Blog for People, Food and Nature

New data available on the Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS) research program’s data portal allows for climate modeling at the regional and watershed level, where it previously had not been possible. This higher resolution data is useful for developing tools for climate smart agriculture like conservation planning and crop modeling. And thanks to a [&helli ...

In November 2013, we introduced EcoAgriculture’s discussion paper: “Taking Tree Based Ecosystem Approaches to Scale: Evidence of drivers and impacts on food security, climate change resilience and carbon sequestration.” Now, during the 2014 World Congress on Agroforestry, we revisit the study by zooming in on research findings for scaling Tree Based Ecosystem Approache ...

Big Facts is two things. First, it’s a new way to visualize facts related to climate change, agriculture and food security. Second, it’s a source for reliable information on these issues amid a dizzying array of claims that appear in reports, advocacy materials, and other sources. Site users can search for relevant facts and infographics […] ...

Editor’s note: Jesse Last of Root Capital, a social investment fund that provides credit and financial training to agricultural enterprises in Africa and Latin America, discusses how Root Capital integrates social and environmental factors into credit decisions. The organization supports businesses that are positioned to act as environmental stewards of their ecosyste ...

On January 27th, 2014, USAID launched a second version of their framework for natural resource management, Nature Wealth and Power 2.0 (NWP 2.0) at the first of 4 ECO (Environmental Communication, Learning and Outreach) events focusing on knowledge management. NWP 2.0 is USAID’s newly updated framework for practitioners involved in the design, implementation, and evaluation [ ...

A new infographic captures some of the motivations, outcomes, and recommendations of the Global Landscapes Forum held between the two weeks of the UNFCCC 19th Convention of the Parties in Warsaw. It links adaptation and mitigation and suggests landscape principles be applied both in REDD+ activities and the sustainable development goals under formation. This and […] ...

As the date to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) nears, with 2015 in rapid approach, discussion around a new set of ‘Sustainable Development Goals‘ (SDGs) has been building. Where the MDGs set forward specific targets for hunger, health, environment, and other development priorities, there is growing interest in finding ways in which the SDGs [… ...

‘Local’ plays a critical role in long-term sustainable management of land and resources. On Wednesday, we explored the devolution of smallholder carbon project ownership to local institutions. Issues of land tenure and secure land rights also hold serious implications for local people and can shape best management and conservation efforts across Africa. Focus on Lan ...

By Robin Chazdon, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut In the final days of 2013, the Landscapes Blog reported on new efforts underway to enhance forest landscape restoration, including agroforestry and reforestation activities. Today, Professor Robin Chazdon introduces a collaborative project just getting its feet off the ground, which will ...

Happy New Year! With 2014 upon us, it’s a good time to review some of the big emerging or debated issues related to integrated landscape approaches the Landscapes Blog covered last year. Climate change was a pervasive theme on the Landscape Blog, and in conversations on agriculture, environment, and development. Issues related to climate change were […] ...