October 24, 2015
Field Diary of Cocoa and Conservation in Bantaeng, Indonesia
Najemia Tahiruddin
Rainforest Alliance
The Sulawesi bear cuscus is a vulnerable animal on the IUCN Red List found in only one part of Indonesia. In the past, farmers viewed cuscuses as pests and would hunt them. However, after receiving training from the Rainforest Alliance, local farmers are now taking action to protect this rare species. Editor’s Note: The following […] ...
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September 29, 2015
Solar Energy in Egypt for Agriculture, Business and Social Development
Christine Arlt
SEKEM Initiative
The ancient Egyptians developed the first means for using solar thermal energy by designing their buildings in architecturally appropriate ways. Today, thousands of years later, the conscious use of renewable energy is more important than ever. That’s why the Egyptian SEKEM Initiative has installed a number of solar panels on roofs, in fields, and even in […] ...
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September 12, 2015
Biogas for Cambodian Farmers reduces emissions and inputs of agrochemicals
Jakob Assmann
Polarstern
A German company, a Dutch development organization, and the Cambodian government work with smallholder farmers to turn livestock waste into light and fuel. All around the world, both advocates and opponents of renewable energies are looking at Germany and its Energiewende, German for ‘energy transition.’ Since the late 1990s, the country has embarked on a […] ...
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September 2, 2015
Sustainable Agriculture in China, Then and Now
Seth Cook
IIED
The environmental impacts of China’s agricultural production affect not just China, but also the global environment. Editor’s note: In the last few decades, East and Southeast Asia used rapid agriculture expansion to grow national economies. This strategy initially paid off big, but overexploitation of key natural resources quickly threatened profitability, and caused ...
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August 31, 2015
Making WAVES in greening land use in the Philippines
Evan Romanko
EcoAgriculture Partners
By assuming a combination of specific roles, governments can institutionalize environmental protections through practical and applicable strategies that improve the management of natural resources. In a forthcoming book Steps Toward Green: Policy Responses to the Environmental Footprint of Commodity Agriculture in East and Southeast Asia, experts from The World Bank, EcoAgricu ...
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August 26, 2015
LUMENS is illuminating land-use planning for sustainable landscapes
Robert Finlayson
World Agroforestry Centre
Involving all levels of government in achieving environmental goals is key to creating green economies. Editor’s Note: In the forthcoming book, Steps Toward Green: Policy Responses to the Environmental Footprint of Commodity Agriculture in East and Southeast Asia, the authors call for policymakers to formulate national strategies to upscale the work of innovative civic s ...
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July 6, 2015
The Value of Multifunctional Agriculture: a case study in northern Europe
Alberto Bernues
Norwegian University of Life Sciences
In some of the most biodiverse regions of the world, people have farmed for centuries, shaping magnificent agricultural landscapes. Multifunctionality recognizes agriculture as a multi-output activity producing not only private (market) goods such as food, feed, or fibre, but also public (nonmarket, non-excludable, non-rival) goods such as agricultural landscapes, farmland biod ...
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July 2, 2015
Protecting Endangered Plants, One Taboo at a time: traditional practices and conservation
Diana Quiroz
Naturalis Biodiversity Center
The iroko (Milicia excelsa) is one of West Africa’s most iconic trees. It is a sacred tree in many of the areas where it occurs. In Benin, people call Him “the king of the forest” and hence address Him with respect. For the past five years, our team has studied plant use in West Africa […] ...
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June 25, 2015
Rwandan Stakeholders Enact Plan to Facilitate Integrated Landscape Practices
David Kuria
KENVO
In an effort to combat ‘silo thinking’, stakeholders in Rwanda create a multifaceted approach targeting governance, research, investment and ground-level activities. The concept of Integrated Landscape Management (ILM) is gaining popularity across East Africa. Policy makers, development partners and field practitioners have begun to appreciate the fact that worki ...
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June 10, 2015
Harvesting Under Fear
Anne-Sophie Gindroz
Rights and Resources Initiative
A new measure by the Indonesian Government to give some state protected areas back to communities for management seeks to change local farmers’ lives. But how permanent is it? They harvested their coffee during the dead of the night, using the faint light from their mobile phones to guide them, trying not to get caught […] ...
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