Haiti agriculture and food sovereignty

Hello everyone,

I'm going to be so boring! This is mostly a resource list.

Someone posted an article on the Community Gardens London Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Community-Gardens-London/220527951338866), and it sent me on a research project: to find out about Haiti's agriculture, Haitian and Via Campesina activist Chavannes Jean-Baptiste, and Monsanto.

I had read about Monsanto seeds going to Haiti in 2010, on the Organic Consumers website, new about it. However, I hadn't done much reading about the whole situation. I started with the important article you posted on the Community Gardens facebook page, and went from there.

Beverly Bell's article Haitian Farmers Commit to Burning Monsanto Hybrid Seeds dates from May 17, 2010, not long after Haiti had accepted GMO seeds from Monsanto.

As in anything, there's a lot of stuff around! Monsanto remains a bad guy ... surprise! There are some problems with distribution and what I'll be polite and call "questionable" political/business connections exist in Haiti and internationally. Haitian farmers know what's what and have ongoing actions. I offer this list of articles, which I've put in order most from recent to earlier. I have no time to summarize them. Some deal specifically with Monsanto and seeds to Haiti; a couple are enlightening interviews with Haitian activist Chavannes Jean-Baptise on the topic of agricultural sovereignty. For anyone interested, they each have useful information.

Sorry for the weird formatting.

Best regards!

Why's Woman

Beverly Bell's Other Worlds Are Possible website is up to date and has information about Haitiwww.otherworldsarepossible.org this is a "Wow!" website, I've only gotten to ... lots to explore

Via Campesina website: www.viacampesina.org

Millions Against Monsanto: http://www.organicconsumers.org/monsanto/ I'll leave it to any reader to explore this huge site and the information on it

Peasant Farming Can Cool Down the Earth: an interview with Chavannes Jean-Baptiste, Executive Director of Mouvement Paysan de Papaye ... in Durban South Africa, December 2011 posted Friday, 13 January 2012 11:08

http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1198:peasant-farming-can-cool-down-the-earth-an-interview-with-chavannes-jean-baptiste-executive-director-of-mouvement-paysan-de-papaye-durban-south-africa-december-2011&catid=48:-climate-change-and-agrofuels&Itemid=75

Chavannes Jean-Baptise: Agribusiness is the Problem Via Campesina website Monday, December 5, 2011 this is just a photo

http://viacampesina.org/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1169:chavannes-jean-baptiste-agribusiness-is-the-problem&catid=48:-climate-change-and-agrofuels&Itemid=75

Haiti and Monsanto Seeds
Haitian Farmers Commit to Burning Monsanto Hybrid Seeds May 17, 2010

by Beverly Bell May 17/10 at http://thewip.net/talk/2010/05/haitian_farmers_commit_to_burn.html

Monsanto in Haiti

Thursday 5 May 2011 by: Haiti Grassroots Watch, | Report Truth Out

http://www.truth-out.org/monsanto-haiti/1304605989

this article has a lot of internal links to information and other articles, about Monsanto, agriculture, Haitian and other governmental who's who, and who is protesting Monsanto in Haiti and generally

Haiti - 3 part with music really nice! put together in early 2011, I thinkGlimpses of Haiti-Payay - peasant march to Hinch (anti-Monsanto demonstration with local seeds distributed) - women in Leogane tent city

- photos by Tequila Minsky, taken in 2010 www.youtube.com/watch?v=yS8NbECkylU

Monsanto's Seeds Donation Sparks Debate Over Haitian Agricultural Policy

by Alice Speri no date!!!!! although given the donation was Spring 2010 and the text says "last May" ... it may be 2011 http://haitiantimes.com/view/full_story/8441876/article-Monsanto-s-Seeds-Donation-Sparks-Debate-Over-Haitian-Agricultural-Policy-

Our Take on Haiti USC Canada http://usc-canada.org/2010/03/04/our-take-on-haiti/ this is a response to the Inside Canada's START disaster relief article

Inside Canada's START disaster relief Haiti team in Ottawa

http://www.hilltimes.com/news/2010/02/15/inside-canadas-start-disaster-relief-haiti-team-in-ottawa/23309?page_requested=3

By Jeff DAvis, Feb. 15, 2010 The Hill Times, jdavis@hilltimes.com

"Haiti Is Going From Catastrophe to Catastrophe" IPS NEWS Inter Press Service http://www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=43969

Michael Deibert interviews CHAVANNES JEAN-BAPTISTE New York, September 23, 2008

Chavannes Jean-Baptiste ensures a future for Haitian farmers
http://grist.org/food/nijhuis-jean-baptiste/ Grist 23 Apr 2005 1:39 AM Michelle Nijhuis