Governance and policy blog posts

A world in need of potty training

I confess. Before a colleague mentioned it, I had never heard of Kuznet or his curve. Now that we are acquainted, I think Kuznet’s Curve has a lot to tell us.

Over the past 50 years or so, the world has seen an exponential increase in groundwater use, driven mainly by growth in population and agriculture.

Farming is an old man’s occupation.  That’s what they tell you in Africa.  The kids head for the cities as soon as they grow up, and many never come back.   For that reason, if no other, small farms are doomed.  Agribusiness is the way forward.  Land grabbers?  Bring them on.

Andrew Noble, Senior Research Fellow at the International Water Management Institute, responds to Fred Pearce's blog post "Land grabbing: feeding the world or the corporate bottom line

Land grabbing is a topic of hot debate among scientists and development professionals.  We received a comment on Fred Pearce’s land grabbing post that rightly points to what might

When we think of farming, an image of farmers tilling soil often comes to mind. Dr. Noble challenges this image by arguing that zero tillage farming can help prevent water and land degradation.

Conventionally, we ask: what is the impact of agriculture on ecosystems? How are farming activities affecting ecosystems?

I read "Scalar Disconnect" with a distinct sense of déjà vu. Between 2000 and 2003, I worked almost exclusively for the Mekong River Commission (MRC) Secretariat, then in Phnom Phenh.

What is the most exciting part of a conference? Is it the rare outstanding PowerPoint presentation, the articulate speaker, the new information and insights? No. It’s the coffee breaks. And don’t tell me you haven’t said it yourself.

Alain Vidal, Director of the CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food