News & Media

The road to olive farming: challenges to developing the economy of olive oil in the West Bank

October 15, 2010

For thousands of years, the olive tree has been an integral part of the Palestinian landscape: a symbol of Palestinian identity, culture and tradition. The majority of Palestinian farmers are at least partially dependent on olive cultivation.

In a good year, the olive oil sector contributes over $100 million income annually to some of the poorest communities. Olive cultivation also has strong social and political aspects, as the planting of olive orchards is often an attempt to prevent the confiscation of land by Israel or settlers and to protect Palestinian livelihoods.

While the olive oil sector significantly contributes to economic security and generates income and employment, numerous obstacles prevent the sector from realising its full potential. A lack of adequate resources and ineffective sectoral management coupled with environmental factors, poor production and quality practices have caused stagnation in the development of the sector.

Download file:

the-road-to-olive-farming_0.pdf

Righting two wrongs: Making a new Global Climate Fund work for poor people

October 7, 2010

Climate change is already negatively affecting the lives and livelihoods of poor men and women. Yet it is estimated that less than a tenth of climate funds to date have been spent on helping people in vulnerable countries adapt to the impacts of climate change. The poor are losing out twice: they are hardest hit by climate change they didn’t cause, and they are being neglected by funds that should be helping them. Climate finance can and must be made to work from the bottom up, particularly for women smallholder farmers.

Starting with the formal establishment of a new Global Climate Fund, decisions on climate finance governance need to set a new direction for a post-2012 era. This paper presents a vision for a new Fund and broader finance system that is effective in meeting the scale of developing country financing needs, and is widely considered – by governments and civil societies – to be legitimate in its decision-making.

Download file:

Righting_two_wrongs_051010_BN.pdf

Planting now: Agricultural challenges and opportunities for Haiti’s reconstruction

October 6, 2010

Even before the devastating January 2010 earthquake, Haiti was one of the poorest and most food-insecure countries on earth. A majority of Haitians live in rural areas and depend on agricultural livelihoods, but neither the government nor the international community has paid sufficient attention to agriculture, leaving the countryside increasingly marginalized. Trade liberalization has exposed farmers to competition from subsidized US rice exports and made consumers vulnerable to volatile global food prices. Agriculture must have a central place in post-earthquake reconstruction, with an emphasis on improving small-scale farmers’ access to resources, so as to boost their incomes and productivity, particularly with regard to staple food crops.

Download file:

plantingnowreport.pdf

From tragedy to recovery: Samoa tsunami response 2009-2010

September 28, 2010

One-year-on from the devastating tsunami that struck the south coast of Samoa in September 2009, this tragic event will long be remembered by Oxfam, not only because of the extent of the devastation, human displacement and loss of life that it caused, but also because of the generous response from partner organisations, governments and the public in the aftermath of the emergency.

Oxfam responded immediately to the emergency by mobilising trained personnel and essential materials to ensure that those people worst affected had clean, safe water and sanitation, working in a coordinated way with the government of Samoa. Our local partner organisation, Women in Business Development Incorporated (WIBDI), helped us to reach affected communities and continues to support the recovery effort.

Download file:

Samoa report low res.pdf

Halving World Hunger: Still Possible

September 15, 2010

While time is running out, the global crises push the MDGs desperately off course. The only chance of avoiding failure is a rescue plan for all MDGs that includes the necessary measures, both political and financial. Halving hunger is still possible if developing countries take the lead with the right policies and investments, donor countries increase dramatically their aid to agriculture, food security and social protection under nationally and regionally-driven plans, and the global issues affecting food security are collectively addressed.

Download file:

bp_139_Halving_Hunger_090910-1.pdf

bp_139_Halving_Hunger_summary_090910.pdf

Submission on the proposed amendment of Article 3 of the Australia New Zealand Closer Economic Rela

July 22, 2010

As Commerce Minister Simon Power noted when announcing the conclusion of the review of trading rules between New Zealand and Australia “an important aspect of [CER] and its success is that both countries have continued to work at it to ensure it remains a living agreement.” The same could be said of any successful trade agreement, however, the attention paid to the rules of origin for the CER stands in stark contrast to work done on keeping the rules for our Pacific neighbours up-to-date. This submission from Oxfam New Zealand calls on New Zealand and Australia to immediately improve the rules for Pacific exporters.

Download file:

Oxfam NZ Submission on ANZCERTA RoO.pdf