Creating fertile ground for innovation in agricultural water management

The European Court of Auditors published its work programme for 2018. As well as giving details of the special reports which the EU Auditors intend to publish in 2018, the programme provides information on the institution’s annual reports and the work programming process. All in all, the auditors…

Focus on Migration: Moving backward, moving forward? – Editorial Anna Knoll, Head of Migration Programme and Noemi Cascone, Junior Policy Officer, ECDPM The migration situation has monopolized the agenda of European leaders during past years. The EU’s external policies have been focusing on…

FAO and WFP provided an update on the food security situation in countries affected by conflict to the UN Security Council. In half of the 16 countries monitored, more than one quarter of the population faces emergency or crisis levels of food insecurity. In most countries food security continues to…

The Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies publishes double-blind peer-reviewed research on issues relevant to agriculture and food value chain in emerging economies in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe. The journal welcomes original research, particularly…

The new report from global Water Initiative- West Africa GWI – West Africa titled Irrigation, food security and poverty – Lessons from three large dams in West Africa. This report summarises the results of four years of research on three existing dam and rice field sites: Sélingué in Mali, Bagré in…

Food-insecure households in many countries depend on international aid to alleviate acute shocks and chronic shortages. Some food security programmes (including Ethiopia’s Productive Safety Net Program–PSNP – which provides a case study for this article) have integrated aid in exchange for labour on…

WOCAT has just published a new book called ‘Where people and their land are safer - A Compendium of Good Practices in Disaster Risk Reduction’. It focuses on land-based solutions in Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and showcases and analyses 44 practices from 12 countries around the globe that were…

Agribusiness has a major role to play in transforming the agriculture sector in Africa. Increasing demand for high-value food products around the world, the production and export of these goods represents an opportunity to increase both income and employment. To capture the benefits of this trend…

The top 20 meat and dairy corporations emit more greenhouse gases (GHGs) than Germany, as our fact sheet shows. The authors note that commitments made by governments meeting in Bonn to keep global temperatures from rising above 1.5 degree or even 2 degrees will not be possible without addressing the…

Climate change is a potential threat to achieving food security, particularly in the most food insecure regions. However, interpreting climate change projections to better understand the potential impacts of a changing climate on food security outcomes is challenging. This paper addresses this…

Access, in reference to Ecosystem services (ES), is defined as the capacity to gain benefits from the environment. There has been a global shift in natural resource governance, particularly increased co-management of protected areas (PAs). Yet there has been little research on how this change may be…

Erratic rains and rising cereals prices intensify hunger risks around Eastern Africa

In a recent review, FAO identified that 41 out of 54 countries in Africa included at least one policy or measure on more sustainable use of bioenergy in their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs). Considering the critical role of sustainable bioenergy in sub-Saharan Africa, FAO’s…

Soil erosion costs European countries €1.25 billion in annual agricultural productivity loss and €155 million in the gross domestic product (GDP) loss, according to a JRC new study. Soil erosion is the biggest threat to soil fertility and productivity, but the consequences do not stop there. A…

Responding to consumer concerns about food quality and fraudulent practices concerning food, on 13 March 2018, the European Commission is launching a Knowledge Centre for Food Fraud and Quality, operated by the JRC.

Asia hardest hit region, says report on the burden borne by poor farmers due to natural disasters

The 2018 Global Report on Food Crises provides the latest estimates of severe hunger in the world. An estimated 124 million people in 51 countries are currently facing Crisis food insecurity or worse (the equivalent of IPC/CH Phase 3 or above). Conflict and insecurity continued to be the primary…

Food waste has tremendous economic, social, and environmental consequences, but it is preventable. First-of-its-kind research on behalf of Champions 12.3 finds a robust business case for hotels to reduce this inefficiency

The Second International Symposium on Agroecology was held 3-5 April 2018 in Rome, Italy. Participants discussed how Agroecology can be scaled up so that it delivers benefits for multiple SDGs. They launched the 'Scaling up Agroecology Initiative' as a framework for concerted action and partnerships…

Today, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) released a new in-depth guide for policymakers on carbon pricing. The organization and its members believe that carbon pricing is one of the most efficient means of driving the transition to a low-carbon world. Strong business…

This analysis finds that US consumers wasted 422g of food per person daily, with 30 million acres of cropland used to produce this food every year. This accounts for 30% of daily calories available for consumption, one-quarter of daily food (by weight) available for consumption, and 7% of annual…

Tourism 's climate footprint is formidable. The industry is not just big business, but a big carbon emitter as well, new research finds.

Soil pollution poses a worrisome threat to agricultural productivity, food safety, and human health, but far too little is known about the scale and severity of that threat, warns a new FAO report released today at the start of a global symposium. Industrialization, war, mining and the…

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