Blog for People, Food and Nature

With agriculture a the primary user of freshwater worldwide, there is an abundance of stories on the hydrologic challenges farmers face and the creative ways with which they persevere. Water management is of prime importance to the Landscapes Initiative, as it often involves coordinating across spatial scales, across …

Photo credit: Bernard Keraita/IWMI As August progresses, issues related to the quantity and quality of water abound. Drought in the United States over the past couple of months have stirred questions on water scarcity, climate change, and crop production. During Rio+20, the Landscapes Blog reported on the United Nation…

As the Blog moves through aspects of the agricultural supply chain, one important stakeholder group (and a good place to conclude the week) are those at the end of the chain, the consumers. Considering the global nature of the food system, a consumer's behavior has implications beyond an individual's immediate surround…

Yesterday, the Landscapes Blog covered a publication on standards and certifications relevant to soybean production in Brazil. Such eco-standards and certification systems have proliferated over the past two decades, with growing interest and recognition by consumers, producers, businesses, and investors. But are these…

[caption id="attachment_1396" align="alignleft" width="326" caption="Photo credit: Bob Nichols/USDA"][/caption] Soy production has grown substantially in recent years, as both a vital protein source and feed for livestock. As one of the major producers of soy, with nearly 25% of the world's cultivated land in the crop,…

Whether it's a smallholder farm or industrial scale operation, the food industry and supply chain play a critical role in dictating the trajectory of agricultural development. Companies are recognizing the business case for sustainability - how land degradation, climate change, and poor use of natural resources poses a…