Oxfam America Blogs

G8 Leaders set a bold goal, with a questionable plan to achieve it

By Guest Blogger from The Politics of Poverty. Published on May 21, 2012.

At the G8 Summit last weekend, President Obama announced the goal of helping 50 million people lift themselves out of poverty, but G8 plans do not match the plans of developing countries and the needs of their small-scale farmers.

Shining a light on food workers

By Irit Tamir from The Politics of Poverty. Published on May 17, 2012.

Ironically, those who work in the food system are often the most food insecure, and farmworkers in particular are vulnerable because they are excluded from many of the protections that cover other workers under US law.

When does a trickle become a trend? And what about Goldman Sachs?

By Gawain Kripke from The Politics of Poverty. Published on May 16, 2012.

Over a period of months, a number of institutional investors have begun taking steps back from the speculative rush into food commodities. Most recently, the Stockholm-based financial services group, Nordea, announced it would remove food commodities from their financial products. This comes after Deutsche Bank made a similar (if temporary) ban. In 2010, the California [...]

The G8 is on the trail to food security this week. How will we know if they get there?

By Guest Blogger from The Politics of Poverty. Published on May 15, 2012.

Porter McConnell is the Oxfam policy lead for the G8 Camp David summit. This Friday, G8 leaders are making a big announcement on food security. We expect the launching of a new initiative. Past summits haven’t always had development on the agenda, and the US hosts deserve credit for making sure food security is front [...]

“The rise of the machine”: High frequency trading and food prices

By Gawain Kripke from The Politics of Poverty. Published on May 14, 2012.

A rough consensus has emerged around the causes of the high food prices that spiraled up in 2007 and 2008; increasing global food demand due to rising incomes and population, stalling agriculture productivity, and biofuels. But one factor that remains hotly debated is the role of financial speculation in food prices. The amount of food [...]

The G8 must keep its end of the deal

By Guest Blogger from The Politics of Poverty. Published on May 11, 2012.

This blog by Mahamadou Issoufou, Executive Director, The Federation of Unions of Farmers Groups, is cross posted from the Huffington Post.   This piece is part of a series of blogs by leading NGOs to call attention to a range of issues that should be raised at the G8 summit at Camp David in rural [...]

West Africa food crisis: Infographic

By Anna Kramer from First Person. Published on May 11, 2012.

Find the latest information about who's affected and where, Oxfam's response, and how you can help.

“We don’t have to follow behind a man.”

By Elizabeth Stevens from First Person. Published on May 10, 2012.

“Many women have become more respected leaders as a result of their work on disasters,” said Doris Escobar, my guide on a recent trip to El Salvador. As we made our way from a flood-affected village in the western department of Ahuachapán to another across the country in San Miguel, Doris told me the story [...]

Twitter town hall with global hunger expert, Roger Thurow

By Guest Blogger from The Politics of Poverty. Published on May 09, 2012.

Victoria Marzilli is Oxfam America’s New Media Specialist focusing on social media. Join us on May 17 for an interactive discussion on Twitter with global hunger expert and author of Enough and The Last Hunger Season, Roger Thurow. What is a Twitter town hall? The Twitter town hall is meant to be an interactive Q&A [...]

Cotton continues to STAX the deck

By Guest Blogger from The Politics of Poverty. Published on May 08, 2012.

This blog is written by Jim French. He is a farmer who works on agriculture policy issues for Oxfam America. Oxfam has long argued that US cotton subsidies damage lives and livelihoods of smallholder farmers in developing countries at a high cost to American taxpayers(see also this study). Unfortunately, subsidies for US cotton producers included [...]

Fighting corruption with aid dollars

By Gregory Adams from The Politics of Poverty. Published on May 07, 2012.

Corruption, foreign aid, and the watchdogs that expose it

Senegal food crisis: Farmers speak out

By Chris Hufstader from First Person. Published on May 07, 2012.

Photographs from the far eastern region of Senegal, where farmers struggle to eat, and get ready to plant crops.

Food aid in the Farm Bill: One step closer to reform

By Eric Muňoz from The Politics of Poverty. Published on Apr 30, 2012.

After months of negotiation and a failed attempt to write new rules for agriculture into the Super Committee debt deal last Fall, the Senate Committee on Agriculture Nutrition and Forestry took the first step towards reauthorizing a new Farm Bill last week by passing a Farm Bill out of committee. Most of the energy and [...]

One Day on Earth: One gorgeous movie trailer

By Andrea Perera from First Person. Published on Apr 20, 2012.

We’re excited about the global premiere of “One Day on Earth” at the United Nations this Sunday. The movie records the human experience over a 24-hour period using material crowd-sourced from all over the world. Oxfam contributed footage to “One Day on Earth” film. We asked our affiliates and partners working in 99 countries across [...]

Food crisis in Senegal: Can farmers plant this year?

By Chris Hufstader from First Person. Published on Apr 17, 2012.

As the rainy season approaches, farmers struggle to prepare.

NPR reports on Oxfam’s fight against cholera in Haiti

By Coco McCabe from First Person. Published on Apr 13, 2012.

Chlorine dispensers in rural Nippes are helping people ensure their water is clean.

Photo slideshow: La Oroya, Peru: The women who wouldn’t keep silent

By Anna Kramer from First Person. Published on Apr 11, 2012.

Women like Elizabeth Rojas, above, are at the heart of an effort to defend public health and the environment in La Oroya, Peru, a city that’s been called one of the most polluted places on earth. While legislators and CEOs debate whether or not to reopen the Doe Run Peru lead smelter in La Oroya, [...]

Reducing the distance traveled for water in East Africa

By Kenny Rae from First Person. Published on Apr 09, 2012.

Where there was once pasture, there in now only dust.

After the cameras leave, then what?

By Guest Blogger from First Person. Published on Apr 06, 2012.

The international community must continue to focus on moving thousands of displaced Haitians into permanent housing-- particularly after the initial publicity has faded.

Peru: Listening to La Oroya

By Anna Kramer from First Person. Published on Apr 02, 2012.

Many of the activists from La Oroya have a child or other family member whose health has been affected by lead poisoning. Most are women. And while they don’t have the money or influence of a major corporation, they do have the ability to reach others and mobilize them to join the cause.