January 28, 2015
Sacred village forests: a kind of natural reserve and support to traditional eco-agriculture
Yinxian Shi
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Sacred natural forests are common in many inhabited areas in China, and have historically been protected and worshipped by several groups of people. There are two major kinds of sacred natural forests: those belonging to regional areas and those belonging to local areas. The first kind of sacred natural forest is held by people from […] ...
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January 23, 2015
“Shallow” private-sector engagement a major concern for integrated landscape initiatives
Daisy Ouya
World Agroforestry Centre
Editor’s note: This post originally appeared on the World Agroforestry Centre’s Agroforestry World Blog. It discusses one key emerging finding of the Landscapes for People, Food and Nature Initiative’s Continental Review series of studies regarding how involved, or not involved, businesses are in integrated landscape initiatives. The Initiative has also worke ...
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January 16, 2015
Reaching Across the Metaphorical Divide: Understanding Sustainable Diets and Food Systems
Bruce Cogill
Bioversity International
Jeffrey Sachs did it. In his address to the International Conference on Nutrition 2 (ICN2) in Rome on the 20th November 2014, Sachs challenged the nutrition community to develop better metrics around what is meant by hunger, adequate nutrition and sustainable food systems. He is not alone. Recommending diverse diets The ICN2 Framework for Action continues […] ...
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January 13, 2015
Learning the Diversity of Landscapes and People’s Land Use in Tropical Island Society
Takuro Furusawa
Kyoto University
On a cultivation site located on a small barrier island, I encountered and interviewed an older man who was making mounds for new tuber crops: Q: “When did you start using this land as a crop garden?” A: “Oh, a very long time ago. I can’t say exactly when.” Q: “What was here when you […] ...
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January 8, 2015
Fostering participation in East African carbon projects
Eva Fillion
EcoAgriculture Partners
Authors from EcoAgriculture Partners, ECOTRUST and ENR Africa Associates have just launched a training manual aimed at farmer groups, extension staff and project managers who are implementing agricultural carbon projects in East Africa. Carbon projects are initiatives designed to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions or sequester those already in the atmosphere, such as through pla ...
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January 2, 2015
Understanding the relationship between Forests and Agriculture: the need for a landscape approach
Richard McNally
SNV, the Netherlands Development Organisation
The agriculture sector sustains the livelihoods of millions of smallholder families and is at the center of national policies to alleviate rural poverty. However, this need for land for agriculture is also the main driver of deforestation and land degradation. A major challenge is how to encourage pro-poor agricultural development while mitigating deforestation and associated [ ...
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