Blog

January 2013

If landscapes are a sum of their parts: how do we measure them?

Submitted by Lucy on 30th January 2013
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By Eleanor Milne

At last year’s Forest Day, it seemed that there was one word on everybody’s lips: ‘landscapes’. We heard it in conversations, in presentations, even the event itself was held under the theme of ‘Living Landscapes’, representing a new collaboration between Forest Day and Agriculture, Landscapes and Livelihoods Day. A collaboration which explores the relation between forests, farming and people; which recognizes that every landscape is a patch-work of different land covers; and that these land covers interact with and impact on each other. It is an idea which understands that if we are to simultaneously address climate change, save forests and feed people, a landscape approach at a landscape-scale is needed.

However, conducting landscape-scale measurements and modeling has proved particularly difficult in developing countries. Read more »

Hundreds of Bihar women get trained on climate change and food security

Submitted by Deepshikha on 29th January 2013
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Farmer weeding maize field in Bihar, India.

By Aditi Kapoor

I was apprehensive. The training of trainers (ToT) had gone off well, and our partner organisation, the Bihar Mahila Samakhya, was well versed in carrying out training programmes, boasted good training facilities, had demonstrative experience of mobilising rural elected women and enjoyed a certain degree of acceptance by the district administration. The State Panchyati Raj Department had circulated a letter to all District Administration heads to ensure that elected women leaders would be able to attend the training workshops. Yet, I was nervous.

There were many questions in my mind: Would the trainers be able to bring to the fore the complex links between ‘Gender, Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security,’ the topic for training? Would the trainers remember what they had learnt from the many presentations at the ToT?? Would they be able to use the training manual effectively? Would they be able to link the subject matter of the training to the lives of their trainees? Would the elected women trainers really participate in the roll out of the trainings across 17 districts?

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The promise and pitfalls of agricultural carbon projects

Submitted by Lucy on 28th January 2013
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A new CCAFS working paper profiles four sustainable agricultural development pro

By Alison Nihart

With agriculture accounting for 10-12% of global human-induced greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, sustainable agricultural development programs are looking to incorporate emissions reduction strategies into project design.

A new CCAFS working paper, Smallholder agricultural carbon projects in Ghana: Benefits, barriers, and institutional arrangements by Jean Lee, profiles four such agricultural carbon projects.

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Cell phones connect farmers to a food secure future

Submitted by Lucy on 21st January 2013
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Cell phones are a vital link for farmers working in the field but more needs to

By Bruce Campbell

Farmers have been at the forefront of changes and “shocks” since time immemorial, so are well placed to counter climate change. However, “coping” is insufficient if food security is to be achieved. Farmers need to know what kind of season is coming, and thus what and when to plant. They need to know about the outbreak of new pests and diseases. On the longer term, they need to know whether a shift in crop species or different farming strategies are needed. A cornerstone of active adaptation is information availability: varieties to grow, diversification options, seasonal climate forecasts, flood and cyclone warnings, pest and disease outbreaks, market options. 

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Ever wondered how REDD+ can work, or if it can work?

Submitted by Lucy on 21st January 2013
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A reforestation project in Kalimantan, Indonesia. The Kalimantan Forests and Cli

By Caity Petersen

The Central Kalimantan in Indonesia has a dark history of land use and abuse. Upwards of 1.4 million hectares of peat-swamps were cleared and drained there in the mid-1990s, inflicting heavy damage on both the natural environment and the livelihoods of indigenous people living there. 

But now the Kalimantan Forests Climate Partnership is reviving the area by way of the largest REDD+ carbon scheme ever implemented in Indonesia. And in doing so has produced a practical guide of dos and don'ts for implementing REDD+ initiatives. The secret to its success: the introduction of strategies that prioritise the livelihoods of local communities as well as emissions reduction.
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Improving communication first step to enhance climate change adaptation in West Africa

Submitted by Cecilia on 7th January 2013
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West Africa is highly dependent on rain-fed agriculture

by Abdoulaye Moussa, West Africa

West Africa is one of the most affected regions by climate change due to its dependency on rain-fed agriculture. Agriculture is a mainstay for most countries and a potential way out of poverty for millions of small-scale farmers. Policies and strategies therefore need to effectively address climate change adaptation within the agriculture sector, so as to achieve the millennium development goals and promote sufficient food for all.    Read more »

“With habitat loss and biodiversity decline, we have lost valuable climate pattern indicators”

Submitted by Cecilia on 3rd January 2013
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In Mali men and women use climate services differently

By Fatimata Kane and Arame Tall

“Before, our rainy seasons were longer. We were able to predict weather and seasonal changes by observing animal behavior in their natural habitats,” Paul Thiaw, a local Senegalese farmer, told researchers at a recent workshop on climate services. “With habitat loss and biodiversity decline, we have simply lost some valuable climate pattern indicators,” he stressed while adding, “this is where we can benefit from climate service expertise.”

Farmers are constantly facing new environmental challenges, which are threatening food production in some of the poorest regions of the world. One way to reduce vulnerability is through implementing and working with climate services that are relevant for smallholder farmers. Read more »