Food Security - global and regional literature

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Websites/Multiple Documents

Description: About 45,300,000 results (2019-04-27)
Source/publisher: Google via Youtube
2019-04-27
Date of entry/update: 2019-04-27
Grouping: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English
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Description: "The Food Security Group is a team of faculty members in the Agricultural, Food, and Resource Economics Department of Michigan State University whose activities focus on issues of food security, food policy, and general agricultural development, primarily in Africa and Southeast Asia. The lead project in the FSG portfolio is the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy. The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy (FSP) is funded by a grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development as part of the U.S. Government?s Feed the Future Initiative. Outputs by the Food Security Group (FSG) and host-country collaborators on Food Security Policy and related projects (funded through other sources) are listed in the Directories below."
Source/publisher: Michigan State University
Date of entry/update: 2016-09-11
Grouping: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English
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Description: A useful portal...Project Overview...Research Reports...Policy Presentations...MDRI Background and Papers ...Data [not much there]...Links [useful set of links to individual articles and papers, web portals with onward links to information on Myanmar (Burma)and networks]
Source/publisher: Michigan State University
Date of entry/update: 2013-06-20
Grouping: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English
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Description: Rural development...Sustainable agriculture...Patents on life...Water...Biodiversity...Access to markets...Ecofair trade
Source/publisher: Misereor
Date of entry/update: 2014-02-24
Grouping: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: Deutsch, German, English, French, Spanish
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Description: Who feeds the world?...Rural development...Sustainable agriculture...Patents on life...Water...Biodiversity...Right to food...Access to markets...Ecofair trade
Source/publisher: Misereor
Date of entry/update: 2014-03-25
Grouping: Websites/Multiple Documents
Language: English, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese
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Individual Documents

Description: "A panel of US national security, military and intelligence experts released a report on 24 February that examines the potential security implications of two future warming scenarios. It concludes that: Even at scenarios of low warming [1-2°C], each region of the world will face severe risks to national and global security in the next three decades. Higher levels of warming will pose catastrophic, and likely irreversible, global security risks over the course of the 21st century. In terms of global food and water security, it suggests that: …increasing global temperatures, melting glaciers, and prolonged drought conditions will put new pressure on freshwater sources, dwindling supply at a moment of increasing human demand. These stresses will be acutely felt in arid regions with low water quantity and large populations, where water use is already heavily regulated to prevent competition… Diminished water resources for irrigation, higher temperatures, and decreased soil fertility already impair crop yields, particularly in the global south. For coastal and island communities dependent on local aquaculture for their diets, rising ocean temperatures, migrating and diminishing fish stocks, and dying coral reefs put intense strain on these important natural sources of food and economic activity. Such agricultural stressors have been linked not only to nutritional deficiencies and food insecurity among households, but an increase of local social insecurity and political tension where development is low. The relationship between food insecurity and increase instances of riots or violence depends on how governments respond to the situation, and the history of inequality preceding the food shortage..."
Source/publisher: Future Directions International
2020-02-26
Date of entry/update: 2020-02-27
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "Carbon Dioxide levels in our atmosphere continue to climb, as does our global atmospheric temperature. Despite greater awareness of the issues, and huge strides forward by the renewable energy industry, we are not having any effect on the overall problem. But some people think we're looking in the wrong place for the solution and that all we need to do is take some lessons from the way nature has always used it's resources to regulate heat across our blue planet..."
Source/publisher: Just Have a Think
2019-09-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-02
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: "Regenerative Agriculture has been around for a very long time. The trouble is it's just not the way most modern farming techniques are taught or practiced. Walter Jehne is an Australian microbiologist who argues that with a few very simple changes to the way we manage our land, all of which are just taking a lead from nature, the answer to reducing our global atmospheric temperature could be as easy as A-B-C..."
Source/publisher: Just Have a Think
2019-09-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-12-02
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: "There are currently 7.6 billion people on the planet, and they all need feeding. However, producing crops and rearing livestock is hugely environmentally unsustainable. Nearly one third of the Earth’s land is severely degraded and 90% of our oceans are quickly being emptied of fish. The pace of harvest is relentless and with the worldwide population expected to grow to 10 billion by 2050, it is clear that our planet won’t be able to keep up the pace of food production. In this episode of earthrise we first head to Connecticut to meet a commercial fisherman turned climate farmer who has developed a system of polyculture vertical agriculture in the ocean, called 3D farming. We then travel to Holland where scientists are developing a way to avoid farms and livestock altogether by creating meat in a lab..."
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Source/publisher: "Al Jazeera English"
2018-05-08
Date of entry/update: 2019-09-07
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: ''Agricultural production throughout Rakhine State is generally constrained by a number of structural issues, such as inadequate access to land, low productivity, shortages of casual labour, limited credit availability and general lack of systematic, timely and efficient training and extension services to farmers. Continuous exposure to natural disasters and socio-political conditions further impair opportunities in agriculture. The 2017/18 harvest of monsoon paddy, harvested by December 2017, was reported to be average to slightly above average in the southern (Kyaukphyu and Thandwe) and central (Sittwe and Mrauk-U) districts. In Maungdaw District, vast tracks of rice fields were deemed not to be harvested. Given that the Mission took place well after the harvest and before planting, it was unable to verify the situation on the ground but farmers interviewed confirmed the claim. No economically significant outbreaks of pests or diseases were reported in the season. Production of winter crops (mostly groundnuts and vegetables) in the 2017/18 season in the southern and central parts was reported to be average. In Maungdaw District, production remained low as many fields were not sown. Due to lack of precipitation or fresh water storage, summer (dry season) paddy production in the State is limited. Possible scenarios for the 2018 main monsoon paddy season varied by location. In the southern districts, assuming normal weather conditions, the rice production was likely to resemble the previous years. In the central part, planting intentions reported by farmers were similar to the previous years, although labour shortages were likely to constrain overall production. In the north, areas planted were likely to be well below average due to reduced population, constrained access to field and limited availability of labour, draft animals and agricultural inputs, in particular seeds and fertilizers...''
Source/publisher: "Reliefweb" via World Food Programme, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
2019-07-29
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-13
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 1.7 MB
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Sub-title: IPCC Special Report on Climate Change, Desertification, Land Degradation, Sustainable Land Management, Food Security, and Greenhouse gas fluxes in Terrestrial Ecosystems
Description: "This Special Report on Climate Change and Land1 responds to the Panel decision in 2016 to prepare three Special Reports2 during the Sixth Assessment cycle, taking account of proposals from governments and observer organizations3 . This report addresses greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes in land-based ecosystems , land use and sustainable land management4 in relation to climate change adaptation and mitigation, desertification5 , land degradation6 and food security7 . This report follows the publication of other recent reports, including the IPCC Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5°C (SR15), the thematic assessment of the Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) on Land Degradation and Restoration, the IPBES Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, and the Global Land Outlook of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). This report provides an updated assessment of the current state of knowledge8 while striving for coherence and complementarity with other recent reports. This Summary for Policymakers (SPM) is structured in four parts: A) People, land and climate in a warming world; B) Adaptation and mitigation response options; C) Enabling response options; and D) Action in the near-term. Confidence in key findings is indicated using the IPCC calibrated language9 ; the underlying scientific basis of each key finding is indicated by references to the main report. The terrestrial portion of the biosphere that comprises the natural resources (soil, near-surface air, vegetation and other biota, and water), the ecological processes, topography, and human settlements and infrastructure that operate within that system. 2 The three Special reports are: “Global Warming of 1.5°C. An IPCC special report on the impacts of global warming of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels and related global greenhouse gas emission pathways, in the context of strengthening the global response to the threat of climate change, sustainable development, and efforts to eradicate poverty.”; “Climate Change and Land: an IPCC Special Report on Climate Change, Desertification, Land Degradation, Sustainable Land Management, Food Security, and Greenhouse gas fluxes in Terrestrial Ecosystems”; “The Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate” 3 related proposals were: climate change and desertification; desertification with regional aspects; land degradation – an assessment of the interlinkages and integrated strategies for mitigation and adaptation; agriculture, foresty and other landuse; food and agriculture; and food security and climate change. 4 Sustainable Land Management is defined in this report as “the stewardship and use of land resources, including soils, water, animals and plants, to meet changing human needs, while simultaneously ensuring the long-term productive potential of these resources and the maintenance of their environmental functions”. 5 Desertification is defined in this report as ‘land degradation in arid, semi-arid, and dry sub-humid areas resulting from many factors, including climatic variations and human activities’. 6 Land degradation is defined in this report as ‘a negative trend in land condition, caused by direct or indirect human induced processes, including anthropogenic climate change, expressed as long-term reduction and as loss of at least one of the following: biological productivity, ecological integrity, or value to humans’. 7 Food security is defined in this report as ‘a situation that exists when all people, at all times, have physical, social, and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life’..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
2019-08-07
Date of entry/update: 2019-08-09
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
Format : pdf
Size: 2.25 MB
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Description: "China feeds 22 percent of the world’s population with only seven percent of the world's cultivated land. What's the secret? Find out in the latest episode of our special series "China's Mega Projects"..."
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Source/publisher: CGTN
2019-03-30
Date of entry/update: 2019-07-28
Grouping: Individual Documents
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Description: Mr. Benjamin Harkins, Programme Officer, Livelihoods and Food Security Fund (LIFT), at Nay Pyi Taw CHIME Workshop, March 6, 2019
Creator/author: Mr. Benjamin Harkins
Source/publisher: IOM Myanmar
2019-06-03
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-22
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "According to the World Trade Organization statistics for 2014, food products comprise the third most valuable commodity group traded globally, and imports constitute a significant proportion of food supplies. With the annual trade in food growing exponentially, imported food controls need to be strengthened to protect consumer health and ensure fair trade. In 2017, the Governments of Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines and Sri Lanka worked under the FAO project entitled “Strengthening national capacity for risk-based food import control within a One Health framework” to improve national imported food control systems and ensure they are aligned with the relevant international guidelines developed by Codex Alimentarius..."
Source/publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
2018-08-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 424.34 KB
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Description: "The project introduced PGS to the participating countries, provided PGS-specific training at national level, formed the trained farmers into PGS groups, linked them to potential markets, buyers and consumers, organized media campaigns and developed promotional materials to raise awareness on PGS and organic agriculture, and created, in collaboration with IFOAM-Organics International, the Global PGS map and registered the PGS groups on it. In order to do this, 13 participants (46 percent women) from Cambodia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Myanmar were trained as master trainers through a regional training of trainers event on PGS. These, in their turn, trained 255 farmers (44 percent women) in Cambodia and 262 (56 percent women) in Lao People’s Democratic Republic in PGS. At the end of the project, 96 farmers (58 percent women) in Cambodia and 194 farmers (50 percent women) in Lao People’s Democratic Republic were members of formed and operational PGS groups. The number of regular consumers is estimated at 8 200 for Cambodia and 8 300 for Lao People’s Democratic Republic. This translates into improved livelihoods for smallholder farmers, and safe and fresh products for consumers. The project also made a comprehensive assessment of the legal and regulatory environment in each country. Smallholder farmers in PGS groups have improved their selling conditions, increased their income and improved their livelihoods. The volume of PGS production in both countries is estimated to be more than 1 000 tonnes per year, mainly of vegetables and fruit, representing a gross value of more than USD 900 000 per year. Farmers now have the capacities and incentives to continue to produce PGS-organic products and to market them through different channels. Many farmers also reported more confidence in explaining to consumers and buyers the benefit of PGS, and some farmers are now trainers in their rural communities. Knowledge-sharing and empowerment are among the benefits of working with PGS; for instance, facilitating organizations are empowered and continue to support PGS in rural communities on their own initiative. At national level, the participating governments are now developing national documents that envisage the role of PGS as a verification system for organic agriculture, especially for local and national markets..."
Source/publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
2017-12-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 681.81 KB
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Description: "Happy Thadingyut and welcome to the third issue of FAO Myanmar newsletter in 2018 featuring the most prominent activities of FAO in Myanmar for the recent quarter! During the previous quarter, FAO continued pursuing to reach its sustainable development goals through the strong collaboration with the government and resource partners. Recognizing the relatively large, productive, and ecologically intact coastal zone of Myanmar and understanding the requirement of conservation on this valuable ecosystem, FAO’s EAF-Nansen Programme, with the visit of the Research vessel Dr Fridtjof Nansen, conducted a survey on the fisheries resources and marine ecosystem of Myanmar. Myanmar is facing the global challenge of having enough quality food for the total population and is also vulnerable to serious natural disasters that negatively affect food security. As a contribution of fighting against this challenge, FAO started off a regional project on the Nutrition Sensitive Food and Agriculture that will implement “Zero Hunger Challenge” in Myanmar. Increasing and improving the provision of goods and services from agriculture, forestry and fisheries is very important and essential for Myanmar’s sustainable development. The newly-launched project of FAO at the Forest Research Institute will improve research capacity and knowledge for sustainable management of natural forests, which in turn, will enhance productivity of forest plantations and restoration of degraded forests and landscapes. Likewise, opening the “National Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) Centre” will also help farming and forestry stakeholders in building capacity to mitigate climate change and improve land condition. At the same time, FAO is supporting the students from University of Veterinary Science in the area of socio-economics through field surveys as a support of providing graduates to work in rapidly growing livestock sector of Myanmar. FAO Myanmar remains committed to enhance resilience of vulnerable communities through restoring, protecting and improving livelihood opportunities. FAO is implementing a HARP (DFID)-funded project in northern Rakhine State for the local communities affected by the conflicts in 2017. The facilitation of FAO during the observatory visit of British Ambassador to these project sites is one of the highlights of this quarter..."
Creator/author: Xiaojie Fan
Source/publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
2018-09-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-17
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 747.11 KB
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Description: "The Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) is a multilateral mechanism for the assistance of the implementation of pledges by the G20 in Pittsburgh in September 2009, which is designed to improve incomes and food and nutrition security in low-income countries by boosting agricultural productivity. In March 2017, the GAFSP Steering Committee approved to allocate USD 27 million to Myanmar, of which USD 22 million will be administered by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and USD 5 million by FAO for technical assistance. The GAFSP initiative is a joint effort of ADB and FAO building on complementarities and synergies in the interventions by the two agencies. In the Central Dry Zone( CDZ) of Myanmar, nearly 25 percent of the population is under the national poverty line and about 50 percent are landless. The CDZ rural poor are also affected by a high incidence of malnutrition and food insecurity. Stunting and wasting rates each range between 20-30 percent, with the highest incidence in dryland farming zones compared with flood plain and irrigated areas. Over 50 percent of women age 15-49 years old are anaemic. The theory of the implementation of the project is based on a premise that a market-driven approach is needed to help smallholder farmers sustainably increase their income and improve their livelihood, food security and nutrition. For the development of agriculture, tailored technical, infrastructural, credit access and organizational support are supposed to increase the productivity and product quality of smallholder producers and disadvantaged rural groups involved in commercially-oriented pulse and oilseed production and marketing systems. Those improved access and support also benefit them from increased inclusion in profitable agriculture value chains through business relationships with other private actors (traders, processors, exporters, etc.). As a results, the coordinated access and supports meet market demands and, overall, contribute to national agricultural growth..."
Source/publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
2018-09-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-17
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 526.76 KB
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Description: "The Asia-Pacific region is recognized for its important fisheries’ habitats and abundance of aquatic resources; allowing the capture fisheries and aquaculture sectors to provide vital livelihoods and food security throughout the region. However, the resources and the sustainability of the fisheries are being threatened by inadequate, unsustainable fisheries and aquaculture management, high fishing pressures, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU), improper pesticides and feed use, and competition with other users of the coasts and aquatic resources and zones; leading to a state of overfishing and degradation of habitats and water quality and other negative impacts to ecosystem services. Although sharing stocks of important commercial species countries are struggling to manage resources and transboundary stocks through urgently required collaborative fisheries management planning. In addition, because of their location and type of livelihoods, fishers, fish farmers and coastal communities are directly affected by the lack of uncertainty, changes in species and their distributions, impacts on production and post-harvest practices, sea level rise, coastal erosion and other natural hazards exacerbated by climate change, such as toxic algal blooms, floods, strong wave surges and cyclones that destroy infrastructure and make the act of fishing and fish farming more dangerous. Through its extensive portfolio of TCP, UTF, GCP (bilateral and GEF) and the Blue Growth initiative, the FAO supports and promotes the responsible and sustainable development of fisheries and aquaculture as guided by the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. Our proven and successful work ranges from the development and implementation of International Plans of Actions on IUU, fishing capacity, sharks, and seabirds; the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries and Aquaculture; efficient and safe post-harvest practices; all the way through to responsible trade and marketing of fish products. The FAO fosters and supports the work of regional fisheries bodies, such as the FAO Indian Ocean Tuna Commission and Asia Pacific Fisheries Commission. The FAO also plays a key role in the development of recent global fisheries instruments, such as the binding FAO Port State Measures Agreement and the Voluntary Guidelines in support of Small Scale Fisheries. New, GEF 7 projects are able to build upon existing development strategies (DoF, etc) and efforts of a range of partners, including but not limited to: Regional Bodies: FAO Asia-Pacific Fisheries Commission (APFIC), Bay of Bengal-IGO, The Network of Aquaculture Centres in Asia-Pacific (NACA), Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), Mekong River Commission (MRC), Pacific Community (SPC), Secretariat of the Pacific (SPC), Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA), RPOA-IUU, Regional Seas Programmes (COBSEA/PEMSEA) Private Sector including CP, Thai Union, Mars, MSC and ASC..."
Source/publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
2018-05-13
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-17
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 239.49 KB
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Description: "The share of agriculture in the gross domestic product (GDP) of some countries in the AsiaPacific region has declined in recent years as their economies transition from agrarian to industrial and service-oriented; however, agriculture is still important in terms of employment and its role as a buffer in phases of deceleration in other sectors. Agricultural biotechnologies have the potential to enhance the contribution of agriculture to these countries’ economies. This study presents overviews of the applications adopted by countries in the Asia-Pacific region and the main gaps in applications, capacities and enabling environments, and makes a few suggestions about what could be done for better utilization of agricultural biotechnologies in the region..."
Source/publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
2019-01-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.7 MB
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Description: "The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is implementing a project entitled “Sustainable Cropland and forest management in priority agro-ecosystems of Myanmar (SLMGEF)” in coordination with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MoNREC) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MoALI) with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The project aims to facilitate and strengthen sustainable land management (SLM), sustainable forest management (SFM), and climate-smart agriculture (CSA). The project facilitates the adoption of climate smart agriculture (CSA) policies and practices that will help to sustainably increase productivity, enhance resilience (adaptation), reduce/remove GHGs (mitigation) and enhance achievement of national food security and development goals. The project intends to establish a national CSA/SLM training program mainstreaming CSA/SLM in the agriculture related academic courses and training conducted by Department of Agriculture (DoA), State Agricultural Institutes (SAIs), Department of Agriculture Research (DAR) and Yezin Agricultural University (YAU). The project will work with DoA, SAIs, DAR and YAU to integrate CSA within their research, training and development programs. The training program will vary with the need and nature of the institutions, for example;(1) one month training together with other subjects for the in-service or refresher course at Central Agriculture Research and Training Centre (CARTC), (2) one week intensive training of trainers (ToT) aiming for the senior extension agents of DoA, DAR and YAU, (3) CSA component integrated into the course for diploma students at SAIs, and (4) CSA component integrated into the course for bachelor and master's level at YAU. AVSI Foundation has been contracted to develop the Climate Smart Agriculture Curriculum and Handbook to be introduced and incorporated as a course (subject) into the existing education systems at different levels as mentioned above. This document will serve as the main resource/reference book for the trainers of one week ToT programme to include the related topics on CSA into their courses for teaching..."
Source/publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
2019-01-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာ)
Format : pdf pdf
Size: 643.91 KB 475.67 KB
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Description: "Welcome to the last FAO Myanmar newsletter of 2018! During the year 2018, FAO Myanmar achieved significant milestones in the sectors in which it has been working. In addition, the new Country Programming Framework (CPF 2017- 2022) representing FAO’s strategy of intervention in Myanmar for the coming years, was officially endorsed by the Cabinet on behalf of the Government of Myanmar in October. In 2018, FAO continued to provide support to the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MoALI) through specialized technical assistance to the development and establishment of the Agriculture Development Strategy (ADS). This was an important achievement for the agriculture sector. Moreover, with FAO’s technical and financial support, MoALI accomplished the development of the Agriculture Action Plan for Disaster Risk Reduction (AAPDRR). It is also worthwhile mentioning that FAO collaborated with MoALI and MoNREC in establishing the first Climate Smart Agriculture Centre (CSAC) as the national CSA knowledge repository and catalyst. The latter should help farming and forestry stakeholders in building capacity to mitigate climate change and improve land condition. FAO Myanmar Newsletter Xiaojie Fan FAO Representative in Myanmar In addition, FAO played a critical role in the development of Multi-Sectoral National Plan of Action on Nutrition (MS-NPAN). This vital multistakeholder collaboration will promote healthier and more productive lives that contribute to the overall economic and social aspirations of the country. Following MoALI’s request, FAO and World Food Programme undertook a Food Security Field Assessment Mission in Rakhine State in May this year with constructive recommendations for future agriculture and livelihood development in Rakhine. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to our Government counterparts, donors, development and humanitarian partners, for joining hands and allowing accomplishing important steps towards progressing in FAO’s objectives of reducing rural poverty, helping eliminating hunger and making agriculture more productive and sustainable in Myanmar. I wish you all a happy holiday season and peaceful and prosperous 2019. Enjoy reading our Newsletter!..."
Creator/author: Xiaojie Fan
Source/publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
2018-12-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 999.26 KB
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Description: "The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is implementing a project entitled “Sustainable Cropland and forest management in priority agro-ecosystems of Myanmar (SLM-GEF)” in coordination with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation (MoNREC) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation (MoALI) with funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The project aims to facilitate and strengthen sustainable land management (SLM), sustainable forest management (SFM), and climate-smart agriculture (CSA). The project facilitates the adoption of CSA policies and practices that will help to sustainably increase productivity, enhance resilience, reduce/remove GHGs and enhance achievement of national food security and development goals. At field level, the project is active in five pilot Townships from three different agro-ecological zones implementing various relevant CSA initiatives mainly using Farmer Field Schools (FFS) models.  Upland/hill Pilot Site: Mindat and Kanpetlet Townships, Chin State  Coastal/Delta Zone Pilot Site: Laputta Township, Ayeyarwady Region  Central Dry Zone Pilot Site: Kyaukpadaung and Nyaung U Townships, Mandalay Region AVSI Foundation was contracted as a Service Provider to develop the FFS curriculum and FFS Handbook for each of the above mentioned three agro-ecological zones. Accordingly, FFS curricula/modules on CSA techniques/practices for the prioritized agricultural crops and cropping systems under each of the three agro-ecological zones have been developed incorporating solutions to the major problems identified during the need assessments and also considering the findings of value chain analysis. After finalizing the FFS curricula, a FFS Handbook has been developed for each agro-ecological zone both in Myanmar and English version. This handbook is intended to help the Extension Workers, FFS Facilitators and FFS Committee/farmers to implement FFS on CSA techniques and practices in upland/hill zone of Chin State and scaling up the learnings in similar areas of Myanmar..."
Creator/author: Ms. Xiaojie Fan
Source/publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
2019-01-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 4.68 MB
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Description: "Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) is an approach for developing actions needed to transform and reorient agricultural systems to effectively support development and ensure food security under climate change. CSA aims to tackle three main objectives: sustainably increasing agricultural productivity and incomes; adapting and building resilience to climate change; and reducing and/or removing greenhouse gas emissions, where possible (http://www.fao.org/climate-smart-agriculture-sourcebook/concept/en/). FAOs CCA foresee a broader approach, working to build synergies among social protection and climate change to achieve sustainable growth and eliminate rural poverty. FAO uses a “twin-track” approach, on the one hand taking immediate steps to protect and support agriculture, food and nutrition, and on the other addressing in the longer term the underlying factors driving risks, disasters and crises. FAO’s work focuses on developing, protecting and restoring sustainable livelihoods so that the integrity of societies that depend on farming, livestock, fish, forests and other natural resources is not threatened by crises. CSA uses a comprehensive approach in seeking to improve rural livelihoods, increasing the productivity and resilience of poor communities, including rural women and girls, while also providing mitigation benefits. Climate-smart agriculture is a holistic system applicable to big farms cultivating thousands of acres as well as smallholder farmers who live and work on fewer than 10 acres of land. The principles can have positive effects for farmers, the land, water, and wildlife. It helps reduce the negative impacts of climate change to agriculture and boost positive ones, protecting agroecosystems, and promoting healthier, more resilient landscapes, which in the aggregate, contributes to climate change mitigation and food security. Being an agricultural country, Myanmar economy mainly relies on agriculture. In Myanmar, most of the people consider “Agriculture” as the production of crops. However, it has a wider scope not only crop and livestock production but also covers fisheries and forest management. Agriculture sector contributed to 28.6 % of total export earnings in 2015-2016 and employed 61.25 % of the labour force (MOALI, 2017)..."
Source/publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
2019-01-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 6.57 MB
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Description: "The fisheries and aquaculture sector in Myanmar is an essential activity for the provision of food and livelihoods to a large number of people in rural areas and contributing to economic activity for the employment. Since 1905, Myanmar has developed legislations for fishery management and the fishing industry of the country. However, in the 1980s, the introduction of trawling method in coastal waters caused the considerable conflict between traditional fishermen and trawlers. This led to the amending of the fisheries law to provide a more comprehensive legal framework to manage fisheries in national waters. In recent years, FAO has been noting a continuous and impressive increase of the capture and aquaculture production officially reported by Myanmar. Marine catches reported in 2013 increased 5.5 times more than those in 1996 and inland water catch statistics have been growing at a pace of 15.5% per year since 1999. In addition, species breakdown of capture fishery statistics is very poor, with marine catches reported only by 3 highly aggregated specie items and no breakdown at all for inland water catches. Knowledge of the status and trends of capture fisheries, including socio-economic aspects, is a key to develop a policy and for better decision-making and responsible fisheries management. It is necessary at the national level for the maintenance of the food security and for describing social and economic benefits of fisheries. Those data is also essential for assessing the validity of fisheries policy and for tracking the performance of fisheries management. Considering an increase in the number of countries taking up a scheme of decentralized management of fisheries, more accurate and updating information should reach to the community level and result in a better-informed public that supports efforts to manage fisheries and aquatic resources in a responsible manner..."
Source/publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
2019-04-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 514.33 KB
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Description: "sustainable land management; sustainable forest management; ecosystem approaches; climate-smart agriculture; climate change mitigation; community-based forest enterprise development; Myanmar; SDG: 02. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture..."
Source/publisher: Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
2019-01-01
Date of entry/update: 2019-06-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 5.85 MB
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Description: "More than a billion farmers and their families around the world are on the front line of climate change. Their lives and livelihoods are directly affected by its impacts, and they are also vital to implementing many of the solutions we need to help prevent it. “Climate-smart agriculture” describes agricultural practices which contribute to increasing farm productivity and incomes, building greater resilience, and minimising agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions – all in an equitable and sustainable manner. Explore 28 case studies of climate-smart agriculture in action around the world at: www.farmingfirst.org/climate-smart-agriculture..."
Source/publisher: Youtube via "FarmingFirst"
2016-06-08
Date of entry/update: 2019-04-28
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "To feed nine billion people by 2050, global food production needs to increase by 70 percent. Farmers in Africa, and across the world, are using Climate-Smart Agriculture practices to combat the impacts of Climate Change on crop production..."
Source/publisher: Youtube via "World Bank"
2011-09-02
Date of entry/update: 2019-04-28
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "This video explains the climate-smart agriculture approach including its objectives and why it is needed. Climate change will hit farmers, herders and fishers the hardest. The Climate-smart agriculture approach promotes the development of the technical, policy and investment conditions to achieve sustainable agricultural development for food security under a changing climate. It seeks to: increase sustainably agricultural productivity and incomes, help adapt and build resilience to climate change impacts and wherever possible, reduces and/or removes greenhouse gases. To make climate-smart agriculture a reality we need to: expand the evidence base; improve policies; empower local institutions; and combine new financing options. Let’s make sure our agriculture is productive and sustainable for generations to come..."
Source/publisher: Youtube via " Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations"
2015-06-08
Date of entry/update: 2019-04-28
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: Authors: Johan Rockström; Benjamin Leon Bodirsky; Brent Loken; Charles Godfray; Daniel Mason-D?Croz; David Tilman; Fabrice DeClerck; Jess Fanzo; Keith Wiebe; Kimberly M. Carlson; Line J. Gordon; Luis Lassalettas; Malin Jonell; Marco Springmann; Mario Herrero; Max Troell; Michael Clark; Mike Rayner; Peter Scarborough; Rami Zurayk; Sonja J. Vermuelen; Walter Willett; Wim de Vries... Abstract: "The food system is a major driver of climate change, changes in land use, depletion of freshwater resources, and pollution of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems through excessive nitrogen and phosphorus inputs. Here we show that between 2010 and 2050, as a result of expected changes in population and income levels, the environmental effects of the food system could increase by 50?90% in the absence of technological changes and dedicated mitigation measures, reaching levels that are beyond the planetary boundaries that define a safe operating space for humanity. We analyse several options for reducing the environmental effects of the food system, including dietary changes towards healthier, more plant-based diets, improvements in technologies and management, and reductions in food loss and waste. We find that no single measure is enough to keep these effects within all planetary boundaries simultaneously, and that a synergistic combination of measures will be needed to sufficiently mitigate the projected increase in environmental pressures."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Nature"
2018-10-10
Date of entry/update: 2018-10-15
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: "Adopting healthy and more plant-based diets globally could reduce the greenhouse gas emissions of the food system by more than half...Amid fresh warnings from United Nations researchers that there is a closing window to enact the "rapid, far-reaching, and unprecedented" societal changes needed to prevent a climate catastrophe, a new study of the global food system underscores the environmental necessity of a massive reduction in meat consumption worldwide. Considering projections that the world?s population could grow to 10 billion by 2050, "Options for Keeping the Food System Within Environmental Limits", published Wednesday in the scientific journal "Nature", found that mitigating the climate crisis requires overhauling the current system by shifting toward more plant-based diets, improving technologies and management, and slashing food waste by at least half. "Feeding a world population of 10 billion is possible, but only if we change the way we eat and the way we produce food," study co-author Johan Rockström of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) in Germany told the Guardian. "Greening the food sector or eating up our planet: this is what is on the menu today."..."
Creator/author:
Source/publisher: "Common Dreams"
2018-10-11
Date of entry/update: 2018-10-14
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language:
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Description: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: "Four and a half decades after the Club of Rome published its landmark report on Limits to Growth , the study remains critical to our understanding of economic prosperity. This new review of the Limits debate has been written to mark the launch of the UK All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the Limits to Growth. The 1972 report articulated for the first time the dynamic nature of our dependency on physical resources and on ecological systems. It illustrated the processes of ?overshoot and collapse? that can occur when these limits are approached and suggested that, without a shift in direction, adverse consequences would become obvious ?within the next century”. The report attracted fierce controversy. It also inspired generations of environmental and social thinkers. It continues to offer challenging insights into the predicaments of the 21st Century economy. Limits Revisited outlines the contents of the Club of Rome?s report, traces the history of responses to it and dispels some of the myths surrounding it. We unravel the arguments that have raged for forty years in its aftermath and explore more recent findings which relate to the original hypothesis. There is unsettling evidence that society is still following the ?standard run? of the original study ? in which overshoot leads to an eventual collapse of production and living standards. Detailed recent studies suggests that production of some key resources may only be decades away. Certain other limits to growth ? less visible in the 1972 report ? present equally pressing challenges to modern society. We highlight, in particular, recent work on our proximity to ?planetary boundaries? and illustrate this through the challenge of meeting the Paris Agreement on climate change. We also explore the economic challenge of a ?secular stagnation?. If the Club of Rome is right, the next few decades are decisive. One of the most important lessons from the study is that early responses are absolutely vital as limits are approached. Faced with these challenges, there is also clearly a premium on creating political space for change and developing positive narratives of progress. A part of the aim of the APPG is create that space"
Creator/author: Tim Jackson, Robin Webster
Source/publisher: All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) [UK]
2016-04-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-09-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: Description: "The challenge of moving towards a more sustainable food system ? and more sustainable eating patterns as part of that ? has for too long been seen in terms of producing better ?things? ? breeds, seeds, energy efficient kit. But we have these things, or at least enough of them for now. What we need to do now is to pay more attention (and money) to the ?glue? that binds these things together ? to the relationships among people, institutions and societies, says Tara Garnett, of the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food, in a policy briefing on sustainable eating."
Creator/author: Tara Garnett
Source/publisher: Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food
2016-09-06
Date of entry/update: 2016-09-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: This report provides a summary of key findings from research on food security and the agriculture sector in Myanmar. The focus is on material relevant for a bio-physical characterization of the country. As such, there is little emphasis on material primarily addressing socioeconomic, policy, or institutional aspects of agriculture and food security. This study is based solely on desk research, and it does not involve a field research component. The report is organized by topic, with each section including a bulleted list of significant summary points followed by a brief list of critical gaps or issues to explore during the field mission to Myanmar in November 2012.
Creator/author: Kye Baroang
Source/publisher: Center on Globalization and Sustainable Development, Earth Institute at Columbia University
2013-05-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-04-12
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.84 MB
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Description: "... Myanmar is an agricultural based country and the agriculture sector is the backbone of its economy. The agriculture sector contributes 34% of GDP, 23% of total export earnings, and employs 63% of the labour force. About 75% of the total population reside in rural areas and are principally employed in the agriculture, livestock and fishery sectors for their livelihood. Rice is the most important dominating crop and is grown in saline area mostly found in lower Myanmar especially in Ayeyarwady, Yangon, Taninthayi Divisions and also in Yakhine and Mon States. Deep-water rice is usually grown in areas of some restricted belts in Ayeyarwady, Bago, Taninthayi Divisions and Rakhine, Mon and Kayin States. Out of the total crop sown area of 10 million hectares, about 13% is under irrigation. The rest of the land has to rely on the rain for crop production. The population will grow to about 60 million by the year 2010 and the demand for local rice consumption alone, will be in the proximate of 20 millions tons. To be able to supply enough food for the increasing population and export the surplus, rice production will have to be increased up to 25 millions tons, by expanding the rice growing area up to 6 millions hectare. This scheme will further be enhanced by the adoption of modern proven technologies and provision of the required inputs in full. The Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation is making all-out efforts for the development of agriculture, taking measures as: efficient utilization of land and water resources; farm mechanization; introduction of new technologies; and supply of farm inputs. Agriculture being the largest economy of the country, the Ministry tries to stimulate public awareness and interest for better participation and investment in the sector. The government of the Union of Myanmar remains committed to the contribution of national as well as world food security. The Agriculture sector in Myanmar occupies a dominant position in the development of the national economy, and has a definite bearing on other socio-economic activities. Because of the high potential of land, water resources, man power resources and other mineral resources, Myanmar has been prominent as an agricultural country for many years and will continue to be so in the future. Given the importance of agriculture in Myanmar, agricultural education, research and extension are important priorities. In the process of developing the agricultural sector, conducting training and offering educational programs of international standard are crucial to the development of human resources..."
Creator/author: Khin Mar Cho
Source/publisher: Myanmar Development Resource Institute - Centre for Economic and Social Development (MDRI-CESD)
2013-03-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-04-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 666.52 KB
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Description: "... This background paper was commissioned by USAID as part of a Strategic Agricultural Sector and Food Security Diagnostic for Myanmar, led by Michigan State University and in partnership with the Myanmar Development Resource Institute ‐ Centre for Economic and Social Development (MDRI‐CESD). The broad objectives of the Diagnostic are to improve USAID?s understanding of the major constraints to agricultural sector performance and to food security of vulnerable households in Myanmar, and to outline core strategies USAID should consider as it designs policies and programs to stimulate broadbased agricultural growth and enhance food security. In support of these aims, this background paper synthesizes the best available data and information on poverty, nutrition, and vulnerability to food insecurity in Myanmar to identify key vulnerable populations, and outlines a set of strategic options to improve the food security of the most vulnerable households. This synthesis is based on a rapid assessment conducted during a three‐week field visit (October 28 to November 17, 2012), and pre‐ and post‐field visit desk research. The research draws from three broad types of information: 1) national surveys on poverty, malnutrition, and health outcomes; 2) food security assessments conducted by UN agencies, donors, and Non‐governmental Organizations (NGOs) in select geographic areas; 3) and semi‐structured qualitative interviews with key stakeholders across seven of the 14 states/regions in Myanmar?s Delta, Dry Zone, and hilly regions that the team accessed during the field visit. Data availability and reliability are major constraints to proper assessment in Myanmar. The Government of Myanmar (GOM) has not conducted a population census since 1983 and this inaction casts doubt on all other survey work since. The world?s longest running civil war and military‐government policies have restricted surveyors? access to many parts of the country; even the two relatively reliable surveys intended to document poverty and nutrition conditions face these limitations. Very few surveys provide sex‐disaggregated data, which limits analysis of gender aspects of poverty and vulnerability. The authors fully recognize this obstacle and yet are in agreement with one long‐time observer of Myanmar; the data may not be rigorous but are ?good enough to program against.” This synthesis therefore intends to provide a broad brush picture of the landscape of poverty, malnutrition, and vulnerability across Myanmar and focuses on providing a typology of vulnerability to inform USAID?s initial dialogue about possible program and policy design to improve household food security..."
Creator/author: Shannon Wilson, Naw Eh Mwee Aye Wai
Source/publisher: Myanmar Development Resource Institute - Centre for Economic and Social Development (MDRI-CESD)
2013-03-05
Date of entry/update: 2016-04-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.61 MB
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Description: This Background Paper is an integral part of the Diagnostic Assessment. It involves an assessment of the Myanmar rice value chain within the context of the Myanmar rice industry. Special focus is paid to its structure and performance, dynamics, and future prospects. Also included is a consideration of its weaknesses and constraints that had influenced the development of the industry as well as an evaluation of the prospect of improving the value chain and consequently the industry and suggesting crucial steps that should be taken for the short game and the long game. Basically, the report integrates the findings from intensive literature review and desk research coupled with observations and interviews conducted during field visits in October and November 2012 and supplemented by persona communication with key players in the public and private sectors as well as civil society at various levels of the rice value chain.
Creator/author: Larry C.Y. Wong, Eh Mywe Aye Wai
Source/publisher: Myanmar Development Resource Institute - Centre for Economic and Social Development (MDRI-CESD)
2013-03-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-04-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 1.74 MB
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Description: "... Rice productivity in Myanmar has stagnated in comparison with other rice producers in the region. Once the world’s largest rice exporter, Myanmar is now a relatively minor player exporting an average 631,000 MT annually over th past 4 years. However, the nation’s export potential remains high because of abundant land and water resources, recent indications of progressive policy reforms, increased agricultural investment, and constructive international engagement. Growing global demand for rice, increasing public and private investment in infrastructure, and the potential for significant yield increases, all point to a strong return on investments to improve rice productivity in the country..."
Creator/author: Glenn Denning, Kye Baroang, Tun Min Sandar, other MDRI, MSU colleagues
Source/publisher: Myanmar Development Resource Institute - Centre for Economic and Social Development (MDRI-CESD)
2013-03-00
Date of entry/update: 2016-04-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 710.94 KB
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Description: This report has been prepared by Swithun Goodbody, Guljahan Kurbanova and Cristina Coslet (FAO) and Aaron Wise, Nuria Branders and Sophie Goudet (WFP) under the responsibility of the FAO and WFP Secretariats with information from official and other sources. Furthermore, the designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the organizations of the United Nations concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.
Source/publisher: UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), World Food Programme (WFP)
2016-03-16
Date of entry/update: 2016-04-08
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 2.19 MB
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Description: "American born Philip Kapleau has been a Buddhist monk for 25 years. In 1966, upon his return to America from Japan, where he had trained for 13 years, he finally renounced what he calls, ?my reluctant cannibalism,” the eating of every kind of flesh food. ?While in Japan,” he says, ?I wrestled with my conscience, trying to reconcile the first Buddhist vow to refrain from taking life with my obvious complicity in the slaughter of innocent creatures whose flesh I consumed. I pretended to love animals while at the same time regularly eating them..."
Creator/author: Roshi Phillip Kapleau
Source/publisher: Buddhanet
1981-00-00
Date of entry/update: 2014-11-18
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 3.01 MB
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Description: "Appetite for land" (pdf, 225 KB) Large-Scale Foreign Investment in Land Available in German (pdf, 265 KB) and French (pdf, 270 KB) Promoting the right to food. Experience gained at the interface of human rights and development work, with particular focus on Central America This publication was compiled by a work group on land rights in Central America who have been studying the issue for a number of years and have supported local initiatives engaged in activities to promote the right to food in Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua. Collaborating in this work group are MISEREOR, Bread for the World, FIAN International, EED, Terre des Hommes, and Christliche Initiative Romero. The document takes stock of 10 years of experience gained in activities to advance the right to food. Available in German: "Das Recht auf Nahrung f?rdern" (pdf, 3,8 MB) and Spanish: "Promover el derecho a la alimentaci?n" (pdf, 4 MB) Discussion paper "Access to land as a food security and human rights issue" (pdf, 3,7 MB) A Misereor discussion paper for dialogue with its partners The policy paper identifies several problems involved, such as the lack of access to productive resources, including land, water, forests, biological diversity etc. and the diverse problems concerning ownership which may even evolve in violent conflicts. Not only the growing concentration of land and the failure of land reform processes, but also the fragmentation of land and the overuse of existing natural resources have a tremendous impact on the scarcity of land. A dialogue with partners on "Access to land as a food security and human rights issue - a dialogue process" (pdf, 18 KB)
Source/publisher: Misereor
Date of entry/update: 2014-03-25
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English, German, French
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Description: The Challenge of hunger: ensuring sustainable food security under land, water and energy stresses..."World hunger, according to the 2012 Global Hunger Index (GHI), has declined somewhat since 1990 but remains ?serious.? The global average masks dramatic differences among regions and countries. Regionally, the highest GHI scores are in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. South Asia reduced its GHI score significantly between 1990 and 1996—mainly by reducing the share of underweight children—but could not maintain this rapid progress. Though Sub-Saharan Africa made less progress than South Asia in the 1990s, it has caught up since the turn of the millennium, with its 2012 GHI score falling below that of South Asia. From the 1990 GHI to the 2012 GHI, 15 countries reduced their scores by 50 percent or more. In terms of absolute progress, between the 1990 GHI and the 2012 GHI, Angola, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Malawi, Nicaragua, Niger, and Vietnam saw the largest improvements in their scores. Twenty countries still have levels of hunger that are ?extremely alarming? or ?alarming.? Most of the countries with alarming GHI scores are in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia (the 2012 GHI does not, however, reflect the recent crisis in the Horn of Africa, which intensified in 2011, or the uncertain food situation in the Sahel). Two of the three countries with extremely alarming 2012 GHI scores—Burundi and Eritrea—are in Sub-Saharan Africa; the third country with an extremely alarming score is Haiti. Its GHI score fell by about one quarter from 1990 to 2001, but most of this improvement was reversed in subsequent years. The devastating January 2010 earthquake, although not yet fully captured by the 2012 GHI because of insufficient availability of recent data, pushed Haiti back into the category of ?extremely alarming.? In contrast to recent years, the Democratic Republic of Congo is not listed as ?extremely alarming,? because insufficient data are available to calculate the country?s GHI score. Current and reliable data are urgently needed to appraise the situation in the country. Recent developments in the land, water, and energy sectors have been wake-up calls for global food security: the stark reality is that the world needs to produce more food with fewer resources, while eliminating wasteful practices and policies. Demographic changes, income increases, climate change, and poor policies and institutions are driving natural resource scarcity in ways that threaten food production and the environment on which it depends. Food security is now inextricably linked to developments in the water, energy, and land sectors. Rising energy prices affect farmers? costs for fuel and fertilizer, increase demand for biofuel crops relative to food crops, and raise the price of water use. Agriculture already occurs within a context of land scarcity in terms of both quantity and quality: the world?s best arable land is already under cultivation, and unsustainable agricultural practices have led to significant land degradation. The scarcity of farmland coupled with shortsighted bioenergy policies has led to major foreign summary investments in land in a number of developing countries, putting local people?s land rights at risk. In addition, water is scarce and likely to become scarcer with climate change. To halt this trend, more holistic strategies are needed for dealing with land, water, energy, and food, and they are needed soon. To manage natural resources sustainably, it is important to secure land and water rights; phase out inefficient subsidies on water, energy, and fertilizers; and create a macroeconomic environment that promotes efficient use of natural resources. It is important to scale up technical solutions, particularly those that conserve natural resources and foster more efficient and effective use of land, energy, and water along the value chain. It is also crucial to tame the drivers of natural resource scarcity by, for example, addressing demographic change, women?s access to education, and reproductive health; raising incomes and lowering inequality; and mitigating and adapting to climate change through agriculture. Food security under land, water, and energy stress poses daunting challenges. The policy steps described in this report show how we can meet these challenges in a sustainable and affordable way."
Source/publisher: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), Concern Worldwide, Welthungerhilfe and Green Scenery:
2012-11-00
Date of entry/update: 2012-11-02
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
Format : pdf
Size: 3.04 MB
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Description: ABSTRACT: "The ASEAN member countries can be grouped into three sub-groups, each of which exhibits a distinct pattern with respect to food security issues. The first group is made up of the relatively food-secure countries of Singapore and Brunei. The second group consists of Malaysia, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, and Vietnam. In these countries, except for Vietnam, agriculture has contributed a declining share in GDP, employment, and international trade. In addition, food habits in these countries have changed dramatically in recent decades. The third group is composed of Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Myanmar—economies in transition that require special attention. A simple exercise shows that the area can collectively achieve food security via trade in rice and maize. Trade facilitation measures and the harmonization/equivalency of food regulation and control standards will reduce the cost of trade in food products. While specialization and revealed comparative and competitive indices point to complementarities between trade patterns among the ASEAN member countries, intra-ASEAN trade in agriculture is quite small. However, integration could address this problem. Further, if integration is to be used as a venue for ensuring food security, the member countries must agree on what food security collectively means to them, and what food items are important to each of them and the region, in general, so that regional integration and cooperation under the auspices of ASEAN can be promoted."
Creator/author: Amelia L. Bello
Source/publisher: "Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development", Vol. 2, Nos. 1&2
2005-12-00
Date of entry/update: 2010-01-01
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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Description: "The sixty-fourth session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific took place at a time when rocketing prices of both food and oil were causing serious hardship. In response, the Commission decided that the theme topic for the sixty-fifth session in 2009 should be on food security and sustainable agriculture. Since then, the picture has been transformed. The global economy has sunk into recession ? and prices for food, oil and other commodities have fallen back sharply. From this, you might conclude that the food emergency has passed ? that we should concentrate only on the financial and economic crises. In fact, however, the economic crisis makes it even more urgent that we tackle food insecurity now. For millions of people across the Asia-Pacific region, the economic crisis will also be a food crisis. The prices they pay may have fallen, but their incomes have fallen further still. As governments face up to the current economic storms, they must ensure that everyone, everywhere, has enough to eat. This is a clear humanitarian and development priority, but it is also a political imperative; food insecure people make angry citizens. The first priority, therefore, is to check the resilience of social safety nets ? and, if necessary, bolster them to meet the immediate crisis. But the region also needs to look to the future. As this study emphasizes, the world?s food system has become increasingly fragile. Food prices have dipped, but they will surely surge again when the global economy and the demand for food starts to recover. On present trends, the region will be hard pressed to meet that demand. Food security is being threatened from many directions, not least from unsustainable forms of agriculture that are degrading the soil, water and biological diversity ? problems that will be exacerbated by climate change. Time to turn again, therefore, to sustainable agriculture ? ensuring that farmers, and particularly small producers, have the support they need to grow nutritious food in ways that meet human needs today, while protecting vital environmental resources for future generations. Time also to capitalize on our efforts in regional cooperation ? ensuring that we avoid food protectionism and, instead, use our regional strengths to build flexible and resilient systems of food security."
Source/publisher: UNESCAP
2009-04-00
Date of entry/update: 2009-08-11
Grouping: Individual Documents
Language: English
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