Whilst The Co-operative and others are investigating what could be causing the disappearance of bees, here are some simple (and fun) things you can do to learn more and help save the bee. 1) Call for pesticides research Help secure funds for a systematic review of the impact of pesticides on our most important pollinators.Learn more… 2) Bee-friendly gardening Each and every one of us can make a difference, by encouraging bees into our own back gardens, patio pots and even window boxes. Learn more… 3) Take up beekeeping There’s an estimated 40,000 beekeepers in the UK. The majority of these keep bees as a hobby – it’s much easier to do than you’d think! So, if you’re really interested in helping bees, why not think about becoming an amateur beekeeper Learn more… 4) Sign up to Plan Bee There’s so much going on with The Co-operative’s Plan Bee campaign. Register to be the first to hear about campaign news and how to get more involved. Learn more… 5) Become a Co-operative Member There are lots of other ways to get involved with The Co-operative. Find out more about what we do and how you can become a Member. Learn more…

Peasants, landless workers, migrants, indigenous peoples and consumers, identified transnational corporations, especially Monsanto, which, together with Syngenta, Dupont and Bayer control over half of the world’s seeds, and are thus the principal enemies of peasant sustainable agriculture and food sovereignty for all peoples.

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack’s addreses 600 folk gathered here at the Community Food Security Coalition Conference in Des Moines. He uses the story of the feeding of the 5000 to make his point about the culture of sharing that needs to be cultivated in this country. Some were against his appointment but the efforts they are making to support community food programs and better nutrition for kids are impressive. Jill Richardson, on the La Vida Locavore, reports how he avoided answering questions about the paradox of supporting community food programs and large-scale, mechanized agriculture by going on and on about Afghanistan – “Vilsack filibusters – then gets booed and hissed”

When you visit Iowa, you’re nearly guaranteed to see three things: corn, soy beans, and hog confinements. Those were the focus of the field trip I attended yesterday at the Community Food Security Coalition Conference To be totally blunt about it, maybe you’ve wondered: why are farmers so stupid that they keep growing corn and soybeans year after year?

Today is known in many countries as “Columbus Day” to celebrate Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the Discovery of the Americas. But this “discovery” of a continent of people (with thousands of years of previous existence) is not a celebratory event…

This is a hymn dedicated to those participating in CROP walks and those doing other work to end hunger! O God, You Send Us Out to Walk TALLIS’ CANON LM (“All Praise to Thee, My God, This Night”) O God, you send us out to walk, For faith is more than idle talk; It’s more than saying, “Be well fed!” When others don’t have daily bread.

Today is the last day of September and even here in droughty Northern California the temperatures, the length of the days and the unraked leaves covering the front lawn are all undeniable signs that our side of the planet is…

Will the new Green Revolution be a blessing, or end in disaster for Africa? The Gates Foundation is the driving force behind AGRA – the Alliance for a Green Revolution for Africa – and the under-funded agricultural sector is Africa will get substantial new funds. But the dangers of pushing on Africa hybrid and genetically-modified seeds requiring irrigation and optimal conditions for high productivity may be a recipe for disaster. Dr. Johnson Nkuuye, with the UNDP and Millennium Development Goals and Village Program explains the danger of dependency on such modern farming technologies and on saviors from the outside.

I can make no claims for these blogs, but thought it was a fabulous list you may wish to dabble in. Enjoy! Blogs Alemany Farm Almond Bean Atrazine Lovers Basia Winograd Beginning Farmer & Rancher blog Beginning Farmers Bike2Barn Bird…

Multinational food and agritech giants are banding together in a bid to throw light on areas of climate change legislation they warn could severely hike food prices. The consortium that includes Cargill, General Mills, Tyson Foods and the Grocery Manufacturers Association, is preparing to release studies it says will demonstrate the potentially drastic effect global warming could have on the cost of food items.