October 10, 2014
The Fall and Rise Again of Plantations in Tropical Asia: What it Means for Agricultural Landscapes
Derek Byerlee, Visiting Scholar, Stanford University
Investment in large farms goes against historical trends In 2008, I co-directed the World Development Report on Agriculture for Development, which strongly argued for a development strategy based on small and medium sized family farms—smallholders for short. Since then, I have been following the surge in investor interest in large farms and plantations. Although much [&hellip ...
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October 8, 2014
Hope for Human-Altered Landscapes in Southern Bangladesh
Md. Abdullah Al Mamun, REEP Green Solutions
Flood control measures do more harm than good for local fishers Bangladesh is a watershed-based country with dynamic ecosystems—including floodplains and wetlands—that are experiencing biodiversity losses and degradation. Since the 1970s, the government of Bangladesh has encouraged the draining of wetlands and established embankments to protect farmlands and houses from dev ...
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October 6, 2014
The True Tradeoff: Continually Rising Human Populations or Healthy Biodiversity and Ecosystems
J. Hal Michael Jr.
Sustainable Fisheries Foundation
Tension between human population growth and natural resources is not sustainable Sustainability in the long term requires explicitly dealing with the conflict between a growing human population and natural resources. I have encountered this throughout my 34-year career in cold water fish research, natural resource management, ecosystem assessment, habitat restoration, and aquac ...
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October 4, 2014
Climate Change Adaptation: It’s Not all Doom and Gloom
Editor’s note: The U.N. Environment Programme (UNEP) recently released a report that takes a refreshingly optimistic look at climate change adaptation in Africa. Whereas adaptation is often viewed as a last-ditch effort to combat climate-driven changes in the landscape, this new report highlights its potential to support new business endeavors and as a way to build c ...
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October 3, 2014
Four Things I Learned From the Equator Prize Award Ceremony
Margie Miller
EcoAgriculture Partners
Last month, I blogged about the Equator Prize, which honors community-based groups for achievements in “advancing local sustainable development solutions for people, nature and resilient communities.” Today I’m going to share four things I learned at the award ceremony, which took place September 20th. Jane Goodall hasn’t heard of the landscape approach…but ...
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October 1, 2014
Practical Approaches to Integrating Community Based Adaptation in Local Planning in Northern Ghana
Nikolaj Boutrup Møller, ALP Ghana/CARE Denmark
Integrating community based adaptation activities into local- and district-level plans is considered one of the most effective ways to support vulnerable communities in adapting to the impacts of climate change. However, practical approaches for integration that reflect the realities and priorities of the communities on the ground have always been a challenge. Fighting food in ...
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