What We’re Reading 6/30/09

Jun 30th, 2009 11:50 AM UTC
By Grace Lamb-Atkinson

Reuters: Oxfam Calls on G8 to Increase Aid to Poor Farmers
Oxfam said today that leaders from the world’s industrialized economies should commit to increasing investment in agriculture in poor countries when they meet in Italy next week. It has released a report which finds that agricultural assistance by Group of Eight donor countries has fallen sharply, to around $5 billion a year in 2007 from $20 billion in the 1980s. The report says that investment by donors, national governments and the private sector in poor countries should target women and help improve knowledge about environmentally-sustainable farming methods in the wake of climate changes.

Financial Times: African Plan to Keep Vulture Funds at Bay
The African Development Bank has launched a legal support organization designed to level the playing field for cash-strapped African states negotiating complex commercial transactions or facing litigation by vulture funds. Vulture funds have provoked growing international criticism by launching lawsuits to force repayment of poor country debt they bought at heavily discounted prices on world markets. The World Bank estimated in 2007 that 38 creditors had won $1bn from lawsuits against countries in its debt relief program, many of which are African nations. The Africa Legal Support facility will provide funding and advice so that African governments are not at a disadvantage for lack of top level legal representation when facing the predatory debt claims.

Reuters: Crops Face Toxic Time Bomb in Warmer World
A new study says that staple crops on which millions of people depend are becoming more toxic and producing much smaller yields because of the world’s higher carbon dioxide levels and greater drought. A team of Australian scientists tested crops under a series of climate change scenarios to obtain the results. They say the findings underscore the need to develop climate change-resistant cultivars to feed rapidly growing human populations. The main crop tested – cassava – is a staple relied upon by 750 million people across the world, including many in Africa.

New York Times (A1): Constant Fear and Mob Rule in South African Slum
The New York Times today examines violent crime in South Africa, focusing on a slum called Diepsloot. The front page story says that though crime in South Africa is commonly portrayed as an onslaught against the wealthy, it is actually the poor who are most vulnerable. Experts highlight the particularly brutal nature of crime in South Africa: the country has an unusually high number of rapes, hijackings and armed robberies. The murder rate is about eight times higher than in the United States. Most areas are unprotected by the police, and even the new President, Jacob Zuma, says that citizens cannot be “blamed if they take the law into their own hands.”

Reuters: Why the BRICs Like Africa
Reuters’ ‘MacroScope Blog’ writes that the BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India and China – have become big players in Africa. A new report investigates each country’s particular interests in the continent.

Xinhua: 13th AU Summit Expects to Focus on Agricultural Investment, Food Security
The 13th African Union summit, which opens Wednesday in Libya, is expected to focus on agricultural investment and food security, as well as African peace and security in general. The recent sharp increases in the prices of food, especially cereals and oilseeds, has created hardships for consumers in the region, and participants in the summit will discuss how to increase Africa’s agricultural investment.

-Grace Lamb-Atkinson

TAGS: What We're Reading