Blog for People, Food and Nature

The challenges ahead for world agriculture are huge. Before the end of the century we need to feed 10 billion people sustainably - with climate change, water scarcity and energy security issues making life much more difficult for farmers.  We must achieve this on about the same amount of agricultural land that we use …

  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 Internatio…

Barilla Center for Food & Nutrition, Parma, Italy According to the USDA Economic Research Service, 1.2 million hectares of land in Italy is devoted to growing Durum wheat, the main variety used to produce pasta. Comprising around 8% of the agricultural land in Italy and over two-thirds the land area in wheat (FAOSt…

A story from the Blue Nile Basin, in the Ethiopian Highlands By Catherine Pfeifer, Post-Doctoral Scientist International Livestock Research Institute and International Water Management Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Landscapes in the Ethiopian highlands are mainly shaped by rainfed agriculture. The mixed crop-livest…

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.…

[caption id="attachment_660" align="aligncenter" width="640" caption="Photo of the field team at the Kutaber Sentinel Site with East Africa Regional Scientist, Leigh Winowiecki."][/caption] By Dr. Leigh Winowiecki, Soil Scientist Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Sustainable Land Management Program, based in Nair…