Memorial University International Development Symposium 2012 – Registration now open!

Note: The next general meeting will be this Thursday at 5pm in C4011 (the same room as last week’s Ox-Talk)!

The Future of Food? Ending Hunger Globally, Sourcing Food Locally

Time: 7:30-9:00pm Wednesday, Oct. 19
Location: Petro-Canada Hall, MUN School of Music

Description: Talking food will be Kristie Jameson, Executive Director of the Food Security Network, and Robert Fox, Executive Director of Oxfam Canada. Kristie and the FSN have been bringing food issues to the table in Newfoundland and Labrador trough direct action, community engagement, and political advocacy. Robert Fox has witnessed first-hand the food crisis in the Horn of Africa and is a long-time national political advocate for food and aid issues. Oxfam Canada’s GROW campaign takes aim at the root causes of global food insecurity and suggests their possible solutions.Sponsored by Oxfam Canada, Food Security Network NL, and MUN Students’ Union.

All are welcome. Free admission.

The Fix for Food

The global food system is dysfunctional but not doomed

The global food system is in crisis according to local, national, and international proponents of food security. The evidence speaks for itself: enough food is produced to feed the world, yet close to one billion people face hunger and malnutrition in 2011, most of them women in Asia and Africa. Food prices, quality, and availability are creating an entirely preventable disaster.

October 16^th, 2011 marked the 31^st annual World Food Day, a day designated in honor of the 1945 establishment of the United Nations’ Food & Agricultural Organization (FAO). Sixty-five years later, and perhaps counter-intuitively, the FAO saw rising food prices push an additional 70 million people into poverty in 2010.

Oxfam Canada, a non-governmental organization (NGO) with a focus on women’s rights,declares the food system broken; Oxfam’s report on the state of food, “Growing a Better Future,” garnered international media attention earlier this year. Many of the ideas it contained weren’t new; development experts had been urging investment in smallholder farming (often family farms with a mix of cash and subsistence crops) and international action on climate change for years. The report did, however, bring the global picture into focus at a time when food issues were reaching a head.

In February the FAO’s Food Price Index reached a record high as anti-government protests broke out in Libya. Striking images depicted protesters waving not bats but baguettes as they marched against Dictator Muammar Gaddafi and the spiraling food prices he had failed to address.

The potent mix of civil unrest and drought conditions in Somalia has thrown the Horn of Africa into its third food crisis in a decade. Famine in the region has resulted in Dabaab, Kenya becoming the world’s largest refugee camp at a population of more than 460,000.

The current situation in part represents a failure on the part of governments to protect the rights of global citizens. Even the UN’s most ambitious targets, expressed in the Millennium Development Goal to halve hunger by 2015, would leave more than 500 million under-nourished. And this goal is unlikely to be met.

Fortunately and there have been successes. The Fome Zero (Zero Hunger) program in Brazil has seen decreases in child exploitation and inequality, and increases in education and income for impoverished families. Additionally, policy reform in Vietnam is reported to have reduced hunger by 52% since 1993, potentially reaching the UN goal five years early.

There is also enormous potential in women to reduce hunger. Despite men outnumbering women in many developing countries, women account for 60-70% of the world’s hungry. A 2011 study by the FAO showed that productivity gains from achieving gender equality could reduce the number of hungry by 150 million.

So what does this mean for Canadians? While it is true that North Americans are less sensitive to food price increases than those who spend up to 80% of their household income on food, we are not safe from food insecurity. Canadian food banks were accessed by nearly 900,000 people in March 2010. Additionally the Canadian Agri-Foods Policy Institute has written on the “falling profitability, lost opportunity, and declining relevance” of Canadian farms amidst an increasing turn to imports.

Local food movements such as the Food Security Network and Food Education Action St. John’s (FEASt) are quick to point out that the island of Newfoundland has an estimated 3 days’ worth of food at any given time. Meanwhile we have the capacity to be self-sufficient; most crops short of melons can be easily grown in Newfoundland through the use of climate-appropriate seed varieties, row covers, and greenhouses. In the recent provincial election food security was a talking point for all parties and in its upcoming term the Conservative majority government promises a 5-year “Agriculture and Agrifoods Action Plan” and an increasing focus on local food and food security.

So the situation is not without hope and there is action we can all take. Self-education is key; reading literature on hunger issues, starting discussions, coming to recognize the impact of food insecurity on current events, and attending local events on local and global issues are the first steps. And from education comes targeted action; buying local foods, supporting progressive government policy (through votes and voices), donating to legitimate NGOs, and volunteering with their local chapters are tangible steps toward a food-secure world for all.

Hey party people,

Our first ‘Ox-Talk’ of the semester will be happening this Thursday (October 13th) at 5pm in Chem 4011; it’s one that’ll connect you with the Oxfam movement, (ox)familiarize you with how our actions are helping, and help you explain to your friends and loved ones exactly what you’re always up to on Thursday evenings (and why you have a corn costume in your bedroom). Everyone is welcome!

Learn about Oxfam Canada’s history and approach to development, and your place in it, at Oxfamily Matters: The Oxfam Story. There’ll be a short presentation followed by group discussion where you can ask questions, get answers, learn, and socialize. It’s gonna be a scene!

Change will be held from 10 AM to 4:30 PM on Sunday, October 2nd, in MUNSU Council Chambers (UC 2001). Change is something we do once a semester, it’s a day long Orientation, intended for both new and returning MUN Oxfam members, We usually do some team-building, brainstorming, and good ole fashioned learnin’. It’s a bring your own lunch kind of deal, and please bring a reusable water bottle to use during the day. We usually hang out afterwards, so we might go somewhere to eat or chat or whatever (be our friends). Also, you don’t have to stay the whole day, if you can only make part of it, feel free to drop in or out whenever.

ALSO, I just want to take a moment to encourage EVERYBODY to come out. Change WAY back in Fall 2009 was the first MUN Oxfam thing I ever did, and I ended up making some very close friends, and being involved in the social justice community at MUN is one of the best life choices I’ve ever made. I mean, I get to write these emails,and I’m currently involved with planning the RADHOC conference for the fourth time. Decent. So, please come. It’ll be great. Promise. If it’s not, you can tar and feather me.

- A message from the very wise Mr. Eazy Beazy (enquire at Change)

Our first general meeting will be taking place on Thursday, September 22nd at 5pm in UC-2001. That means you! If you’re thinking about applying for a position this year this is the best way to ask any questions or talk to us about it. Applications will be due by the end of the day. Check back after for info on our next meetings and more content!

Leadership application: MUN Oxfam Application 2011

Disclaimer: That sounds kinda intimidating but these positions are really not and new members are strongly encouraged to apply. Jump in!

Introductory meetings:

Wednesday, September 14th at 2pm in UC-2001
Thursday, September 15th at 5pm in UC-2001
Tuesday, September 20th at 3pm in UC-2001

UC-2001 (MUNSU Council Chambers) is located on the same floor as the bookstore in the University Centre. Take a right at the top of the stairs and walk past a water fountain and the MUSE office and you will be there!

Welcome to munoxfam.com and the new school year! And a big welcome to all new students, we wish we could have talked to all of you during orientation! Whether you are coming to MUN of the first time or finishing up your PhD we would love to see you at one of the intro meetings listed above. They’ll provide you with an idea of how Oxfam Canada works, what the GROW campaign is all about, and how you can get involved with MUN Oxfam on campus. For those interested in taking on a leadership position, there’s no MUN Oxfam experience necessary! Take a look at the form below, read about the available roles (in the document), and forward your application to munoxfam@gmail.com. We’ll get back to you to arrange a meeting for further discussion of your role. Thanks for reading, and see you soon!

Leadership application: MUN Oxfam Application 2011

While this page hasn’t been updated in a while MUN Oxfam has not gone anywhere! The group experienced a bit of downtime this winter as we decided to review the way we do things and to brainstorm ways of increasing our impact on campus and in the community. This last weekend our discussions culminated in the 2011 Change Leadership Summit which saw youth from across Canada meet in St. John’s to strengthen our national campus presence. Lots of exciting things came out of the 3 days of workshops and talks and this next year is shaping up to be our most active one yet!

Over the summer we encourage members and non-members alike to educate themselves and get excited about food security, a new campaign for this year, and we urge you to contact us at munoxfam@gmail.com if you’d like to get involved or learn more. There are no general meetings during the summer months but we’ll include you on emails and in summer planning and socials!