In ‘Our River Was Like a God’: How Dams and China’s Might Imperil the Mekong, The New York Times explores the impacts of hydropower development on the Mekong region, featuring data gathered under the CGIAR Research Program on Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE).
A seminar on Sept. 7 raised discussion on how the Salween River, shared by China, Myanmar, and Thailand, is increasingly at the heart of pressing regional development debates.
Can the world produce 10 billion healthy diets while transitioning agriculture from a source of degradation to one of restoration? Experts give insight at the EAT Food Forum on how best to take on this question, as WLE and EAT prepare the launch of the global Commission on Sustainable Intensification of Agriculture.
NDDB with assistance of the Rajasthan Electronics and Instruments Limited (REIL) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) have helped these farmers to create their own micro grid which enables them to sell the surplus solar energy produced in their fields to the state-owned power distribution company – the Madhya Gujarat Vij Company Limited (MGVCL).
“As PM will inaugurate our project, we will start selling surplus energy to the grid and become first grid connected farmers’ SPICE,” said Labhubhai Patel, secretary of the mandali which has started using solar energy since December last year.
“We should apply this model to the other 300 irrigation projects in the dry zone. Now many villagers in this area know how to use water more efficiently and there will no longer be disputes over the allocation of water in the near future”
Scientists from IFPRI and Bioversity have contributed to "The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity (TEEB) for Agriculture & Food: Scientific and Economic Foundations," published by UN Environment.
In 2015, UN Member States adopted the historic 2030 Agenda, setting universal and transformative goals and targets, and committing to working tirelessly for their full implementation. To ensure that no one is left behind, it will be vital to track progress towards the goals.
Natural predators of agricultural pests are cheaper and safer than insecticides
Farmers can save US$300 million by doubling ladybird density in cotton fields
However, biological pest control isn’t always a viable substitute
“By putting a value on this free service (provided by ladybirds) we invite people to think more carefully about what we get from nature and how we may be affected if we lose it — or if it continues to be poorly managed”
Wei Zhang, International Food Policy Research Institute
The two co-chairs of the Asia-Pacific assessment for the IPBES implore us to reduce and reverse biodiversity and ecosystem degradation for the future of the environment and ourselves.
A decade of research shows that partnering with communities is vital if we are to meet growing food needs, while preserving the environment in two of the world’s largest river deltas. This is especially true in the face of climate change.
“Biodiversity – the essential variety of life forms on Earth – continues to decline in every region of the world, significantly reducing nature’s capacity to contribute to people’s well-being,” says the latest Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) report.
