The Platform for Agrobiodiversity Research seeks to improve the
maintenance and use of agrobiodiversity by synthesizing and sharing
existing knowledge, identifying areas where research is needed and
stimulating the development of new research partnerships. One of the
topics the Platform is currently working on is the use of
agrobiodiversity to help cope with climate change.
February 2, 2010, 9:58 am
“It is imperative that those individuals whose work has truly made a difference in the lives and well-being of large numbers of people are considered for this award.”– Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Founder of The World Food Prize.
Norman Borlaug
Nominations are sought of an individual or individuals having demonstrated exceptional achievement in any field involved in enhancing food production and distribution and increasing food availability and accessibility to those most in need. Any academic or research institution, private or public organization, corporate entity, or governmental unit may submit a nomination for The World Food Prize.
Nominations should arrive no later than April 1 2010.
Click here to find out more
February 1, 2010, 1:23 pm
Read Future Agriculture’ s Consortium’s most recent newsletter about their policy research in Africa.
February 1, 2010, 1:17 pm
Traditional knowledge surrounding the cultivation of Peru’s giant maize has been designated ‘cultural heritage’.
Read the whole article.
February 1, 2010, 11:04 am
Today, the discussions begin. The theme, this week is on Promising integrated crop-livestock systems and innovations that merit mainstreaming and scaling, and tactics for implementation.
Some key questions to to think about during discussion are:
- What have we learned about integrated crop-livestock systems since
the 1980’s? Please describe innovative crop-livestock systems that you are
familiar with (please remember to let your readers know the geographic/agroecological area that you are referencing).
- What are the key benefits that arise from these systems? economically, environmentally, and socially? From a production standpoint, what are the gains in terms of functional biomass, multiple purpose production?
- How are these innovations being scaled up? What are the mechanisms for sharing knowledge (Farmer Field Schools, Farmer Cooperatives, Farmer interest groups or associations)?
- What are the key constraints to implementing integrated crop-livestock systems? What about constraints to scaling up/out?
- How best do we integrate these sustainable intensive production systems into a landscape scale approach?
Find out more .
January 29, 2010, 1:36 pm
FAO, IICA, IFAD and Embrapa invite interested individuals to participate in electronic consultation on Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems for Development: The way forward for sustainable production intensification to be held during February 2010. This consultation will set the stage for a face-to-face workshop in Brazil to be held 23-26 March 2010.
The topics for discussion are:
- Promising Integrated Crop-Livestock Systems and Innovations for Mainstreaming and Scaling Up (February 1-5);
- Value Chain Dynamics and Players for Promising Crop-Livestock Systems (February 8-12);
- Political Will, Policy and Institutional Support for Promising Crop Livestock Systems (February 15-19); and
- Research and Knowledge Needs for Innovative Crop-Livestock Systems (February 22-26)
The consultation will address farm to landscape level crop-livestock integration in multiple agroecologies and will ensure that cross cutting themes around the roles of stakeholders (public sector, private sector, civil society), capturing public goods and incentives for action, and climate change are integral to the debate.
Click here to find out more
January 29, 2010, 10:06 am
A 2009 publication by Fetien Abay, Edson Gandarillas, Pratap Shrestha, Ann Waters-Bayer & Mariana Wongtschowski.
The article focuses on how the innovativeness of local people in managing agrobiodiversity changes over time. It looks at the current dynamics of indigenous knowledge (IK): how farmers, on their own initiative, develop new ways of using and managing genetic resources. Normally such endogenous (from within) processes are often overlooked when outsiders intervene in efforts to conserve biodiversity. Indeed, some interventions may unknowingly undermine local creativity and energies. But there are encouraging examples of projects that support local initiatives in managing agricultural diversity. The publications include examples from Nepal, Ethiopia and Bolivia. Download the article (word doc)
January 29, 2010, 9:17 am
Over the last thirty years the farmers in these networks have demonstrated their capacity to share information and knowledge. Their commitment to agroecological agriculture has resulted in a body of agrarian demands specific to sustainable peasant agriculture. It is now common among these farmers to hear the term food sovereignty. However, because most of these farmers do not belong to the farmer organisations that make up Via Campesina, there are few, if any, avenues for them to exercise this commitment politically. In this Journal of Peasant Studies Grassroots Voices section seven prominent agrarian advocates and long-time agroecological practitioners directly address the challenges of integrating these two trends in contemporary peasant movements.
Read the article
January 28, 2010, 11:04 am
Recent studies by Australian scientists have shown that the crops become 
more toxic and produce smaller yields in environments with higher carbon dioxide levels and more droughts. The findings, presented recently at a conference in Glasgow, Scotland, underscored the need to develop climate-change-resistant cultivars to feed rapidly growing human populations, said Ros Gleadow of the Monash University in Melbourne. Gleadow’s team tested cassava and sorghum under a series of climate change scenarios, with particular focus on different CO2 levels, to study the effect on plant nutritional quality and yield…Find out more
January 26, 2010, 7:11 am
Research Grants, Center for Tropical Forest Science
Location: Global
Closing Date: 4 April 2010
More at: http://www.ctfs.si.edu/group/Grants+%26+Training/Grants
ICIPE -PhD Fellowship call
The International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) and its partners are seeking a PhD student to conduct research on the future effects of global warming on cereal stem borers and related natural enemies in East Africa. He/she will be based at icipe Headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya.
Closing date : 26 February 2010
Download the full details (msword)
