February 28, 2015
SDGs fail to address interlinkages between goals and targets
In a recently released review of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), my colleagues and I find that the goal on food security, improved nutrition and sustainable agriculture is a vast improvement over the Millennium Development Goals, which did not consider agriculture at all. But, the SDGs fail to address important complementarities and tradeoffs among goals and ...
Read the Whole Story
February 25, 2015
Changing the face of agriculture
Kevi Mace
University of California, Berkeley
Lauren Ponisio
Agricultural landscapes in the United States, from the Central Valley of California to the Corn Belt of the Midwest, are largely similar in that the lands encompass expanses of single crops. Whether it is almonds or grapes or tomatoes or a fallow field, the one thing they have in common is their imposing homogeneity. This […] ...
Read the Whole Story
February 18, 2015
Winter forage and other ways crop-livestock integration improves resilience
Alan Franzluebbers
USDA – Agricultural Research Service
On a bright sunny day in late March, Steven Knapp walks his cropland fields inspecting the lush growth of rye cover crop that has become an oasis of winter forage for his cattle. Across the road, a neighbor drives by another field – likely in astonishment that the previous night’s rain has washed away so […] ...
Read the Whole Story
February 16, 2015
Livelihood outcomes of payment for ecosystem services in Ecuadorian highland Andean grasslands
Leah Bremer
Natural Capital Project
University of Hawai’i, Mānoa
Kathleen A. Farley
In Latin America and around the world, payment for ecosystem services (PES) programs represents a growing approach to conservation. In many cases, these programs aim to tackle social and environmental goals at the same time through, for example, improving the livelihoods of farmers while also encouraging more sustainable land-use practices. Ecuador’s SocioBosque program, a na ...
Read the Whole Story
February 9, 2015
The Challenge of Agroforestry Systems in Ituri, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Jacques Famili Sumbu
The Ituri Forest landscape, located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is one of Central Africa’s most biologically diverse regions and is particularly rich in bird species and mammals. The forest supports the largest remaining population of the Congo’s endemic rainforest giraffe and okapi, as well as large populations of elephants, owl-faced monkeys, […] ...
Read the Whole Story
February 5, 2015
Linking Food Security, Climate Adaptation and Carbon Management: A Case Study from Indonesia
Jonatan A. Lassa
Nanyang Technological University
Yulius P. K. Suni
Farmers in North Central Timor face local environmental degradation such as soil erosion, water stress, recurrent droughts and erratic climate. These environmental problems are likely to be more intensive and extensive in the context of Timor Island. Failure to address these environmental problems will leave this vulnerable region less resilient in the face of future […] ...
Read the Whole Story
February 5, 2015
Business Thinking about the Landscape Approach
Marissa Sherman
EcoAgriculture Partners
Now more than ever, public-private partnerships are seen as essential to address critical risks related to deforestation, climate change, water scarcity, and poverty and to driving sustainable economic development. In looking at landscape initiatives around the globe, businesses, both big and small, are important stakeholders of rural landscapes contributing to and dependent ...
Read the Whole Story
February 2, 2015
Traditional Markets are an Important Part of Nutrition-sensitive Landscapes in Morocco
Abderrahim Ouarghidi
Global Diversity Foundation
Bronwen Powell
Winter has arrived here in Morocco. From December to March, there is a lot of rain (more than the rest of the year) – and widespread availability of wild vegetables. Although wild foods, especially wild vegetables, have held an important place in Moroccan culinary practice for generations, up until recently, they have been largely overlooked […] ...
Read the Whole Story
