NFU Says World Food Security Depends On Farmers’ Security
ROME, Italy Leaders of the
National Fanners Union who at
tended this week’s World Food
Summit in Rome made the case
that food security for the world’s
hungry depends on the security
of the family farmers who pro
duce the food.
NFU President Dave Freder
ickson lamented the fact that 800
million people worldwide are
malnourished while many na
tions have a surplus of commodi
ties that depress farm prices.
“We have the production,” Fred
erickson said, “yet people contin
ue to starve. Governments
around the world must get seri
ous about the commitments they
made at the World Food Summit
in 1996.”
Frederickson was referring to a
goal developed at the 1996 meet-
Conservation Districts Announce
Poster Contest Winners
HARRISBURG (Dauphin
Co.) The Pennsylvania Associ
ation of Conservation Districts,
Inc. (PACD) announced June 5
the winners of the 2002 PACD
Poster Contest.
The contest, open to students
in grades K-12, offers young peo
ple an opportunity to express
their views on natural resources
and the environment through art.
The two poster Contest themes
for 2002 are “The Gift of Trees”
and “Exploring Nature in Your
Neighborhood.”
winners of the 2002
PACD Poster Contest are Leah
Kuhn, York County; Julie Ivicic,
Centre County; Alisha Webb,
Bedford County ;Molly Lower,
York County; and Melissa Hulli
han, Northumberland County.
These five students will each
be awarded a cash prize and a
framed certificate, courtesy of the
PACD Auxiliary, and .will be in
vited to attend the PACD
Awards Luncheon Program,
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ings to reduce the world’s hungry
by half by 2015. The Food and
Agriculture Organization of the
United Nations, which hosted the
1996 and 2002 summits, states
that the number of hungry people
must be reduced by 20 million
per year to reach the 2015 target.
In the five years since the sum
mit, the annual decline in world
hunger has been less than half
the target.
“Low commodity prices are
not contributing to food securi
ty,” said Frederickson. “Politics
by a number of governments
around the world have pushed
the idea that if we lower our
prices enough, demand will in
crease. On the contrary, the low
price mentality has led to a con
centration of wealth, power, land
for the industries downstream
where their posters will be un
veiled to the audience.
Individual entries to the
PACD Poster Contest previously
captured first place in a competi
tion conducted by their county
conservation district. Winners of
the PACD statewide poster con
test will be forwarded to the Na
tional Association of Conserva
tion Districts (NACD) to
represent Pennsylvania in the
NACD National Poster Contest.
The PACD annually hosts a
poster contest for students in
grades K-12. The contest is spon
sored by the PACD Auxiliary
and is open to students from pub
lic and private schools. Annual
poster contest themes vary based
on National Wildlife Week activ
ities, NACD Stewardship Week
activities, and the availability of
PACD supporting materials.
For more information on the
2002 PACD Poster Contest, visit
www.pacd.org
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from the farmer such as process
ing, retailing and transporta
tion.”
Disappointment surrounded
this week’s meetings since only
two heads of states from industri
alized nations attended, said
Frederickson. The Farmers
Union leader said it was also dis
appointing that farmers were not
better represented. Frederickson
said farmers should be at the
table whenever food and hunger
is discussed.
“One attendee from the Afri-
Publication Showcases Urban-Rural Cooperation
WASHINGTON, D.C. —A
new publication and Web site re
leased by American Farmland
Trust and The United States
Conference of Mayors highlight
unprecedented cooperation be
tween rural and urban leaders on
policies that will promote smarter
land use decisions affecting farms
and cities.
Town Meets Country: Farm-
City Forums on Land and Com
munity reports on the results of
five meetings held around the
country to explore land use issues
facing urban and rural commu
nities. The forums revealed that
farmers and urbanites have a
common enemy; land-wasting
sprawl development.
“Sprawl hurts farms and cities
alike by drawing development
out onto the fertile countryside
surrounding cities,” said Ameri
can Farmland Trust President
Ralph Gross!.
“We need to recycle aban
doned industrial brown fields and
revitalize urban areas in order to
safeguard our green fields from
development.”
The summer issue of Foraging Around, the newsletter of the
Pennsylvania Forage and Grassland Council, is scheduled July 13 in
Lancaster Farming. V p -ft T-.
The section is scheduled to include feature information about \ wdjr/
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can region suggested holding a
farmers’ summit that would
allow the need for economic secu
rity for farmers to be discussed.
We’d support such an initiative,”
Frederick said.
Frederickson suggested the na
tions that have had assistance de
veloping their economies, such as
Japan and European countries
following World War 11, have not
only solved their hunger prob
lems, but also have become valu
able trading partners to other in
dustrialized nations. “That
“Protecting farmland and agri
culture is extremely important to
the overall quality of life within
cities,” said Charlotte Mayor Pat
rick McCrory, who chairs the
U.S.
Conference of Mayors Envi
ronment Committee. “More than
half of our food is grown on
farmland near cities. We must
protect this resource for future
generations of city residents.”
The model farm-city forums
were held in Cedar Rapids, Iowa;
Charlotte, North Carolina; Roch
ester, New York; and in both Ev
erett and Tacoma, Washington.
One of the most surprising re
sults of the forums was that
many participants reported that
they had never before sat down
to discuss land use issues with
their counterparts from the city
or countryside.
Don Stuart, American Farm
land Trust’s Pacific Northwest
regional director, who coordinat
ed the forums in Tacoma and Ev
erett, Washington, said, “Farms
cannot exist without cities and
cities cannot exist without farms.
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, June 22, 2002-A33
development always begins with
a stable agricultural production
system,” he said.
Frederickson led a Farmers
Union delegation to the summit
that included NFU Vice Presi
dent Alan Bergman, Wisconsin
Farmers Union President Bill
Brey, North Dakota Farmers
Union President Robert Carlson,
Minnesota Farmers Union Presi
dent Doug Peterson, NFU Coun
sel Dave Velde and NFU Admin
istrative Vice President Clay
Pederson.
It’s a relationship that goes back
to the dawn of history. Working
together, farmers and urbanites
can be a powerful force to control
sprawl.”
To extend resources and in
formation to all communities
around the country, AFT and
USCM have set up a Web site
with details on how to organize a
farm-city forum, including sam
ple agendas and invitations. This,
as well as the publication, can be
found at www.farmland.org/
farm—city—forum, and www.us
mayors.org.
The new publication and Web
site emerged from a national
level partnership between AFT
and The U.S. Conference of May
ors formed in June of 1999 to
focus on issues concerning the
preservation of America’s farm
land and the revitalization of cit
ies.
Although the partnership is
unique, AFT also works closely
with a number of organizations
dedicated to smart growth. AFT
President Ralph Gross! serves as
chairman of Smart Growth
America, a nationwide coalition
promoting a better way to grow:
one that protects farmland and
open space, revitalizes neighbor
hoods, keeps housing affordable,
and provides more transportation
choices.
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