The New Year may be a good time to pitch out some old items, but not without assessing what’s going to replace them. It’s always wise to weigh losses against potential gains. For example, the recent federal government announcement of a $345 million subsidy for ethanol and biodiesel production is being greeted as an exciting […] Read more
Stories by Nettie Wiebe
It’s a winding road to food security – The Moral Economy
THE ANNUAL World Food Day on Oct. 16 always focuses our attention on the problems of hunger in various parts of the world. This year, when Canadians are hearing daily news from Afghanistan, I have been paying particular attention to the problems of farmers and food production in that troubled country. The news out of […] Read more
Freedom, democracy and marketing – The Moral Economy
FREEDOM and democracy are powerful words. So, like any powerful tool or weapon, they should be used carefully and thoughtfully. The appeal to freedom is powerful because all of us want and need to be able to make choices about the direction of our own lives. But although we make many choices as individuals, and […] Read more
Canada should reclaim role as peacemaker – The Moral Economy
THIS year, as always, Canada Day gave me and millions of other Canadians a chance to celebrate our country. We have much to celebrate. Canada continues to be rated as one of the best countries in which to live – stable, culturally diverse, prosperous, tolerant and peaceful. As a rural Canadian, I am especially grateful […] Read more
Spring can no longer be taken for granted – The Moral Economy
IT’S SPRING on the Prairies and that means billions of seeds are going into fields and gardens with the hope that they will germinate, grow into healthy plants and reproduce viable seeds in their turn. This regeneration is at the heart of agriculture. It’s the cycle of life on which all of us depend for […] Read more
Agrarian reform a current issue again – The Moral Economy
I HAVE just returned from an international conference in Brazil where I heard many variations on what we, here in Canada, call the farm financial crisis. There’s a grave and growing problem in rural areas everywhere in the world. Given the scope and urgency of the problems, one would think that the global community would […] Read more
Change ahead to meet oil price challenge – The Moral Economy
HOW many complaints have you heard this fall about the high price of gasoline? Soaring gas prices have almost eclipsed the weather as the number one beef in many coffee shops. There’s good reason to complain, of course. Most of us cannot get through the day without starting a motor vehicle and driving somewhere. This […] Read more
Hurricane Katrina raises haunting questions – The Moral Economy
NEWS reports and images of the devastation caused by hurricane Katrina when it hit the southern U.S. states on Aug. 29 are shocking. Despite our own experience of stormy weather and high winds in the prairie region of Canada, few of us can imagine what winds of more than 250 kilometres per hour might feel […] Read more
Parading our community spirit – The Moral Economy
Mark this summer as a summer of celebrations with a difference. Not only are we enjoying a greener outdoors and a more promising crop outlook in much of the Prairies, but Alberta and Saskatchewan are also marking 100 years of province-hood. So there is much to celebrate. Centennial celebrations, ranging from a royal visit to […] Read more
Some ‘small stuff’ is worth a little sweat – The Moral Economy
“DON’T sweat the small stuff” is often good advice. But not always. In fact, it might be precisely the wrong advice when it comes to responding to the next wave of inventions. The last round of technologies, genetic engineering or the modification of living organisms already demonstrates the conundrum. In response to the worrisome news […] Read more
