Subsistence agriculture is the mainstay of the local communities, where peasant farmers grow corn and beans on infertile hillsides, and the harvests are steadily declining, due to climate phenomena.

El Salvador, and Central America in general, suffers heavy rain in winter - the rainy season - which almost inevitably leaves a trail of pain and destruction. In October, for example, the rains claimed 43 lives in the country and flooded 10 percent of the national territory.

Read more: http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/energy-forests-the-feminine-art-of-re...

While almost 85 percent of people from developing countries are struggling to cope with natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruption, typhoons, floods and droughts, funding for risk reduction, including preparedness, is insufficient with only $3.7 billion (1 percent) out of $363-billion total aid spent on disaster reduction in the poorest countries, according to United Nations Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Disaster-Risk Reduction Margareta Wahlstrom.

Read more: http://www.businessmirror.com.ph/home/top-news/26114-funding-for-disaste...

Sustainable energy—energy that is accessible, cleaner and more efficient—powers opportunity. It grows economies. It lights up homes, schools and hospitals. It empowers women and local communities. And it paves a path out of poverty to greater prosperity for all.

Website: http://www.sustainableenergyforall.org

The valuing of ecosystem services such as food, fuel and clean water is currently high on the international agenda – it was highlighted at the World Bank’s recent Annual Meeting, and it is a major priority for the forthcoming Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development.

So it is timely that a project supported by the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation Programme (ESPA) has produced the world’s first environmental health index to be based on long term historical data. This week’s announcement raises hopes the work could be used to help safeguard the future of rural livelihoods across the developing world.

Read more: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/What-we-do/Research-and-evidence/news/research-ne...

The International Institute for Environment and Development has today published a toolkit for those wishing to help small enterprises in the forestry sector fulfil their potential to reduce poverty and manage natural resources in a sustainable way.

The guidance is for international donors, nongovernmental organisations and national government agencies and extension workers who work to support small and medium forest enterprises.

Read more: http://allafrica.com/stories/201205010446.html

CNN's Kyung Lah reports on how the Philippines hopes to reduce pollution, one ecofriendly motorbike at a time.

Read more: http://edition.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2012/04/30/lah-phill-e-trikes...

Poor people living in slums are at particularly high risk from the impacts of climate change and natural hazards. They live on the most vulnerable lands within cities, typically areas that are deemed undesirable by others and are thus affordable. Residents are exposed to the impacts of landslides, sea-level rise, flooding, and other hazards. Exposure to risk is exacerbated by overcrowded living conditions, lack of adequate infrastructure and services, unsafe housing, inadequate nutrition, and poor health. These conditions can turn a natural hazard or change in climate into a disaster, and result in the loss of basic services, damage or destruction to homes, loss of livelihoods, malnutrition, disease, disability, and loss of life.

Read more: http://issuu.com/world.bank.publications/docs/9780821388457

How will climate change impact on the ability of Asia to produce food? The Centre for Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security has found that rising temperatures and severe weather like floods could halve agricultural productivity in Asia over the next 30 years.

Read more: http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/international/radio/program/connect-asi...

Forests are a nutritional bounty - virtual natural supermarkets for 1 billion of the world's poorest people. And as the world's population is expected to balloon to 9 billion people by 2050, it is imperative that we figure out how to feed the global population while maintaining the world's very important forest cover. We hope you enjoy this new multimedia feature that talks about some of the interesting ways that people around the world are promoting both forest conservation and food security

Read more: http://blog.cifor.org/forests-and-food-security-feature/

At the Rio+20 Conference, world leaders, along with thousands of participants from the private sector, NGOs and other groups, will come together to shape how we can reduce poverty, advance social equity and ensure environmental protection on an ever more crowded planet.

Read more: http://www.un.org/en/sustainablefuture/index.shtml