USC Canada

Would You Trust This Banker?

The farmers still remember how skeptical they were when this man, Regassa Feyissa, showed up in their village with bags of seeds. He had a plan to ensure they would never again be without local seeds, a promise that sounded too good to be true. Read More…

Sounding the Alarm

In a compelling address to the CCIC in May, Susan George, an internationally recognized political economist, pulled no punches in describing the converging crises of Climate Change and the Global Economy. While these crises already deeply affect us all, George illustrates how our neighbours in the global south will be hit hardest. While sounding the alarm, she also provides persuasive strategies to move us out of this mess. Watch her presentation or download a transcript.

Climate Change Will Displace Millions

In the next two to three decades, huge parts of Asia, Africa, and Latin America will become uninhabitable and uncultivable due to desertification or flooding, stranding millions of people who depend on these lands and soils for food and livelihood. That’s the finding of a new study, with empirical evidence, which calls for urgent mitigation and adaptation strategies for the world’s most vulnerable people.

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The End of Plenty

In the current issue of National Geographic, Joel K. Bourne Jr. has produced one fo the clearest, most well-balanced explanations of the Global Food Crisis that we’ve read. More importantly, he asks serious questions about how humanity might be able to cope with the crisis. We urge you to read the full article on the National Geographic Website.

They’ve Raised the Roof!

In the northern Wollo region of Ethiopia - the country’s sorghum breadbasket - USCs ground-breaking Seeds of Survival program is working with farmers to launch a very special new community seed bank complex.

Ethio-organic Seed Action - our partner in Ethiopia - sent us a slide show to show how the project is progressing. Watch the video

One-on-One with SoS Founder

Dr. Melaku Worede is internationally renowned for his pioneering work restoring Ethiopia’s food security. He has been indispensible to our Seeds of Survival (SoS) approach, helping launch that program in the late ’80s. A scientist who puts the farmer first, his work with SoS has helped foster global recognition for the vitally important role farmers play in increasing and conserving on-farm biodiversity.

Our friends at GRAIN think highly of Melaku too! They recently published an interview they did with the SoS founder. We urge you to read the interview on Grain’s website, or download it as a pdf.