The ability of agriculture to adapt and withstand the impacts of climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time. Climate change presents a very real threat to the livelihoods and food security for millions of people in developing countries. Yet, agriculture is also adding to the climate change problem.

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Over the buzz of hospital ceiling fans, Habiba Mohammed heard the
slightest murmur emerge from her daughter's wasted chest: The baby was hungry.
She pulled down the top of her dress and offered her emaciated child a breast
that had not had milk for months.

People dying because of a lack of water and failing crops, emaciated
livestock, drought ravaging whole regions...you probably think of East
Africa when you read this.

West Africa, however, is just as vulnerable to food insecurity
but a key difference between the west and the east of the continent is
that in West Africa it is not induced by prolonged droughts, conflict
and displacement but mainly by chronic poverty, analysts say.

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http://www.alertnet.org

Agricultural investment in developing countries will have to increase more than fivefold to ensure that by 2050 the world has enough to eat, a U.N. food agency said Monday.

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http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap

The Global Hunger Index placed Kenya among the world’s most food deficient countries.

The report by International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Concern Worldwide and Welt Hunger Hilfe ranks countries on a 100-point scale with 0 being the best score, but Kenya had only 20.1 per cent. In ranking the country is placed 29th in the world among the countries with poor food security.

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http://www.eastandard.net

The triennial UN World Water Development Report is a joint undertaking of 24 UN agencies comprising UN-Water in partnership with governments and other stakeholders, and coordinated by WWAP. WWDR2 was launched during World Water Day, on 22 March 2006, at the 4th World Water Forum in Mexico City, Mexico.

The Report builds on the conclusions of the 1st United Nations World Water Development Report 'Water for People, Water for Life' published in 2003. It presents a comprehensive picture of freshwater resources in all regions and most countries of the world as it tracks progress towards the water-related targets of the UN Millennium Development Goals and examines a range of key issues including population growth and increasing urbanization, changing ecosystems, food production, health, industry and energy, as well as risk management, valuing and paying for water and increasing knowledge and capacity. Sixteen case studies look at typical water resource challenges and provide valuable insights into different facets of the water crisis and management responses.

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http://www.unesco.org

Nihoza Angelique is 28 years old and has three children. Like more than 8 million Rwandans, she makes her living from cultivating her land, and like 3 million of them, she has less than a quarter of a hectare to farm.

"With my small land, it's hard to get enough for my children and me to eat," she says with tears in her eyes. "I'm separated from my husband and I'm raising my family alone."

However, thanks to the Rwandan government's Vision 2020 Umurenge Programme (VUP), which is backed by DFID, Nihoza has now been working for six months, earning 1,000 Rwandan francs (£1) a day. She has also recently opened a bank account, into which she saves a portion of her earnings.

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http://www.dfid.gov.uk

The success of modern agriculture in recent decades has often masked significant externalities, affecting both natural capital and human health, as well as agriculture itself. Environmental and health problems associated with agriculture have been increasingly well-documented, but it is only recently that the scale of the costs has come to be appreciated.

In this research, we explore the options offered by a more sustainable agriculture, and draw some tentative conclusions about the value of increasing food production based on locally-available resources in developing countries.

The central issues are, therefore, i) the extent to which farmers can improve food production with cheap, low-cost, locally-available technologies and inputs, and ii) whether they can do this without causing further environmental damage.

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http://www.essex.ac.uk

In Nigeria, women are often marginalized in their access to economic, political, and social resources compared to men, rendering them relatively poorer than their male counterparts. Important differences also exist between women and men in their contributions to agriculture, and in poverty, nutrition and food security levels.

This review aims to provide insights into the performance of agricultural activities by gender, and provide a gender analysis of poverty, nutrition, and food security. Gender awareness in these areas is critical in planning programs that seek to reduce poverty and malnutrition, and attain food security in Nigeria.

Download the brief (176 KB, PDF)
http://www.ifpri.org

This working paper prepared by ADB staff is based on the study conducted by international experts under the joint financing of ADB, the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, and the Australian Agency for International Development.

It:

• provides information on the effective and safe use of agricultural biotechnology
• examines the opportunities and risks of using biotechnology in reducing poverty and achieving food security in Asia
• looks at the policies and strategies for ADB, and its developing member countries in managing biotechnology for the benefit of small farmers in Asia

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http://www.adb.org