September 29, 2014
Unraveling the ‘Landscape Approach’—Are We on the Right Track?
Roderick Zagt
Tropenbos International
Nick Pasiecznik
“We know what needs to done, and how, but we are not sure how to explain it”—this was the predominant sentiment that lingered after the seminar ‘Unraveling the landscape approach – are we on the right track?‘ held in Wageningen, the Netherlands on 17 September 2014. Four presenters and three panelists tried their hand at […] ...
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September 27, 2014
The Time is Now: Take Action on Climate Change in Africa
Editor’s note: The release of the African Landscapes Action Plan strategically coincides with the United Nations Climate Summit currently underway in New York City, as well as the launch of the Global Climate-Smart Agriculture Alliance. The Agroforestry World Blog takes note of this timing, noting that the success of these meetings comes from swift, translatable [… ...
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September 26, 2014
Worth More than a Thousand Words: Photovoice in Multi-Stakeholder Decision Making
Greg Spira
Cuso International
People often say that a picture is worth a thousand words. Advocacy campaigns frequently present stark images that ostensibly speak for themselves. These images are highly evocative and effective at provoking outside action. But are a thousand words really enough? Within large landscapes, individuals, communities and diverse interest groups possess distinct perspectives and vis ...
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September 22, 2014
Setting Goals at the UN Climate Summit
Eva Fillion
EcoAgriculture Partners
If you are reading this, chances are that you’re already aware of the detrimental effects of climate change. You’ve read the research, you know the rhetoric: we are deep in a cycle of emitting harmful greenhouse gasses, degrading the land and depleting natural resources, which negatively affects not only our own lifestyle and health, but […] ...
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September 19, 2014
Equator Prize Recipients Incorporate Ecoagriculture Principles into Award-Winning Initiatives
Margie Miller
EcoAgriculture Partners
Next Monday, on the eve of the United Nations Climate Summit, as high level government officials from around the world check into their hotels, a different kind of UN gathering will be taking place in New York City—one that brings people who are far from the seats of power. The Equator Prize Award Ceremony, which […] ...
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September 17, 2014
Agroecology and Ecoagriculture: Coming to Terms with the Terminology
Margie Miller
EcoAgriculture Partners
With the International Symposium on Agroecology for Food and Nutrition Security just around the corner, a colleague of mine was recently asked by a peer to explain the difference between agroecology and ecoagriculture. “Funny you should ask,” she replied, “we have a blog coming out on that in a few weeks.” Both of these phrases combine the roots “agr,” related to th ...
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September 15, 2014
New Guides and Tools for Tackling Complex, Interdisciplinary Problems
Jes Walton
EcoAgriculture Partners
Many contemporary environmental scientists and land managers are adopting a refined perspective for addressing complex, interdisciplinary problems that acknowledges humans as an integral part of the natural world. This approach builds on the observation that functioning of human societies and nature are inseparably linked. Acknowledging this relationship is especially important ...
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September 13, 2014
Costa Rica Puts a Price Tag on Nature: Will it Work?
Editor’s note: The payments for ecosystem services (PES) strategy is a fairly controversial one: though it does provide strong incentive for sustainable practices, it also means monetizing natural features and linking the environment to an often unstable economy. Alvaro Umaña, Costa Rica’s first minister of environment and energy, gave the keynote address the 7th ...
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September 12, 2014
A Methodological Guide for Blending Local & Technical Knowledge on Soil Fertility Management
Edmundo Barrios
World Agroforestry Centre
Today is the United Nation’s Day for South-South Cooperation, which highlights the need for cooperation between developing countries to complement the international development efforts of industrialized nations. Edmundo Barrios of the World Agroforestry Center writes about a specific case of South-South cooperation between Latin America and Africa, in which a participatory me ...
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September 10, 2014
Spatial-Temporal Monitoring of Land Use Change in Brazil
Victor Coelho, Pernambuco Federal University/Universidade Federal de Pernambuco
Changes in land use caused by human actions have generated major impacts on the landscape, including the substitution of natural areas for diverse uses and the fragmentation of forested areas. These impacts can be mitigated by land use and land cover monitoring, which uses spatial-temporal information to track changes occurring in the landscape. Currently, the […] ...
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