Blog for People, Food and Nature

March 30, 2017

The Grapes of Ziway: Business in the Central Rift Valley of Ethiopia

Tuscany, Napa Valley, South Africa—you’re thinking of wine right? Well if you haven’t already, you should add one more region to that list: the Central Rift Valley, Ethiopia. Castel Winery is making a name for itself in the global wine industry and for more reasons than just the quality of its beverage. Situated on the […] ...
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March 29, 2017

Tree-planting Startup Shows 4 Steps to Raising Capital for Restoration

Florence Landsberg World Resources Institute

Amsterdam-based Land Life Company had an innovative idea: a patented technology that enables trees to grow in arid and degraded land. The three-year-old start-up recently raised $2.6 million to expand operations. Other restoration players can do the same, using a four-step plan created with input from investors and restoration companies by the New Restoration Economy […] ...
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March 27, 2017

Douglas McGuire: Forum will build links between investors and sustainable landscapes

The Editors EcoAgriculture Partners

It seems like every week we hear about another major commitment to restore degraded forests and landscapes, and pledges of millions, even billions of dollars to do so. For example, the government of Norway in January pledged $400 million for restoration, intended to catalyze a further $1.6 billion in private investment. At least $1.5 billion has […] ...
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March 21, 2017

African Landscapes Dialogue sparks advances in continental action plan

Melissa Thaxton EcoAgriculture Partners

The African Landscapes Action Plan provided the starting point for a highly enriching dialogue. July 2017 will mark the third anniversary of the adoption of the African Landscapes Action Plan (ALAP), a strategic roadmap for achieving sustainable landscape management in Africa. Developed in July 2014 at the “Landscapes for People, Food and Nature in Africa” […] ...
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March 20, 2017

The impacts of climate change on agricultural workers

Julie Potyraj Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University

A thriving agriculture sector is necessary for food production. But a healthy agricultural workforce is just as important. By 2050, the world’s population is expected to grow from its current 7.37 billion to 9.7 billion. With almost 2.5 billion more mouths to feed, global food demand will also inevitably increase. In fact, between 2005 and […] ...
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March 16, 2017

Policy as a magical black box

Jonathan Davies International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

“Sometimes policy is talked about as if it is a magical black box – you pour in evidence and a policy solution will emerge. This may partly reflect a wide range of different meanings of “policy” – from over-arching political commitments to legislation to public budgeting”, one of the participants of the discussion group on […] ...
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March 13, 2017

Highlights from the African Landscapes Dialogue

Louis Wertz EcoAgriculture Partners

In this video from Change Magazine, you can see and hear the excitement and activity that made the African Landscapes Dialogue a success. Participants shared practical advice, brainstormed solutions to common challenges, and inspired one another in a variety of ways. As you can glimpse in this video, they were learning and sharing constantly, whether it […] ...
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March 10, 2017

Landscape leaders call for linking practice to policy

Chimere Diaw commands attention whenever he speaks. “Abako!” his voice booms over the crowded presentation hall. This initiates a Sudanese call-and-response to focus the audience’s attention. Infused with the energy he exudes, 140 conference participants stand up, answer back, and clap their hands in unison. A communal feeling fills the room as people look at […] ...
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March 9, 2017

The opening of the African Landscapes Dialogue highlights the importance of achieving long term sustainability

How do we make landscape approaches sustainable in the long term? This was the question posed by Dr. Gete Zeleke from the Center for Water and Land Resources in his opening key note speech of the African Landscapes Dialogue. The dialogue, taking place this week in Addis Ababa, includes 140 researchers, practitioners, policy makers, and […] ...
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March 8, 2017

ALD is a Tremendous Gathering of Talent, Ambition and Genuine Care: Minister Gemedo Dale

The Editors EcoAgriculture Partners

The African Landscapes Dialogue (ALD), which kicked off yesterday, 6 March 2017, in Addis Ababa, brought together more than 100 participants to discuss “integrated landscape management in practice.” H.E Dr. Gemedo Dale, Minister of Environment, Forestry and Climate Change, Ethiopia, officially opened the ALD in the presence of participants from various countries in Africa, ...
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