Agriculture
African ministers call for investment in Great Green Wall to aid Covid-19 recovery
Plans for an 8,000km green belt across the Sahel region have stalled, with fresh funds needed to halt desertification and create sustainable livelihoods
‘Solidarity economy’: Indigenous women run WhatsApp food swap in Costa Rica
The Cabécar community is combining traditional customs and modern technology to cope with pandemic and climate change pressures on food security
Green shift urged to revive Brazil’s economy and shield Amazon forests
President Bolsonaro could rebuild the economy faster after Covid-19 by making low-carbon growth a pillar of recovery, international study says
Jamaica becomes first Caribbean nation to submit tougher climate plan to UN
Jamaica adds forestry and land use to updated climate plan and toughens goals for energy. UK, due to host UN talks, hails “greater climate ambition”
Now is the time to climate-and-pandemic-proof our food systems
Social safety nets and shorter supply chains are essential to protect smallholder farmers facing spiralling debt and bankruptcy
EU plans to protect 30% of land and seas by 2030 for biodiversity
The European Commission set out a strategy to overhaul farming and strictly protect carbon-rich forests and wetlands, to benefit wildlife
Shorter supply chains needed to end hunger after pandemic: UN envoy
The coronavirus crisis has heightened inequities of food availability and nutrition. A 2021 Food System Summit aims to boost resilience and sustainability
No silver lining to coronavirus, but a golden opportunity
Rebuilding after the pandemic should be a moment to reset international governance, deepen global cooperation and restructure societies away from fossil fuels
One crisis at a time, please – Climate Weekly
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Malawi’s farmers grow crops with ‘magic liquid’ fertiliser
‘Bionitrate’ made from urine is starting to help yields for farmers in Malawi who face high costs fertilising maize and other crops amid shifting weather patterns
The second death of Chico Mendes
Rubber tappers burn an Amazon forest reserve in Brazil to clear land to raise cattle – deforestation has increased under President Jair Bolsonaro
The Netherlands faces pressure as global ‘test case’ for deep emissions cuts in 2020
Dutch Supreme Court has ordered the government to cut emissions by 25% by 2020 but latest figures show only a 15% reduction from 1990 levels
‘Mysterious’ seasons harm Nigeria’s farmers who need help with climate change
Smallholder farmers grow 90% of Nigeria’s food but their crops are vulnerable to ever more extreme weather linked to climate change. New technologies can help
Locusts plague destroys livelihoods in Kenya but ‘biggest threat yet to come’
Wetter and hotter weather than usual is forecast until May, providing locust eggs with ideal conditions to hatch and grow. FAO says it is in a “race against time”
Youth activists urge African governments to do more to curb climate change
Africa emits only 5% of world greenhouse gas emissions yet is most at risk from worsening heatwaves, droughts and floods
Locusts lay eggs as plague worsens in Horn of Africa, UN warns
The FAO has called for ‘urgent efforts’ to prevent the number of locusts from growing over fears of new swarms
Indigenous lands, protected areas limit Amazon’s carbon emissions
Greater international support for indigenous land rights and livelihoods is a cost-effective way to limit climate change, PNAS study
‘Trundling over to Africa’ – Climate Weekly
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UK must cut land use emissions by two thirds to meet 2050 goal, advisers warn
Committee on Climate Change warns a fifth of all agricultural land needs to be released for climate mitigation to help the UK achieve carbon neutrality
Our food system is broken. Here’s how we fix it
Transforming how we use land represents a $4.5 trillion per year business opportunity, we must now find the political courage to act