https://itun.es/br/LYn19
Wednesday, December 23, 2015
Friday, December 4, 2015
Injinji Performance Wear
What keeps you motivated in reaching your fitness goal(s)? I define Fitness as a lifestyle rather than something temporary.
Having the best gear for your individual needs is a step in the right direction. Prior to running in Injinji performance toe socks, I was just wearing regular socks and not thinking too much about proper athletic gear.
I used to jog over the Brooklyn Bridge sometimes so my main focus as far as running gear had been to invest in a wind mask and running pants with wind panels on them.
Currently, I run in performance toe socks from California based Injinji (In-jin-jee). This company started in 1999. The name Injinji is a word of African origin which refers to the point at which a drumming circle reaches it peak.
The Injinji Blog features some interesting features including "Foot to the Floor: Why You Should Choose Toesocks."
Through July 31st, Injinji is running an Instagram contest in which they will be giving away a free pair of socks every day.
Visit their Facebook page to read more about the Instagram contest including the Grand Prize of a $100.00 gift certificate to their online store.
Injinji's affiliations include The Independent Running Retailer Association as well as The Conservation Alliance, whose mission is,"to engage businesses to fund and partner with organizations to protect wild places for their habitat and recreation values."
I like the Injinji, "Manifestoe". It is as follows, “Forever committed to innovation that allows your feet to live and perform at their peak. We are a better way.”
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
The Relationship Between Service Providers and the Populations They Work With
As I may have mentioned here before, I first wrote about public health around 2004 when I covered an event for an organization raising awareness about cervical cancer.
Around the same time that I covered this story, I went to a women's health clinic to get standard screenings for STD's and STI's and I also wanted a screening for HPV.
I went into this with my new found awareness that a clear pap smear result does not always mean that there is no chance that you have HPV.* I remember a staffer saying something to me along the lines of, "we usually do a pap smear and if something shows up than we screen for HPV."
While I am aware that had I gone to a different doctor or health care provider at that same clinic I may have gotten a different answer. I also appreciate that she may have handled our interaction based on what she was trained or encouraged to do by whomever decides what the standard of care is for basic STD, STI and any other gynecological screenings.
However, there must be women who have gone to that clinic and gotten similar information about HPV screenings and had no reason to think that they were not being given the full picture.
I remember making an attempt to get an HPV screening regardless of how the pap smear results came back. This was years ago before there was any notion of an HPV vaccine on the market and I do think that there is generally much more discussion around HPV.
What I take from that experience is the importance of educating myself about my health in order to have the best possible interaction with health care providers.
In some ways, I think of healthcare as being similar to any other service in that the best result comes out of having a trusting relationship between service providers and the populations they work with.
If you are part of a population where conversations about health are limited to yearly check ups, where can you find information to compliment those discussions?
In what settings do health care providers have opportunities to interact with the populations they work with outside of formal appointments?
While conversations about sexual and reproductive health rights are critical, it is also good to just get information and to ensure that a general awareness is supported in settings such as community centers, online communities, the social media space, colleges and universities etc...
*I am not a medical professional and this is just me recounting my own personal experience as I remember it.
Around the same time that I covered this story, I went to a women's health clinic to get standard screenings for STD's and STI's and I also wanted a screening for HPV.
I went into this with my new found awareness that a clear pap smear result does not always mean that there is no chance that you have HPV.* I remember a staffer saying something to me along the lines of, "we usually do a pap smear and if something shows up than we screen for HPV."
While I am aware that had I gone to a different doctor or health care provider at that same clinic I may have gotten a different answer. I also appreciate that she may have handled our interaction based on what she was trained or encouraged to do by whomever decides what the standard of care is for basic STD, STI and any other gynecological screenings.
However, there must be women who have gone to that clinic and gotten similar information about HPV screenings and had no reason to think that they were not being given the full picture.
I remember making an attempt to get an HPV screening regardless of how the pap smear results came back. This was years ago before there was any notion of an HPV vaccine on the market and I do think that there is generally much more discussion around HPV.
What I take from that experience is the importance of educating myself about my health in order to have the best possible interaction with health care providers.
In some ways, I think of healthcare as being similar to any other service in that the best result comes out of having a trusting relationship between service providers and the populations they work with.
If you are part of a population where conversations about health are limited to yearly check ups, where can you find information to compliment those discussions?
In what settings do health care providers have opportunities to interact with the populations they work with outside of formal appointments?
While conversations about sexual and reproductive health rights are critical, it is also good to just get information and to ensure that a general awareness is supported in settings such as community centers, online communities, the social media space, colleges and universities etc...
*I am not a medical professional and this is just me recounting my own personal experience as I remember it.
Friday, October 16, 2015
Is Gun Violence a Public Health Issue?
How is public health defined, who decides what that definition is and on what information are they basing their decision? Who has a seat at the table while these topics are being discussed?
Recently, I found myself thinking; " How many people have to die before action is taken to decrease gun violence?" I suppose there is an argument for the fact that all societies are desensitized to their own failings.
Where then, must we go to gather together those that have the right thinking on the issues that hold us back from living up to the ideals of our society?
Although I don't recall the first time I thought about the idea of fostering discussion around gun violence as a public health issue, even a brief google search shows that this topic is already out there.
There's a lot to delve into here...
I do think that a civil society has an obligation to provide certain services to its citizens. Health care, being one of them. In order to move from talking about heady ideas and lofty goals to actually identifying what specific steps to take to create a better quality of life when it comes to access to health care, you have to get into economics.
An idea by itself is stagnant without the necessary resources and oversight to actually take action.
Rather than write this entire post from an editorial perspective, I think it will be more useful for me to give an overview of some of the voices that have chimed in to the discussion about whether or not gun violence is a public health issue.
No matter how you define it, public health only moves forward when facts are given pride of place over everything else.
If you google Public Health, the first entry that comes up is the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Other sources of information are the WHO (World Health Organization) and the APHA (American Public Health Association).
If you want to see a fact sheet on gun violence, the APHA has a resource titled, "Gun Violence Prevention." Forbes.com has an article that reviews several different perspectives on the topic of whether or not gun violence is a public health issue.
Diversity of thought is necessary to yield any kind of forward thinking approach to improving our society; thus community activists, students, think tanks and colleges and universities should all have a role in shaping the discourse around gun violence and how best we can understand it and prevent it.
I spoke with Professor Jon Vernick, Co-Director of the Center for Gun Policy and Research at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health about the idea of framing gun violence as a public health issue.
"Guns claim more than 30,000 lives in the United States alone every year and another additional 70,000 or so non-fatal violent injuries are associated with guns. By thinking of it as a public health problem we can consider all aspects of the problem, not just gun deaths by homicide which are of interest to the criminal justice world, (but) we can also think about suicide and accidental gun deaths. We can consider upstream solutions. Whereas the criminal justice system thinks primarily, though not exclusively about punishment, public health thinks primarily about trying to keep people from getting hurt in the first place.
Public health also has a tradition of focusing on the vector of a particular cause. In this topic, the vector is the firearm. There is a history in public health about 'how we can modify the vector'; how to keep guns out of the hands of a violent person in the first place.
There is a history of success that public health has had in other areas such as motor vehicles.By thinking of guns as a public health problem maybe there is inspiration that can be drawn from other successes."
This quote brings to the surface the idea that there are multiple aspects to gun violence which, in my opinion, is an important point. In order to make progress it is necessary for the major media outlets to inform the public of the kinds of things that are taking away from our ideas and ideals as a nation. Moving forward, it is absolutely critical to have more in-depth conversations about preventative measures. These conversations, guided by a nuanced perspective of the topic(s), inform the voting public and the wheels of progress turn...or at least that's the idea.
Recently, I found myself thinking; " How many people have to die before action is taken to decrease gun violence?" I suppose there is an argument for the fact that all societies are desensitized to their own failings.
Where then, must we go to gather together those that have the right thinking on the issues that hold us back from living up to the ideals of our society?
Although I don't recall the first time I thought about the idea of fostering discussion around gun violence as a public health issue, even a brief google search shows that this topic is already out there.
There's a lot to delve into here...
I do think that a civil society has an obligation to provide certain services to its citizens. Health care, being one of them. In order to move from talking about heady ideas and lofty goals to actually identifying what specific steps to take to create a better quality of life when it comes to access to health care, you have to get into economics.
An idea by itself is stagnant without the necessary resources and oversight to actually take action.
Rather than write this entire post from an editorial perspective, I think it will be more useful for me to give an overview of some of the voices that have chimed in to the discussion about whether or not gun violence is a public health issue.
No matter how you define it, public health only moves forward when facts are given pride of place over everything else.
If you google Public Health, the first entry that comes up is the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Other sources of information are the WHO (World Health Organization) and the APHA (American Public Health Association).
If you want to see a fact sheet on gun violence, the APHA has a resource titled, "Gun Violence Prevention." Forbes.com has an article that reviews several different perspectives on the topic of whether or not gun violence is a public health issue.
Diversity of thought is necessary to yield any kind of forward thinking approach to improving our society; thus community activists, students, think tanks and colleges and universities should all have a role in shaping the discourse around gun violence and how best we can understand it and prevent it.
I spoke with Professor Jon Vernick, Co-Director of the Center for Gun Policy and Research at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health about the idea of framing gun violence as a public health issue.
"Guns claim more than 30,000 lives in the United States alone every year and another additional 70,000 or so non-fatal violent injuries are associated with guns. By thinking of it as a public health problem we can consider all aspects of the problem, not just gun deaths by homicide which are of interest to the criminal justice world, (but) we can also think about suicide and accidental gun deaths. We can consider upstream solutions. Whereas the criminal justice system thinks primarily, though not exclusively about punishment, public health thinks primarily about trying to keep people from getting hurt in the first place.
Public health also has a tradition of focusing on the vector of a particular cause. In this topic, the vector is the firearm. There is a history in public health about 'how we can modify the vector'; how to keep guns out of the hands of a violent person in the first place.
There is a history of success that public health has had in other areas such as motor vehicles.By thinking of guns as a public health problem maybe there is inspiration that can be drawn from other successes."
This quote brings to the surface the idea that there are multiple aspects to gun violence which, in my opinion, is an important point. In order to make progress it is necessary for the major media outlets to inform the public of the kinds of things that are taking away from our ideas and ideals as a nation. Moving forward, it is absolutely critical to have more in-depth conversations about preventative measures. These conversations, guided by a nuanced perspective of the topic(s), inform the voting public and the wheels of progress turn...or at least that's the idea.
Monday, September 21, 2015
Baltimore City Community College Refugee Youth Project
Last week I sat down with Chelsea Coston of the Baltimore City Community College Refugee Youth Project which provides services to Refugees as well as Asylees.Through Enactus, Chelsea enriched her college experience by working on a variety of social projects.
Her next step was BCCC RYP, the roots of which go back to 1999 when BCCC was engaging with the ESL community via library space.
The goals of RYP are to provide homework assistance, developing core academic skills, provide a safe space, provide opportunity to practice English, to prevent students from dropping out of high school and transitioning into college or career.
Promoting self expression, self esteem and identity exploration, as well as fostering community and diversity are a part of the RYP mission. RYP also plays the role of providing information to the Baltimore City area regarding refugees.
BCCC RYP is currently exhibiting an art gallery show at Clayworks in the Mt. Washington neighborhood of Baltimore. The show is a retrospective of BCCC RYP community arts projects over the last several years. The exhibit will be up through October 10th, 2015. BCCC RYP items can be purchased at Clayworks.
About two years ago in 2013, BCCC RYP started selling their products which are an outgrowth of their arts enterprise initiative. The arts enterprise started as a way to foster meaningful cultural engagement between the community of students with whom they work.
Through collaboration with the Maryland Office of Refugees and Asylees and with the support of the Office of Refugee Resettlement's School Impact Grant, BCCC RYP receives program funding. BCCC RYP shares office space with the International Rescue Committee.
Another collaboration is the Community Art Collaborative Americorps Program; a program created through the efforts of BCCC RYP and the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA).
Currently Ms. Coston's work as a capacity builder is supported through the Maryland-DC Campus Compact Americorps VISTA (Volunteers In Service to America) program with the goal of contributing to a program of "deeper, more thorough services," including, "financial literacy program and a targeted college readiness program through a mentoring system. We rely on all the local universities for our volunteers, so we work with Loyola, UMBC, Johns Hopkins Refugee Action Project, Towson University, Goucher and a few high schools including Notre Dame Preparatory and Catonsville High School.""We are always looking for volunteers. Right now what we need mainly are mentors. These are students who are in college or older; professionals are really needed. They make a commitment of two hours a week to spend with a refugee in high school or middle school. It is basically an adult figure in their life that can be a resource for them. We are also looking for tutors in high school or above at our Moravia site on Wednesday afternoons and our Patterson site, which is a high school, and that is Tuesday afternoon. RYP also has opportunities for unpaid internships including project based internships that can be completed at home. Suggestions for potential partnerships are welcome.
Donated art supplies are also welcome!
BCCC RYP also welcomes one time volunteers to come an support workshops on topics such as careers or finance. You can reach out to Brittany DeNovellis at rypvolunteerspecialist@gmail.com
In addition to the tutoring mentioned above, BCCC RYP offers a summer school which is an opportunity for high school students to get paid to attend school through Youth Works.
Stay connected:
Facebook Refugee Youth Project
Twitter @bmoreryp
Website refugeeyouthproject.org
Donations can be given through the support tab on refugeeyouthproject.org. BCCC RYP is funded through Baltimore City Community College Foundation so you can mark your donation Refugee Youth Project so that the funds get to BCCC RYP.
The work of BCCC RYP reaches people from 17 Coutries including the following:
Congo Sudan Eritrea Syria Burma Bhutan
www.refugeeyouthproject.org
Monday, September 7, 2015
MACDC Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations
I first learned about collaborative work spaces when I was living in Brooklyn. I vaguely remember that it was a writer's space so I did a quick google search and came to the Brooklyn Writers Space. I remember thinking about how that might be a good resource for entrepreneurs and would like to eventually create my version of a collaborative work space at some point.
One of the United Way's partner organizations is the Boston based Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporation. Their website provides information about the Transformative Development Initiative (TDI): Co-Work, which includes grant funding for collaborative groups.
I found out about MACDC while attending an event back in April and had a chance to interview President Joe Kriesberg.
I like that MACDC's Theory of Change incorporates rural communities into it's focus. What feedback can you share regarding how the unique needs of rural communities are an important part of community development work?
Community development in rural areas shares the same values and basic elements as community development in urban areas, but it manifest itself differently. Community engagement is harder when people are spread out, and it can be even harder to identify and engage low income people as they are more disperse.
That said, most rural communities have a strong network of existing leaders that can be engaged and smart CDCs find creative ways to engage new leaders.
Rural CDCs are more likely to focus on home repair and of course their housing projects are much smaller – something that can be challenging given the affordable housing system’s preference for scale. Many rural CDCs are highly focused on economic development given the economic struggles that can be found in much of rural America.
We see our rural members more focused on growing local businesses and supporting entrepreneurs.
Another difference we find is that rural CDCs are often filling the void created by small local governments with little community development capacity. Rural groups often help their towns to raise and administer grants and help construct or even manage community facilities.
With all these differences, however, the same three elements remain: community building, improving the built environment, and help people to transform their lives.
That said, most rural communities have a strong network of existing leaders that can be engaged and smart CDCs find creative ways to engage new leaders.
Rural CDCs are more likely to focus on home repair and of course their housing projects are much smaller – something that can be challenging given the affordable housing system’s preference for scale. Many rural CDCs are highly focused on economic development given the economic struggles that can be found in much of rural America.
We see our rural members more focused on growing local businesses and supporting entrepreneurs.
Another difference we find is that rural CDCs are often filling the void created by small local governments with little community development capacity. Rural groups often help their towns to raise and administer grants and help construct or even manage community facilities.
With all these differences, however, the same three elements remain: community building, improving the built environment, and help people to transform their lives.
A few years ago I attended a NYSERDAevent (link copied below) and am interested to know; is there a comparable organization or state funded initiative that services Massachusetts?
http://www.nyserda.ny.gov/
http://www.nyserda.ny.gov/
I don't think we have an organization like this, but we do have strong energy programs at our state energy office and Mass Development plays some of the same roles with financing projects, I think.
There is a youth movement calledPower Shift that aims to function as a gathering place for the youth climate movement. I'm interested to know of any similar programs and/or initiatives that you may wish to draw attention to including MACDC's Green Community Development movement.
CDCs are committed to environmental sustainability as documented in a report we released a couple of years ago.http://macdc.org/research
MACDC’s big priorities right now are the Community Investment Tax Credit and the Mel King Institute. We may be launching an effort around community development and health later this year.
How did the relationship with the LISC come about and what kinds of outcomes are MACDC and LISC looking to create through the classes offered at the Mel King Institute?
MACDC and LISC have been close partners for 20 years or more – long before I arrived so I’m not sure how it started. The major outcomes we hope to achieve long term is (1) stronger, better trained CD staff; (2) younger more diverse workforce; (3) more and better partnerships among CDCs and between CDCs and other stakeholders; (4) better community level outcomes due to higher CDC production.
Tuesday, September 1, 2015
Citizens Planning and Housing Association
I was intrigued when I received an e-mail about a community garden as that is something I would like to support in any way I can. I spoke with Tammy Mayer,the Director of Community Engagement at a Baltimore non profit called the Citizens Planning and Housing Association.
I'm happy to give Fifty Co-Op readers a heads up about CPHA initiatives. CPHA, "has been around since 1941 so there is a long history of partnership in a variety of ways." If you visit the CPHA website, you can learn more about what they do including their communications support of the Baltimore Regional Housing Campaign as well as sponsorship of the Activate Your Inner Citizen Greening University.
"In addition to current collaborations Ms.Mayer would like to see community associations working, "more effectively and with greater partnerships with the City Council Members." She hopes the community associations, "take advantage of the free training resources available to them through CPHA."
Considering the needs of a diverse community is an important factor for any business or non profit. Working with people from various backgrounds requires CPHA to practice, "respect, listening, acknowledging other people's opinions as valid and trying to see things from someone else's point of view."
http://www.cphabaltimore.org/
http://www.cphabaltimore.org/about/
I'm happy to give Fifty Co-Op readers a heads up about CPHA initiatives. CPHA, "has been around since 1941 so there is a long history of partnership in a variety of ways." If you visit the CPHA website, you can learn more about what they do including their communications support of the Baltimore Regional Housing Campaign as well as sponsorship of the Activate Your Inner Citizen Greening University.
"In addition to current collaborations Ms.Mayer would like to see community associations working, "more effectively and with greater partnerships with the City Council Members." She hopes the community associations, "take advantage of the free training resources available to them through CPHA."
Considering the needs of a diverse community is an important factor for any business or non profit. Working with people from various backgrounds requires CPHA to practice, "respect, listening, acknowledging other people's opinions as valid and trying to see things from someone else's point of view."
http://www.cphabaltimore.org/
http://www.cphabaltimore.org/about/
Thursday, August 20, 2015
Dulce Bean
I had the opportunity to interview Clara Botero, founder of Dulce Bean,a MWBE bakery featured in the Miami Herald. The food heritage of Ms. Botero's business goes back to her family roots in Colombia and cooking for her family when she was younger.Dulce Bean provides a variety of gluten free and grain free choices such as Organic Wheat and Gluten Free Apple Ginger Cakeand Organic Wheat and Gluten Free Bananas and Cream Cake.
Between interviewing Clara and visiting her website I learned about some of the healthy products she uses including coconut flour, something I have not yet baked with as well as coconut oil which I previously wrote about while interviewing Pooka Pure and Simple.
I have to give credit where credit is due and take a moment to mention that the food photography on her website is amazing.In addition to selling her products she includes the article, "How to Get Started in Health," on her site that reviews healthy eating and gives a primer of sorts for those who are starting out with the process of changing their food choices.
Check out the FAQ's section to find out about shipping, pricing, billing, order status, international shipping etc...All Dulce Bean products are offered Whole Sale and you can find out more information about this by contacting the company directly.
The Resources section on the website includes topics such as and I think is a great addition as it is a way for you to build a relationship with her brand based on the quality of her products as well as looking to Dulce Bean as a source of information.
Some of the topics include, "How to Sprout Your Own Flour","Sprouted Flours and Products," and "Great Recipes, Blogs and Sites."
Monday, August 10, 2015
National Diaper Bank Network
I think it's fairly well known that there is such a thing as a food bank/pantry etc... When it comes to locating additional resources for families and/or individuals in need there is an organization called the National Diaper Bank Network which is based in New Haven Connecticut.Executive Director and Huffington Post contributor Diane Goldblum spoke with me about her work with the NDBN.Q
What are your thoughts on why food pantries that have clothing and various other products such as medicine and home goods may not carry much by way of baby products?
"I think there are a couple of reasons, often they're dealing with donated products and so there are a lot more clothes and home goods that people replace regularly. Baby goods are very closely monitored and changed frequently, even cribs we used when my son was a baby are no longer acceptable by modern safety standards so there a lot of legal issues."
Q
How did you come to find out about the National Diaper BankNetwork?
Q
How did you come to find out about the National Diaper BankNetwork?
"I am the founder and Executive Director. About 10 years ago I started the New Haven Diaper Bank. In New Haven CT, I saw parents who had to keep their children in a diaper for more than a day.
I saw a level of poverty in my neighborhood that was really just untenable."
Q
What kinds of factors do you feel should be taken into consideration while putting together ideas about creating assistance programs that are sustainable with or without grants?
Q
What kinds of factors do you feel should be taken into consideration while putting together ideas about creating assistance programs that are sustainable with or without grants?
"I think that there is a great deal you can do in a community without significant financial support. There are a lot of small organizations that take in used goods and redistribute them and that can be done in your house. When you get to a certain tipping point;then you need money. It's a matter of finding in your community individuals who have some money who want to support what your doing."
Q
Any thoughts on patterns that are found in rural areas measured against urban areas?
Q
Any thoughts on patterns that are found in rural areas measured against urban areas?
It is, "harder for people in rural areas because transportation is such an issue; services are spread out."
Q
This may seem like an obvious question.Why don't hospitals have some kind of public health mandate to provide such an essential item?
Q
This may seem like an obvious question.Why don't hospitals have some kind of public health mandate to provide such an essential item?
"Hospitals sort of generally speaking don't have mandates; they come from insurance regulations or public health regulations.Diapers are not included in any insurance formula.Food stamps for example is purely a nutritional program so they don't pay for hygenie products. Insurance, when you look at the basis for what it is supposed to be, it's for emergency situations;hospitals providediapers if children are in patients."
Q
What can people do to empower those in need of these services?
Q
What can people do to empower those in need of these services?
"I don't consider giving people diapers a band-aid or a handout, I think that parenting is incredibly difficult, it's incredibly difficult with resources and support.Without those things we take away from the child's potential. When you reach out to a child you are reaching out to two generations.The mother child bond is increased when a mother or parent is able to have that really positive interaction with their child.
I have a social worker background. I have always felt like there is a huge disparity in income and in what's available to people and how much that really impacts this next generation. I grew up in a very left of liberal household."
--
On the National Diaper Bank Network website they have a feature on the left hand side of the home page called Find a Diaper Bank. There are listings on the site in various locations such as Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee,Michigan, Colorado, Washington, DC, New Jersey,Arizona, Florida etc...
I am always interested in learning more about public health, and now consider this to be a public health issue. Certainly, in order to have a thoughtful conversation about issues such as quality of life for young families overall and access to diapers and other hygiene products in particular, it makes sense to cultivate an awareness of how public health is tied to other social topics such as cost of living as well as access to gainful employment as well as being able to earn a living wage. I usually keep my posts centered around facts and the direct personal experiences of those I interview. That being said I welcome comments about the issue of fair wages.
http://diaperbanknetwork.org/
--
On the National Diaper Bank Network website they have a feature on the left hand side of the home page called Find a Diaper Bank. There are listings on the site in various locations such as Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee,Michigan, Colorado, Washington, DC, New Jersey,Arizona, Florida etc...
I am always interested in learning more about public health, and now consider this to be a public health issue. Certainly, in order to have a thoughtful conversation about issues such as quality of life for young families overall and access to diapers and other hygiene products in particular, it makes sense to cultivate an awareness of how public health is tied to other social topics such as cost of living as well as access to gainful employment as well as being able to earn a living wage. I usually keep my posts centered around facts and the direct personal experiences of those I interview. That being said I welcome comments about the issue of fair wages.
http://diaperbanknetwork.org/
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
Humanite Partagee
Il est bon d'avoir un interet a apprendre quelque chose de ce que le monde ressemble du point du vue de quelqu'un d'autre. Qui est le debut d'un sentiment de partage l'humanite.
Vous ne devez pas regarder dans les yeux sur tout au moins etre en mesure a etablir un sentiment de et actions fondees sur le respect mutuel et la base la decence humaine.
Les medias sociaux ont une place dans les discussions sur le developpement une prise de conscience du monde autour de vous.
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Friday, June 19, 2015
Public Health: Is Gun Violence a Public Health Issue?
I think this is the third time I have posted this article just in the last few months...Although I had considered writing my next article about parental leave, this is more appropriate for the time being.This incident sounds like something out of the 1950's.
Recently, I found myself thinking; " How many people have to die before action is taken to decrease gun violence?" I suppose there is an argument for the fact that all societies are desensitized to their own failings.
Where then, must we go to gather together those that have the right thinking on the issues that hold us back from living up to the ideals of our society?
Although I don't recall the first time I thought about the idea of fostering discussion around gun violence as a public health issue, even a brief google search shows that this topic is already out there.
There's a lot to delve into here...
I do think that a civil society has an obligation to provide certain services to its citizens. Health care, being one of them. In order to move from talking about heady ideas and lofty goals to actually identifying what specific steps to take to create a better quality of life when it comes to access to health care, you have to get into economics.
An idea by itself is stagnant without the necessary resources and oversight to actually take action.
Rather than write this entire post from an editorial perspective, I think it will be more useful for me to give an overview of some of the voices that have chimed in to the discussion about whether or not gun violence is a public health issue.
No matter how you define it, public health only moves forward when facts are given pride of place over everything else.
If you google Public Health, the first entry that comes up is the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Other sources of information are the WHO (World Health Organization) and the APHA (American Public Health Association).
If you want to see a fact sheet on gun violence, the APHA has a resource titled, "Gun Violence Prevention." Forbes.com has an article that reviews several different perspectives on the topic of whether or not gun violence is a public health issue.
Diversity of thought is necessary to yield any kind of forward thinking approach to improving our society; thus community activists, students, think tanks and colleges and universities should all have a role in shaping the discourse around gun violence and how best we can understand it and prevent it.
I spoke with Professor Jon Vernick, Co-Director of the Center for Gun Policy and Research at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health about the idea of framing gun violence as a public health issue.
"Guns claim more than 30,000 lives in the United States alone every year and another additional 70,000 or so non-fatal violent injuries are associated with guns. By thinking of it as a public health problem we can consider all aspects of the problem, not just gun deaths by homicide which are of interest to the criminal justice world, (but) we can also think about suicide and accidental gun deaths. We can consider upstream solutions. Whereas the criminal justice system thinks primarily, though not exclusively about punishment, public health thinks primarily about trying to keep people from getting hurt in the first place.
Public health also has a tradition of focusing on the vector of a particular cause. In this topic, the vector is the firearm. There is a history in public health about 'how we can modify the vector'; how to keep guns out of the hands of a violent person in the first place.
There is a history of success that public health has had in other areas such as motor vehicles.By thinking of guns as a public health problem maybe there is inspiration that can be drawn from other successes."
This quote brings to the surface the idea that there are multiple aspects to gun violence which, in my opinion, is an important point. In order to make progress it is necessary for the major media outlets to inform the public of the kinds of things that are taking away from our ideas and ideals as a nation. Moving forward, it is absolutely critical to have more in-depth conversations about preventative measures. These conversations, guided by a nuanced perspective of the topic(s), inform the voting public and the wheels of progress turn...or at least that's the idea.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Relationship Between Service Providers and the Populations They Work With
As I may have mentioned here before, I first wrote about public health around 2004 when I covered an event for an organization raising awareness about cervical cancer.
Around the same time that I covered this story, I went to a women's health clinic to get standard screenings for STD's and STI's and I also wanted a screening for HPV.
I went into this with my new found awareness that a clear pap smear result does not always mean that there is no chance that you have HPV.* I remember a staffer saying something to me along the lines of, "we usually do a pap smear and if something shows up than we screen for HPV."
While I am aware that had I gone to a different doctor or health care provider at that same clinic I may have gotten a different answer. I also appreciate that she may have handled our interaction based on what she was trained or encouraged to do by whomever decides what the standard of care is for basic STD, STI and any other gynecological screenings.
However, there must be women who have gone to that clinic and gotten similar information about HPV screenings and had no reason to think that they were not being given the full picture.
I remember making an attempt to get an HPV screening regardless of how the pap smear results came back. This was years ago before there was any notion of an HPV vaccine on the market and I do think that there is generally much more discussion around HPV.
What I take from that experience is the importance of educating myself about my health in order to have the best possible interaction with health care providers.
In some ways, I think of healthcare as being similar to any other service in that the best result comes out of having a trusting relationship between service providers and the populations they work with.
If you are part of a population where conversations about health are limited to yearly check ups, where can you find information to compliment those discussions?
In what settings do health care providers have opportunities to interact with the populations they work with outside of formal appointments?
While conversations about sexual and reproductive health rights are critical, it is also good to just get information and to ensure that a general awareness is supported in settings such as community centers, online communities, the social media space, colleges and universities etc...
*I am not a medical professional and this is just me recounting my own personal experience as I remember it.
Around the same time that I covered this story, I went to a women's health clinic to get standard screenings for STD's and STI's and I also wanted a screening for HPV.
I went into this with my new found awareness that a clear pap smear result does not always mean that there is no chance that you have HPV.* I remember a staffer saying something to me along the lines of, "we usually do a pap smear and if something shows up than we screen for HPV."
While I am aware that had I gone to a different doctor or health care provider at that same clinic I may have gotten a different answer. I also appreciate that she may have handled our interaction based on what she was trained or encouraged to do by whomever decides what the standard of care is for basic STD, STI and any other gynecological screenings.
However, there must be women who have gone to that clinic and gotten similar information about HPV screenings and had no reason to think that they were not being given the full picture.
I remember making an attempt to get an HPV screening regardless of how the pap smear results came back. This was years ago before there was any notion of an HPV vaccine on the market and I do think that there is generally much more discussion around HPV.
What I take from that experience is the importance of educating myself about my health in order to have the best possible interaction with health care providers.
In some ways, I think of healthcare as being similar to any other service in that the best result comes out of having a trusting relationship between service providers and the populations they work with.
If you are part of a population where conversations about health are limited to yearly check ups, where can you find information to compliment those discussions?
In what settings do health care providers have opportunities to interact with the populations they work with outside of formal appointments?
While conversations about sexual and reproductive health rights are critical, it is also good to just get information and to ensure that a general awareness is supported in settings such as community centers, online communities, the social media space, colleges and universities etc...
*I am not a medical professional and this is just me recounting my own personal experience as I remember it.
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Impact and Collaborative Community Building
Earlier today, I was thinking about the non profit Love 146 and how learning about that organization has given me an awareness of another aspect of human rights work.
The first non profit organizations I learned about in my late teens and early twenties were Celebrate Life and the Rebecca Project for Human Rights focusing on cervical cancer awareness and social justice issues related to young women.
Looking back, although I am glad that I had a chance to learn about cervical cancer, I wonder how many other young women in my generation have inadequate information about sexual and reproductive health rights (SRHR).
I have maintained my interest in learning about public health topics for my own sake as well as to get information out about current topics in health.
When I think about social justice initiatives that are geared towards young women I am left thinking about where the resources are for young men.
The following talking points come to mind. (This is not at all an exhaustive list)
Where do young men have the opportunity to start cultivating the kinds of sensibilities that will most likely contribute to being a constructive member of their communities, families etc...
When the young women in whom we as a society invest get to a certain age, with whom will they be likely to be able to build a family?
How can we expect an optimal result as far as community building if the investment of resources is not across the board in terms of impacting the lives of both young men and young women?
What are some models for community building that can actually work in day to day life?
Where does social media fit in to the process of figuring out how best to deliver services and resources to people in need as well as providing information?
What does it take to be able to untangle all of our current social issues in order to have an infrastructure of programs and information that work effectively?
Obviously any kind of program or initiative providing direct services has to be done with an awareness of sustainability in order to have an impact that lasts beyond addressing immediate circumstances.
The bottom line is whether or not your work has an impact.
What is the lingua franca of social impact?
Sunday, April 12, 2015
Public Health: Is Gun Violence a Public Health Issue?
How is public health defined, who decides what that definition is and on what information are they basing their decision? Who has a seat at the table while these topics are being discussed?
Recently, I found myself thinking; " How many people have to die before action is taken to decrease gun violence?" I suppose there is an argument for the fact that all societies are desensitized to their own failings.
Where then, must we go to gather together those that have the right thinking on the issues that hold us back from living up to the ideals of our society?
Although I don't recall the first time I thought about the idea of fostering discussion around gun violence as a public health issue, even a brief google search shows that this topic is already out there.
There's a lot to delve into here...
I do think that a civil society has an obligation to provide certain services to its citizens. Health care, being one of them. In order to move from talking about heady ideas and lofty goals to actually identifying what specific steps to take to create a better quality of life when it comes to access to health care, you have to get into economics.
An idea by itself is stagnant without the necessary resources and oversight to actually take action.
Rather than write this entire post from an editorial perspective, I think it will be more useful for me to give an overview of some of the voices that have chimed in to the discussion about whether or not gun violence is a public health issue.
No matter how you define it, public health only moves forward when facts are given pride of place over everything else.
If you google Public Health, the first entry that comes up is the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Other sources of information are the WHO (World Health Organization) and the APHA (American Public Health Association).
If you want to see a fact sheet on gun violence, the APHA has a resource titled, "Gun Violence Prevention." Forbes.com has an article that reviews several different perspectives on the topic of whether or not gun violence is a public health issue.
Diversity of thought is necessary to yield any kind of forward thinking approach to improving our society; thus community activists, students, think tanks and colleges and universities should all have a role in shaping the discourse around gun violence and how best we can understand it and prevent it.
I spoke with Professor Jon Vernick, Co-Director of the Center for Gun Policy and Research at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health about the idea of framing gun violence as a public health issue.
"Guns claim more than 30,000 lives in the United States alone every year and another additional 70,000 or so non-fatal violent injuries are associated with guns. By thinking of it as a public health problem we can consider all aspects of the problem, not just gun deaths by homicide which are of interest to the criminal justice world, (but) we can also think about suicide and accidental gun deaths. We can consider upstream solutions. Whereas the criminal justice system thinks primarily, though not exclusively about punishment, public health thinks primarily about trying to keep people from getting hurt in the first place.
Public health also has a tradition of focusing on the vector of a particular cause. In this topic, the vector is the firearm. There is a history in public health about 'how we can modify the vector'; how to keep guns out of the hands of a violent person in the first place.
There is a history of success that public health has had in other areas such as motor vehicles.By thinking of guns as a public health problem maybe there is inspiration that can be drawn from other successes."
This quote brings to the surface the idea that there are multiple aspects to gun violence which, in my opinion, is an important point. In order to make progress it is necessary for the major media outlets to inform the public of the kinds of things that are taking away from our ideas and ideals as a nation. Moving forward, it is absolutely critical to have more in-depth conversations about preventative measures. These conversations, guided by a nuanced perspective of the topic(s), inform the voting public and the wheels of progress turn...or at least that's the idea.
Recently, I found myself thinking; " How many people have to die before action is taken to decrease gun violence?" I suppose there is an argument for the fact that all societies are desensitized to their own failings.
Where then, must we go to gather together those that have the right thinking on the issues that hold us back from living up to the ideals of our society?
Although I don't recall the first time I thought about the idea of fostering discussion around gun violence as a public health issue, even a brief google search shows that this topic is already out there.
There's a lot to delve into here...
I do think that a civil society has an obligation to provide certain services to its citizens. Health care, being one of them. In order to move from talking about heady ideas and lofty goals to actually identifying what specific steps to take to create a better quality of life when it comes to access to health care, you have to get into economics.
An idea by itself is stagnant without the necessary resources and oversight to actually take action.
Rather than write this entire post from an editorial perspective, I think it will be more useful for me to give an overview of some of the voices that have chimed in to the discussion about whether or not gun violence is a public health issue.
No matter how you define it, public health only moves forward when facts are given pride of place over everything else.
If you google Public Health, the first entry that comes up is the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Other sources of information are the WHO (World Health Organization) and the APHA (American Public Health Association).
If you want to see a fact sheet on gun violence, the APHA has a resource titled, "Gun Violence Prevention." Forbes.com has an article that reviews several different perspectives on the topic of whether or not gun violence is a public health issue.
Diversity of thought is necessary to yield any kind of forward thinking approach to improving our society; thus community activists, students, think tanks and colleges and universities should all have a role in shaping the discourse around gun violence and how best we can understand it and prevent it.
I spoke with Professor Jon Vernick, Co-Director of the Center for Gun Policy and Research at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health about the idea of framing gun violence as a public health issue.
"Guns claim more than 30,000 lives in the United States alone every year and another additional 70,000 or so non-fatal violent injuries are associated with guns. By thinking of it as a public health problem we can consider all aspects of the problem, not just gun deaths by homicide which are of interest to the criminal justice world, (but) we can also think about suicide and accidental gun deaths. We can consider upstream solutions. Whereas the criminal justice system thinks primarily, though not exclusively about punishment, public health thinks primarily about trying to keep people from getting hurt in the first place.
Public health also has a tradition of focusing on the vector of a particular cause. In this topic, the vector is the firearm. There is a history in public health about 'how we can modify the vector'; how to keep guns out of the hands of a violent person in the first place.
There is a history of success that public health has had in other areas such as motor vehicles.By thinking of guns as a public health problem maybe there is inspiration that can be drawn from other successes."
This quote brings to the surface the idea that there are multiple aspects to gun violence which, in my opinion, is an important point. In order to make progress it is necessary for the major media outlets to inform the public of the kinds of things that are taking away from our ideas and ideals as a nation. Moving forward, it is absolutely critical to have more in-depth conversations about preventative measures. These conversations, guided by a nuanced perspective of the topic(s), inform the voting public and the wheels of progress turn...or at least that's the idea.
Wednesday, March 18, 2015
Takk You Very Much
Today I will be covering Satshow 2015 in Washington, DC.
http://www.satshow.com/conferenceprogram/
Here is an overview of some of the companies that will be represented today:
Commercial Spaceflight Federation
Virgin Galactic
Arianespace
SpaceX
This event runs through Thursday March, 19th.
I was invited to attend a press conference this afternoon so I will be including that in my coverage!
My invitation came from a company, or at least a staffer in Norway so Takk you very much and I'm happy to join the rest of the conference attendees and press in learning about all that these companies and this industry has to offer.
The conference program shows an awards ceremony tonight so I'll be looking forward to that as well.
My Twitter handle is @fiftycoop.
The 50 Co-Op
Thefiftycoop.blogspot.com
@fiftycoop
http://www.satshow.com/conferenceprogram/
Here is an overview of some of the companies that will be represented today:
Commercial Spaceflight Federation
Virgin Galactic
Arianespace
SpaceX
This event runs through Thursday March, 19th.
I was invited to attend a press conference this afternoon so I will be including that in my coverage!
My invitation came from a company, or at least a staffer in Norway so Takk you very much and I'm happy to join the rest of the conference attendees and press in learning about all that these companies and this industry has to offer.The conference program shows an awards ceremony tonight so I'll be looking forward to that as well.
My Twitter handle is @fiftycoop.
The 50 Co-Op
Thefiftycoop.blogspot.com
@fiftycoop
Sunday, February 1, 2015
National Freedom Day
Freedom:
Without any form of exploitation;promoting a standard of humanity and dignity,valuing and promoting independent self actualization
This is the first year that I have been aware of National Freedom Day. I'm always interested in the relationship between commerce and social responsibility so I thought to put together a round up of information related to entrepreneurship and social justice.
* All names, content etc... below are credited to the organization or company respectively
American Sustainable Business Council
http://asbcouncil.org/
End It Movement
http://enditmovement.com/
Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/sites/annefield/#!
Impact Hub Salt Lake City
http://saltlake.impacthub.net/
Love 146
http://love146.org/
Made In A Free World
http://madeinafreeworld.com/
Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts
http://sbnmass.org/
Tcho New American Chocolate
http://www.tcho.com/
Without any form of exploitation;promoting a standard of humanity and dignity,valuing and promoting independent self actualization
This is the first year that I have been aware of National Freedom Day. I'm always interested in the relationship between commerce and social responsibility so I thought to put together a round up of information related to entrepreneurship and social justice.
* All names, content etc... below are credited to the organization or company respectively
American Sustainable Business Council
http://asbcouncil.org/
End It Movement
http://enditmovement.com/
Forbes
http://www.forbes.com/sites/annefield/#!
Impact Hub Salt Lake City
http://saltlake.impacthub.net/
Love 146
http://love146.org/
Made In A Free World
http://madeinafreeworld.com/
Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts
http://sbnmass.org/
Tcho New American Chocolate
http://www.tcho.com/
Thursday, January 29, 2015
3rd Twitterversary
In light of today being the 3rd Twitterversary of The Fifty Co-Op, I decided to take a look back at what I was doing around this time last year.
I went back to the post I did about California based MWBE Whole Vine and will share parts of that review below.
I celebrate having joined The SITS Girls blogging community and I have much appreciation for the viewers that have stopped by The Fifty Co-Op from all over the world. To be able to use the phrase, " from all over the world, " literally, is pretty cool in my book.
This past year saw an addition to the blog of more multimedia features as well as the first photo exhibit. I am glad that my interest in art has now become a part of The Fifty Co-Op and, even better, it connected me with the great Blogger ofeverymoment.com.
After that first exhibit, I did another exhibit of photography from Love146.org with the goal of inspiring action on the issue of human trafficking.
I don't really think in terms of disappointments, I just think in terms of each event or interaction and what I took from it.
I look forward to finishing off my to do list of finished reviews to post here and I also look forward to completing the features I have in progress.
I have to thank some people from the Blogging community who have inspired me and/or encouraged me in some way or have been a part of the growth of the blog.
Field Negro
33@33
Oneikathetraveller
Mr. and Mrs. Globe Trot
ofeverymoment.com
Mothering from scratch
Tara Dara Made It
Highlights from the Whole Vine post are below.
Whole Vine products are created by California based SonomaCeuticals. Cheers to the founders for maintaining 100% ownership of their company. This company is profitable with a purpose as it was founded, "to become a sustainable wellspring of funding," for philanthropic organizations.
* Grape skin flour helps to stabilize egg whites
* Make flavored salts and rubs
* Use to emulsify salad dressings
* Make juicier, more flavorful burgers and meatloaves
* Grape seed flour keeps baked goods fresher longer
* Use grape seed and grape skin flour
"Notably, the raw materials we harvest were the ones typically cast aside until now. We conceive of a time when everything in the vineyard is harvested for its highest best use, something we call Optimum Harvesting."
Whole Vine Theatre offers several videos:
http://www.wholevine.com
I went back to the post I did about California based MWBE Whole Vine and will share parts of that review below.
I celebrate having joined The SITS Girls blogging community and I have much appreciation for the viewers that have stopped by The Fifty Co-Op from all over the world. To be able to use the phrase, " from all over the world, " literally, is pretty cool in my book.
This past year saw an addition to the blog of more multimedia features as well as the first photo exhibit. I am glad that my interest in art has now become a part of The Fifty Co-Op and, even better, it connected me with the great Blogger ofeverymoment.com.
After that first exhibit, I did another exhibit of photography from Love146.org with the goal of inspiring action on the issue of human trafficking.
I don't really think in terms of disappointments, I just think in terms of each event or interaction and what I took from it.
I look forward to finishing off my to do list of finished reviews to post here and I also look forward to completing the features I have in progress.
I have to thank some people from the Blogging community who have inspired me and/or encouraged me in some way or have been a part of the growth of the blog.
Field Negro
33@33
Oneikathetraveller
Mr. and Mrs. Globe Trot
ofeverymoment.com
Mothering from scratch
Tara Dara Made It
Highlights from the Whole Vine post are below.
Whole Vine products are created by California based SonomaCeuticals. Cheers to the founders for maintaining 100% ownership of their company. This company is profitable with a purpose as it was founded, "to become a sustainable wellspring of funding," for philanthropic organizations.
* Grape skin flour helps to stabilize egg whites
* Make flavored salts and rubs
* Use to emulsify salad dressings
* Make juicier, more flavorful burgers and meatloaves
* Grape seed flour keeps baked goods fresher longer
* Use grape seed and grape skin flour
"Notably, the raw materials we harvest were the ones typically cast aside until now. We conceive of a time when everything in the vineyard is harvested for its highest best use, something we call Optimum Harvesting."
Whole Vine Theatre offers several videos:
http://www.wholevine.com
Saturday, January 17, 2015
Thank You
A few days ago, it hit me that although, I log in and see the statistics on my audience, I haven't really been fully taking in what it means to have readership from various different places.
So, thinking more about that, when I first started this I wanted to write about community based resources and it grew from there.
From The Fifty Co-Op straight to you I offer a huge Thank You to you all.
Cambodia United States Germany Canada Australia
The Ukraine France Poland Italy
So, thinking more about that, when I first started this I wanted to write about community based resources and it grew from there.
From The Fifty Co-Op straight to you I offer a huge Thank You to you all.
Cambodia United States Germany Canada Australia
The Ukraine France Poland Italy
Friday, January 16, 2015
Love 146
Love 146
http://love146.org/
* All photography,video content and verbiage is credited to Love 146.
"link
between
substance
abuse
and
exploitation"
substance
abuse
as
a
healthcare
topic (t5c)
http://love146.org/
“Because we want you to know
that you’re never alone, and that
someone is always awake and there
for you, even if you don’t need them.”
LGBTQ Interfamilial 100,000 CSEC
"...“trauma bonding” an abuser forms or fosters an emotional attachment (“friendship,” “love,” etc…) in the life of a victim."
"...a classic tactic abusers use to maintain their position of exploitation."
"We’ve encountered children who are not happy to leave their abuser because they’ve grown attached to them. Be aware of this potential complexity as you approach a piece."
Frame Experiences As Events, Not Identities
"It’s more accurate and dignifying to victims to simply say what happened in the past instead of framing your language in a way that carries that event into a stationary identity for the person. Instead of “Trafficking survivor, Jessica, ….” say “Jessica, who escaped trafficking in 2010…”
Agape AgApE aGaPe agapE
http://love146.org/
Sunday, January 4, 2015
Public Health: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
It has been a while since I did a post related to food assistance. The North American branch of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is participating in a really interesting event coming up that I myself would like to live stream.
Based in Washington, DC FAO North America is participating in the upcoming 1st Annual Food Tank Summit which will be held at the George Washington University on January 21st. You can sign up to watch the live stream and check out the participants such as the National Young Farmers Coalition,Harvard Law School and the GWU Institute for Sustainability on the Food Tank website.
I spoke with Nicholas Nelson, Director of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in North America on a variety of topics.
Q How did you come to develop an interest in agriculture and social justice?
The
organization I work for, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO),
is a specialized agency of the United Nations with headquarters in Rome,
Italy, and 5 Regional Offices which are in Africa, the Near East, Asia,
Latin America, and Europe. FAO also has more than 80 country offices in
those regions, where we advise governments directly and conduct project
operations. The FAO is a key player in the global community’s fight to
end hunger and poverty and I’ve been privileged to work for FAO for over
25 years in several roles, the latest as director of the FAO’s North
America office in Washington, DC.
Q What was the impetus for the creation of FAO and specifically, the priority of Investment in Agriculture?
The
founders of FAO over 60 years ago had the foresight to understand the
central role of agriculture for human development and the duty of the
international community to tackle the problem of hunger and
malnutrition. They realized the need for an international organization
with equal representation by all nations in the world which could
coordinate agricultural policies and global interventions and give a
voice to millions of people living in poor countries and who are
unheard. FAO has been able to adapt to the demands of a constantly
changing world and help countries respond to new challenges that have
emerged: climate change, degraded land and water resources, wide-scale
animal epidemics, food crises and natural disasters, and in recent years
soaring food prices and market instability.
As
to the priority of investment in agriculture, it’s been demonstrated
over the last two decades that investment in agriculture is one of the
most effective ways to reduce hunger and poverty, especially in rural
areas.
Many countries that have consistently invested in agriculture are
on track to achieve the UN’s first Millennium Development Goal which is
to reduce by half the proportion of hungry people in the world. FAO’s
recently published State of Food and Agriculture (2012)* (2014 publication is at the link below) provided
comprehensive data on the relative sizes of investment and expenditure
flows by farmers, governments, donors and private foreign investors in
low- and middle-income countries.
Recognizing that investing in agriculture raises productivity and incomes and reduces hunger, FAO has drawn up guidelines for countries to improve their governance of land and resource rights, and principles for responsible investment as a basis for determining long-term benefits and choosing the best investment options.
Q Is it possible to end hunger and/or poverty?
Measuring
the different dimensions of food security is very complex; one
standalone indicator that most people are familiar with is the number of
people in the world suffering from chronic hunger, which is defined as
suffering for at least one year without enough food for an active and
healthy life. While this number has dropped from 1 billion people in
1990 to 842 million as most recently reported in 2012, the rate of
progress is too slow to reach the international goals for hunger
reduction set by the United Nations (part of the UN’s Millennium
Development Goals), often because of high rates of population growth in
many hunger-affected countries. Still, it shows that real progress can
be achieved when countries and communities take action to address the
various dimensions of food security which are: food availability,
economic and physical access to food, food utilization and stability
(vulnerability and shocks) over time.
Some
countries, notably Brazil and others just a few years ago, set much
more demanding targets of eradicating hunger, and in 2012 the UN took up
that theme with its own “Zero Hunger Challenge” with the goal of
eliminating hunger in our lifetimes. The global community is putting
much more effort into addressing the burdens of malnutrition: hunger,
under-nutrition, micro nutrient deficiencies, and overweight and obesity.
Q Are these conditions reflections of the worst parts of human nature?
Most people are unaware that the quantity of food produced on a global basis is more than enough for everyone, and yet chronic hunger persists on such a scale whereby one person in eight around the world cannot get enough food to live an active and healthy life.
There are severe and
lasting consequences to this problem because hunger is accompanied by
under-nutrition: one in four children in the world under five years of
age is stunted; this means 165 million children are so malnourished they
will never reach their full physical and cognitive potential; about two
billion people lack the nutrition they need to grow and develop into
healthy human beings.
Q Is
the role of government to (1) recognize the value in preventing poverty
and hunger, (2) recognize that this requires constant effort and (3) be
responsible for creating and enforcing legislation that establishes a
standard quality of life for all?
Well,
returning to the theme of investment in agriculture, and that farmers
must be central to any investment strategy, a good investment climate
depends on markets and governments. Markets generate price incentives
that signal to farmers and other private businesses when and where
opportunities exist for making profitable investments.
Governments are
responsible for creating the legal, policy and institutional environment
that enables private investors, both smallholder farmers and larger
enterprises, to respond to market opportunities in socially responsible
ways. Without this enabling environment and market incentives, farmers
will not invest enough in agriculture or achieve socially optimal
results.
A
world facing a major challenge such as eradicating hunger needs all
possible resources and entities involved in food security to be
committed to action: no single entity or sector can achieve such a goal
alone. Over the last several years the UN system, built on a traditional
constituency of member nations, has become much more inclusive in its
formulation of policy and thematic challenges to be addressed by the
world community.
The FAO, among others, has greatly expanded its
dialogue beyond governments in order to get full involvement of civil
society organizations and NGOs in the analysis of issues, exchange of
concrete on-the-ground experience in all areas affecting food security.
The challenges of hunger are vast and multi-dimensional; no government
can confront these issues alone. Partnerships with CSO, NGO, academia
and the private sector is the only way to achieve progress and lasting
results.
Q From the perspective of the young person living in poverty in a rural area
what kinds of current programs, initiatives and opportunities exist to
improve their life in the immediate future as well as over the long
term?
Compared to large-scale
farmers, smallholders can have significant advantages in terms of land
productivity. At the same time smallholders face disadvantages such as
access to land, markets, inputs, credit insurance and technology and
sometimes government polices work against them. Many smallholders are
women, for whom these constraints are, almost everywhere, even more
severe. Closing the gender gap and ensuring equal access by women to
resources and assets is needed to accelerate agricultural and rural
development and reduce poverty.
Q Are
under served communities, both rural and urban, in the United States
and other developed counties, included in the conversations and
investment priorities of FAO and other partner organizations? If not,
what steps are necessary to move this outcome?
While
developed nations are the main financial sources for the FAO and other
humanitarian and development organizations, the governance, the
definition of objectives and priority setting is decided and agreed
together as a community of member nations, with most of the work
directed to support developing countries in the challenges of food
security.
The developed nations also provide vast technical expertise,
goods and services which are deployed in developing countries under FAO
programs and projects. The experience of developed nations in addressing
their own challenges of poverty, hunger and rural development, or
confronting animal, crop and plant diseases, is also a factor in
determining priorities and action plans.
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