Blog for People, Food and Nature

This week, the World Urban Forum offers an opportunity to look at the ways in which challenges and opportunities in cities are linked to those in rural areas. National policy can address (or exacerbate) challenges across the rural-urban continuum. Today, I want to take a look at a piece of policy in America that has […] ...

The city regions approach to building resilient landscapes and food systems presents interesting policy and implementation challenges. And while an increasing number of cities and organizations in the Global North and Global South are collaborating on integrating urban and rural management of food systems, more training, technical assistance and policy advice is needed. Planner ...

The latest report from the International Panel on Climate Change – the leading body for the assessment of global climate change – has gained a lot of attention for its strong language and concern about the future of food security and social instability. Scientists from all over the world contributed their findings and suggestions in […] ...

The Open Working Group on the Sustainable Development Goals’ tenth session opens today to deliberate and negotiate the post-2015 sustainable development agenda. It is not hyperbole to say that their recommendations to the UN General Assembly, set to be delivered in September, will have an enormous impact on the future of all life on earth. […] ...

Productive agricultural landscapes, healthy communities and resilient livelihoods are all dependent on the sound management of freshwater resources. 2014 World Water Day gives us the opportunity to recall that integrated watershed management is an important factor in realizing sustainable ecological and social systems. The Pokhara Valley of Nepal holds Rupa Lake, where an agric ...

The Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) initiative has a potentially large role to play in international actions to combat climate change. Sustainable management of forests and forest carbon stocks does more than just preserve the world’s forests and sequester atmospheric carbon – it provides long-term sustainability and economic develop ...

The year 2013 saw record high numbers for agricultural production and more stable commodity prices than the previous several years, but findings from the International Food Policy Research Institute’s 2013 Global Food Policy Report suggest that the state of global nutrition and food security is still fragile. The report focuses on major food policy developments […] ...

Women play a major role in the management of agricultural landscapes. In rural and agrarian communities, they grow the cereals that form the foundation of meals, manage nutrient rich home gardens and forage for wild fruits and medicine. Not only are women growing the food, they’re fetching firewood, cooking meals and cleaning up afterwards – […] ...

Biodiversity comes in many forms across natural and agricultural landscapes – ranging from crops to pollinators, livestock and the wildlife that make up these complex ecosystems. World Wildlife Day reminds us of the important role of wild plants and animals and the ecosystem services they provide to agriculturalists and all those who benefit from agricultural […] ...

Global Forest Watch is a dynamic and versatile tool created by the World Resources Institute (WRI)  for monitoring forests and the many land uses that impact them. The data is open, crowd sourced, obtained from advanced satellite technology, and displayed using using Google Earth Engine to provide the most accurate and up-to-date images of world forest […] ...