USC Canada

Ethiopia: Forced re-locations bring hunger

Human Rights Watch has just reported that tens of thousands Ethiopian rural people are being forcibly relocated to make room for large, foreign-run farming operations. Ethiopia is among the top food aid receiving countries, however, it is also exporting over three hundred thousand metric tonnes of food. More…

Bringing Soils Back to Life

In the Timorese communities of Kika and Usu’un, most of the land close to the communities consists of steep hills and rocky soils. Large portions of the land are of poor quality and have been abandoned. But with training and advice from USC Timor Leste, farmers in these communities are nurturing the soils back to life. Read More…

On Creating the World We Want

Author Frances Moore Lappé recently sat down with Radio Boston to talk about her views on changing the way we think, to create the world we want. You can listen to the interview online, and if you’re going to be in Toronto or Ottawa at the end of January, USC has made it possible for you to see her in-person. Find out more…

Bruce Cockburn Continues the Magic

Longtime USC Canada supporter and spokesperson – singer and songwriter Bruce Cockburn – was a big winner at the Canadian Folk Music Awards in Windsor this week.Bruce’s visits to our programs in Mali and Nepal – featured in two films by Robert Lang, River of Sand and Return to Nepal – continue to inspire, just as Bruce’s music does! Our heartfelt congratulations, Bruce.

Hot Off the Press: USC Canada’s Food Crisis Primer

Overwhelmed by floods of information and trying to make sense of it all? We’ve put together a short primer on the Global Food Crisis for you. It answers key questions and looks at how we can start to turn this situation around. Read More…

Threats to Climate Change Adaptation

Traditional knowledge and farming approaches based on biodiversity are essential to climate change adaption. They are, however, threatened by the spread of modern intensive agricultural practices. That’s the conclusion of a report released recently by the International Institute for the Environment and Development in advance of the UN Climate Change talks (COP 17) starting Monday in Durban. Reuters provides a provocative summary of what could be a hot topic next week. Read More…

Spotlight on Nepal

Our own Kate Green, who manages USC’s Nepal program, visited in September, making it at long last to Humla in the remote northwest corner of the country.This is the enchanting land of the Himalayas, and Kate brought home some spectacular photos of this breathtaking land, and of the amazing farmers we work with there. Read More…

The World We Want

There’s a buzz brewing in the countdown to Frances Moore Lappé public forums in Toronto and Ottawa.

The Ottawa Citizen has published an Op Ed penned by Lappé herself, entitled Food Scarcity: A Dangerous Myth. It’s a great head’s up about the assumptions Lappé is about to shred on her visit here. Get ready to be challenged!

USC is sponsoring Lappé’s Canadian visit for two talks coming up in Ottawa and Toronto tickets are on sale now. Read More…

Mali – Canada: Farmer to Farmer

The new director of our program in Douentza Mali, Abdrahamane Goïta, was in Canada in October and was keen to visit local Ottawa area seed producer and longtime USC friend and supporter, Greta Kryger of Greta’s Organics. Abdrahamane gave her a big thumbs up! Read More…

Behind the Scene at USC Canada

Not every NGO is fortunate enough to have a history of board directors so committed and engaged in the work we do and the issues we face. This leapt out at us during our recent Annual General Meeting as we welcomed four new board members and our new Chair. Take a look at their bios – and you’ll see incredibly rich and diverse backgrounds. Read More…

Running for Biodiversity in Toronto

Kudos to our dedicated team of USC Canada volunteers. A hardy band of runners and walkers braved the cool and windy weather to finish the Toronto Waterfront Marathon, and raise over $4,500 in the process to help farmers in Ethiopia build long-term food security. Find out more and how you can help raise that total!