The biggest and worst droughts may not stay fixed in one place but can travel thousands of kilometres from their origin, according to a new study. And that discovery, disturbing as it may sound, could shed light on how droughts evolve in space and time, provide new insights for water managers, and…

GLOBAL SYMPOSIUM ON SOIL ORGANIC CARBON (GSOC17); Co-organized by FAO, GSP/ITPS, IPCC, UNCCD-SPI and WMO 21 – 23 MARCH 2017; FAO HQ, ROME, ITALY

This guide results from the accumulated lessons of many resource persons in many countries on supporting farmer field schools (FFS) in learning and adaptive management for sustainable land and water management. FAO supported the capacity development process through field projects and the field work…

In a world with 7 billion people to feed amid growing concerns about land and water scarcity, today’s land and water professionals need easy access to up-to-date information, models, approaches and technologies for sustainable food production. FAO hosts state-of-the-art databases and software to…

The International Day of Forests is observed on 21 March every year. This year, a special event to observe the Day was held at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) headquarters in Rome under the theme, “Forests and energy”. The observance was held in conjunction with the…

Charcoal has been an important source of energy for centuries and remains so today; projections indicate that demand will continue to increase, especially in Africa. In many countries, however, a lack of regulation means that the charcoal sector is inefficient and can have locally and nationally…

Global Forest Watch Water (GFW Water) is a free global database and interactive mapping tool designed to help identify deforestation risks to watersheds and opportunities for natural infrastructure solutions. The tool can help downstream beneficiaries, financing and development institutions, civil…

When more than 1,200 land rights experts converge on the World Bank’s Washington, DC headquarters today for the 18th Annual Land and Poverty Conference, participants from government, civil society groups, private sector and donor agencies will focus on how they can use data and other evidence to…

The publication was launched at the Global Symposium on Soil Organic Carbon (GSOC) held at FAO headquarters (Rome, 21-23 March 2017). It provides an overview to decision-makers and practitioners of the main scientific facts and information regarding the current knowledge and knowledge gaps on Soil…

By 2025, 1.8 billion people will experience absolute water scarcity, and 2/3 of the world will be living under water-stressed conditions. In the meanwhile, we continuously waste precious natural resources like land and water.

Human Development Report 2016. Human Development for Everyone report focuses on how human development can be ensured for everyone, now and in future. It starts with an account of the hopes and challenges of today’s world, envisioning where humanity wants to go. This vision draws from and builds on…

The South African Sustainable Development Knowledge Hub (SA SD KH), which serves to connect African policy makers and development partners with research related to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, was launched at the University of…

2017 Global Food Policy Report- IFPRI’s flagship report reviews the major food policy issues, developments, and decisions of 2016, and highlights challenges and opportunities for 2017 at the global and regional levels. This year’s report looks at the impact of rapid urban growth on food security and…

European Geosciences Union General Assembly 2017(Vienna, Austria, 23-28 April) The scientific programme of the General Assembly 2017 includes special scientific and interdisciplinary events as well as oral, PICO, and poster sessions on disciplinary and interdisciplinary topics covering the full…

Wageningen Soil Conference 2017: Soil Science in a Changing World; August 27 - 31, 2017 Humankind is currently facing unprecedented challenges regarding food security, water resources, climate change and biodiversity. The participants of the 2015 edition of the Wageningen Soil Conference agreed that…

SOIL is an international scientific journal dedicated to the publication and discussion of high-quality research in the field of soil system sciences. SOIL is at the interface between the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere, and biosphere. SOIL publishes scientific research that contributes to…

Scientific studies cast new light on the complex role soil microbes play in affecting ecosystems, atmospheric carbon levels and the climate. Climate scientists puzzled by the traffic of carbon between soil and air may have to think more deeply about the role played by soil microbes − the planet’s…

Extreme and unusual trends continue in 2017. The year 2016 made history, with a record global temperature, exceptionally low sea ice, and unabated sea level rise and ocean heat, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Extreme weather and climate conditions have continued into 2017…

The fundamental idea of LDN is to achieve no net loss of land-based natural capital; through measures to avoid and reduce land degradation combined with measures to reverse past land degradation. Values of losses and gains may be estimated and monitored using indicators related to a base-line. The…