Copenhagen conference: India, China plan joint exit

BEIJING: In an unprecedented move, India on Saturday joined China and two other developing countries toprepare for a major offensive on rich nations at the Copenhagen conference on climate change next month.
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Brazil wins cotton war but US cuts no subsidies

The estimated $5 billion (R37bn) in subsidies provided each year to US cotton producers is under threat after a recent ruling by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) that will allow Brazil to retaliate against a range of US goods and services.
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Presidents of Brazil and Venezuela Review Bilateral Accords for Soy, Industry, and MERCOSUR

Brazilian President Lula da Silva (at left) and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Friday.
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PDVSA, Petrobras finalize Brazil refinery deal

Brazil and Venezuela finalized a deal to jointly build and operate an oil refinery in Brazil on Friday as the nations' leaders signed 15 agreements pledging cooperation in agriculture, energy and technology.
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The Future of Farming?

Dr. Dickson Despommier has an unsettling message for farmers — in 50 years, he says, “soil-based agriculture will no longer be sustainable.”
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Factory Farms Threaten the Environment, Not Carniculture

After my last post on agriculture (and some would say my kneejerk reaction), I found this op-ed by lawyer and rancher Nicolette Hahn Niman interesting:
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Frustration marks stalled global trade negotiations

Geneva - 'Disenchantment' and 'frustration' were the words used this week to describe trade negotiations at the World Trade Organization, one month before a large-scale ministerial meeting.
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With Less Taxes and Barriers Arab World Enticing to Brazilian Food

Antônio Costa, a manager at the Agribusiness department of the Federation of Industries of the State of São Paulo (Fiesp) advocates that Brazil should further explore the Arab market for sales of agricultural products. "This region has relatively low tariffs and imposes few sanitary barriers. It is a market that we must explore," he said in São Paulo.
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Brazil to raise biofuel content in diesel despite concerns

Brazil has embarked on a controversial plan to raise biofuel content in its diesel production amid concerns the country's edible oils market may face supply pressures as a result.
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Opening the door to Bt brinjal, a step towards disaster

The government's Genetic Engineering Approval Committee has cleared the commercial cultivation of genetically modified (GM) brinjal (eggplant, aubergine or baingan, known variously as vanga, vangi and begun).
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Climate change threatens Brazils rich agriculture

A freak tornado and floods last month may be a harbinger of a troubled future for Brazilian farmers, who worry that climate change could severely disrupt production in one of the world's breadbaskets.
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Brazil plans Doha trade meeting in late November

Brazil plans to organise a meeting of trade ministers in late November to discuss progress in the World Trade Organisation's long-running Doha round, a senior Brazilian official said on Monday.
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Brazil, Colombia Presidents Seek To Double Bilateral Trade

Presidents of Brazil and Colombia said after a meeting Monday that they will seek ways to double bilateral trade next year from the 2008 level of $3 billion.
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Winkles: Climate bill threatens food supply

The Waxman-Markey climate bill offers a lot of enticing incentives for farmers in South Carolina and elsewhere, but I would encourage farmers to take more than a quick study of the American Clean Energy and Security Act to see the detrimental effects the bill can have on farmers and consumers.
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