Tuesday, April 12, 2016

AGRO ECO PUEBLOS - NEEM SAMOA

Eco Pueblos Cuba - Bolivia - Samoa - USA - a global coop serving the indigenous and ancestral people - Afio mai (Welcome Samoa)

NEEM SAMOA - will replicate the Cuban and NEEM Agroecological model and act as a member of the multinational cooperative with Bolivia, Cuba and the United States under the NEEM umbrella allowing the organization to work collaboratively but autonomous with our new partner in Samoa. We are truly excited. Three continents, the Caribbean and Pacific? making a global statement on how things must be in replicable models designed to suit each projects environment, indigenous peoples, culture and preservation of traditions.
The concept for NEEM SAMOA - is in keeping with the other projects sites goals under Agroecological concepts and will work closely in Cuba with NEEM and the neem project in Cuba. We'll remain stewards, while serving the community. In the process we provide sustainable economic potential through sustainable production while addressing issues of food insecurity, health and nutrition.
The normal focus we have on scale projects of sustainable community development. One that is productive until the neem seedlings reach maturity and harvest capacity. We will grow and harvest neem, an answer to global issues. The tree of a thousand and one uses. Grown in the only place it can be to scale where the highest quality neem is produced; the pacific.

The butterfly wing redirecting our society

In America today we are in a "Special Period" with the current financial market and crisis in which urban Agroecology and sustainable production to scale will have a key role.

The term ‘urban Agroecology’ implies a paradox, the contrast of an urban environment devoted to industry and commerce with the tranquillity of inner city farms and gardens that address sustainable food security while providing economic alternatives to sustainable community development. The healing powers of green landscape are increasingly recognized and the value of landscape in anchoring people in time and place and in developing a sense of community apparent. Urban Agroecology encompasses at least seven inter-related aspects: the convergence of horticulture and applied ecology in the creation of new public landscapes, appreciation of the economic benefits of green space rather than the traditional focus on its costs, environmental education to give children a sound understanding of their place in nature, benefits to human health, the use of inner city farms and ‘gardening’ as a catalyst for economic and social cohesion, a revival in public horticulture from costly bedding schemes to wildflower or productive meadows, awareness of ‘ecosystem services’ aspect of green space for flood control, environmental amelioration and biodiversity.
There are six key factors which will shape urban Agroecology in this century and which will determine its contribution to civilized urban life: climate change; decreasing oil supplies; population growth; the countervailing attractions of town and country; social order or disorder and global finance.
Perhaps the black cloud of the credit crunch could have a silver lining if the reassessment of our true wealth becomes the butterfly wing redirecting our society into a more sustainable way of life.

Great Presidents do such things - a late post to the Feast blog

Over a seven year period President Obama made significant advances in small steps that allowed next steps to occur toward normalization of relations with Cuba. A series of low and high profile events we were privy too as they occurred that led up to the announcement to visit Cuba as the first sitting President to do so in 88 years. For those relentlessly active in the process on the "Cuba issue" that support we had always provided for positive change over 20 years continued during this 7 year period, time and those steps. To make it simple, it wasn't. The number of regulatory changes too numerous (and often complex) to mention here. This included open action and secret meetings leading up to the announcement in December 2014 and the visit that ends today. I have to say after 20 years working towards this end and watching Air force One touch down at Jose Marti International Airport was nothing short of astounding.
The most recent Presidential regulatory changes will make it significantly easier and more affordable for individual U.S. citizens to travel to Cuba, increase Cuba's access to international markets, permit Cuban entities to carry out transactions in dollars, allow Cuban citizens to earn salaries in the United States, removed 10% exchange on U.S. dollars, allow investment in Cuba, create entrepreneurial opportunity for Americans with Cubans and drop the ban on Cuban ports security. Remember that its not all about Cubans, its about Cubans and Americans. Our right to travel where we want and business opportunities we should have had years ago as friends and neighbors. That required visionary leadership; something we had been lacking for quite some time.
Leaders are often faced with decisions to make and promises to keep in the face of some adversity that are in the countries best interest because it is the right thing to do and best for America. Great Presidents  do such things.
"In 2007, President Obama made bold promises to reform Cuba policy as a candidate to the American people and then did the unexpected. He kept his word".