From: Angelika Beck <beck@globalagriculture.org>
Subject: Rio+20 'Time To Act' petition + launch of globalagriculture.org
Phone: +49 30 27590309
Message Body:
Dear Campaigner,
As a a signatory to the Time to Act petition the new website www.globalagriculture.org, launched today by the Foundation on Future Farming and Biovision, might interest you. As you know, the Time To Act petition calls on the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) “to use this historical opportunity to take agriculture beyond ‘business as usual’ and agree on actions that actually do eradicate hunger and poverty, and protect the environment.” The www.globalagriculture.orgwebsite promotes and relays exactly this message and we therefore ask that you consider linking to it.
Launched to coincide with the run-up to Rio+20, this easy-to-use site features the findings of the ground-breaking UN/World Bank sponsored International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), which calls for a paradigm shift in global agricultural policies. The information is available by topics and offers updated figures, background information, further reading and news. Users can browse and search the 2,000 pages of the original reports focusing on their specific area of interest. Scientific and institutional follow-up reports are presented, including current hot topics such as land-grabbing and food speculation. We are also keen to receive any of your suggestions, links and data that are relevant to this debate.
Why now? The Rio+20 conference provides the opportunity to set in motion a much needed, permanent assessment of agricultural knowledge, science and technology for development. We look forward to working together with you to make this a reality. Please link to www.globalagriculture.org today.
Thank you in advance and please forward this email to anyone you think might be interested.
Best wishes,
Benedikt Haerlin and Angelika Beck
Foundation on Future Farming
Marienstr. 19-20
D-10117 Berlin, Germany
Phone: +49 30 27590309
beck@globalagriculture.org
Sahib Punjabi
In the world of Aquaponics, I go by the name Sahib Punjabi. This is a reflection of my ancestral motherland. I have a degree in Economics and Accounting and qualified as Chartered Accountant of England & Wales. Having traveled extensively, my wife and I settled in Central Florida in 1989 and consider that our home. My hobbies, other than spending quality time with my family, include cooking, gardening and spirituality. For years I tried to grow food in soil, only to be disappointed and frustrated by the difficulties in keeping a balanced watering routine and by the amount of harmful pesticides and chemical fertilizers needed for a decent harvest. About 12 years ago, I had built a fish pond at my home and would use the fish waste from the filters to feed my tropical plants. Needless to say, I had beautiful and healthy tropical plants such as mangos, leeches and papaya while limited success with my vegetable gardening. There had to be a better way to grow them. I did not want to use the harmful pesticides and chemical fertilizers. So I began to search and think through the whole growing process. I knew that my tropical plants were doing just fine, so what was different other than that they had the occasional strong diet of fish waste whenever I cleaned the Koi pond filters. In December 2009 I searched the web for “fish water plants” and came across something called “Aquaponics”.