Salem-News.com Agriculture articles Page 24

Thousands Head for Seattle`s Hempfest 2010 Honoring Jack Herer

"This one's for you, Jack!" The 19th Annual Seattle Hempfest is dedicated to the late hemp guru.

(SEATTLE, Wash.) - Hippies and hempsters from high and low are coming together at the biggest hemp festival in the United States this weekend, August 21-22. The Seattle Hempfest celebrates its 19th year by remembering the late, great Jack Herer, a moniker of hemp events whose absence is greatly felt throughout the cannabis community.

For over forty years, Jack Herer, the Emperor of Hemp, shouted from the rooftops, "Hemp will save the world!" He spoke to advocates and critics alike, filling in the gaps created by propaganda and misinformation.

Memorial Tribute DVD Honors the Late, Great Jack Herer

"Emperor of Hemp" is narrated by Emmy winner Peter Coyote, with songs by Bonnie Raitt, Joe Walsh, Cheap Trick, The Rascals and Maroon5

(SALEM, Ore.) - Double J Films announces the release of the “Emperor of Hemp: Memorial Tribute Edition” DVD honoring the late great cannabis crusader Jack Herer, who died April 15, 2010.

The DVD includes a remastered “Emperor of Hemp,” regarded by many as the best marijuana documentary ever made; a 20-minute bonus feature containing never-before-seen interviews with Jack Herer, and “Hemp for Victory,” the 14-minute U.S. government-made newsreel promoting hemp farming during World War II.

Land Grabs

According to a local farmer’s movement, this purchase will displace an estimated 25,000 villagers in a single province.

(LOME, Togo) - Over the last few years, China, India, and the Middle East have invested heavily in African land, spurred on by the global food and economic crises—as well as the threats of climate change, population growth, and water scarcity.

By controlling agricultural land in Kenya, Ethiopia, and elsewhere on the continent, these nations hope to secure future food supplies for their populations, even as sub-Saharan Africa faces increasing hunger.

Let a Thousand Border Gardens Blossom

Youth are involved in a growing number of community initiatives in the borderland and Southwest.

(LAS CRUCES, N.M.) - Arturo Esparza brought the visitor to the small patch of chile, tomato, eggplant and sunflower rising from the desert earth of Vado, New Mexico. As a summer wind lashed at the garden, scattered thunderstorms punctured the sky. Off to the east, a rainbow broke through the mist blanketing the craggy peaks of the Organ Mountains.

In Support of President Obama

Unfortunately, there is little media attention given to how much he has done in his first 17 months in office.

(SAN FRANCISCO) - I voted for Barack Obama for president because I saw him as left of center. Obama's record as an Illinois state senator (1997-2004) and his short time as a U.S. Senator (2005-2008) provided me with little or no evidence that he was a progressive or a far-left liberal.

Canals of England the Only Way to Travel

"As I manned the tiller and leaned wistfully against the helm, my thoughts began to wander..."

(ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.) - For a brief moment, through a gap in the trees of the Forest of Arden, I caught a glimpse of Bredon Hill. It was the home of my boyhood and forty-five years peeled back to a time when I once ran to the top of the hill to see the land of Seven Kingdoms.

On that day long ago the wind whipped smartly through long hair that I no longer have.

DEA Holds THC Minister in Custody After Appeal

13 church members were also arrested, but are out on bail.

(HONOLULU / SALEM, Ore.) - Fourteen people on the Big Island of Hawaii were apprehended in a series of raids, including Roger Christie, founding director of The Hawaii Cannabis Ministry two weeks ago. He is still sitting in a cell.

Don`t Say We Did Not Know

The story of Israel's eradication of a Palestinian town in English and Hebrew.

(BEQA VALLEY, Palestine) - For many years, the IDF has been trying to remove Palestinians from the Beqa Valley, east of Kiryat Arba and Givat Harsina.  The army has demolished homes, destroyed farmers’ crops and their cisterns for collecting water.

On Tuesday, 6^th July 2010, personnel from the Civil Administration backed up by the Border Police, and accompanied by labourers, came to the area and began to uproot water drip irrigation pipelines belonging to Palestinian farmers in the Beqa Valley.

Innovation of the Week: Slow and Steady Irrigation Wins the Race

Since installing her own drip kit, Elizabeth has seen her income rise to between Z$1 million (US$10) and Z$4 million (US$40) per week.

(ZIMBABWE) - After Elizabeth Samhembere’s husband passed away in 2004, she struggled to feed her family. A small-scale farmer in Zimbabwe, Elizabeth had trouble getting water to her crops, and her children were too young to help with the labor-intensive task of irrigating the vegetables and strawberries she grew.

Improving Farmer Livelihoods and Wildlife Conservation

The latest good news from West Africa.

(OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina Faso) - Earlier this month, we highlighted Nicholas Kristof’s op-ed in the New York Times about Gabon, a country in West-Central Africa where the rights of farmers are frequently in conflict with wildlife conservation efforts.

One young village chief and farmer, Evelyn Kinga explained that she doesn’t like elephants because they eat her cassava plants—a crop her livelihood depends on—because she doesn’t benefit from rich foreigners who come to Gabon for eco-tourism.