Blog for People, Food and Nature

April 13, 2012

A Business Model to Feed 9 Billion

One Acre Fund is an organization that “helps East African farmers grow their way out of hunger.” So why a smallholder agricultural development organization on the Landscapes Blog? There is no discussion of multiple ecosystem services, or  the role of trees and wildlife habitat in a landscape. But the organization’s projects address issues of credit, [… ...
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April 12, 2012

Land Security: Sustaining People, Soil, and Water

A recent report released by the Earth Security Initiative tackles land tenure and rights, both in how they relate to the people affected by land acquisitions and the consequences for natural systems. The Land Security Agenda laid out in the report calls for engaging all stakeholders in the discussions around investment, acquisition, and management of land to […] ...
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April 11, 2012

Himalayan Communities Building Resilience to Climate Change

Rachel Friedman University of Queensland

A recent publication by the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) documents the effects of climate change on mountain people in the Hindu-Kush Himalayan region. The study investigated the sources of vulnerability and how these farmers adapt to change. Although facing considerable threat from climate and socioeconomic changes, the mountain communities ...
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April 10, 2012

Land for Life

“By harnessing synergies and linkages between components within production landscapes, SLM can generate multiple global environmental and livelihood benefits.” A collaboration of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) secretariats, the Land for Life publication presents a set of case studies of sustainable land ...
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April 3, 2012

Seven Steps to Feed a Planet

“There is no room for delay on integrated, strategic policy action that confronts the difficult trade-offs facing the global food system and sets a new course toward long-term sustainability.” The Commission on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change, established to identify policy changes and actions needed to achieve food security in the context of a changing ...
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March 29, 2012

Trees in a Multifunctional Landscape

“If the focus becomes functional landscapes then forests can also be seen within the context of such landscapes.” – Meine Van Noordwijk, Lead author  The World Agroforestry Centre’s blog recently highlighted a book published at the end of 2011 on trees in multifunctional landscapes as means of dealing with climate change. Entitled How Trees and People [&hellip ...
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March 27, 2012

Taking a Landscape View of People, Food and Nature

  Cross-posted from Bioversity International. Interview with Fabrice de Clerck, Bioversity Programme Leader, Agroecological Intensification and Risk Management  at the International Forum for Landscapes for People, Food and Nature – Nairobi, March 6-9th 2012.  Q: We are here at the final day of the International Forum for Landscapes, Food and Nature in Nairobi. First ...
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March 22, 2012

A Watershed Approach for the Mississippi

Today is World Water Day, and it just so happens that this year focuses on water and food security! Agriculture is not only a primary user of water, but it also impacts water quality considerably. A recent National Geographic Magazine article explored the challenges posed by agriculture in the Mississippi River Basin. As part of the […] ...
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March 20, 2012

Regreening the Sahel: An Integrated Approach

World Resources Institute

Less than a decade ago, researchers became aware of a substantial effort by farmers in Niger and other Sahelian countries to protect and manage tree species on their land. This practice, which has been occurring for decades, improves water use efficiency and availability, increases crop yields, and protects soil from erosion. Not something completely novel, […] ...
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March 15, 2012

Forests on the Menu

A recent special issue of the Centre for International Forestry Research’s (CIFOR) International Forestry Review honed in on the interconnected issues of forestry, biodiversity, and food security. Christine Padoch, Director of the Forests and Livelihoods Programme at CIFOR, introduced the set of articles by drawing together the complex interactions of forests and food systems ...
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