Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Church Council Up for Discussion, Not "The Holocaust"

Traducción parcial al Español aquí: Radio Cristiandad

En Italiano: Andrea Carancini

SSPX Superior, Bishop Fellay has given an 'interview' in his familiar style intended to dispel suspicions raised by his secretive negotiations with the suspicious characters in Rome where "there is no lack of indiscretions!" The 'interview' doesn't accomplish its goal.

The 'interview' is largely unremarkable: reassuring words, summary deflection of justified suspicion and criticism, summary dismissal of internet channels not under Fellay control, redirection of focus back onto an apparition claimed by 3 children in Portugal 100 years ago, reemploying the busywork of tens of millions of rosaries--all very familiar and predictable. The 'interview' can be read here:

http://www.dici.org/en/news/interview-with-bishop-bernard-fellay-superior-general-of-the-society-of-st-pius-x-the-society-of-st-pius-x-and-the-doctrinal-preamble/

One item mentioned in the 'interview' is very relevant to us here. I quote:

"... leeway has been allowed for a 'legitimate discussion' about certain points of the [Second Vatican] Council."

Note that the Novus Ordo Church allows 'discussion' of its own teaching. In this context, 'discussion' concerns doubts and outright denials. The SSPX denies that certain points contained within the authoritative documents of the Novus Ordo Church's Second Vatican Council can be reconciled with the perennial teaching of the Catholic Church. The Novus Ordo has allowed the SSPX to present its case to this effect in doctrinal 'dialogues' over the past two years. The Novus Ordo is now negotiating an arrangement to bring the SSPX into 'full communion' while allowing discussion of doubts of its own authoritative teachings. This was also stated in a February 2009 statement from the Pope's Secretary of State:
"... the Holy See will not fail, in ways judged opportune, to engage with the interested parties in examining outstanding questions, so as to attain a full and satisfactory resolution of the problems that caused this painful rupture."

Note, however, that this typically lenient allowance pertaining to the Novus Ordo's own teachings is immediately followed by a mandate in absolute terms virtually unseen in Rome in the past 100 years:

"The positions of Bishop Williamson with regard to the Shoah are absolutely unacceptable and firmly rejected by the Holy Father ...

In order to be admitted to function as a Bishop within the Church, Bishop Williamson must also distance himself in an absolutely unequivocal and public way from his positions regarding the Shoah ..."
Nota bene, it is not demanded that Bishop Williamson absolutely and unequivocally publicly distance himself from his doubts regarding relativistic Novus Ordo teaching on religious liberty, collegiality, ecumenism. No, these "outstanding questions" are open to "examination." No such questions or examination can be countenanced in the absolutist realm of "The Holocaust," however. Here we see the resurrection of the old ipse dixit and anathema that are otherwise entirely unheard of from Catholic prelates for nearly 100 years.

This is remarkable, is it not? In light of this, perhaps readers may understand where Rabbi Michael Berenbaum is coming from when he says, “As I observe young people in relativistic societies seeking an absolute for morals and values, they now can view the Holocaust as the transcendental move away from the relativistic, and up into the absolute ..." How opportune for Rabbi Berenbaum and "The Holocaust" that the authorities of the Catholic Church hold "The Holocaust" to be absolute while Church teachings are ever increasingly relativised away.

Bishop Fellay certainly knows how to go with the relativist/absolutist flow of the Noahide Novus Ordo. Soon after the February 2009 statement from the Pope's Secretary of State was issued, Bp. Fellay was interviewed in Der Speigel saying that he would cast Bp. Williamson out of the SSPX if he "denied" "The Holocaust" again:

SPIEGEL: So why don't you exclude Williamson from the society?

Fellay: That will happen if he denies the Holocaust again.

Bp. Fellay was just blending in with Pope Benedict who a month earlier had admonished Catholics to not "forget or deny" "The Holocaust," and Archbishop Reinhard Marx who proclaimed, “Every denial of the Holocaust must be punished harshly,” Cardinal Vingt-Trois who exclaimed, "Being a Catholic is radically incompatible with denying the Holocaust," Cardinal Kasper announcing, "No Holocaust denial can be allowed or permitted, It's absolutely clear that a Holocaust denier can't have a room, a space in the Catholic Church."

There may be space between the SSPX Superior and the Novus Ordo on religious liberty and a number of other matters, but where "The Holocaust" is concerned, which Rabbi Ignaz Maybaum said "replaced Golgotha" and Pope John Paul II said was "The Golgotha of the modern world," Bp. Fellay and the Novus Ordo sing in perfect unison.

It seems to me a case of swallowing a very large camel while straining out gnats.

Hays reveals research into why small businesses lose talented employees


Hays, a leading recruitment expert, has announced that, according to its latest survey, small businesses may be losing out on the most talented employees due to concerns among jobseekers around pay and benefits.

The results show that almost half (49 per cent) of those surveyed believe salaries are not as competitive within small companies as

That's Green: Unilever PLC announced as Grand Prix Winner at 6th...

That's Green: Unilever PLC announced as Grand Prix Winner at 6th...: The 2011 International Green Awards™ in association with sponsor Celestial Green Ventures PLC are proud to announce Unilever PLC as the ...

Smallholders critical to reigniting rural development in Asia #globaldev


By Thomas Rath, Country Programme Manager, Asia and the Pacific Division 

Rural poverty has declined throughout Asia and the overall economic performance has increased. Agricultural development has played a major role in these improvements with smallholder farmers in the lead. Around the world they already feed almost a third of the world’s population and produce 80 per ent of the food consumed in the developing world. But we need to take smallholder agriculture to the next level to make sure rural communities can play an important role in producing enough food for a growing population.

A good opportunity for Asian smallholders to boost their productivity and increase their incomes coincides with an important change in the Asian food retailing market. Supermarkets with global links have emerged, particularly in South East Asia, responding to changes in life styles, the liberalization of retail trade and the entry of foreign direct investment in Asia-Pacific countries. By 2015, supermarkets in China are expected to reach 62 per cent market share, while Malaysia is expected to reach 61 per cent, Thailand 48 per cent, and the Philippines 36 per cent.

Supermarket chains can offer farmers better deals – higher prices and greater certainty of selling the product than traditional supply chains. But in return farmers are obliged to meet stringent quality requirements and adhere to food safety standards. Also supermarkets usually prefer dealing with few large farmers rather than many small farmers.

Producers’ associations or cooperatives can help small producers gain a footing in international food retailing. Belonging to an organized group allows them to bulk produce, reduce costs through economies of scale and, perhaps most importantly, to strengthen their bargaining power with private-sector actors. Membership can also bring access to financial, processing and business service. All of which are key to empowering farmers to deal with the private sector on a more level playing field.

One of the most well-known producer organizations in Asia is the Indian dairy cooperative. It comprises 12 million members, including landless labourers and women, and produces 22 per cent of India’s milk supply. In China, a group of small scale growers, aided by the local government, formed the Ruoheng watermelon cooperative, which then sold directly to wholesalers, retailers and supermarkets. Due to its timely delivery, quality, and marketing success, the cooperative’s membership increased from 29 to 152, and its farmed area increased from 0.2 hectare in 1992 to thousands of hectares in 2005.

The ability of smallholder farmers to increase their production in a sustainable way is enormously important. Not only to further reducing rural poverty in Asia, but also to feeding the world’s growing population and resolving pressing environmental and climate challenges. Enabling smallholder farmers to benefit from the proliferation of supermarkets and export opportunities in the region can set the stage for new progress in overcoming rural poverty and hunger in Asia. Our focus should be on helping them develop the knowledge and the other tools they will need to do precisely that.

Originally posted on Business fights poverty blog

Monday, November 28, 2011

Northern Rock honoured for its community service

Northern Rock has announced that it was commended in the Mortgage Finance Gazette Awards for its dedication to community service. The honours were given just six months after Northern Rock was heralded among the most responsible businesses in the UK.

After receiving Business in the Community's (BITC) national Big Tick for its work to tackle

That's Technology: Big Data Analysis Fuels Intelligent Protection fro...

That's Technology: Big Data Analysis Fuels Intelligent Protection fro...: Sourcefire, Inc., a leader in intelligent cybersecurity solutions, today announced that Immunet®, the company's advanced anti-malware solu...

That's Technology: Integralis promotes internal expertise to meet glo...

That's Technology: Integralis promotes internal expertise to meet glo...: Integralis, a global provider of IT Security and Information Risk Management solutions, today announced that it has made further internal ...

That's Green: ABB gives its name to new educational facility aim...

That's Green: ABB gives its name to new educational facility aim...: ABB has given its support for a new facility built by City College Plymouth aimed at encouraging ...

SME owners switched on to renewable energy but simply can’t afford it or find it too confusing

A poll of UK SMEs by business-to-business energy supplier, Opus Energy, points to the sector being switched on to buying energy from renewable sources but put off by cost and perceived complexity.

Nearly three quarters of small businesses that are not currently on a specific renewable energy tariff (72%) said they would consider it in the future, with

That's Travel: Lower cost carriers should embrace loyalty, says C...

That's Travel: Lower cost carriers should embrace loyalty, says C...: Collinson Latitude , a global provider of incremental revenue and membership products, is arguing today, on the eve of the Mega Event 2011...

Agriculture in Rwanda: Ownership and Improving Delivery #hlf4



By Agnes Matilda Kalibata, Minister of Agriculture and Animal Resources of Rwanda


As the Fourth High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness held in Busan, South Korea, commences, Rwanda has a chance to convey its way of doing business in a ever–changing aid architecture. The meeting centers on the Paris Declaration, a tool for donors and developing countries to hold each other to account. In Busan, a large and increasingly mixed community of development stakeholders will look back while seeking to outline the future of aid. Rwanda’s experiences are particularly valid for discussion in Busan. Rwanda’s story of aid effectiveness is one of strong leadership and meeting the challenges faced in managing developmental assistance. 

From the President’s lead, vision and ownership has allowed Rwanda to stay focused.  In the agriculture sector, over the past four years Rwanda has received strong support both from aid multilaterals and bilaterals with different modalities, to emerging countries such as India and Brazil, that have begun to provide public and importantly private sector investment in the country, to new cross-cutting funds such as Climate Change funding. Rwanda’s Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) has sought to improve the efficiency of government structures to deal with various development interventions. Primarily, the sector strategy, the Plan for the Transformation of Agriculture II (PSTA II), allows us to streamline and harmonize assistance through our programs that focus on, among others, irrigation, crop intensification through input provision, post-harvest handling and storage improvements and export promotion. This year, due to this clarity, time-bound respect for results and strong programming, numerous bilaterals, such as DFID and USAID, are seeking to provide budget support to the agriculture sector. 


The last four years have been characterized by turning these investments and support into food security and poverty reduction for Rwandans. Rwanda has moved from a food insecure country with 20 out of the 30 district labeled food insecure by FAO standards to a food secure nation with no single district below the required food needs.  In August 2007, Rwanda initiated the Crop Intensification Program to increase both the levels of production and productivity amidst the various challenges that Rwanda faces.  Key pillars of this effort include, land consolidation, input access, reduction of post harvest losses and access to markets.  The program ensures that every farmer, however small, has access to improved seeds, fertilizers, extension and a market opportunity.  From a country that was in the past characterized by chronic food insecurity, Rwanda’s yields have quadrupled compared to what it was four years ago.  

In many ways Rwanda is a microcosm of the global future of agriculture – a world in which countries have to maintain food production in the face of decreasing arable lands, rising fuel prices, increasing populations and an increasingly volatile climate. For Rwanda, in particular, these challenges will not go away. Therefore, to stand the best chance in developing the country and reducing poverty, how we do the business of development is paramount. The meeting in Busan is a chance to improve this business. From a zero tolerance to corruption to upholding Paris Declaration principles, Rwanda has much to contribute to the Busan meeting. 


Also published in TerraViva

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Social entrepreneur award for Atul Pathak

Atul Pathak, Managing Director of Appt Corporation and franchisee of 20 McDonald’s restaurants, was presented with the prestigious ‘Social Entrepreneur of the Year’ award at the GG2 Leadership Awards, which took place on Wednesday evening in central London.

Launched in 1999, the GG2 Leadership Awards is the biggest celebration of ethnic minority talent in Britain, and also celebrates

That's Green: International Business Game Changers announced at ...

That's Green: International Business Game Changers announced at ...: The 2011 International Green Awards™, in association with Climate Change - The New Economy (CCTNE), is proud to announce the winners of this...

That's Home and Household: Information resource recommends best debt manageme...

That's Home and Household: Information resource recommends best debt manageme...: With uncertainty in the international financial markets and rising unemployment, more and more people in the UK are at risk of falling int...

That's Books: A Decade Of Stock Market Turmoil - And How To Prof...

That's Books: A Decade Of Stock Market Turmoil - And How To Prof...: A Decade of Stockmarket Turmoil 2000 - 2010 And How to Profit From it by Robert Skepper The causes and consequences of an unprecedented fi...

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Bishop Mark Davies Considers "the Theological Significance of 'The Holocaust' to the Christian Mind"

Excerpted from Bishop Mark Davies'"Holocaust Study Day" address (24 November, 2011) to an audience gathered in Menorah Synagogue in Sharston, Manchester:
Thank you for your invitation to join you on this Holocaust Memorial Day. I have been asked in these opening words to address the importance of the Holocaust specifically for Christians and to thereby consider the theological significance of the Holocaust to the Christian mind. As Blessed John Paul II expressed this, “no one is permitted to pass by the tragedy of the Shoah …” and no Christian can pass by the Holocaust without profound reflection. A Christian reflection might focus upon the mystery of evil, upon the sins of Christians and the need of repentance on the heartfelt prayer of Blessed John Paul II that our relationship “be healed for ever”. However, today in this short address I wish to focus upon the significance to the Christian mind of the attempted annihilation more than 60 years ago of that people who were called by the Lord, “before all others”.

I can only begin this reflection from silence, the silence often remarked upon at the scenes of the Holocaust where it is said the birds no longer sing ...

Oh brother ...

Bishop Davies' entire 'Jews'-worshiping "Holocaust Memorial Day" synagogue address in its ponderous entirety here:

http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=19379

Invite To Contact 'What's Good to Do' About Being Part Of Their Membership Card Scheme

Busy mum Debbie Talbot and Business Partner David saw a great opportunity within the marketplace to build a business to include a comprehensive website which is the go-to source for everything fun and entertaining within the UK for all ages.

Whether you want to find something to do at the weekend or something to do with the kids, or even a business meeting place, the 'What's good to do' website

Friday, November 25, 2011

Anti-Christ 'New Testament' Published

This would rightly be viewed as a continuation of the millenia-long Orthodox Judaic tradition of mocking the Gospel; a "Toledoth Jeshu" in scholarly guise. The Gospel-mocking "Toledoth Jeshu" has never been retracted or apologized for. It is still published by the Pope and bishops' brothers in the anti-Christ faith.

Orthodox adherent of Rabbinic Judaism, Amy-Jill Levine

Dr. Levine ... attends an Orthodox synagogue in Nashville ...
"Yimach sh'mo v'zikhrono (May [Jesus'] name and memory be blotted out)”

The book [Orthodox Judaic subverter of Christianity in the disguise of a scholar of Christianity, Amy-Jill Levine] has just edited with a Brandeis University professor, Marc Zvi Brettler, “The Jewish Annotated New Testament” (Oxford University Press), is an unusual [allegedly] scholarly experiment: an edition of the Christian [New Testament] edited entirely by Jews. The volume includes notes and explanatory essays by 50 leading [scholars of rabbinic Judaism], including Susannah Heschel, a historian and the daughter of the [Rabbi] Abraham Joshua Heschel [who wanted to attack Christian souls]; the Talmudist Daniel Boyarin; and Shaye J. D. Cohen, who teaches ancient Judaism at Harvard...

Dr. Levine ... attends an Orthodox synagogue in Nashville ... (Mark Oppenheimer, "Focusing on the Jewish Story of the New Testament," The New York Times, November 25, 2011)

Full article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/26/us/a-jewish-edition-of-the-new-testament-beliefs.html

Canadian Catholic School of Theology to House Rabbinic Seminary

‘Coming of age’ for Canadian Jews: Jewish seminary set to open in Catholic institution

Charles Lewis - National Post

Nov 25, 2011

... the first mainstream Jewish seminary in Canada [Canadian Yeshiva and Rabbinical School] will be housed inside a Catholic school of theology and be part of seven Christian schools that comprise the Toronto School of Theology ...

The school, which will be officially launched at a ceremony Sunday on the University of Toronto campus, will be housed inside the University of St. Michael’s College, on St. Joseph Street, a school renowned for its graduate program in Catholic theology.

Professor Ann Anderson, the school’s president and a Catholic nun, sits on the rabbinical school’s board and was instrumental in bringing the Jewish seminary to the campus ...

The new rabbinical school will follow a form of the religion known as Classic Judaism — a decision that will make it distinct from the American Jewish experience...

The linking of the rabbinical school with Christian institutions fits with a greater trend of Christians seeking out the roots of their faith through Judaism and the Old Testament. Pope Benedict has made it a large part of his teaching to emphasize the Jewish roots of Catholicism.

The yeshiva is now operating and acts as a place for the Jewish community to learn more about their faith. The actual rabbinical school will open at the earliest in September but it could be later, Rabbi Tanenbaum said.

Alan Hayes, director of the Toronto School of Theology, said moving from just Christian schools to a multi-faith milieux completes a process started in the 1960s.

After Vatican II Catholic schools were allowed to share space with Protestants, which took place very quickly in Toronto, he said ...

full article:

http://life.nationalpost.com/2011/11/25/coming-of-age-for-canadian-jews-jewish-seminary-set-to-open-in-catholic-institution/

also see:

"Opus Dei members helped me, right from the beginning of my [rabbinic] seminary studies, to persevere in my [rabbinic] vocation and I have also seen them do it with other rabbis..."

That's Technology: Yahoo Undergoes a Christmas Makeover

That's Technology: Yahoo Undergoes a Christmas Makeover: Yahoo is hoping to transform their search pages for Christmas shoppers with the addition of new displays that allow users to search for re...

That's Education: Drop in College Enrolment Blamed on Scrapping of E...

That's Education: Drop in College Enrolment Blamed on Scrapping of E...: Perspective, a UK provider of learning management software, has claimed that an apparent d...

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Mossad vs Assad? 'CIA death squads behind Syria bloodbath'


Also see:

"Targeting of Christian Syrians and Black Libyans: The 'Clash of Civilizations' is on the march," by Mahdi Darius Nazemroaya

A Christian exodus is being planned for the Middle East by Washington, Tel Aviv, and Brussels. It has been reported that Sheikh Al-Rahi was told in Paris by President Nicolas Sarkozy that the Christian communities of the Levant and Middle East can resettle in the European Union. This is no gracious offer. It is a slap in the face by the same powers that have deliberately created the conditions to eradicate the ancient Christian communities of the Middle East. The aim appears to be either the resettling of the Christian communities outside of the region or demarcate them in enclaves. Both could be objectives. This is meant to delineate the Arab nations along the lines of being exclusively Muslim nations and falls into accordance with the Yinon Plan.

“Happiest man in Africa…….and change is possible….”.



By Willem Bettink

I participated in the annual regional  implementation workshop of the East and Southern Africa  region. A full week immersion in Africa, to be more precise in northern Tanzania,  at the foot of mount Kilamanjaro. It was an  exciting and dynamic 4 days, not in the least thanks to “veteran” Edward Chumamoto. He facilitated -189 people- with grand style, a sense of humour and enormous skill –a true pleasure!

The project coordinators in the region decided last year to radically change the format as they felt there was not enough interaction and added value generated.  The workshop embraced the  open space methodology which generated many unexpected sessions about a variety topics from learning routes, communication and social media, gender equality and many more.

The theme of this workshop was: Managing for Impact-one of those development  concepts that appear clear at face value, but are not . As a participants said : “over these 4 days we have unpacked the concept and it has become clearer for me what it means to me in my work in our project”. 

Over the days we unpacked the managing for impact into its key elements from the perspective of a project team . One of the  results was a practical diagnostic tool referred to as the learning wheel for managing for impact. It brings together  12 elements that enable a project team to diagnose its performance.

The outcome of this diagnosis enables a team to discuss and agree on corrective actions to improve its delivery to achieve impact. One of these elements is “ continuous experimentation with new ideas and approaches as a source of innovation and performance improvement”.   

Almost all- if not all- development programmes are change management programmes. Research and our own experience  has proven  that a typical organizational change programme has a 20-30% success rate . Or if we  look at innovation and start –up businesses: only 10-15% make it through year  1 and go on to achieve sustainable profits.

If we truly believe in “managing for impact",  it implies that project teams, given the change and innovativeness of development programmes,  continuously need to perform at the top of their toes. Delivery has to be of an exceptional quality while it is conditioned by known obstacles , unplanned interferences, unexpected natural disasters and what have you.

This implies that a project team  needs to have  a strong predisposition to openly reflect upon its challenges and mistakes , harvest the learning (in particular from failed attempts ) and share  this learning with its stakeholders.

In my opinion , managing for impact is closely linked to return on investment. If we do not focus persistently on achieving impact, creating value,  we are not ensuring the pay-off to the rural poor for what they invest to engage with the changes and innovations promoted by development programmes.

A final personal note: that change is possible whether at  personal, process, technological level  I am strongly convinced off. While I was in Arusha  I witnessed the transformation of a colleague to be the happiest man in Africa.  

Monday, November 21, 2011

Don Curzio Nitoglia: The "Judeo -Christian" Lie

Updated 11/30/11

In Italian:


http://www.doncurzionitoglia.com/menzogna_del_giudeocristianesimo.htm


Google translate renders it fairly coherent.

The essay is largely based upon a book authored by Pope Benedict XVI's favorite rabbi and one of the world's most respected authorities on Orthodox Judaism, Rabbi Jacob Neusner titled, Jews and Christians: the myth of a common tradition.

The lengthy introduction is in English at Google books here:

Jews and Christians: the myth of a common tradition

The thesis of the book is stated plainly at the outset in refreshingly direct and concise language:
The thesis of this book is that Judaism and Christianity do not form a common tradition, "the Judeo-Christian tradition." They are not compatible ... only now, for reasons of politics and sociology, have some representatives of Judaism maintained otherwise.
While I agree with the learned rabbi in his statement of fact that Judaism and Christianity are entirely incompatible, I must add proselytism to the 'Noahide' religion to his list of reasons that some representatives of Judaism would claim otherwise (even Maimoides suggested that Christianity and Islam could be viewed as directing 'the Goyim' towards the 'Noahide laws') and I observe this 'Noahide' proselytism beginning many centuries prior to the "only now" of 2001 (the date Neusner's claim was published) that Neusner identified as the genesis of a claimed "Judeo-Christian tradition." In Neusner's book, Historical Synthesis, he references the 18th century Brit-ish Rabbi Jacob Emden and his thesis that the Gospels were written to teach the 'Noahide Laws' to 'Gentiles.' Perhaps it was for political or sociological reasons that Neusner overstated his case here. Perhaps it is for the same such reasons that he has more recently apparently softened the hard line evident in his 2001 thesis.

Fanatical Judaic Con Man Tells of Insider Role In NATO's Purim Vengeance Against Libya

Holocaustian Megalomaniac, Bernard-Henri Levy likely overstates his role in setting up NATO's Purim 5771 ritual vengeance against Libya, and understates his knowledge of the background of the terrorist "rebels" he hooked NATO up with.
 

This insufferable clown is pawned off as a "Philosopher;" a "French Intellectual" by 'Noahide' France's overlords

My corrections to the following puff piece for this charlatan are interspersed:
French intellectual tells of insider role in Libya war

Dave Clark and Herve Rouach (AFP) – Nov 9, 2011

... That [Bernard-Henri] Levy played a role [in the Zionist takeover of Libya euphemized as] Kadhafi's overthrow has been known since the first days of the [Zionist hostilities] in March, but the extent of his involvement was revealed this week in his new book on the war and in an interview with AFP.

He describes how ... he met [terrorist] leaders in Benghazi and, on the basis of the briefest of meetings, decided to introduce them to Sarkozy.

With his trademark hand-made white shirts open to the chest, constant media appearances and celebrity lifestyle, Levy -- or "BHL" as he is known in Paris -- is [justifiably, but not often enough] mocked as a showman rather than a serious thinker [which he clearly is not].

He [claimed] that in March he had little idea who the men behind the rebel National Transitional Council were, having only talked briefly with its [known terrorist] leader [with Zionist intelligence agency ties] Mustafa Abdel Jalil, but he nevertheless decided France must support them [because they said they would support Counterfeit Israel].

"I don't really know who Abdel Jalil is, but I know what a massacre is. I have seen many in by life," [claimed] Levy, a [pseudo-]intellectual activist [instigator of Zionist atrocities] ...

On March 5, Levy met leaders of the fledgling NTC in the hours after they formed the body to unite revolutionary forces against [Libya] ...

Levy grabbed a satellite telephone and called Sarkozy.

"My plan is to bring a delegation from the council that was just formed to Paris ... Would you agree to meet, personally, with this delegation?" he asked Sarkozy. "Of course," the president replied, according to Levy's book.

Five days later Levy brought a delegation to the Elysee. To general astonishment, France immediately recognised the rebel regime [suggesting that they already had the word on these spooks].

French and British diplomats worked swiftly to secure a UN resolution authorising force to [steal Libya's resources and kill Libyan civilians while claiming to] protect Libyan civilians. On March 19 [Purim, on the rabbinic calendar, the same day of the rabbinic year that the 2003 assault on Iraq was launched] a salvo of US cruise missiles marked the start of a [Zionist] bombing campaign.

But Levy's role was not over. He made more trips to Libya, visiting rebels in the Djebel Nafusa highlands and the besieged port of Misrata, and arranging more high-wire [gunboat] diplomacy.

He introduced CNT military leader Abdel Fatah Younes to Sarkozy in midnight talks in Paris on April 13. France sent military trainers and large quantities of weapons to the front, turning the course of the [attempted takeover].
[Levy's] role was shifting. He had become a player in the [hostilities], helping the rebels draft public statements and attending talks between Younes and Sarkozy in which strategy and weapons drops were discussed in detail ...
Full uncorrected puff piece

Also see:

Bernard-Henri Lévy Indicted for Playing the Great Game

What Got Sprung on Libya?

'Western' Interest in 'Arab Spring' is, inter alia, about Sending Arab Children to the Guilt Chambers

"Operation Mermaid Dawn"

Sunday, November 20, 2011

That's Technology: Trustmarque Awarded CRN Services Provider of the Y...

That's Technology: Trustmarque Awarded CRN Services Provider of the Y...: Infrastructure and software solutions Value Added Reseller, Trustmarque, announced today t...

That's Technology: That's Green: RWE npower renewables receives green...

That's Technology: That's Green: RWE npower renewables receives green...: That's Green: RWE npower renewables receives green light for gre... : RWE npower renewables has been granted planning permission to build a...

That's Technology: Fighting Crime With Crucial Real-Time Information ...

That's Technology: Fighting Crime With Crucial Real-Time Information ...: Enhancements have been announced to QiSOFT’s POLICEintel program, the unique real-time int...

Four-Point Plan to help young jobless

Ray Auvray, the head of a top UK provider of employment, education and training services for young people, today urged the government to adopt a four point action plan to tackle record youth unemployment.
Mr Auvray, who is executive chairman of Prospects, said the 1.02 million jobless 16 to 24-year-olds was an “appalling statistic.”

“But more than that, it represents a real tragedy for the

Thursday, November 17, 2011

Does YOUR website cost you money?

Ineffective website compliance management puts significant revenue at risk

• Only 13% of large-company website owners confident that sites are error-free
• 87% admit to website errors including inconsistent branding, poor usability and accessibility compliance errors
• £1bn companies putting, on average, £180,000,000 in turnover at risk
• 71% rated their approach to web compliance as

New Look Atom Website and Online Image Library

Atom Media and PR – a highly regarded UK advertising and PR agency specialising in representing select clients in the Home Interest and Gardens & Lifestyle sectors proudly announces the recent launch of their new look website.

Visit www.atommpr.com to discover even more great features for busy journalists including enhanced image search and save options, latest news and interactive press

Cascade Group takes a Fresh Start

Cascade Group, the central London print & design house, today announced the acquisition of Fresh Start Marketing Limited, a marketing consultancy which supports ambitious businesses with a full range of marketing services.

Fresh Start Marketing has been working with Cascade Group for the last five years, providing marketing services including web support, direct mail, email marketing and

That's Technology: Akamai and Evidon Enter Into Exclusive Agreement t...

That's Technology: Akamai and Evidon Enter Into Exclusive Agreement t...: • Turnkey Approach to Address Privacy Laws and Industry Self-Regulatory Programmes • To Become Available to Akamai Customers in the US and ...

That's Education: ECA welcomes Government pilot to give employers mo...

That's Education: ECA welcomes Government pilot to give employers mo...: Steve Bratt, CEO of the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA), welcomes today’s announcement from the Prime Minister that a £250 milli...

Ve Interactive wins a TechWorld 2011 Business Innovation Award

Under a week after winning a British Interactive Media Association Award, Ve Interactive is delighted to announce today that it has won a TechWorld 2011 Business Innovation Award.

Now in their fourth year, the awards celebrate the very best of UK innovation in the science and technology industries. The awards spanned three categories: Enabling Creativity, Energy and Environment, and Digital

Call for investors to attend conference

London’s investment community has an opportunity to meet up to 12 pre-screened, high-growth and investment-ready businesses from across the Midlands for free, on November 22nd at the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business, London, during the Connect Midlands Investment Conference (CMIC) 2011.

CMIC showcases the best “second stage” investment propositions in the Midlands to an

Public Affairs News Awards 2011 and the winners are announced

The seventh annual Public Affairs News Awards were hosted by ITV Business Editor Laura Kuenssberg.

The awards were presented on 16 November in central London. The winners of the first 14 awards were decided by a 24-strong judging panel.

Consultancy of the Year – Hanover
In-House Team of the Year – The MS Society
Specialist Consultancy of the Year – Cicero Consulting
Outstanding Contribution –

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

That's Education: Vocational training news welcomed

That's Education: Vocational training news welcomed: Steve Bratt, CEO of the Electrical Contractors’ Association (ECA), applauds the Government’s plan to raise the profile of vocational train...

Managing for impact: learning from successes and failures


The East and Southern Africa (ESA) annual workshop focusing on managing for impact kicked off on 14 November in Arusha, Tanzania. The event brings together 200 participants from 17 countries. 

This is a special event on many fronts. To start with, the participants warmly welcomed colleagues from South Sudan. Secondly, they bid farewell to Ides de Willebois, who is moving on to lead the West and Central Africa division.  And last but not least, this is a unique event because for the first time, participants have embraced moving away their from traditional way of doing workshops and have embraced knowledge sharing methods.

Ides de Willebois in his opening remarks reiterated the fact this is a learning and sharing event. “Without learning and sharing we cannot improve and we cannot have impact”. He also went on to say that “we need to have a better understanding of what we do, so that we can do it better.”
In concluding his remarks, de Willebois mentioned that he is planning to start an exchange visit between East and Southern Africa and West and Central Africa. “I hope that West and Central Africa colleagues will join next year’s annual event, so that they can learn from your experience”. 

Breaking the mould
Whenever you decide to innovate or break away from business as usual, there is some apprehension. You feel gratified when breaking the mould ends up being successful and resonates with the expectations. And this is exactly what happened at the ESA event.

It was so refreshing to see 200+ participants embrace knowledge sharing methods such as openspace, spectogramme and world cafe type discussions. Thanks to these participatory methods, they started to mingle, bond and in no time they got to know each other.  

In the process, they heard many stories, including one about how ESA implementation workshops evolved from a being top-down loan administration events to more learning events owned and organized by the projects.

The majestic mount Kilimanjaro and the Kalali women dairy cooperative
As a child, when school was  over, I would be counting the days so that I could join my grandmother in Mount Damavand. Damavand is Persia’s tallest mountain in the Alborz mountain range. Grandma had these wonderful stories about mount Everest, the far way mount Fuji and then a majestic mountain in Africa - mount Kilimanjaro. 

I was intrigued by mount Kilimanjaro, because as a I child I found it difficult to fathom that Africa had mountains. So, on Monday when we had to sign-up for the field trips, I could not believe that finally I would be able to see this far far away mountain.

Unfortunately the majestic mount Kilimanjaro decided to remain pretty veiled and the clouds did not cooperate. But nonetheless, seeing it was an emotional moment and brought back many fond childhood memories.

We then moved on to visit the Kalali women dairy cooperative. This cooperative is part of the Agricultural Sector Development Programme where IFAD is investing loan funds in supplementing financing to the nationwide development programme, to counteract the depletion of the initial funds committed by development partners as part of a basket fund arrangement.

The cooperative is located in Machame division, Hai district in Kilimanjaro region. Inspired by a local daily community business, this cooperative was established with 132 members in 1988. The cooperative’s goal is to:
  • increase income of poor rural households, particularly women in the area through a number of different income generating activities
  • improve lives of orphans and provide assistance to poor families who were unable to provide education and sound nutrition for their children
“To get going the cooperative members contributed 1000 shillings each and payed a membership fee of 50 shillings,” explained Nancy Manasseh Kidin, the cooperative’s chairperson.

Considering their scarce income, these monies were paid in 4 installments. The cooperative started with 8 dairy cows. In 1995 they had 41 dairy cows.

Considering the vital role women play in rural societies, the cooperative decided that women headed-households were the ones to receive the cows.  They agreed that the person who receives the cow for a period of seven months would:
  • give one litre of milk a day to the orphanage
  • give the calves to other women headed-household and members of the cooperative 
As a result in a short time, 24 women who had signed up to this deal managed to provide dairy cows to 117 cooperative members.

Today the cooperative has a total of 260 members.

Diversifying activities
These industrious women used their income to diversify their business. In the 90s they bought themselves a milling machine.

“We provided milling service in the local market and expanded our business by buying a container to store the maize”, said Kidin.

“We also used the profits from the milling business to buy seeds.”

In 1993, they went one step further and bought themselves an electric machine and donated their diesel operated milling machine to another women group.

With the profit from their milling business they bought feed for the cows.

A terrible blow
They had a flourishing business, produced milk in abundance and sold this to a company in Arusha, thinking that a company is a reliable partner.

“We failed to ask for the money upfront and the company failed to pay us 12,000,000 schillings”, said Kidin.

This was a terrible blow for them. The community lost confidence in cooperatives and felt let down.
This mishap taught the cooperative an important lesson: never accept an “IOU”, always finish a transaction, sell, get your money and go on.

Despite this set back, they managed to back on their feet, thanks to the generous contribution of Italians.

A new door opens: dairy processing 
The Italians provided them processing instruments and that is how they started making butter and cheese.

Today they produce:
  • 400-800 litres of milk a day
  • 10-20kg of cheese per day
  • 50-95 packs of butter per week
  • 400-600 packs of yogurt per week
They keep track of their daily production and make some impressive graphs without using Excel. They also have a sophisticated booking keeping practice.

They package their products and have a registered trademark. “We sell the dairy products at Moshi, to grocery stores, to hotels and send our cheese and butter all the way to Zanzibar”, explains a proud Kidin.

The cooperative has the necessary certification to package its product, however, they are faced with the challenge of not having adequate technical support. This means they are unable to take their business to the next step and benefit from industry’s best practice.

One thing that we observed was the BEST BEFORE DATE on their products. Without exception their products seem to have a shelf life of one year!!!!

Kidin shared with us that the cooperative aspires to be able to:
  • procure large 50 litre metal containers to store the milk instead of using plastic containers
  • avail themselves of technical expertise and training so that their products are of high quality meet regional standards, have bar codes and can compete with Kenyan products
  • have access to veterinary service
  • have access to East African Community Market and get packaging machinery 
  • have all the women of the community become members of the cooperative
  • become a renown cooperative both inside and outside Tanzania
In conducting their business, the cooperative has learnt the importance of:
  • providing thorough and in depth training to the machine operators, so that they do not only know how to operate the machine, but also maintain it properly
  • understanding the market demand and their potential competitors
  • doing a good market search before buying equipment and better understanding what is needed and how a piece of equipment can help them 
Expanding the business and facing new challenges
With a relatively good income from their dairy business, the cooperative bought a sunflower oil pressing machine and started a savings credit cooperative (SACCOS).

The SACCOS has 375 members and started with a capital of 3.2million schillings.

The older women of the community put their savings in the SACCOS and the more business oriented women use the SACCOS to get a loan. The loans have an interest rate of 3%.

Kidin shares with us that the SACCOS are faced with two challenges:
  • underpayment
  • corruption
This has led to a loss of 22 million schillings.  This loss made the community understand the importance of choosing right people as SACCOS board members. They now know that a board member:
  • needs to be a trusted member of the community
  • one who understands the ins and outs of the business and entire process
  • one who has knowledge of financial management so that they can play a supervisory role, detect collusion and immediately take corrective actions
Investing in health and eduction of young people
The community is committed to provide education for the children and young people - especially to orphaned children and those from less advantaged families.

They use their profits to send children from disadvantaged families to school and are also assisted by Italians who are sponsoring a number of children and putting them through school.

Their vision is that every child has to go to school.
Their sustained programme of investing in education of their children is one of their great successes. Thanks to this initiative many young people have successfully finished school, obtained their degree and now serve as accountants, agriculture specialists, engineers and health workers.

Many have heard of WFP’s school feeding programme. Well, the Kalali women dairy cooperative runs a similar programme - they support school feeding by providing one glass of milk per class. 

The cooperative challenges
Kidin shared with us the cooperative challenges: 
  • continuous power cuts which lasts days
  • lack of access to adequate and state of the art machinery for packaging and conservation so that they are able to compete in the  market
  • lack of access to technical expertise to take the business to its next level
  • lack of local talents and expertise
  • lack of access to appropriate equipment for conservation
  • high taxation and cumbersome regulations
  • competition with Kenyan products
The cooperatives aspirations
Kidin and the cooperative members aspire to:
  • have all women in the area become members of the cooperative
  • give dividends to all the members and not just provide contributions in kind
  • create more employment opportunities
  • send all children to school
  • expand the sunflower pressing business
  • innovate and continuously provide new services to the community
  • provide capacity building
  • build technical and leadership skills and groom local talents
  • set up a milk bar so that community members understand that there are other options to drinking alcohol
  • do more follow-ups and have a better feel what you can realistically achieve 
  • develop robust business plans
We cannot but wish this group of hardworking and resilient women the best of luck. They are a great example of how when a community takes development in their hands, despite set back, they are able to move on and bring about change. I am sure the Kalali women dairy cooperative will go from success to success and manage to fulfill all their aspirations and be a model for many more women.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

New appointment at Apptio

Former Senior Vice President of OpTier to Lead European Expansion Efforts for Pioneering Provider of Technology Business Management Solutions

Apptio, the provider of on-demand Technology Business Management (TBM) solutions, today announced its rapidly expanding European operations will be led by Colin Rowland, who joins the company as Vice President, EMEA. In this capacity, Rowland will

That's Technology: Splunk Announces Year-Over-Year Quarterly Revenue ...

That's Technology: Splunk Announces Year-Over-Year Quarterly Revenue ...: A record of more than 350 new licenced customers added Splunk software in Q3 Splunk Inc.,...

That's Technology: Numara Software Establishes New Cloud Business

That's Technology: Numara Software Establishes New Cloud Business: Numara® Software , Inc., a global provider of service management, endpoint lifecycle management and mobile device management solutions for...

Vebnet reveals lack of appreciation of the benefits package is a major concern for employers

Vebnet has revealed that for the third year running, over half of HR directors and rewards chiefs (56%) say lack of employee understanding or appreciation of benefits is their number one concern, yet the potential for better communication and greater financial education is still to be exploited by many.

This is one of the main conclusions to

Nun-Accomplice to Counterfeit Israel's 'Holocaust' Proselytism to Speak at College of Saint Elizabeth

Sr. Gemma lives in [Counterfeit] Israel since 1975, and has led seminars at Yad Vashem [Counterfeit] Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem for more than 20 years as an educator at the international School of [Counterfeit] Holocaust Education. Her association with Yad Vashem began in 1987 when she approached the administrators with her idea to host seminars for Catholic educators in response to Pope John Paul II’s call to recognize the significance of the [Counterfeit] Holocaust.

"Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because you go round about the sea and the land to make one proselyte; and when he is made, you make him the child of hell twofold more than yourselves."

Leading Holocaust Educator Sister Gemma Del Duca Speaks at the College of Saint Elizabeth, November 16, 2011

Fran Sullivan - Morristown Green

November 10, 2011

Internationally known Holocaust educator Sister Gemma Del Duca, S.C., leads an interfaith dialogue entitled, Teaching Catholics about the Holocaust, Wednesday, November 16, from 7:30 to 9 p.m., in Dolan Performance Hall, College of Saint Elizabeth, 2 Convent Road, Morristown, N.J. The event, which is free and open to the public, is sponsored by the CSE Holocaust Education Resource Center.

Well Respected Leader in Holocaust Education Addresses College Audience
Sr. Gemma is the founder and co-director of Seton Hill University’s National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education, Greensburg, Pa., and she is also the former chair of the history department at the university.

Sr. Gemma lives in Israel since 1975, and has led seminars at Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem for more than 20 years as an educator at the international School of Holocaust Education. Her association with Yad Vashem began in 1987 when she approached the administrators with her idea to host seminars for Catholic educators in response to Pope John Paul II’s call to recognize the significance of the Holocaust. The seminars are intended for groups of Catholic educators and clergy, primarily from the United States. According to Yad Vashem’s records, hundreds of educators have taken part in the seminars. Her presence as lecturer and coordinator of the program is one of its most important components, according to Ephraim Kaye, who works with international educators at Yad Vashem.

“(Sr.) Gemma is the person who opened the door here to bringing Catholic educators to Yad Vashem,” said Kaye, “They have been a real dedicated and determined group of people who take back what they have learned here. We have (Sr.) Gemma to thank for that. It is really not to be taken for granted.”

In 2007, Yad Vashem honored Sr. Gemma with the Award for Excellence in Holocaust Education. She is the first non-Jewish and non-Israeli recipient.

Sponsored by the Sisters of Charity of Saint Elizabeth, Convent Station, New Jersey, the College of Saint Elizabeth enrolls more than 2,100 full- and part-time students in more than 25 undergraduate, 10 graduate and one doctoral degree programs. For information on other activities or programs, visit the College of Saint Elizabeth web site at www.cse.edu.


http://morristowngreen.com/2011/11/10/leading-holocaust-educator-sister-gemma-del-duca-speaks-at-the-college-of-saint-elizabeth-november-16-2011/

IFAD’s Emission Reduction Plan, 8 November 2011. Emissions reduction depends on us!We cause them, we can reduce them.

We are all  concerned about climate change, and we are all aware of the impact of emissions on climate change. We know that continued emissions at or above current rates would cause further warming of the planet and cause many changes in the global climate system (e.g. increase risk of flooding and drought in certain areas). However, our emissions rather than decreasing are increasing; a trend that needs to be reversed  urgently. That is why, the “UN system is collectively developing a climate-neutral approach for its premises and operations. The responsibility for the future lies in our hands. Let change begin at home” (foreword by the UN Secretary-General to “Moving Towards a Climate Neutral UN) and we also committed to play a proactive role in moving towards a climate neutral UN.
The workshop held on 8 November was a great opportunity to:

•    be briefed on what we have done thus far to reduce emissions
•    understand why we need to develop and implement an IFAD   emission reduction plan
•    generate ideas that can  impact on emissions reduction
•    assess the viability of the ideas proposed during the workshop.


The good news is that a number of concrete actions with a view to reduce emissions have already been taken, some examples:

•    green building certification award at the Gold level in recognition of IFAD’s state-of-art HQ
•    reduction in consumption of electricity from 2009 to 2010
•    reduced use of plastic water bottles by installing drinking water fountains
•    shuttle bus service from/to metro station to discourage the use of private cars
•    reduction in paper consumption by implementing double-sided printing
•    implementation of parking fees to encourage the use of public transportation
•    video-conference facilities to reduce the number of travels to attend meetings.


Much has been done,  but  more needs to be done. Elina Virtanen and Pasi Rinne, the experts from Gaia   Innovative Solutions for Sustainability, presented the  baseline figures for reporting on IFAD’s emissions. Did you know that IFAD total emissions in 2009 were equivalent to 5089 tCO2 ?


Did you know that from 2009 to 2010 IFAD emissions have increased by 10 %  and that  air travel emissions have increased by 17 %?






Did  you know that in 2009 IFAD emissions per staff  were equal to 5,7 tCO2 ; far from a sustainable level! Based on IPCC estimates, in 2050  the emissions per person should be 2.8 t CO2. 


While it's true that IFAD compared to other UN organizations has lower emissions, numbers still show how far we are from a sustainable emission level for our planet.  Figures tell us we have to start planning today to achieve tomorrow’s targets. IFAD’s emission reduction plan  is the tool  we will be using to:

•    define where we are today in terms of emissions caused
•    identify the required actions to reduce emissions
•    indicate realistic objectives and  timeline.

We, as participants of the workshop, had the chance to “scout for ” ideas on how to further reduce emissions in the following areas:

•    facility
•    paper consumption and waste
•    ICT (energy efficiency and enabling virtual meetings)
•    travel
•    commuting
•    procurement
•    others (thinking out of the box)
  


It’s amazing how many ideas were “sticked”   in about 30 minutes. I was also impressed by the number of “green” stickers that we used to mark the proposed actions as  “realistic” and “viable” , in other words, actions that could be included  in IFAD’s emission reduction plan.
The ones I liked the most?
Adopt a sustainable procurement policy that takes into account the   environmental  impact of products and services 
All staff teleworking 1 day a week
 "Think big" and have a low-carbon cafeteria
 Adopt a green travel policy




As Matthias Meyerhans, director ADM, pointed out “we have to change our habits if we intend to seriously pursue climate neutrality …..only if we as staff member and environmental conscious citizens are willing to change, significant emissions reduction can be achieved”


IFAD’s emission reduction plan is about us, about the way we will be working in the coming years. If you did not have the chance to participate in the workshop and are interested in knowing more about the actions proposed,  you can still contribute by sharing your ideas through yammer 

“Our programs focus increasingly on adaptation to climate change and it is right that we look for measures to reduce emissions in our own activities.”
Elwyn Grainger-Jones, Director ECD


Monday, November 14, 2011

That's Technology: Trustmarque Helps Markel Plan And Procure For Its ...

That's Technology: Trustmarque Helps Markel Plan And Procure For Its ...: Thanks to Trustmarque, Markel has a full technology implementation roadmap and a new Enter...

That's Technology: Businesses missing opportunity to streamline Deskt...

That's Technology: Businesses missing opportunity to streamline Deskt...: Centrix Software today released findings from a survey on desktop transformation conducted...

Get a Shift on!

A collection of some of the world’s most successful, healthy and wealthy entrepreneurs from across the Globe will arrive in London in just ten days to reveal the secrets to health, wealth and business prosperity and to guide 500 budding entrepreneurs onto a fast track plan for success in 2012.

Co-hosted by UK entrepreneur and successful

Let's make climate change talks inclusive

by Prof. M.S. Swaminathan Member of Parliament of India, Rajya Sabha, and Chairman, M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation and Kanayo F. Nwanze, IFAD President

Price volatility and the persistence of widespread and hidden hunger underline the need for enhancing the productivity and profitability of smallholder agriculture in an environmentally sustainable manner.

When world leaders sit down again to discuss climate change, we hope that the people who live and work on the world's 500 million small farms will be with them, at least in spirit. Their voice — and the issue of agriculture as a whole — has, for too long, been missing from the conversation. But without increased support to smallholder farmers now, the number of hungry people will grow, and future food security will be placed in jeopardy.

The upcoming 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012 — marking the twentieth anniversary of the landmark Earth Summit that produced Agenda 21, “a roadmap” for sustainable development — will both need to ensure that agriculture and the world's smallholder farmers are high on the agenda if we are to overcome the many challenges we face in achieving the Millennium Development Goal 1.

The front line
In the last 20 years the global population has risen from about 5.3 billion to seven billion; the reality of climate change has been accepted beyond doubt; and the number of hungry people in the world has remained stubbornly around the one billion mark. Meanwhile, aid to agriculture has only just recently begun to pick up after decades of stagnation. More needs to be done — a lot more — and supporting smallholder farmers must be at the heart of any agenda.

The rural poor across the world, including India, have contributed little to human-induced climate change, yet they are on the front line in coping with its effects. Farmers can no longer rely on historical averages for rainfall and temperature, and the more frequent and extreme weather events, such as droughts and floods, can spell disaster. And there are new threats, such as sea level rise and the impact of melting glaciers on water supply.

How significant are small farms? As many as two billion people worldwide depend on them for their food and livelihood. Smallholder farmers in India produce 41 per cent of the country's food grains, and other food items that contribute to local and national food security. Small farmers cannot be ignored, and special attention must be given to the most vulnerable groups — particularly women, who make up a large percentage of farmers in the developing world.

Small farms also add up to big business: In the world's 50 least developed countries, agriculture is the backbone of the economy, accounting for 30 to 60 per cent of Gross Domestic Product and employing as much as 70 per cent or more of the workforce. Addressing the plight of smallholders isn't just a matter of equity, it's a necessity if we are going to be able to feed ourselves in the future. Smallholders farm 80 per cent of the total farmland in sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Asia. If we don't help them to adapt to climate change, their achievements — feeding a large portion of humanity — will be endangered.

With appropriate support, smallholders can play a key role in protecting our environment, for example through actions that contribute to carbon sequestration and limit carbon emissions (planting and maintaining forests, engaging in agro-forestry activities, managing rangelands and rice lands, and watershed protection that limits deforestation and soil erosion).

To continue farming in a sustainable way in the face of climate change, rural women and men need to be given the resources to cope with the challenges. Smallholder farmers need support such as resilience-building technologies (including drought- and salt-tolerant seed varieties and new methods of rainwater harvesting), and training in sustainable practices of conservation agriculture, such as minimum-till farming to reduce erosion and moisture loss. Investing in adaptation measures now will be far less costly than in the future.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the M.S. Swaminathan Foundation, together with the government of India and other partners, have undertaken a range of projects to do just that.

For example, in Tamil Nadu, we have been supporting rural communities to produce and market nutri-cereals like millet, which can easily grow in dry and arid environments. We worked with smallholder farmers to use simple techniques to increase their yields, while also helping rural women create and market modern recipes — for example, a millet malt drink now being sold in major health food stores in India. The result has been not only increased food for the community, but also increased income and non-farm employment opportunities.

To help farmers adapt to increasingly dry conditions, a programme in Chhattisgarh has expanded cultivation of traditionally produced Niger seed oil, which grows well in areas that receive little rain. Land and forest regeneration were promoted to improve soil structure and moisture levels, and solar energy technology and biogas digesters have been introduced, which reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as the need for fuelwood. Another project in the northeast has helped restore degraded jhumland and has benefited almost 40,000 households in 860 villages.

Climate-resilient sustainable agriculture requires knowledge. Successful projects such as these can provide a model for others to follow. Knowledge transfer that brings the benefits of research from the laboratory to the farm is essential.

Programmes targeted at vulnerable groups such as women and tribal communities are particularly important. IFAD-supported programmes and projects in India promote tribal development by building and strengthening grassroots institutions that enable vulnerable people to plan and manage their own development, negotiate improved entitlements, and broaden their livelihood opportunities. Conferences and talks among world leaders can do many things but they don't feed people. We hope that leaders will keep in mind those who do: the smallholder farmers. Price volatility and the persistence of widespread, endemic and hidden hunger underline the need for urgent attention to enhancing the productivity and profitability of smallholder agriculture in an environmentally sustainable manner. This is the pathway to increasing agriculture's contribution to climate change mitigation as well as to sustainable food security.

Originally published in The Hindu

Popular Posts