Landscapes Blog

March 6, 2018

Weathering Change: Women Farm Cocoa, Too

Rachel FriedmanUniversity of Queensland

You have probably read an article or two (or more) about how climate change is going to be the end of chocolate. Compounded by potential losses of our other favorite indulgences – coffee and wine – this is nothing short of tragic. But what these articles don’t really discuss is what happens to the farmers who […] ...
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January 2, 2016

More than just the land: a discussion of rural women’s equality

Rachel FriedmanUniversity of Queensland

The starting point was logical: land. But, as with many of the complex and thorny issues discussed at the Global Landscapes Forum, addressing gender, natural resources, and rural livelihoods involves thinking outside that box. We started at square one: in rural areas of developing countries, women own less land, under less secure tenure. While the […] ...
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December 28, 2015

Seeing the water basins for the trees

Rachel FriedmanUniversity of Queensland

It’s pretty easy to continue with accepted theories, among like-minded colleagues. Yet, a collegial discussion on managing forests for water and climate, hosted by WeForest at the Global Landscapes Forum, pushed boundaries a bit. In this talk, world leaders moved beyond mere mechanics of the water cycle to more fully embrace the complexity of integrated […] ...
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November 13, 2013

Recognizing Common Ground: Finding Meaning in Integrated Landscape Management

Rachel FriedmanUniversity of Queensland Seth ShamesEcoAgriculture Partners Sara ScherrEcoAgriculture Partners

‘Landscape’ and related phrases such as ‘landscape approach’ are increasingly emerging in international policy, practice, and research discussions. At the first ever Global Landscapes Forum this weekend, during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP19) meeting in Warsaw, landscape concepts will be given a full airing before climate change ...
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October 30, 2013

Livestock for Climate: More than mitigation from improved animal agriculture

Rachel FriedmanUniversity of Queensland

A long-standing contention in climate change negotiations, and more broadly in discussions of solutions, is often the explicit separation of mitigation and adaptation. Contributing nearly 15% of human-induced emissions, the livestock sector draws particular attention from the mitigation side. While a recent FAO report,  building on the findings in Livestock’s Long Shadow ...
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September 18, 2013

Enhancing Resilience in the Cattle Corridor of Uganda

Rachel FriedmanUniversity of Queensland

As the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) meets this week, the Landscapes Blog continues to turn its attention to integrated landscape management and activities. Resilience is a particularly critical topic in the drylands, where more variable climate and the increased frequency and intensity of drought events makes planning for stresses and uncertainty necessary. I ...
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