Food Charter Continues To Inspire

“As the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives, this is a very important issue for us.” – MAFRI MINISTER ROSANN WOWCHUK The Manitoba Food Charter continues to make inroads with Manitobans, after hosting both a sold-out conference this past weekend and signing more signatories to its visionary document. This is the second winter the

Pulses Need A Hollywood Image

Pulses pack a mighty punch with their nutrition and health benefits, but like a poorly understood superhero, they can’t get any respect, nutritional experts lamented here last week. In fact, as incomes rise in countries that have traditionally leaned heavily on dietary pulses, consumers abandon them in favour of diets less conducive to good health.


UN warns food output could fall, prices rise

“While arguments for supporting small farms are sometimes dismissed as based on a romantic attachment of peasant agriculture, the evidence shows that with the right policy framework, small farming can be a viable route out of poverty.” – CHATHAM HOUSE REPORT A recent drop in food prices could discourage farmers from sowing crops and cut

Be prepared when travelling in cold weather

From a safety and health perspective, extreme cold can be deadly if you were to become stranded after a vehicle stalls. The best thing we can do is be prepared with water, food and other supplies in the event of vehicle problems. Nutritionally, we can survive without food for days, but staying hydrated is a


How the West can be wooed

“…being poor is not a watertight compartment. The relatively well off this year may be next year’s poor.” Michael Ignatieff, the newly minted leader of the Liberal party, is on record as wanting to re-establish a political presence in the form of elected members from Western Canada. He seems to want to do this through

Climate warming means food shortages: study

The warming climate is likely to put stress on crops and livestock alike and could cause serious food shortages for half the world’s population, U. S. researchers predicted Jan. 8. The worst effects will be in the regions where the poorest people already live – the tropics and subtropics, the researchers wrote in the journal


Supply response to high prices is a lasting one

The steep ramp-up of grain and oilseed prices over a couple of years only to drop by one-half in a matter of three or four months has been extremely confusing to lots of folks. The fact that the 50 per cent drop took place so quickly was a surprise – it usually takes a couple

China 2008 grain output seen at record

China is expected to have a fifth consecutive year of bumper harvests, with grain output this year seen at a record 528.2 million tonnes, official news agency Xinhua reported in late December. “The main tasks for 2009 will be to maintain the stable and quite fast development of agriculture and the rural economy, by all


U. S. watchdogs call for tighter GMO oversight

More oversight and coordination is needed among federal agencies to prevent unapproved releases of genetically modified crops into the environment and food and feed supply, the investigative arm of the U. S. Congress said Dec. 5. Since 2000, there have been six known unauthorized releases of GMO crops into the food supply involving GMO corn

Nearly a billion hungry, food prices high

High food prices helped push another 40 million people into hunger this year, the U. N.’s food agency said Dec. 9, raising the number of undernourished people in the world to 963 million. A report by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) that said fewer and fewer people can afford decent meals, especially in Asia