time use, food preparation, and risk of overweight

USDA's Economic Research Service has just posted 2007 results from the special module on eating and health in the American Time Use Survey (ATUS).

I frequently hear questions about time use and food policy. For example, many people wonder if the high cost of healthy food prevents Americans from choosing good diets. On reflection, many healthy and affordable food options are mixed in with the junk on the market. Next, many people wonder if some combination of price and the time burden of buying and preparing healthy food is to blame.

So, let's turn to the facts.

Here is my graphic based on Table 6 of the 2007 results on the ERS website. I left out the activities for sleeping, working, and eating and drinking as secondary activities while doing something else as a primary activity. You can follow the link for the table to confirm that the omissions just simplify the picture without cherry-picking. The graphic shows the number of minutes spent in several activities, for adults, computed separately according to the responding adult's weight status based on self-reported weight and height.

The questions are: (a) is it true that lack of shopping time and food preparation time are preventing us from eating healthy? (b) what time use activity is most noticeably and systematically associated with weight status?

In short: (c) what is the elephant in the room when it comes to time use?

Paying attention to the small stuff

A former student writes to ask if this seems like an odd product placement for Special K in the New York Times' feature about efforts to recover the belongings of the passengers on the US Airways plane that landed safely in the Hudson River:

And Mr. Wentzell lost a box of Special K cereal that he travels with, for a lower-cholesterol breakfast than hotels usually provide.

Like any student of nutrition science and policy, my correspondent knows that almost no cereal contains dietary cholesterol, which is found only in animal foods.

Ironically, the moral of the article is, essentially, "how can one worry about the small stuff in the midst of great and important events?"

Victory is ours?

I am a little in awe of the news coming out of Washington today. Vilsack is turning out to be a dream come true. I first read a few articles on Grist. One called Prepping the Soil by Tom Laskawy in which he says:

There was some curiosity as to what stance U.S. Department of Agriculture chief Tom Vilsack would take in his speech this week before the National Association of Wheat Growers. Surprisingly, he came as the bearer of bad tidings. According to this report:

Vilsack called on farmers to accept the political reality that U.S. farm program direct payments are under fire both at home and abroad and therefore farmers should develop other sources of income. In his remarks to the groups he said he intends to promote a far more diversified income base for the farm sector, saying that windmills and biofuels should definitely be part of the income mix and that organic agriculture will also play an increasing role.

Then, I read a couple other articles on Grist. One by Tom Philpot, called More to Vilsack than Meets the Eye and another by Tom Laskawy called Vilsack sets the table: It's official: Nutrition will play a big role in reform at the USDA. Both articles allude to the change in the air at USDA. Should I be rubbing my eyes? Apparently YES, because then I found this news release from USDA today:

WASHINGTON, Feb. 12, 2009 -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today "broke pavement" on the inaugural USDA The People's Garden during a ceremony on the grounds of U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) commemorating the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln. The Secretary declared the stretch of pavement permanently closed and returned back to green, and encouraged other Administration officials and the general public to join in to protect the Chesapeake watershed.

"It is essential for the federal government to lead the way in enhancing and conserving our land and water resources," said Vilsack. "President Obama has expressed his commitment to responsible stewardship of our land, water and other natural resources, and one way of restoring the land to its natural condition is what we are doing here today - "breaking pavement" for The People's Garden."

The dedication comes on the 200th anniversary of the birth of the 16th President of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln founded the Department of Agriculture in 1862 and referred to it as "The People's Department" in his last annual message to Congress.

The commemoration of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial is only the first step in the Department of Agriculture's celebration of President Lincoln's life. During today's ceremony, Secretary Vilsack announced the goal of creating a community garden at each USDA facility worldwide. The USDA community garden project will include a wide variety of garden activities including Embassy window boxes, tree planting, and field office plots. The gardens will be designed to promote "going green" concepts, including landscaping and building design to retain water and reduce runoff; roof gardens for energy efficiency; utilizing native plantings and using sound conservation practices.

The USDA People's Garden announced today will eliminate 1,250 square feet of unnecessary paved surface at the USDA headquarters and return the landscape to grass. The changes signal a removal of impervious surfaces and improvement in water management that is needed throughout the Chesapeake Bay Watershed.

The new garden will add 612 square feet of planted space to an existing garden traditionally planted with ornamentals. The garden will showcase conservation practices that all Americans can implement in their own backyards and green spaces. As a component of the garden, pollinator-friendly plantings will not only provide important habitat for bees and butterflies, but can serve as an educational opportunity to help people understand the vital role pollinators play in our food, forage and all agriculture. The garden plot is adjacent to the site of the USDA Farmer's Market.

About 100,000 streams and rivers thread through the Chesapeake's 64,000-square-mile watershed, which is home to almost 17 million people in Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Delaware, New York and the District of Columbia. The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in North America, with a length of 200 miles and 11,684 miles of tidal shoreline, more than the entire U.S. West Coast. The Chesapeake Bay supports more than 3,600 species of plants, fish and animals.

USDA leads efforts on public and private lands to help reduce the impact of nutrient and sediment pollution on wildlife habitat, forest lands and water quality, as well as supporting community involvement in managing natural resources, urban green space and land stewardship. For more information about USDA, the People's Garden, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and other conservation and agriculture related programs available in local communities, visit a USDA Service Center or go to the USDA Web page at www.usda.gov.

Further research on the USDA website revealed this picture of Vilsack "breaking ground" on the garden.
(USDA Photo 09di1236-028)

I would have to agree that this is ground breaking. Cheers to Vilsack for making a bold statement and taking a stand to the status quo.

Cross posted from http://epicureanideal.blogspot.com/

Mar i Muntanya - Sea and Mountain - Shrimps and Chicken

I'm so fortunate to live by the sea, so happy to be surrounded by mountains... What a phrase! This looks a bit like a John Denver's song :D

I will try again. Yin and Yan, positive and negative, good and bad, pollo y gamba... Again another horrible start.

Maybe today I shouldn't write a post and take a beer and some pinchos de tortilla de patatas and enjoy the sun in my face while drinking and eating in my terrace :D... and this takes me back to... night and day, light and dark... enough of this!
Mar i Muntanya is a typical Catalan dish where sea and land flavours combine to perfection. Just pick the best ingredients, and prepare a rich and thick sauce... there you have it! Don't forget the bread!
Ingredients for 6 servings: 1 1/2 chickens, 30 fresh shrimps, olive oil, flour, 2 big onions, 5 garlic cloves, 6 ripe tomatoes, 2 table spoons of apple spirits, 2 dl of chicken stock, 20 grs of toasted almonds, 20 grs of toasted hazelnuts, herbs: bay leave, oregano and thyme; salt and black ground pepper.

• Clean, wash and cut the chicken in 12 pieces (aprox). Keep the liver aside. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper and coat in flour. Shake to leave excess flour in the plate.
• In a big sauce pan with a generous amount of olive oil, fry the chicken pieces and when golden reserve in a big casserole.
• Prepare the shrimps: cut the long whiskers and wash a bit. Dry them and salt and pepper. Coat in flour and fry in the same oil used for the chicken. If there's too many flour in the oil, strain and use the clean one for the shrimps. Fry them for only 30 seconds per side. Reserve.
• Take some of the oil used in frying the chicken and shrimps and cook the chopped onion and when transparent, add 2 chopped garlics, stir with a wooden spoon and when fragrant add the tomatoes (peeled and grated). Reserve the rest of the oil.
• When the sofrito is done: the tomatoe has loosed all its water, add 1 teaspoon of flour, the herbs, and the chicken stock. Cook at medium heat for 5 minutes. Pour it inside the casserole where the chicken is waiting.
• Cook for 30 minutes or until the chicken is tender at low heat and with the lead half covering the casserole.
• When it's done, pick the chicken pieces and reserve in a plate. Pour the sauce in a food processor and blend. Take the chicken and the sauce back to the casserole.
• Prepare a "picada" (that's a Catalan late dressing) with the almonds, hazelnuts, apple spirits, 3 garlic cloves and the chopped chicken liver. Picada means smashed; so take your mortar and smash all the ingredients. Pour inside the casserole and let it simmer all together for 10 minutes. Stir.
• Just 5 minutes before the dish is done, add the shrimps and stir a bit more.

This dish will be wonderful some hours after its preparation. Enjoy!!!

I'm sending it over to Psychgrad and her Tried, Tested and True... Wedding edition... for the husband and the wife, in health and illness, for good and bad... for a wonderful wedding and a fantastic life ahead!!!!

This dish might look a bit complicated... but it's not; I just wanted to send you a typical Catalan dish for your wedding :D.
Next post will be about chicken again but in a pickle and this is probably more suitable since you can cook it days ahead and prepare the chicken salad in the last moment... I think I'll send it to you too :D. Meanwhile, enjoy your last single days ;D.





Some other dishes you can prepare in advance and enjoy later with the rest of your guests:
Veal's tongue in vinaigrette sauce... Mmmm soooo good!
Potatoes Rioja-style... the best comfort food ever!
Carrots puree with Iberian acorn ham... have it cold or warm.