Renewal through Participation in Global Food Security Governance: Implementing the International Food Security and Nutrition Civil Society Mechanism to the Committee on World Food Security

The food commodity price rises from 2006 to 2008 engendered a period of political renewal and reform in the governance of global food security. The Committee on World Food Security (CFS) was designated as the main international forum dealing with food security and nutrition in 2009 as part of this reform. Through the CFS reform process, civil society organizations secured the right to co-ordinate autonomously their engagement in the Committee as official participants and are doing so through the International Food Security and Nutrition Civil Society Mechanism (CSM). The CSM is an innovative institutional form designed to allow a broad range of civil society organizations from different regions of the world and from diverse constituencies, notably those who face food insecurity on a regular basis, to participate in global food security governance. The challenges and complexities of setting up and operationalizing the CSM are presented and illustrated. These findings are considered in the context of the longer-term move towards widening participation in global governance, with a particular focus on the trajectory of civil society participation in food security governance. The broad neo-liberal logic, or embedded neo-liberalism, that underpins contemporary world politics provides boundaries within which the innovative CSM is being given shape through the political agency of the participating civil society organizations. The study concludes by suggesting that while the Civil Society Mechanism faces some internal challenges, these are not insurmountable, and that the CSM represents an effective politicizing, engaging and connecting model for food-focused civil society organization entering into global governance

The dynamics of the contemporary governance of the world's food supply and the challenges of policy redirection

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version. The final publication is available at Springer via https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-015-0429-x.This paper identifies the governance dynamics and the international policy architecture that frame contemporary policy actions in relation to the food supply and elaborates on key governance tensions that policy makers need to address to feed the world’s growing population by the mid-21st century. Two main dimensions of governance are examined: the international policy space, composed of nation states collaborating through international regimes with other international actors; and the private corporate led governance of the food supply. At the international levels, policy discontinuities and gaps are identified, for example between international environmental regimes and food security institutions. The so-called Washington Consensus has given way to a post Washington divergence of policy approaches amongst states, reflecting the “varieties of capitalism” thesis, and a more multi-polar international policy space over food and agriculture. In the past decade, policy makers have engaged industry in the international pursuit of sustainability, with a focus on policy actions around achieving sustainable consumption and production of food. The resulting contemporary governance trajectories are providing a disjointed but widespread set of policy guidelines with some evidence of convergence. These governance forms are helping to shape the terms of debate but the reliance on industry mediated food sustainability will need to be augmented by stronger political leadership from the individual nation states. Policy advances will need to build on the more collaborative and inclusive forms of governance that are being put in place, and continue to improve the balance of sustainable production and consumption of foodPeer reviewe

Fortran 4 program for two-impulse rendezvous analysis

Program determines if rendezvous in near space is possible, and performs an analysis to determine the approximate required values of the magnitude and direction of two thrust applications of the upper stage of a rocket firing. The analysis is performed by using ordinary Keplerian mechanics

Balancing competing policy demands: the case of sustainable public sector food procurement.

A focus on market-based green growth strategies to pursue sustainability goals neglects the pursuit of understanding how human health is interwoven with the health of eco-systems to deliver sustainability goals. The article argues that clarifying the difference between green and sustainable public sector food procurement, with political continuity that supports and enables policymakers and practitioners to take an incremental approach to change, makes an important contribution to delivering more sustainable food systems and better public health nutrition. Five European case studies demonstrate the reality of devising and implementing innovative approaches to sustainable public sector food procurement and the effects of cultural and political framings. How legislation is enacted at the national level and interpreted at the local level is a key driver for sustainable procurement. Transition is dependent on political will and leadership and an infrastructure that can balance the economic, environmental and social drivers to effect change. The development of systems and indicators to measure change, reforms to EU directives on procurement, and the relationship between green growth strategies and sustainable diets are also discussed. The findings show the need to explore how consistent definitions for green public procurement and sustainable public procurement can be refined and standardized in order to support governments at all levels in reviewing and analyzing their current food procurement strategies and practices to improve sustainability

Hungry for change: the Sydney Food Fairness Alliance

The Sydney Food Fairness Alliance is one of a growing number of nascent food movements in Australia to have emerged out of concern for the country’s food future, as well as the deleterious effect the present food system is having on its citizens’ health and the continent’s fragile environment. The Alliance’s structure and activities clearly position it as a new social movement (NSM) engaged in collective action on a specific issue, in this instance, food security/justice, and operating outside the political sphere while aiming to influence and affect societal change. Food security as a human right lies at the heart of the Alliance’s philosophy, and equitable, sustainable food policies for New South Wales are a core focus of its advocacy work. The authors argue that the Alliance is a distinctive food movement in that it positions itself as an \u27umbrella\u27 organization representing a wide range of stakeholders in the food system. This chapter reflects on the values, achievements, issues of concern, strengths and weaknesses, and future of the Sydney Food Fairness Alliance. This resource is Chapter 8 in \u27Food Security in Australia: Challenges and Prospects for the Future\u27 published by Springer in 2013

The ADDITION-Cambridge trial protocol: a cluster -- randomised controlled trial of screening for type 2 diabetes and intensive treatment for screen-detected patients.

BACKGROUND: The increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes poses a major public health challenge. Population-based screening and early treatment for type 2 diabetes could reduce this growing burden. However, the benefits of such a strategy remain uncertain. METHODS AND DESIGN: The ADDITION-Cambridge study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of (i) a stepwise screening strategy for type 2 diabetes; and (ii) intensive multifactorial treatment for people with screen-detected diabetes in primary care. 63 practices in the East Anglia region participated. Three undertook the pilot study, 33 were allocated to three groups: no screening (control), screening followed by intensive treatment (IT) and screening plus routine care (RC) in an unbalanced (1:3:3) randomisation. The remaining 27 practices were randomly allocated to IT and RC. A risk score incorporating routine practice data was used to identify people aged 40-69 years at high-risk of undiagnosed diabetes. In the screening practices, high-risk individuals were invited to take part in a stepwise screening programme. In the IT group, diabetes treatment is optimised through guidelines, target-led multifactorial treatment, audit, feedback, and academic detailing for practice teams, alongside provision of educational materials for newly diagnosed participants. Primary endpoints are modelled cardiovascular risk at one year, and cardiovascular mortality and morbidity at five years after diagnosis of diabetes. Secondary endpoints include all-cause mortality, development of renal and visual impairment, peripheral neuropathy, health service costs, self-reported quality of life, functional status and health utility. Impact of the screening programme at the population level is also assessed through measures of mortality, cardiovascular morbidity, health status and health service use among high-risk individuals. DISCUSSION: ADDITION-Cambridge is conducted in a defined high-risk group accessible through primary care. It addresses the feasibility of population-based screening for diabetes, as well as the benefits and costs of screening and intensive multifactorial treatment early in the disease trajectory. The intensive treatment algorithm is based on evidence from studies including individuals with clinically diagnosed diabetes and the education materials are informed by psychological theory. ADDITION-Cambridge will provide timely evidence concerning the benefits of early intensive treatment and will inform policy decisions concerning screening for type 2 diabetes. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled trials ISRCTN86769081.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are

Heterogeneous nickel isotope compositions of the terrestrial mantle – Part 2: Mafic lithologies

We report stable Ni isotope compositions (δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni, relative to SRM986) for mafic lavas with a range of -0.16 ‰ to +0.20 ‰ (n=44), similar to that of peridotite samples. Ocean island basalts (OIB) have been analysed from Iceland (n=6), the Azores (n=3), the Galápagos Islands (n=2), and Lōʻihi, Hawaii (n=1). Samples from Iceland (average δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni = +0.13±0.16‰, 2s, n=7) display the greatest range in Ni isotope compositions from a single OIB location in this work, of +0.01 ‰ to +0.23 ‰. Samples from the Azores (average δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni = -0.10±0.10 ‰, 2s) and Galápagos (average δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni = -0.01±0.04 ‰, 2s) are generally isotopically lighter. The single Lōʻihi sample has a δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni of +0.17 ‰. The lightest analysed bulk rock δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni in this work, -0.16 ‰, is from the Azores island, Pico. Enriched mid ocean ridge basalts (E-MORB), which have (La/Sm)_N>1, are isotopically lighter than normal type MORB (N-MORB), as shown by data from the Mid Atlantic Ridge (n=9) and East Pacific Rise (n=3). All E-MORB average δ60/58Ni = +0.00±0.06 ‰ (2s, n=7), whereas N-MORB average δ60/58Ni = +0.14±0.10 ‰ (2s, n=5). A suite of 15 mafic samples from the Cameroon Line, comprising lithologies ranging from nephelinites to hypersthene-normative basalts, have Ni isotope compositions that are identical within analytical uncertainty (average δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni = +0.08±0.06 ‰, 2s). Similarly, MORB samples display no relationship between δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni and geochemical indicators of degree of partial melting or fractional crystallisation. Host lavas for two previously analysed ultramafic xenolith suites have δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni identical to the average δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni of their respective xenolith suites. This is consistent with previously published evidence from peridotites and komatiites that Ni isotopes are not greatly fractionated by melting. Therefore, mafic rocks may preserve the δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni of their mantle source. Sampling a greater volume of mantle, their average Ni isotope composition +0.07±0.17 ‰ (2s, n=44) may also be a better representation of the Bulk Silicate Earth (BSE), than estimates based purely on peridotites. The δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni of MORB co-varies with La/Sm, Rb/Sr, europium anomaly (Eu/Eu*), and K₂O/(K₂O+Na₂O). The relationships between these parameters and δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni are consistent with mixing between two model endmembers. One could be depleted MORB or depleted MORB mantle (DMM) with a relatively heavy Ni isotope composition; the other a more enriched endmember that has isotopically lighter δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni. The link between lighter δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni and enriched lithologies in the mantle is further supported by published evidence of light Ni isotope compositions associated with some pyroxenite xenoliths. However, the curvature of the apparent mixing arrays defined by basalts is hard to reconcile with admixing of geochemically enriched but isotopically fractionated oceanic crustal lithologies. High [Ni] enriched magmas such as kimberlites may be a closer match to the enriched endmember. However, this needs further study

Heterogeneous nickel isotopic compositions in the terrestrial mantle – Part 1: Ultramafic lithologies

High precision nickel stable isotopic compositions (δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni) are reported for 22 peridotite xenoliths from the USA (Kilbourne Hole, New Mexico), Tanzania, and Cameroon. For a subset of these, δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni is also reported for their constituent mineral separates (olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, and spinel). Bulk peridotites show significant heterogeneity in Ni isotopic composition, ranging from +0.02‰ to +0.26‰. Unmetasomatised fertile peridotites from three localities, define an average δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni of +0.19±0.09‰ (n = 18). This value is comparable to previous estimates for the δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni of the bulk silicate earth (BSE), but is unlikely to be representative, given observed heterogeneity, presented here and elsewhere. Samples with reaction rims and interstitial glass (interpreted as petrographic indications of minor metasomatism) were excluded from this average; their Ni isotopic compositions extend to lighter values, spanning nearly the entire range observed in peridotite worldwide. Dunites (n = 2) are lighter in δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni than lherzolites and harzburgites from the same location, and pyroxenites (n = 5) range from +0.16‰ to as light as −0.38‰. The δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni in the Kilbourne Hole xenoliths correlate negatively with bulk-rock Fe concentration and positively with ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd, providing evidence that light δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni is associated with mantle fertility and enrichment. The trend between δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni and Fe concentration in bulk rocks appears to be global, replicated across the peridotites in this work from other localities, and in literature data. The inter-mineral fractionations are small; the maximum difference between heaviest and lightest phase is 0.12‰. This provides evidence that bulk rock δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Nii variation does not result from differences in modal mineralogy, fractional crystallization or degrees of partial melting. The δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni fractionation appears to be an equilibrium effect and usually is in the decreasing order spinel > olivine = orthopyroxene > clinopyroxene. However, the fractionation between clinopyroxene and orthopyroxene varies in magnitude and sign, and is correlated with pyroxene Si/Fe positively, and Fe/Mg negatively. The magnitude of inter-pyroxene fractionation also correlates with other pyroxene compositional ratios (e.g. La/Sm_clinopyroxene); as well as bulk rock δ⁶⁰/⁵⁸Ni, and [U]. These data provide evidence that Ni isotopes fractionate at the bulk rock and mineral scale in response to mantle enrichment processes, possibly related to recycling of isotopically light subducted components