Our Activities

This page provides details of events in which AWFW participated through sponsoring, speaking, and/or exhibiting. To view links that include other events of interest (past and future) visit Upcoming Events.

The New Politics of Food and Farming - Washington, DC

April 8 - International Food Policy Research Institute - The politics of food and agriculture are changing fast in the 21st Century.  Farm lobbies remain as dominant as ever over policy within their own sectors in OECD countries, but in the realm of culture, the sophisticated elite that claim to speak for food safety, food quality, social justice, and the environment have put industrial farming squarely on the defensive.   The resulting debate has produced few significant policy changes so far in rich countries, but global institutions of several kinds, including the intergovernmental institutions of the UN system, transnational advocacy networks, and of course transnational corporations, have now brought this cultural debate somewhat prematurely into the politics of non-OECD countries as well.  The consequences are not always good for the rural poor. 

Alleviating the Worst of Poverty with Water, Resilience and Innovation - Washington, DC

April 7 - Alleviating the Worst of Poverty with Water, Resilience and Innovation - International Food Policy Research Institute - Washington, DC 

Soul Food For Thought - San Francisco, CA

February 12 - Dr. Milton Mills to present on nutrition education at the Soul Food For Thought benefit for the International Fund For Africa.  Haitian-born singer King Wawa to perform his new song "Haiti Will Rise Again." 

We Feed Our People - Washington, DC 

January 18 - AWFW is proud to celebrate MLK Day in the nation's capital by supporting the efforts of We Feed Our People with donated BBQ tofu from Soul Vegetarian and Vegan Mac-N-Cheese and Spicy Kale from Everlasting Life. 

Global Forum for Food and Agriculture - Berlin

January 14-16 - International Green Week, Berlin - Robert Goodland to present his newest paper - "How the Food Industry Can Reverse Climate Change Quickly and Profitably" at the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture.

2009 

United Nations COP15 Summit - Copenhagen 

December 7-18 - Mia MacDonald, Brighter Green, cautioned against the increase in global meat consumption that is contributing to climate change. She noted that the contribution to climate change by industrial farmers impacts small-scale agriculture and livestock keepers, and that issues of equity and “climate space” require further attention at the policy level. Click here for COP15 report.

FAO Pre-Copenhagen Expert Consultation - Rome

December 2-4 - The FAO invited Robert Goodland and Jeff Anhang to participate in pre-Copenhagen consultations in response to their article “Livestock and Climate Change” published in World Watch magazine.

Robert Goodland's 10-page brief "Forests, Fisheries, Agriculture: A Vision for Sustainability" - prepared for the FAO meeting .

From the intro:

Between the FAO’s founding in 1945 and today, worldwide human population has roughly tripled, while the livestock population has increased more than six times.  As a result, livestock have changed from being one of many sectors dependent on natural capital to being today’s top determinant of the future of natural capital.  Notably, worldwide each year, livestock are the leading driver of deforestation, while consuming up to half the catch of marine organisms and as much as half of all crops brought to market. (full brief - PDF)

Michigan Future: Energy, Economy & Environment 

November 13-15 - Local Futures - Energy, Economy & Environment

USDA - MY Pyramid Partners Meeting - Alexandria, VA 

September 24 - USDA - My Pyramid Partners Meeting