[Proposal] Food For Peace

[Autonomous Land]

Here I have my first proposal. I hope your support for discussion.
[url]
https://www.nationstates.net/page=UN_vi ... 1508348840
[/url]
[proposal=]A resolution to reduce income inequality and increase basic welfare.

Category: Social Justice
Strength: Significant
Proposed by: Autonomous Land
RECOGNIZING the obligation of States to guarantee individuals, communities and peoples the self-sufficiency of healthy, nutritious and culturally appropriate food on a permanent basis.

RECOGNIZING that there are diverse solutions for this issue according to the political, social and economic regime of the member states.

Given this situation, a solution based on international or interregional cooperation is needed.

The World Assembly resolves:

Firstly: Prioritize the cultivation of basic food products for the population to lead a decent way of life.

Secondly:We will proceed to the creation of a World Seed Fund, thus avoiding the private appropriation of the genetic inheritance of our nature.

In third place: financing will be encouraged in new agricultural techniques for small and medium-sized farmers.

And finally incentives will be established for the productive use of land, disincentives for lack of use or appropriation of productive land and other mechanisms for redistribution of land. [/proposal]

[Fauxia]

Please draft on the forum instead of submitting beforehand. Also, you didn’t use the proposal bbcode right

[Imperium Anglorum]

We did something similar to this years ago, see Food Welfare Act and its seed bank provisions.

[Grays Harbor]

You must include non-GMO free range organic, or it is worthless.

[Imperium Anglorum]

You must include non-GMO free range organic, or it is worthless.

Only food produced by fair trade farmers too!

[Fauxia]

You must include non-GMO free range organic, or it is worthless.

Wrong. Nothing wrong with GMOs

[Imperium Anglorum]

Wrong. Nothing wrong with GMOs

He's being sarcastic.

[Fauxia]

Wrong. Nothing wrong with GMOs

He's being sarcastic.

There’s nothing in the post that suggests that... my bad. You know them better I suppose. Idk of they actually believe thta, so I can’t tell

[Grays Harbor]

He's being sarcastic.

There’s nothing in the post that suggests that... my bad. You know them better I suppose. Idk of they actually believe thta, so I can’t tell

It was sarcasm

[Bears Armed]

OOC
This proposal might be 'legal', technically, but is so vague that I find deciding about the appropriate strength -- and perhaps even category -- difficult.

For example, does

Firstly: Prioritize the cultivation of basic food products for the population

mean marching everybody out of the cities, at gunpoint if necessary, to turn them into subsistence farmers (c.f. the RL Khmer Rouge)?

[Dragonslinding WA Mission]

"Dragonslund Opposes. You may insert your generic NatSov argument here. Now for the main thrust of our argument in opposition.

Firstly: Prioritize the cultivation of basic food products for the population to lead a decent way of life.

"We do not see how this is even an international issue. If this involved lowering tarriffs on say the importation of food we'd oppose because it would destabilize the market but it would be an international issue. If it addressed the use of toxic pesticides or fertilizers that may cross international bounderies we could see it as being an international issue. General agricultural policy is not an international issue, in some nations it isn't even a national issue. As for food production leading to a 'decent life' I suggest you meet some Dragonslinding peasants. Even though I am a bastard, I'm glad that my Noble father recognized me, I would have made a poor peasant and my skills with a sword would be wasted being among the unarmed.

"If the Ambassador's concern is that the small folk of some member states may starve--which I must admit happens periodically in Dragonslund itself I think that GAR#52 already adequately addresses that issue.

"As for the new committee, I could be wrong but I believe the WA already maintains a seed bank, or at least it did at some point in time. It gets difficult to keep track of what bodies exist and don't with 410 resolutions, half of which are repeals. We don't see a need for a new one. If member states want a seed bank or something of that nature let them fund it. Dragonslund expects its peasantry to maintain the necessary seeds for crops, lest they fail to pay their tribute to their local noble.

"

In third place: financing will be encouraged in new agricultural techniques for small and medium-sized farmers.

And finally incentives will be established for the productive use of land, disincentives for lack of use or appropriation of productive land and other mechanisms for redistribution of land.

"We're not even sure what is meant by "small and medium-sized farmers/farms". In Dragonslund alone a small farm in the North is some 160 acres of land and is usually allotted to five or six adult serfs--children are just additional labor. In the Crownlands, such an allotment may only be 40 acres. The difference is due to the greater productivity of the Crownlands due to their substantially warmer climate than the North.

"The last bit does nothing at all. It says there will be incentives but doesn't say what these incentives are. Will there be funds to pay for people to research new plows and such or will people be dragged from the cities in Harvest Time to pick ears of maize lest their head end up on a pike. I mean the Crown does like to decorate Kingslanding with the heads of petty theives and traitors (which could range from actual plots against His Majesty to merely breaking wind in his general direction), I fail to see why he should be given further excuses to engage in his second favorite pastime. Seriously the other day he ordered a local whore to be roasted with dragonfire for being unable to satisfy his youthful lusts, I fear for the young lady that will be arranged to be his bride."

[This City of Ours]

"I would love to know how you'd expect us to cultivate our own food when we usually only have enough water for every day life," says Kasam. "Also our land is literally all urban. The occasional garden is the best anyone can do, and that's only if they can spare the water."

dragged from the cities in Harvest Time to pick ears of maize

((OOC: ...maize? In a Westeros expy?))

[Northeast American Federation]

"I do find this proposal somewhat...vague in certain regards. For instance:"

Prioritize the cultivation of basic food products for the population to lead a decent way of life.

"This line is unclear to me. What exactly is the standard for a 'decent way of life'? That a population is not completely starved? That they are so hopelessly stuffed that they can hardly move? Somewhere in between? Additionally, your proposals regarding incentives and disincentives on various land related matters could do with some clarification. Perhaps it is just me, but I am not entirely certain just what you are proposing there."

[Dragonslinding WA Mission]

((OOC: ...maize? In a Westeros expy?))

OOC: Neither the books nor the TV show go to any details about the grains used in Westros. Essentially the word corn is used for every kind of grain in the books. Suffice it to say that in the books at least potatoes (a New World Crop) exist in Westros thus it is conceivable that maize does as well. And I assume that maize exists in other nations of course.

[Dragonslinding WA Mission]

"I do find this proposal somewhat...vague in certain regards. For instance:"

Prioritize the cultivation of basic food products for the population to lead a decent way of life.

"This line is unclear to me. What exactly is the standard for a 'decent way of life'? That a population is not completely starved? That they are so hopelessly stuffed that they can hardly move? Somewhere in between? Additionally, your proposals regarding incentives and disincentives on various land related matters could do with some clarification. Perhaps it is just me, but I am not entirely certain just what you are proposing there."

"Indeed that is a good question. I am a man of the North. In our summers even the lowest of street urchins of White Harbour can feast on rabbit stew without having to poach the rabbit themselves. While in the worst winter of my childhood even the Warden of the North himself was subsisting on a bowl of brown a day. Brown is a stew, and that is being charitable, and it is often made from whatever vermin may have been caught that day.

"That winter lasted 5 years and I nearly starved and I was a recognized bastard of a lesser House!"

[Araraukar]

OOC: Neither the books nor the TV show go to any details about the grains used in Westros. Essentially the word corn is used for every kind of grain in the books. Suffice it to say that in the books at least potatoes (a New World Crop) exist in Westros thus it is conceivable that maize does as well. And I assume that maize exists in other nations of course.

OOC: Depends on how far north it is on the planet. Maize needs a relatively long growth season. We can't grow it here (Finland), because our growth season (typically 4-5 months) isn't long enough and/or the sunlight isn't intense enough, I can't remember which it is. We grow actual grains. You know, wheat, rye, barley, oats? And of course potatoes.

I haven't read the books, but I've seen the official world map, and I wouldn't necessarily peg more than the southernmost areas of Westeros to be maize country.

[Dragonslinding WA Mission]

OOC: Neither the books nor the TV show go to any details about the grains used in Westros. Essentially the word corn is used for every kind of grain in the books. Suffice it to say that in the books at least potatoes (a New World Crop) exist in Westros thus it is conceivable that maize does as well. And I assume that maize exists in other nations of course.

OOC: Depends on how far north it is on the planet. Maize needs a relatively long growth season. We can't grow it here (Finland), because our growth season (typically 4-5 months) isn't long enough and/or the sunlight isn't intense enough, I can't remember which it is. We grow actual grains. You know, wheat, rye, barley, oats? And of course potatoes.

I haven't read the books, but I've seen the official world map, and I wouldn't necessarily peg more than the southernmost areas of Westeros to be maize country.

OOC:

Not to get too off topic here, but in the books the climate of the Riverlands is described as being warm enough to grow maize as it is grown as far north in the US as Southern Minnesota. Certainly the Reach, Stormlands, Crownlands and Dorne could grow maize.

As for Finland not growing maize...the growing season it requires is about six months give or take depending on variety. The other grains typically have a shorter growing season.

[Imperium Anglorum]

The solution, it seems, is obvious. In RimWorld, don't grow things outdoors. I have a base in a mountain in Arctic wasteland. We grow everything using hydroponic farms!

[Fauxia]

The solution, it seems, is obvious. In RimWorld, don't grow things outdoors. I have a base in a mountain in Arctic wasteland. We grow everything using hydroponic farms!

“Death to the ice caps! Accelerate climate change!” Corwin shouts. “No more bases in Arctic wasteland!”