In The News

‘Food Should Be Left Off the Free Trade Table’ - José Bové

April 6, 2005
At the Yale Center for the Study of Globalization, Bové attended a workshop with prominent Yale scholars and others in the university community to discuss the status of the global peasant movement and the core issues in his work. A full transcript follows. – YaleGlobal

‘Food Should Be Left Off the Free Trade Table’

April 6, 2005
Many economists believe that trade liberalization is the main driving force that created today's dynamic international market. The increasing exchange of goods and services produced and sold around the world have far-reaching implications for different localities – for better and for worse. One important area of world trade concerning this local and global relationship is agriculture, which...

Opponents of Wal-Mart to Coordinate Efforts

Steven Greenhouse April 5, 2005
Is Wal-Mart bad for workers? The global retailing giant says that consumers benefit from its consistently low prices. Critics, however, contend that those low prices are built on poverty-level wages and minimal benefits. In the United States, a newly formed alliance of labor unions, environmentalists, community organizations, and students will pressure Wal-Mart to change the way it does business...

Sudan: Helping the Exiles Return

Ramiro Lopes da Silva March 31, 2005
As civil unrest in southern Sudan settles down, exiles from the region have begun to return in droves. Despite better living conditions in developed countries in Europe and the Americas, these immigrants are surprisingly willing to move back to their country of origin. "Given the choice, people will almost always return to their homes," writes Ramiro Lopes da Silva. This voluntary...

Central Asia Is Corrupted by Cotton

Quentin Peel March 10, 2005
Though many developing countries are cheering a recent WTO ruling declaring US agricultural subsidies illegal, indigent farmers in Central Asia will never know the difference. Since the dismantling of the Soviet regime, the cotton industries in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Tajikistan have been hijacked by wealthy insiders. Working with international traders, middlemen sell expensive inputs to...

"Tsunami Effect" Likely to Hit Africa

Kevin J. Kelley February 24, 2005
In January, international donors quickly met the UN appeal for US$977 million for tsunami relief operations. That same month, member countries gave only US$21 million of the US$29 million requested by the UN World Food Program, resulting in ration cuts for some African nations. This disparity reflects a serious problem: While the international community has quickly responded to the tsunami...

Power Hungry

January 31, 2005
In this comprehensive report, relief organization ActionAid International argues that large food corporations have become too powerful and are undermining the global fight against poverty. Currently, one transnational company controls 80 percent of Peru's milk production, five companies' control 90 percent of the world grain trade, and six corporations control three-quarters of the...