2/6/04

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1. 2005 Budget Shortchanges Farm Conservation 
2. Egyptian Farm Combines Sustainability and Profitability 
3. Avian Flu Fears Prompt Bird Import Ban         
4. Intensive Agricultures Harms European Birds

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1. 2005 BUDGET SHORTCHANGES FARM CONSERVATION 

In May of 2002, President Bush signed a Farm Bill that contained historic levels of funding to help farmers and ranchers protect wildlife habitat, improve the quality of our soil, air and water, and increase use of renewable energy. Unfortunately, the FY 2005 budget fails to live up to the promises of the Farm Bill. The Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP), the only Farm Bill program dedicated exclusively to the preservation of habitats on farm and ranch lands, will receive $16 million less than authorized. WHIP has faced chronic funding shortages since 2002; to date, it has received only two-thirds of the funding promised in the Farm Bill. The FY 2005 budget also sleights the Conservation Security Program, an innovative incentives program for farmers engaged in stewardship practices. Just one week ago, the President signed an appropriations omnibus that guaranteed the CSP the uncapped entitlement status envisioned by the farm bill, and this week's budget slaps a funding cap back on the program. The budget also provides less than half of the $23 million in mandatory funds that the Farm Bill provided for the Renewable Energy System and Energy Efficiency Improvements program that provides grants, loans, and loan guarantees to farmers, ranchers, and rural small businesses for the development of renewable energy projects and energy efficiency improvements.

2. EGYPTIAN FARM COMBINES SUSTAINABILITY AND PROFITABILITY 

The Sekem Group is showing that sustainability can also be profitable by turning 170 acres of desert 50 miles from Cairo into an organic farming community that posted $14 million in profits last year. Since its inception in 1977, Sekem -- whose name means "vitality from the sun" has grown into a large enterprise producing herbal medicines, herbs, organic fruits and vegetables, organic cotton clothing, natural pharmaceuticals, rice, tea and honey. Sekem's founders also run the Egyptian Biodynamic Association, which promotes chemical-free farming on over 8000 acres. In addition, the environmentally friendly agro-business provided schooling, healthcare, vocational training, and recreation and arts opportunities for its 2000 employees, and donated 15 to 20 percent of its profits to social development. These remarkable achievements led the Right Livelihood Foundation to honor Sekem founder Ibrahim Abouleish with its "Alternative Nobel Prize." 

3. AVIAN FLU FEARS PROMPT BIRD IMPORT BAN 

Concern about the spread of avian flu has lead the USDA and the Department of Health and Human Services to announce a ban on the importation of birds from eight Southeast Asian countries. The bird flu is an extremely infectious poultry disease that spreads rapidly among birds in confinement, such as chickens. Over 50 million birds  thus far have been killed by the disease and in attempts to halt the spread of the infection. Fifteen people have died in Asia, apparently after contracting influenza from infected birds. Health officials have two major concerns that led to the ban: the possibility that the U.S. poultry industry could be devastated by the appearance of bird flu here; and even more worrisome, the possibility that bird flu could swap genes with a human flu virus, creating a strain that could pass from person to person. Fortunately, neither scenario has occurred to date. 

4. INTENSIVE AGRICULTURE HARMS EUROPEAN  BIRDS 

The conservation organization BirdLife International reported last week that 24 species of European farmland birds have seen their populations plummet in the past two decades as a result of intensive agriculture practices. Skylarks, lapwings and yellowhammers have declined by over 30% since 1980. With 10 new countries set to join the E.U. on May 1, BirdLife hopes these countries will "heed the stark warning to take the environment into account. Otherwise, there will be further massive declines or even extinctions in wildlife-rich new member states, still relatively untouched by the ravages of intensive farming." 

Cultivating a vision where rural and urban communities join together
 to ensure abundant family farms, healthy critters, clean water and a wild Earth.  

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Scotty Johnson and Aimee Delach
National Rural Community Outreach Campaign
sjohnson@defenders.org