Ever heard of Corporate Watchdog Radio? It’s a weekly radio show and audio/video podcast on issues that you most likely care about (since you read the Understory).

Last week the Business Ethics Network offered RAN a Commentaries spot on the Corporate Watchdog Radio show. I recorded a short piece on biofuels - a timely week for it in light of the global food crisis and riots in many countries. Listen here.

Tonight at the Women’s Building, RAN, along with co-sponsors Grassroots International, Food First, California Food and Justice Coalition, Amazon Watch, Friends of the MST, and Global Exchange are hosting Rafael Alegria, former executive secretary of Via Campesina.

Via Campesina is an international network that represents over 100 million small producers around the world, and is one of the strongest movements today advocating for food sovereignty.

This evening Rafael Alegria will be speaking on the subject of “Food, Fuel and La Via Campesina Struggle for Land Reform”, highlighting the increasing global demand for agrofuels and the impact on the world’s small farmers. The event starts at 7pm and is at the Women’s Building in San Francisco. The address is: 3453 18th Street.

Download the flyer here.

It has been an amazing few weeks for media about palm oil. Three articles, from the Sacramento Bee, the NYTimes, and CNN.com highlighted the problems with the expansion of palm oil in Indonesia and Malaysia.

The Sacramento Bee article highlighted the role of palm oil in habitat destruction in Indonesia– underlining the threat to orangutans and other endangered species, as well as to local communities. Our own Rainforest Ag campaign director, Leila Salazar-Lopez, was quoted as saying “How can (palm oil) be sustainable if it’s causing so much destruction?”. Too true.

The front page, above the fold, New York Times article covered the effect that the rising price of palm oil– driven by consumption both of frying oil and biodiesel– has had for the food security of poor communities around the world. Palm oil is used every day for frying in many developing countries, and families are forced to forgo buying meat and vegetables in order to pay for the oil. Its an important problem, and it is good to see that the problems of palm oil are getting the prominent placement that they deserve!

Last but not least, CNN.com reported on the environmental effect of palm oil plantations, and how the expansion of palm oil plantations for biofuels threatens community land rights, remaining intact forests, and worsens water shortages. They also draw the connection to global warming, acknowledging that biofuels do more harm than good in terms of carbon emissions.

Great to see that the media has begun to pick up on all the many, many problems with palm oil, and that they are spreading the world. Lets hope ADM, Bunge, and Cargill are reading.

On Saturday, January 26th, the Rainforest Agribusiness campaign will be joining hundreds of thousands of people across the world in a day of action being called by the World Social Forum.

Along with Via Campesina–a global farmers’ movement that represents over 100 million farmers around the world–and other organizations worldwide, the rainforest agribusiness campaign is going to demand an end to the corporate control of our food and fuel system and make the call for Food Sovereignty.

On Saturday morning, we are going to set up at the San Francisco Ferry Building farmers market, and have the public at the market send photo messages to the CEO’s of ADM, Bunge, and Cargill. It will look like this:

Join us in showing US Agribusiness that we support local, sustainable agriculture, family farmers, organic produce, biodiversity, and food sovereignty!! All you need is a white board, some pens, a camera, some messages/slogans, and people. Check out the sample messages below.

When you’re done taking photo messages, go to yousendit.com, and send your pictures to Andrea at andrea@ran.org. It is super easy. We’ll send out a follow up email with your pictures and updates the week after the action. Also, we’ll be sure to send your photos and any stories you want to share to ADM, Bunge, and Cargill!

Why are we calling for this? Because people’s lives depend on it. Our globalized food system, and the increasing push for industrial-scale agrofuels, is pushing people off their land around the world and depriving small farmers, Indigneous communities, and millions of people everywhere from access to land and resources to grow their food. This system also continues to make nutritious food inaccessible to many low income people and people of color.

Join us on Saturday, January 26th in sending the CEO’s of ADM, Bunge, and Cargill a photo message. If you have any questions or want to tell us about an action that you are planning, please contact Andrea at 415-659-0540 (andrea@ran.org) or Bria at 415-659-0543 (bria@ran.org). Sample messages include:

• Support food sovereignty!
• No rainforest for biodiesel (or agrofuels)
• Support farmer’s markets, not agribusinesses!
• I support the rights of small farmers
• I support local economies.
• Food sovereignty now!
• Local food sovereignty, not corporate profits.
• Stop with the pesticide madness!
• Workers rights for small farmers everywhere.

Forbes.com published an article today called “Food Vs. Fuel” which, and this isn’t too common in the financial press, addresses the fact that “concern about climate change has led to biofuels subsidies that pit hungry mouths and empty gas tanks against each other.”

No exactly what I expected to read from Forbes. The article goes on to draw connections between increased meat consumption driving up food prices and even starts out with the startling statistic that “world’s poor spend twice what they did on food just seven years ago, yet still starve in greater numbers.”

I know, it sounds bad. But don’t worry, the article goes on to point out that “investors might find some opportunity amidst the misery.”

Oh, thank goodness.

I was worried that this horrific tale of suffering and injustice might not be good for investment portfolios. Luckily many banking giants have already reaped significant profits by investing in companies like ADM and Bunge–targets of our new Rainforest Agribusiness campaign.

Maybe the problem has something to do with our collective perverse focus on the financial profits generated by industrial agriculture rather than the importance of building a just and equitable food supply.