As part of its 20th anniversary celebrations, CIFOR is organizing with its partners a two-day policy and science conference entitled "Sustainable forest management in Central Africa: Yesterday, today and tomorrow." Bringing together the region's leading policy makers, donors, media, researchers and forest experts, the conference will provide a forum for open discussion of the most critical issues and challenges facing the sustainable management of Central Africa's forests, the biodiversity they embrace and the people who depend on them.

Read more: http://www.cifor.org/events/cifors-20th-anniversary/anniversary-events/s...

Khadija Mtungakoa, a 38-year-old mother of three, wears a broad smile as she prepares food on her energy-saving stove.

She explains joyfully how it has helped reduce her reliance on the firewood she gathers from the nearby Amani Nature Reserve in Tanzania's Muheza District.

The government established the reserve in 1997 to protect the unique forest ecosystem of the East Usambara Mountains, a range in the Eastern Arc Mountains.

Mtungakoa's stove, made of clay soil and cow dung, stays hot for much longer than a conventional model, which makes it more efficient when simmering and allows her to reheat cooked food. And it uses much less wood.

Read more: http://allafrica.com/stories/201304010042.html

The low rate of investments in the water sector has been a major obstacle to accelerate the development and improved management of water resources critically needed to help meet Africa’s growing water demand.

It is estimated that over US $50 billion a year will be required for the next 20 years for the sector to keep up with exponential population growth and the increasing needs of water-dependent industries in sectors such as food and beverages, chemicals, energy, paper, tourism and wood.

Intended as a multi-stakeholder response to this challenge, the African Water Facility (AWF) was initiated by the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) in 2004 and launched in 2006 by the African Development Bank to attract the financial resources necessary to turn the tides.

Read more: http://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/article/the-african-water-facilit...

The question of whether accepting and acting on climate change adaptation amounts to an admission of defeat for climate change mitigation was the most pressing topic discussed by climate experts on a panel this week at an event sponsored by The Earth Institute.

The debate around applying climate change science to urban environments has been reinvigorated in the wake of the devastation wreaked by Hurricane Sandy on New York City and its 500 miles of coastline in October 2012, as well as on the coastlines of neighbouring New Jersey and Long Island.

Read more: http://allafrica.com/stories/201303011497.html

In the President of Malawi’s state of the nation address to the parliament on the 8th of February the President re-confirmed Malawi’s commitment to integrating climate change mitigation and adaptation into development planning and reinforced the significance of the PEI supported National Environment and Climate Change Communication Strategy (NECCCS) in raising awareness around the issue among Malawians. To illustrate this commitment the president has supported the creation of a new Ministry solely responsible for climate change and environment management and the development of a new climate change policy to commence soon to guide stakeholders in climate change impact, adaptation and mitigation measures.

Read more: http://unpei.org/news-a-meetings/latest-news/278-the-president-of-malawi...

An African Development Bank team composed of experts from the Energy, Environment and Climate Change Department (ONEC) and the Sierra Leone Field Office (SLFO) completed its second green growth mission to Sierra Leone from February 4 to 8, 2013. The objective of the mission was to work further with Government counterparts on mainstreaming green growth into Sierra Leone’s Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) – (2013–2017) called “Agenda for Prosperity”, currently under preparation.

Read more: http://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/article/sierra-leone-strengthens-...

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) says millions of people could escape poverty, hunger and environmental degradation if countries put more effort into promoting agro-forestry, an integrated approach combining trees with crop or livestock production.

The agro-forestry sector is a significant source both of local commodities such as fuel wood, timber, fruit and fodder for livestock as well as global ones such as coconut, coffee, tea, rubber and gum.

Read more: http://www.spyghana.com/agro-forestry-must-be-encouraged-to-reduce-pover...

In Kenya’s Nyeri district, several hundred miles north of the capital of Nairobi, energy-intensive tea production employs thousands of farmers and tea-factory workers - and now the industry is beginning to go green.

Four factories managed by the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) are going green through the ‘Gura project’, which facilitates the use of clean electricity. Named after the nearby Gura river, the project aims to significantly reduce the factories’ carbon footprint while increasing productivity and incomes.

Read more: http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter/articles/2013/02/20...

Economy-wide and hydrological-crop models are combined to assess the economic impacts of historical climate variability and future anthropogenic climate change in Zambia. Accounting for uncertainty, results indicate that, on average, current variability reduces gross domestic product by 4% over a 10-year period and pulls 2% of the population below the poverty line. Socioeconomic impacts are much larger during major drought years, thus underscoring the importance of extreme weather events in determining climate damages.

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The rise in global food prices and the ever-growing food import bill have prompted sharp attention on agricultural policies in Africa. African policy makers are grappling with what unstable food prices mean for their countries; how these price movements will affect their food security situation; how the private sector is likely to respond; and what governments themselves can do. In addition, they fear that global warming may significantly change the location of food production within Africa. This report discusses how opening up cross-border trade will boost the potential for greater food production in Africa and contribute to food security by improving poor people’s access to food and by increasing returns to poor farmers for the food they produce.

Africa Can Help Feed Africa by World Bank Publications