January 18, 2016
Trendy and sustainable, quinoa and chia research in Egypt
Christine Arlt
SEKEM Initiative
Chia and quinoa seem to be predestined for Egypt. Chia and quinoa are dry and salt-tolerant crops. Both of them have a great potential to improve food security in regions that do not have enough water resources. “In march 2015 I visited the SEKEM Initiative Farm for the first time and gained awareness of the huge challenges […] ...
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October 1, 2015
In City Farming, supporters ask the wrong question of a great solution
Anne Palmer
Center for a Livable Future, John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Every so often, I read a headline highlighting a study that proposes to prove cities are able to grow significant amounts of food. These studies claim that urban farming can provide for the food needs of an entire city. For you urban dwellers, spend a day or two writing down everything you eat and then […] ...
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July 16, 2015
Catalyzing the uptake of the Landscape Approach
This past April, a team of ecosystem management practitioners came together in Nairobi, Kenya. Their mission? To put the Ecosystem Management of Productive Landscapes project on the map. Demand for food, energy, and fiber is projected to increase 40-60%, a strain on industry and agriculture that will also be exacerbated by stresses from climate change. Considering the futur ...
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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 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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April 30, 2015
The Connection between Biodiversity and Coffee Agriculture
Amanda Caudill
Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center
When I tell people about my research with biodiversity and coffee farms, most people look at me confused and ask, “Wait, what does coffee have to do with biodiversity?” I understand that this question is not unfounded. Although about 1 billion cups are coffee are consumed worldwide daily–most people do not link the dark, velvety […] ...
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April 10, 2015
How and where to restore tropical forest: a bird’s eye view
Leighton Reid
Missouri Botanical Garden
Great Tinamous are surprisingly light-footed for being rather awkwardly shaped. They wander delicately on the rainforest floor and call to one another in haunting tones at dawn and dusk. When approached by people, they disappear nervously into the underbrush. This shy, sun-dappled lifestyle works well in endless forest, but it complicates the task of restoring […] ...
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March 26, 2015
Indigenous Landscapes Provide Foods and Funds in Obalanga Subcounty, Uganda
Esezah Kakudidi
Makerere University
Samuel Ojelel
The subsistence farming communities in Obalanga are reliant on their indigenous landscapes for a wide array of services. The communities benefit from provisionary services (e.g. food), regulative services (e.g. local climate moderation), supportive services (e.g. soil fertility) and cultural services (e.g. recreation) from these landscapes. These interactions are pertinent in t ...
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March 19, 2015
Potential for Nutrition Gains in Nepal through its Agriculture Sector
Jess Fanzo
Columbia University
Agricultural and food systems around the world have evolved to become more complex and globalized. The nutritional quality of food production, processing, and consumption – as determined by the food system – is intrinsically related to the World Summit goal for all people to have the opportunity to lead a healthy and active life. Nutrition-sensitive […] ...
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