Food Justice research and reports

Power of Oil Palm

jedwards — 2013-03-19T20:06:56Z

Access to land is critical for the survival of millions of households in developing countries that depend on it for their food security and livelihoods. Yet land holdings, especially of the most fertile land, are highly concentrated. In recent years the accelerated scale and pace of large-scale land acquisitions has signaled a global land rush, and evidence is mounting that the price being paid by affected communities is unacceptably high.

This case study focuses on the Palmas del Ixcán company and the social, environmental and economic effects of its oil palm plantations on local communities in northern Guatemala. The evidence gathered reveals practices that violate people's basic rights and indicates lack of a thorough impact assessment, of effective democratic planning, and of contract transparency.

US Investment in Large-scale Land Acquisitions

jedwards — 2013-02-19T18:46:19Z

In the past decade, investment in land used for agriculture and forestry in low- and middle-income countries has grown dramatically. This study provides an analysis of the extent of US investors’ and investment fund managers’ involvement in this phenomenon over the past 10 years. With this research, Oxfam America hopes to begin exploring the business models behind these investments and the potential food security implications in low- and middle- income countries where large-scale land acquisitions are occurring.

Cereal Secrets

aperera — 2012-08-06T17:43:02Z

This research report provides an analysis of the role and impacts of the world's largest commodity traders on the modern food system. The report was commissioned to support GROW, Oxfam's global campaign to deliver food security in a resource-constrained world. The campaign, launched in 44 countries over the last year, urges governments, companies and civil society to repair the world's broken food system, which leaves nearly one billion people hungry every night, including millions of small-scale farmers and workers who produce much of the world's food.

The Food Transformation

aperera — 2012-07-23T16:08:46Z

Every time you open your fridge and food cupboards, you step into the global food system. Sounds odd, but it’s true. The system is an enormously complex web of all the people, businesses, organizations and governments involved in the production, distribution, sale and consumption of food. Irrespective of who we are, or where we are on the planet, the food we eat is made available by this global food system.

Physical risks from climate change

bgrossmancohen — 2012-06-01T18:22:19Z

Climate change has already started to cause a wide range of physical effects— with serious implications for investors and businesses. While weather variability and extremes have always existed, the science shows that extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense, that incremental climatic changes are already underway, and that the impacts of climate change are expected to grow more severe over the coming years and decades. Companies are already experiencing business impacts from weather-related phenomena that climate change is expected to make more common and/or intense. This document is designed as a guide to help chart a course for companies to disclose and manage such risks.

R4 Rural Resilience Initiative: Partnership for resilient livelihoods in a changing climate

khamilton — 2012-01-24T16:32:28Z

For the 1.3 billion people living on less than a dollar day who depend on agriculture for their livelihoods, vulnerability to climate-related shocks is a constant threat to food security and well-being.

As climate change drives an increase in the frequency and intensity of natural hazards, the challenges faced by food-insecure communities struggling to improve their lives and livelihoods will also increase. The question of how to build rural resilience against climate-related risk is critical for addressing global poverty.

In response to this challenge, the United Nations World Food Programme and Oxfam America have launched the R4 Rural Resilience Initiative, known as R4, referring to the four risk management strategies that the initiative integrates. R4 builds on the initial success of a holistic risk management framework developed by Oxfam America to enable poor farmers to strengthen their food and income security through a combination of improved resource management (risk reduction), microcredit (prudent risk taking), insurance (risk transfer), and savings (risk reserves).

Oxfam America Mid-‐Term Climate Change Campaign Evaluation Executive Summary

aperera — 2012-01-09T19:47:19Z

This is a final report of iScale’s mid-‐term review of Oxfam America’s (OA) Climate Change Campaign (CCC). The purpose of the review is to assess the effectiveness of OA’s campaign efforts to influence US policy and leadership in international fora as well as its efforts to promote greater action on climate change through its country assistance programs. As a
member of Oxfam International (OI), OA carries out the majority of its policy and campaign work in conjunction with OI. The CCC in the US and the climate change work of other OI affiliates (Oxfam Great Britain and Oxfam Australia) were designed to contribute to the objectives of the OI Climate Change Campaign.

Growing a Better Future Summary

aperera — 2011-08-15T15:22:54Z

We have entered an age of crisis: of food price spikes and oil price hikes; of scrambles for land and water; of growing climate disasters.

Adapting for a Green Economy: Companies, Communities and Climate Change

aperera — 2011-06-20T18:29:02Z

At the end of this year, governments will gather in Durban, South Africa, for the next round of United Nations negotiations to advance global action on climate change. In June 2012, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) will seek to secure new and comprehensive commitments to sustainable development.

This publication aims to support the efforts leading up to Rio+20, as well as the activities, processes, commitments and partnerships that flow from it. By highlighting the nexus among climate change risks and opportunities, sustainable development and climate change adaptation,

Adapting for a Green Economy provides useful guidance to business leaders and policymakers alike.

An Ounce of Prevention:

aperera — 2011-06-21T15:36:32Z

This report examines the likely impacts of a changing climate on the US government’s civilian and military humanitarian response systems. We analyze both humanitarian and security implications of climate change as well as how the US government responds to overseas climate-related emergencies. We want to understand the changes that can be made now to better prepare these systems for the long-term effects of climate change.

Growing a Better Future

akramer — 2011-08-15T15:24:14Z

We face three interlinked challenges in an age of growing crisis: feeding nine billion people without wrecking the planet, finding equitable solutions to end disempowerment and injustice, and increasing our collective resilience to shocks and volatility.

The good news is that practical solutions are both urgent and available—from simple common sense acts we can all take, to bold shifts in how we manage shared resources and value social progress. They are good for producers, good for consumers, and good for the planet. Their benefits can be shared by the many, not just the few, and they are built to be resilient in the long run.

Growing a better future will take all the energy, ingenuity and political will that humankind can muster. If the best solutions are to win out, we must mount powerful campaigns to win significant reforms in how our societies manage common threats and resources and create platforms for opportunity. From global negotiations to national decision making, this report outlines the shifts we must work for to make food justice a reality.

Open publication

Under pressure: Reducing disaster risk and enhancing US emergency response capacity in an era of climate change

nhailu — 2011-06-08T14:34:38Z

The US government is the leading global player in this system. The US approach seeks to encompass a broad range of activities and allow humanitarian agencies flexibility in their missions and response. However, as a result, the myriad interconnected US agencies involved—civilian and sometimes military—are without clear leadership and mission, beholden to various legislative constraints, and focused more on disaster response than on proactive disaster risk reduction (DRR).

Climate change poses a considerable challenge to US and international capacity to meet future humanitarian needs. This challenge presents itself in a context in which the international humanitarian response system is failing to meet existing needs. To meet the increased humanitarian need resulting from climate change, the international humanitarian aid system will need to increase its response capacity.

Given the likely effects of climate change, it behooves the US government to consider (1) how humanitarian emergencies might be prevented and (2) how its emergency response capacity might be enhanced. DRR offers a promising way forward. According to the United Nations, DRR is “the concept and practice of reducing disaster risks through systematic efforts to analyze and manage the causal factors of disasters, including through reduced exposure to hazards, lessening vulnerability of people and property, wise management of land and the environment, and improved preparedness for adverse events.” It is intricately linked with climate change adaptation. The return on DRR investment is quite high. Beyond mainstreaming DRR in its assistance programs, the US government needs to address budgetary, organizational, and legislative issues that currently impede the effectiveness of humanitarian assistance. In addition, the US government needs to sort out how best to draw on the unique capabilities and appropriate role of the US military in humanitarian emergencies while avoiding excessive and unnecessary use of military forces. Finally, the US can play a leadership role in furthering reform of the global humanitarian system, given its pivotal role within that system."

A fresh look at the green economy

bgrossmancohen — 2011-06-08T14:47:27Z

Approximately two million Americans are employed in sectors such as water management, agriculture, and disaster preparedness and response that contribute to building resilience to the impacts of climate change. Through investments in climate change resilience, we can proactively reduce the impact of natural disasters and drive economic growth. By spurring the development and deployment of new technologies and strategies such as efficient irrigation systems and early flood and storm warning systems we can save lives in the poor communities most vulnerable to climate change—and create jobs in the process.

Climate Change and Violent Conflict

nhailu — 2011-06-08T14:32:37Z

An examination of the burgeoning literature exploring climate change as a risk multiplier that will lead to an escalation in armed conflicts (i.e., “climate change causes conflict” (CCCC) discourse).

Halving Hunger: Still Possible?

Ben Grossman-Cohen — 2011-06-08T14:50:30Z

Ten years after world leaders committed to halve world hunger by 2015, little progress has been made to reduce the number of people who go to sleep hungry, but if developing countries take the lead with the right policies and investments, halving hunger is still possible.

While time is running out, the global crises push the Millennium Development Goals desperately off course. The only chance of avoiding failure is a rescue plan for all MDGs that includes the necessary measures, both political and financial. Halving hunger is still possible if developing countries take the lead with the right policies and investments, donor countries increase dramatically their aid to agriculture, food security and social protection under nationally and regionally-driven plans, and the global issues affecting food security are collectively addressed.