Blog for People, Food and Nature

As the Landscapes Blog digs deeper into the role of agricultural landscapes in climate change mitigation and adaptation this month, it is important to consider the many facets of the issue. Last week, the Blog considered the concepts of agroforestry and sustainable intensification. Following a similar vein, the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) published [&hell ...

Climate-smart beyond the farm gate The impact of climate change on agriculture is an issue of monumental importance. Climate-smart (CSA) is a term that describes the vision for agricultural systems that strive to not only sustainably increase production, but also reduce or sequester greenhouse gas emissions, build resilience to climate change impacts, and achieve national [&hel ...

Climate change is the one challenge facing every single member of the world’s population. The world’s major opportunity to organize and mobilize our response to this threat, the 18th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP18), begins at the end of this month in Doha, Qatar. Held […] ...

Smallholder farmers in East Africa have begun shifting practices and use of technology towards those that are more climate-resilient, according to a recent survey published in the journal Food Security. While encouraging, these are also baby steps, and some of the most transformative changes have yet to catch on. Led by researchers at the Climate […] ...

One of the critical questions facing the agricultural development community today, is how can agricultural systems continue to produce adequate food for the human population, while reducing harmful impacts on the environment and confronting climate change. Examining one proposed solution – “sustainable intensification” – the Food Climate Research Network ...

Trees, a topic never too far from discussions on climate change mitigation, are also important features in agricultural landscapes. As we move from the food security and development events of the past couple of months, and into the period around the UNFCCC COP18 in Doha, trees are critical pieces to building resilience to climate change […] ...

How do we know the extent of impact agriculture has on the environment, or the effects of shifting practices and technology on agriculture? This is an especially important question when there are certain standards to be met, and there are many, as we have discussed previously on the blog. With the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil […] ...

Partnerships – a primary theme and prevailing topic of discussion during the second Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development – were touted as essential elements to link research to development outcomes. Not business-as-usual development outcomes: GCARD2 attendees recognized that in the face of this century’s human and environmental challenges, a paradigm ...

Measurement and assessment of impacts from management practices is an important component of incorporating sustainability into agricultural businesses and supply chains. Building off of their post on the necessity of business engagement, Michael Zrust and Sophia Gnych of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) offer a snapshot of how their Biodiversity and Palm Oil Project [&hel ...