Global Envision - The Confluence of Global Markets and Poverty Alleviation

Weekly News Roundup: Progressive candidates flourish in US primaries, Monsoon death toll climbs, & Chinese Muslims protest state repression

Annie Baker — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 23:47:38 +0000

Politics

Diverse candidates rule the night and other takeaways from Tuesday’s primaries
CNN
Voters across the nation went to the polls to select candidates for the Fall 2018 midterm elections. Results showed a surge of support for progressive candidates, including Christine Hallquist, the nation’s first transgender person to be nominated for governor by a major party, and Ilhan Omar, who is likely to join Michigan’s Rashida Tlaib as the first Muslim women in Congress.

In Turkey economic crisis, Erdogan is his own megaphone, blaming the west
The New York Times
On the single worst day in the collapse of the Turkish lira, Erdogan deflects blame and points to U.S. sanctions as cause of economic misfortune. Though many economists say the crisis is a result of Erdogan’s mismanagement, the president’s powerful grip on news media means his voice dominates national conversations.

Kofi Annan death: World leaders honour former UN chief
BBC
World leaders are paying tribute to the former UN secretary-general and Nobel laureate Kofi Annan, who passed away at age 80 after a short illness. In recent years he worked towards mitigating conflict in Syria as a UN special envoy.

Science & Technology

2018 is shaping up to be the fourth-hottest year. Yet we’re still not prepared for global warming
The New York Times
Reports show that this year is the fourth-hottest on record, the only years hotter being the previous three. With temperatures still rising, scientists are desperately urging the need to address the impacts of climate change.

Uber to push further into East Africa with services like Chap Chap
Reuters
The global rideshare company is continuing to expand in Kenya, attracting more users with low-cost, fuel-efficient ‘Chap Chap’ rides, named after the Kiswahili word for ‘faster.’ With similar success in the neighboring countries of Tanzania and Uganda, Uber says the company is considering expanding into two other countries in the region before the end of 2018.

Security

Dream of a better life in Afghanistan ends in a hilltop grave for students
The New York Times
At least 40 were killed and 67 others were wounded by a bombing at a school in Afghanistan. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State, adding to violence in the region as the 17-year war against the Taliban surges on.

People evacuated from rooftops as Kerala floods kill hundreds
Al Jazeera
Rescue workers have evacuated hundreds via helicopter and boat in the Indian state of Kerala where more than 160 have died in recent days, officials say. Heavy rains have triggered flooding, landslides, and the collapse of homes, bridges, and transit systems, bringing the overall death toll during monsoon season to 324.

Culture

How To Get Women To Trust The Police? ‘Gender’ Desks
NPR, Goats and Soda
In Tanzania and Zanzibar, over 400 police stations now have ‘Police Gender and Children’s Desks’ staffed with specially trained detectives who help support women in handling cases of rape, sexual assault, and domestic violence.

Why The Thai Cave Rescue Drew So Much Attention Compared To Other Crises
NPR, Goats and Soda
In the wake of global media coverage on the 12 boys trapped in a cave in Thailand with their soccer coach, the aid community grapples with how to garner attention and empathy for all children in crisis.

Chinese Muslims protest against planned mosque demolition
Al Jazeera
Thousands of Muslims gathered at a mosque in northwestern China to condemn government efforts to ‘Sinicize’ religions by enforcing allegiance to the officially atheist ruling Communist Party. The protest signifies a rare public pushback against the government amidst leaders’ efforts to redefine and control religious practice in the country.

Lorie Shaull / Flickr Commons

Tags:

climate change, conflict, governance, health, humanitarian aid

View the discussion thread.

Q&A: Agroecology as Resistance in Chiapas, Mexico

Alejandra Padin-Dujon — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 06:49:24 +0000

Social Enterprise

[Translated from Spanish by the author]

Like many left-leaning Mexican intellectuals, newly-minted sociologist Carol Hernández Rodríguez grew up hearing about the Zapatistas. The left-wing political and social movement for indigenous peoples burst onto the scene on Jan. 1, 1994 – the day the North American Free Trade Agreement went into effect – when Zapatista insurgents seized towns and cities in Mexico’s southernmost state.

Two years later, the Zapatistas and the Mexican government signed the San Andrés Accords, granting recognition, autonomy, and rights to the indigenous population of Mexico. The Chiapas-based Zapatistas, formally the Zapatista Army of National Liberation, have garnered international support for bringing attention to indigenous sovereignty, claims to the land, and basic human rights.

Hernández Rodríguez formally studied the Zapatistas movement at university. Then, as a Ph.D. student at Portland State University, she spent eight months in Chiapas conducting field research on the Zapatistas and their influence on non-Zapatista indigenous communities. Global Envision met with Hernández Rodríguez recently at a downtown Portland cafe to discuss her research, Zapatista agriculture, and hopes for change under left-wing president-elect Andrés Manuel López Obrador.

Global Envision: You recently completed doctoral research on seed and food sovereignty in Chiapas, Mexico. Could you tell us more about your work?

CHR: When I arrived [in Chiapas] already the most important thing was defending corn so that genetically modified corn wouldn’t come in. Because the U.S. exports genetically modified corn to Mexico. So when I arrived there, seeds were more important than anything and protecting against genetically modified corn and increasing biodiversity. If your family was producing three kinds of corn, now you produce six.

One thing that I studied, in particular, was that corn and seeds hold a lot of importance for indigenous communities. For example, it isn’t just food: In indigenous communities, native seeds are thought to represent the spirit of your family, of your ancestors. That’s where the political element comes in. I noticed that of all the political issues there were—protecting rivers, trees—nothing got people’s attention like seeds. So seeds have become a political force. Many communities that weren’t affiliated with the Zapatistas and weren’t participating in the movement started participating when it came to the seeds. Now, Zapatista communities produce more varieties of corn than they used to. Agroecology really emphasizes biodiversity.

GE: You mentioned agroecology. What is that?

CHR: Agroecology, in practical terms, means departing from a conventional model of agriculture, as in using agrochemicals and using chemicals in production, or, for example, producing only for the market, as in producing only for sale. And agroecology produces [crops] organically, i.e., to cease using agrochemicals.

GE: Could you tell us more about why the Zapatistas committed to agroecology?

CHR: Historically, ever since agrochemicals came to Chiapas in 1970, agrochemicals have been one of the main expenditures for very poor communities. It’s like a cycle. Once you begin to use agrochemicals, you can’t stop using them because every year you have to produce what you are going to sell. So that means that they spent all the money they had on [agrochemicals], then they had to take out loans to buy more. They didn’t have the luxury of not buying agrochemicals.

When the [Zapatista] movement began to organize in the 70s, the mentality was that “We have to produce in a way that we don’t use agrochemicals.” It was a way of reducing debts and reducing dependency.

So in the 80s, they began to experiment with producing organically. They cultivated the land naturally, but without nourishing the earth. But the land was very spent. Crops didn’t grow well. Agroecology is when you begin to say, well, one year you cultivate this piece of land, and then you stop and you cultivate that piece of land, and you switch it up.

The Zapatista movement began in 1983 but in secret. At the time, they still received money from the government because in Mexico, the government gives subsidies to small farmers. With that money, they began to buy arms. They began to organize themselves. But in 1996 when the government decided not to negotiate with them, the Zapatista movement made the decision not to take money from the government. And that was very powerful because small farming communities were strapped for cash.

So basically, they’re at war and they need to produce food. It becomes a question of strategy. You can’t put yourself in a risky position. You can’t put yourself in the position of depending on your enemies for your own food. So farming takes on a new urgency, and [the Zapatistas] start taking the agroecological model a lot more seriously.

GE: Do the Zapatistas manage to be self-sufficient through agriculture? How do people in Zapatista communities make a living?

CHR: There are two kinds [of production]. One is that they sell mostly coffee and artisanal crafts to European markets, and that is solidarity trade. Solidarity trade is different than fair trade because fair trade has fixed international prices that are a little higher than regular prices […] and solidarity trade is like paying much more. You aren’t tied to any market. You pay more, you pay in advance, and the other party makes a commitment to sell what they said they were going to sell. It’s a way of giving more money to communities.

So coffee is important, artisanal crafts are also important, but most [production] is for local consumption, for them to eat themselves in their communities. And most of them work. They work driving taxis or, for example, women make food and sell it in the public plaza in the mornings. The jobs are very small-scale, but it’s a way for some money to come in.

GE: You’ve mentioned that the Zapatistas have inspired solidarity from movements across the globe. What do the Zapatistas represent for foreigners?

CHR: Autonomy. And this idea, this ideal of anarchism—not violent anarchism, but rather real anarchism: that you don’t need the state, that you can be independent, that you can work at the level of the community, that you can work for agroecology, that you can protect your seeds, and you can produce your own food, and you can have schools where they teach what you need to know. They have changed so much in so few years that I think that symbolizes a lot for all social movements from many parts of the world. They have brought about more changes than many European movements.

GE: Do you think the recent Mexican presidential election will change the relationship between the Mexican government and the Zapatistas?

CHR: It has to change because this new Mexican government is leftist. All the other governments from other political parties have other kinds of supporters and other political agendas to cover. But with this government, it’s a question of volition. But you never know with Mexican governments, so we’re all waiting.

There’s no reason not to do it. In no way do the Zapatistas pose a military threat to the Mexican government. The current government needs to take [its troops] out of Chiapas and they have to recognize the indigenous rights that were agreed upon in [the 1996 San Andrés Accords], which were very far-reaching, and they need to help [the indigenous peoples of Chiapas] with their autonomy and development. It is an obligation, and I think that many people who support the government are hoping for it because the majority of intellectuals sympathize with the Zapatistas.

Zapatista women, 1996 Julian Stallabrass/Flickr

Tags:

agriculture

Video: Entrepreneurism in Refugee Camps

Taylor Lewis — Tue, 14 Aug 2018 21:40:47 +0000

Social Enterprise

After fleeing the civil war in Syria, Kaseem found safety at Zaatari—a massive Jordanian refugee camp that is home to around 80,000 displaced Syrians. Here he has managed to recreate himself while also serving the needs of his surrounding community. A mechanic back home, Kaseem now runs a bike repair shop. Using found items to decorate customers' bikes, Kaseem provides a rare extravagance to residents living under constant stress and poverty.

Although residents are prohibited from starting businesses in Zaatari, the regulation has gone unenforced, allowing entrepreneurial Syrians like Kaseem a chance to foster new livelihoods. About 3,000 refugee-run businesses have started up within the camp, generating $13 million monthly, according to the United Nations. With the conflict across the border still raging, the Zaatari camp is likely here to stay—along with its entrepreneurial economy.

Ezra Millstein/Mercy Corps

Secondary Department:

Financial Inclusion

Tags:

entrepreneurship, innovation, skills

Video: Colombia: Cultivating Peace on a Farm

Annie Baker — Tue, 07 Aug 2018 17:00:00 +0000

Social Enterprise

When he was just 15, Marcos Martinez joined a guerilla group in Colombia and found himself fighting in violent conflicts for 23 years.

Today, two years after the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) formally disbanded, Marcos works at a farm cooperative with other ex-combattants to bring peace and nourishment back to the region.

In 2016, the Colombian government and the FARC made a peace agreement after 53 years of conflict. The FARC disarmed itself in 2017 and ex-members are now seeking to reintegrate into civilian life. With the help of the U.N. World Food Programme, 42 ex-combattants have joined together in northern Colombia to establish the Multiactive Cooperative for the Peace of Colombia. With tomato, plantain, and chili pepper crops, the farm provides ex-members with new economic and social opportunities while also providing locals with fresh, affordable food. Currently, the cooperative supplies food to 24 schools in the municipality.

By working with the U.N. to identify market opportunities and link their production to sustainable markets, the ex-combattants have cultivated agricultural projects which will become their “new means of life, their new livelihoods, and their new sources of income,” says Jessica Faieta, the deputy head of the UN mission in Colombia.

Watch this U.N. video to learn more about how ex-combattants are bringing positive change to their region through farming.

Ezra Millstein / Mercy Corps

Tags:

accessing markets, agriculture, conflict, entrepreneurship

Weekly news roundup: Zimbabwe sees electoral violence, Yemen conflict worsens, and US economic forecasts look grim.

Taylor Lewis — Sun, 05 Aug 2018 15:58:18 +0000

None

Politics

Zimbabwe: Deadly clashes erupt over election ‘results manipulation’
DW
At least three people are dead after police clashed with protesters in Harare, Zimbabwe following the first election since former President Robert Mugabe stepped down last November.

Obama dips into midterm election with first endorsements
Reuters
Former US President Barack Obama has endorsed 81 democrats in 14 states, focusing on young and diverse candidates. The midterms are now just three and a half months away.

DR Congo ex-warlord Jean-Pierre Bemba welcomed home
BBC
After more than a decade of exile and imprisonment, former rebel leader Jean-Pierre Bemba has returned home. Although he intends to run for president in the DR Congo’s December election, the current government has declared his candidacy illegal.

Economics

Trade tensions, labor shortages loom over U.S. factories
Reuters
Despite the US economy growing at 4.1% last quarter, economists predict upcoming slowdowns due to labor shortages and tariffs.

Reading the runes of the UK economy ahead of Bank of England decision
Reuters
With the uncertainty of Brexit looming over UK markets, the Bank of England has raised interest rates from 0.5 to 0.75 percent. This is despite mixed signals about the country’s economy.

Security

US sanctions two Turkey officials over detention of pastor
Al Jazeera
Amid rising tensions between the US and Turkey, the Trump administration has announced sanctions on two of PM Erdogan’s cabinet members over the imprisonment of an American pastor.

Yemen 'on brink of new cholera epidemic', charity warns
Al Jazeera
With the port of Hodeidah sieged, many fear that a new wave of hunger and disease will affect Yemeni citizens. With 22.2 million in need of aid, the conflict is now the world worst humanitarian crises.

Technology

Climate change and farming: ‘Unpredictability is here to stay’
DW
An interview with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s environment director explores the heat wave which has struck much of the developing world, and what the future of farming holds.

Culture

Saudi Arabia detains two prominent women activists, including Raif Badawi’s sister
DW
Two gender rights activists were detained this week in Saudi Arabia, accused of ‘compromising national security’. This comes despite Crown Prince Mohammed bin-Salman recent push for social reform.

School where refugees are the teachers
BBC
Chatterbox, a new online language learning platform based in London, allows refugees to tutor others in their native languages, fostering connections between them and their community.

Rich Ormond/Mercy Corps

Tags:

accessing markets, agriculture, conflict, globalization, innovation, trade

View the discussion thread.

China Seeks to Soften the Blow of US Tariffs

Taylor Lewis — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 17:54:38 +0000

Value Chains

From the mid-90s until a few years ago, China’s economy enjoyed nearly 10 percent growth per year—the fastest sustained growth of any major economy in history. In recent years that rapid expansion has slowed to a more reasonable rate, now nearly cut in half since hitting a peak of 12 percent in 2010.

Downturns, especially after periods of growth, are expected. However, with trade tensions on the rise between Beijing and Washington, the Chinese economy is being regulated carefully.

Lately, Beijing has adopted policies that adjust the country’s economic make up, balancing China’s focus on exports with further domestic activity. Among these are three cuts to bank reserve requirements, reducing the amount of money that large banks must hold in reserve. By doing so, officials have released billions of dollars into the Chinese economy with the hope of encouraging small business loans and maintaining its goal of 6.5 percent growth this year.

In short, Beijing is preparing its economy for an oncoming storm by stimulating domestic markets while decreasing its reliance on foreign trade.

China also recently released a stimulus package to preempt any slowdown caused by U.S. tariffs. Within the package lies several tax and fee cuts, which are designed to increase corporate activity and boost growth. China will also continue issuing $198 billion in special bonds to aid local governments’ infrastructure projects. However, with tensions across the Pacific still running hot, Beijing is likely not yet finished with taxes and fees. If an agreement can’t be reached soon, China will almost certainly offer more financial relief to companies that may be harmed by further Trump tariffs.

While it is likely that eventually a trade agreement will be reached, the Trump administration has recently heaped levies on imported goods from the world’s second-largest economy. Negotiations to end the impending trade war have fallen through, leaving Trump to threaten a further 25 percent tariff on up to $400 billion worth of Chinese goods. The U.S. is offering $12 billion in agricultural subsidies to farmers harmed by escalating protectionist policy. While the actual retaliation will likely be less than $400 billion—at least for the time being—it is clear that both countries are readying for the worst.

Impacts, however, will likely not be contained to just these two economic powerhouses. Trump has also hit several other countries with levies, including historical allies of the U.S. such as the European Union and Canada. A global trade war could have a massive effect on every nation, undermining established peaceful trade routes and significantly harming the global economy for years to come.

Torsten Behrens/Flikr Commons

Secondary Department:

Social Enterprise

Tags:

conflict, globalization, governance, imports/exports, trade

Weekly News Roundup: Khan poised to take power in Pakistan, tensions over trade continue, and Indian citizens await ruling on homosexuality

Annie Baker — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 22:56:15 +0000

None

Politics

Pakistan’s Khan awaits final poll tally to begin coalition building
Reuters
Pakistan’s Imran Khan declares electoral victory, vows to strengthen relations with India, Afghanistan, and the United States. The conduct of the election is under close scrutiny by the European Union and Pakistan’s election monitoring body.

U.S. and Europe outline deal to ease trade feud
The New York Times
President Trump and the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, announced an agreement to work towards lower tariffs and other trade barriers. Though Trump says this agreement signals “a new phase in the relationship between the United States and the European Union,” many worry it won’t stick in the wake of failed trade negotiations with China.

Erdogan spokesman says United States will not achieve results by threatening Turkey
Reuters
A spokesman for the Turkish president said that the U.S. would not be successful in its attempts to free an American pastor in Ankara by threatening sanctions.

Conflict

Hundreds died in Syrian custody, government acknowledges
The New York Times
Hundreds of Syrian families have learned that their missing relatives have been registered as dead by the government. The documents appear to be the first public acknowledgment by the Syrian government that hundreds died in state custody.

Israeli air raids kill three Palestinians in Gaza Strip
Al Jazeera
Palestinian health officials said that three people were killed in an Israeli air strike. The attack follows a UN-led ceasefire which had helped to prevent attacks last week.

Economics

Oil price shock on the way?
Al Jazeera
The war in Yemen and U.S. sanctions on Iran add to mounting concerns over the oil market.

Brics back ‘open world economy’ that benefits all nations
BBC
At the Brics Summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, leaders from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa signed a declaration urging the importance of an open world economy that rejects protectionism and benefits all nations.

Culture

Photos of villagers "dreaming" of food sparks outrage across India
NPR
Photographers, global development experts, and humanitarian leaders condemn photo project as unethical and insensitive, arguing for greater respect for the poor.

India's LGBTQ activists await Supreme Court verdict on same-sex intercourse ban
NPR
For years, LGBT advocates have challenged Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which outlaws any sex that goes “against the order of nature.” A ruling from the Supreme Court is expected any day now amidst signals that national attitudes towards homosexuality may be changing.

Technology

Malta wants to become ‘Blockchain Island’
CNN
The Mediterranean nation wants to take advantage of ledger technologies to transform the country’s transportation and education systems. Most commonly used for cryptocurrencies, blockchain and similar technologies could potentially be used to create smartphone voting systems and increase security in the healthcare industry, prime minister claims.

Jawad Zakariya / Wikimedia Commons

Tags:

conflict, globalization, governance, imports/exports, innovation, trade

View the discussion thread.

Quotable: Space-based Internet

Taylor Lewis — Wed, 25 Jul 2018 14:30:58 +0000

Social Enterprise

...we believe satellite technology will be an important enabler of the next generation of broadband infrastructure, making it possible to bring broadband connectivity to rural regions where internet connectivity is lacking or non-existent.

-Facebook spokesperson in Wired Magazine

Entrepreneur Elon Musk and OneWeb founder Greg Wyler have dreamed of using satellite technology to provide internet service to remote areas of the world that can’t be reached by cables.
Now, another tech giant may be entering the race: Facebook. The quest has attracted many for its lucrative potential to bring unrestricted high-speed internet to millions without access. The system would deploy thousands of small broadcasting satellites in a complicated array throughout low-earth orbit. The first company to accomplish this feat would likely reap immense profit from millions of new internet users.

Quotable: Nigeria overtakes India as country with most people in poverty

Annie Baker — Thu, 19 Jul 2018 22:12:04 +0000

Financial Inclusion

The world has been going happily along celebrating the fact that a lot of people are coming out of poverty, but the fact is the speed is not only less than required [to eradicate it], but it is not doing well, particularly in Africa.

–Homi Kharas, The Brookings Institution

Nigeria has overtaken India to become the country with the world’s greatest concentration of extreme poverty, says a new report from The Brookings Institution. With 87 million people living in extreme poverty in comparison to India’s 73 million, the figures in Nigeria fall in line with continental trends, experts predicting that Africa will host 9 out of 10 of the world’s poorest people within 12 years. While the number of extreme poor in India is declining at a rate of about 44 people per minute, the report shows, Nigeria’s extreme poor is growing by about six people per minute.

Kharas, one of the creators of the World Poverty Clock that tracks reductions in global poverty, noted that Nigeria’s oil wealth “doesn’t directly go to the pockets of ordinary people.” The report signals a profound shift in the pervading discourse on global poverty, demonstrating that Africa may soon displace Asia as the global center of poverty.

Quotable: Mexico's future after a new election

Taylor Lewis — Thu, 12 Jul 2018 16:56:21 +0000

Social Enterprise

The sad reality is that the new Mexican regime probably cannot improve its economic performance unless it can address basic problems with education and productivity.

-Tyler Cowen, economics professor at George Mason University

It has been nearly two weeks since Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a former Mexico City mayor, won a landslide victory for Mexico’s presidency on promises of big improvements to crime, social welfare, and the economy. But exactly how he plans to accomplish these feats remains vague. Mexico’s economic growth has historically lagged behind that of other developed nations, averaging only 2 percent increases for more than a decade. Without a concentrated effort to improve its education system and productivity levels, Cowen writes, it is unlikely that Obrador can break the trend.