World Population Day: Sustainable Agriculture for a Planet of 7 Billion

This year according to the United Nations the worlds population will hit Seven Billion. Reaching this unprecedented level of population density has prompted the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) to launch a “7 Billion Actions” campaign to promote individuals and organisations that are using successful new techniques for tackling global development challenges.

With this level of population “We’ll have to learn how to moderate our consumption of materials and energy and to jumpstart new technologies that conserve them,”noted Robert Engelman, a population expert and Worldwatch Executive Director. Nourishing the Planet’s research in Africa has unveiled innovative and cost-effective approaches to sustainable agriculture where farmers are treating land as a resource rather than solely as a means for food production. Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little, The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine and the International Milling Directory from Perendale Publishers

APPOINTMENT OF IFIF'S NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

The International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF) announces the appointment of Alexandra de Athayde to the position of Executive Director of IFIF based in Brussels, Belgium.

Alexandra is new to IFIF but brings extensive agriculture and international experience encompassed through her 14-year career representing the industry with governments and businesses. In her new role, Alexandra will lead IFIF as the representative body of the global feed industry and an essential participant in the food chain that provides sustainable, safe and nutritious food.

 "I couldn’t be more pleased with this appointment” says Dave Cieslak, Chairman of IFIF. “Alexandra brings a wealth of global experience to IFIF and with her knowledge of the industry she will strongly support IFIF's mission to provide a unified leadership to represent, defend and promote the global feed and food chain and contribute to the supply of safe, healthy food and high standards of health for animals and people."

Alexandra previously held positions within the Monsanto Company Corporate Affairs Department in Brazil, U.S.A, and Europe. She focused on building coalitions with industry partners in the Food/Feed Chain, farm industry organizations, governments, academic community, and other stakeholders, with an emphasis on agricultural biotechnology policy, to create awareness and acceptance in the world regions. She has also worked for the Brazilian Government as Adviser to the Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Adviser to the Foreign Trade Secretary.

Alexandra holds an International Executive M.B.A. from the University of Pittsburgh in the United States of America and a B.A. degree in International Relations from York University in Canada. She has lived in Mexico, Ecuador, Brazil, India, U.S.A, Canada and she speaks English, Portuguese, Spanish and French. She currently resides in Brussels with her husband and son.

About IFIF

The International Feed Industry Federation (IFIF) represents over 80 percent of the global animal feed industry, and the members of the federation are dedicated to ensuring the animal feed they produce meets the need for sustainability, safety and nutrition. For more information on IFIF visit www.ifif.org.

This blog is written by Martin Little The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine from Perendale Publishers.

World's first GE biofuels corn threatens contamination of food-grade corn

The Center for Food Safety criticized an announcement today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that it will approve the world's first genetically engineered (GE) crop designed specifically for biofuel production. The Center maintains that this GE "biofuels corn" will contaminate food-grade corn, and has not been properly assessed for potential adverse effects on human health, the environment, or farmers' livelihoods.

"The USDA has once again put the special interests of the biotechnology and biofuels industries above the clear risks to our nation's food system," said Andrew Kimbrell, Executive Director for the Center for Food Safety. "The Obama Administration is well aware of the costly effects that Starlink corn contamination had on farmers and the food industry, and now it is poised to repeat the same mistake.”

The GE corn known as Event 3272 is genetically engineered to contain high levels of a heat-resistant and acid-tolerant enzyme derived from exotic, marine microorganisms. The enzyme breaks down starches into sugars, the first step in conversion of corn to ethanol, and has not been adequately assessed for its potential to cause allergies, a key concern with new biotech crops.  Read more ...

This blog is written by Martin Little The Global Miller, published and supported by the GFMT Magazine from Perendale Publishers.