October 29, 2014
Agriculture and Climate Change: The State of Ecosystems and Human Systems in the Tropics
Sarina Katz
EcoAgriculture Partners
Biodiversity and food insecurity in the tropics The 3rd International Conference on Biodiversity and the UN Millennium Development Goals (entitled Biodiversity and Food Security – From Trade-offs to Synergies) is currently underway in France. The conference serves as a platform to discuss the loss of biodiversity at all levels and food security challenges caused by […] ...
Read the Whole Story
October 27, 2014
5 Not-so-tidy Steps to Feed the World
Eva Fillion
EcoAgriculture Partners
A roadmap for feeding the world On October 22nd National Geographic and the FAO co-hosted the 2014 World Food Day discussion Feeding the World, Caring for the Earth. The event, which took place at the National Geographic Headquarters in Washington, DC, brought together global leaders from the food and agriculture sectors to discuss the state […] ...
Read the Whole Story
October 24, 2014
Yarsagumba Over-Harvesting and the Resource Curse in Nepal
Anju Air
Norwegian University of Science and Technology
The tragedy of the (fungal) commons Commons are always being overexploited to maximize individual benefit, which also leads to local extinctions of species in some areas. The yarsagumba (or “summer plant, winter insect” Ophiocordyceps sinensis), an endemic species to the Himalayas and Tibetan plateau, faces this very fate. This unusual and much sought after species starts ...
Read the Whole Story
October 20, 2014
Systematic Planning for Wastewater Reuse in Agriculture
Priyanie Amerasinghe
International Water Management Institute
Priyanka Nanayakkara
Across villages and cities in India (and around the globe), water plays an undeniably vital role in human survival and resilience. In today’s world, wastewater could possibly be playing an even bigger role, particularly in agriculture development, although this is not well documented due to its informal nature. Urban return flow, or wastewater, constitutes 70-80% […] ...
Read the Whole Story
October 13, 2014
Tanzanian Villagers Take Land Use Planning Into Their Own Hands
Margie Miller
EcoAgriculture Partners
Tenure security and food security in Tanzania At this week’s 41st meeting of the Food and Agriculture Organization Committee on World Food Security, land tenure is sure to be an important topic. Villagers in Southern Tanzania also have this topic on their mind, as their communities are eyed with interest by the Southern Agricultural Growth […] ...
Read the Whole Story
October 10, 2014
The Fall and Rise Again of Plantations in Tropical Asia: What it Means for Agricultural Landscapes
Derek Byerlee, Visiting Scholar, Stanford University
Investment in large farms goes against historical trends In 2008, I co-directed the World Development Report on Agriculture for Development, which strongly argued for a development strategy based on small and medium sized family farms—smallholders for short. Since then, I have been following the surge in investor interest in large farms and plantations. Although much [&hellip ...
Read the Whole Story
October 6, 2014
The True Tradeoff: Continually Rising Human Populations or Healthy Biodiversity and Ecosystems
J. Hal Michael Jr.
Sustainable Fisheries Foundation
Tension between human population growth and natural resources is not sustainable Sustainability in the long term requires explicitly dealing with the conflict between a growing human population and natural resources. I have encountered this throughout my 34-year career in cold water fish research, natural resource management, ecosystem assessment, habitat restoration, and aquac ...
Read the Whole Story
October 1, 2014
Practical Approaches to Integrating Community Based Adaptation in Local Planning in Northern Ghana
Nikolaj Boutrup Møller, ALP Ghana/CARE Denmark
Integrating community based adaptation activities into local- and district-level plans is considered one of the most effective ways to support vulnerable communities in adapting to the impacts of climate change. However, practical approaches for integration that reflect the realities and priorities of the communities on the ground have always been a challenge. Fighting food in ...
Read the Whole Story
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 ...
Read the Whole Story
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 ...
Read the Whole Story
