In rural Guinea-Bissau, farmers largely specialized in cashew production when the nut’s prices soared in the 80s and 90s in the global market. Today, they are the archetypal example of people made vulnerable by dependence on global trade and a single cash crop. Fernando Sousa sent this exclusive report.

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Recent years have not been kind to Veremund Mfuse and his maize crops.

As Tanzania struggles with increasingly extreme weather, the farmer, from Mbarali in Tanzania’s Mbeya region, has seen his maize production decline, a problem he says is affecting farmers across the region.

“Our major challenge here is drought. We face a critical shortage of water, rains are not reliable (and) we harvest very little,” Mfuse said.

In response to the problem, which experts in the region say is linked to climate change, some farmers are now planting new, drought-resistant maize hybrids, while others are experimenting with a return to traditional varieties.

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http://www.truthabouttrade.org

The Southern African Confederation of Agricultural Unions (SACAU) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Wednesday said the agriculture sector must be considered seriously at this year's COP17.

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http://www.chinadaily.com.cn

The Ministry of Industry and Commerce has partnered with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) to promote bamboo products such as bags, ornaments and various other handicraft, as a viable industry for the local economic growth.

With a total value of $15.9 million, the project would aim at developing a bamboo supply chain and product industry in the country. Indian experts were helping the project, ministry said.

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"Unless we take action now, all our efforts on social development and reducing poverty, even our very own survival, will be all for nothing.” Thus Presidential Assistant on Climate Change Elisea G. Guzon said Wednesday to the over 1,000 delegates during the official opening of the 58th Philsutech (Philippine Sugar Technologists, Inc.) Annual National Convention at Waterfront Hotel, Lahug, Cebu City where she was the guest speaker.

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http://www.sunstar.com.ph

A “radical overhaul” in agriculture could double production while protecting ecosystems, according to a report released today by the United Nations Environment Program and the International Water Management Institute.

The authors warn, however, that the world must act quickly to save the Earth’s breadbasket areas, where resource depletion is so severe that it threatens to decimate global supplies of fresh water and cripple agricultural systems worldwide.

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http://www.environmentalleader.com

In 2009, as the world food prices soared and threw millions of people into poverty, American President Barack Obama pledged US$3.5 billion in U.S investment over three years for worldwide food security.

Zambia is one of 20 Feed the Future focus countries selected worldwide for focused investment, in recognition of both its enormous agricultural potential and its significant food security challenges.

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http://www.times.co.zm

Women make significant contributions to the rural economy in all developing country regions. Their roles differ across regions, yet they consistently have less access than men to the resources and opportunities they need to be more productive. Increasing women's access to land, livestock, education, financial services, extension, technology and rural employment would boost their productivity and generate gains in terms of agricultural production, food security, economic growth and social welfare.

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One of the United Republic of Tanzania’s most prized resources, forest land, is being threatened by the industry of charcoal.  Deforestation caused by the charcoal industry is a problem that developing countries around the world and particularly in Africa are facing.  This study will focus on this problem as it affects the city of Dar es Salaam, the countries largest consumer of charcoal.  A large number of citizens, 69% (Malimbwi 2001), use charcoal to cook with, increasing deforestation, adding to their health problems and emitting detrimental greenhouse gases.
 
The process of producing and using charcoal is not sustainable and many organizations are looking into ways of making the charcoal chain more sustainable.  Many options exist; however, this study will focus on decreasing charcoal consumption in the city of Dar es Salaam.  Using the results of a survey of 235 targeted households in the city, this report seeks to explain what kinds of people use certain fuels, why they use those fuels, their way of cooking with the fuel, and their willingness to switch to other fuels.

The results of the survey are used in two cost-benefit analyses (CBAs).  A household CBA will determine which fuel is the most cost effective, taking daily cost, initial investment cost, health risk avoided and time savings into account.  The results of the household CBA will be used in a social planner CBA to determine if investing in a fuel substitution campaign will benefit the society as a whole.  The social planner CBA will consider environmental benefits as well as the costs and benefits used in the household CBA.

Finally, we conclude that investing in an extensive LPG marketing campaign to target 30% of charcoal users is not only feasible but beneficial to society.  This measure will decrease consumption of charcoal and make the industry more sustainable.  Forestland, a precious resource, will have a better chance of surviving and being of continued use to the citizens of Tanzania.

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PREM

In Kenya, conservation and sustainable utilization of the environment and natural resources form an integral part of national planning and poverty reduction efforts. However, weak environmental management practices are a major impediment to agricultural productivity growth. This study was motivated by the paucity of literature on the poverty-environment nexus in Kenya, since poverty, agricultural stagnation and environmental degradation are issues of policy interest in the country’s development strategy. The paper builds on the few existing studies from Kenya and explores the impact of household, farm and village characteristics as well as the development domain dimensions on household welfare and investment in soil and water conservation. The results show that strengthening the tenure security improves household welfare. Further, soil quality, topography and investments in soil and water conservation affect household welfare. Agroecological potential, which is related to environmental conservation, is also a key correlate of poverty. Results for investment in water and soil conservation confirm the importance of tenure security in determining adoption and also the intensity of SWC investments. We also find that household assets, farm characteristics, presence of village institutions and development domain dimensions are important determinants of adoption and intensity of soil and water conservation investments. The results for both poverty and investment in soil and water conservation suggest the existence of a strong poverty-environment link in our sample. The results also suggest that rural poverty can be alleviated by policies that improve environmental conservation and strengthen land tenure security. The study also underscores the importance of village institutions in both investment adoption of soil and water conservation and in improving household welfare.

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PREM