Blog for People, Food and Nature

This past month the Landscapes Blog has largely focused on water – from the stresses agricultural systems face to actions on the ground that improve water use efficiency. One critical component to many of the solutions proposed for improving agricultural productivity is an increased need for water resources. Dr. Paul West, Chief Collaboration Officer at University [&hell ...

As World Water Week moves to conclude its fourth day, it is increasingly apparent that water concerns bring together a wide array of interests from different sectors. Going back to Monday, a high level panel tackled the issue of land acquisitions, or “land grabs”, and food and water security. The Landscapes Blog has explored this […] ...

Yesterday marked the beginning of World Water Week. Hosted by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), the annual event provides a forum to exchange views, experiences and practices between the scientific, business, policy and civic communities. It focuses on new thinking and positive action toward water-related challenges and their impact on the world’s enviro ...

As the Blog post on Tuesday noted, spatial arrangement of a landscape can have implications for the availability of water resources needed in agriculture. Another important consideration is that of transboundary water resources. This issue impacts 145 countries and nearly half of the Earth’s surface. One such example is the Colorado River in North America, […] ...

Last week we had an eye toward the drought conditions impacting many people and places around the globe as World Water Week draws closer. The Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) highlighted some past research on how forests . This research has implications for agriculture in that it illustrates how trees contribute to the hydrological […] ...

This week has been filled with discussions of drought -a critical concern in arid and semi-arid regions of the world, and expected to become more frequent and intense with climate change. A new grant from the African Water Facility is helping to address the impacts of drought and climate change on pastoral communities in Africa. The […] ...

Building off of yesterday’s focus on drought in the United States, today the Blog hones in on the multiple actions likely needed to combat some of the challenges posed by climate change in terms of water availability. Recently, the Nourishing the Planet blog published twelve innovations that run the gamut, and can help combat the […] ...

  While yesterday’s blog post explored the importance of watershed-level management in maintaining water quality, specifically in an East African context, drought is the hot-button issue at present. And this time the United States is front and center. The United States Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (USDA ERS) estimates that nearly 40% of ...

A landscape for water, food and nature in the heart of Kenya… The Landscapes Blog travels to East Africa this week, as we hone in on water issues this August. Guest authors, Dr. John Gathenya, Climate Change Research Fellow at the University of Reading, Walker Institute for Climate System Research and Dr. Sara Namirembe, Research […] ...

Yesterday the world celebrated the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Many of the Indigenous communities around the globe rely upon agriculture, livestock, or forests for their livelihoods. As such, drought, water scarcity, and climate change are also critical issues these communities face. In Peru’s Altiplano region, rains are coming later and for ...