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From Gold to Golden Harvests: Agricultural Enterprise in Kenya
Africa & Middle East: Former workers in an old mining district in Kenya are being given agricultural skills to farm abandoned mining land and improve their livelihoods. The Migori District in Kenya used to have a thriving mining industry but in 1966, companies packed up, leaving behind a lot of abandoned land and a lot of unemployed miners. Whilst […]
Read MoreProviding Solutions to Climate Change in Madagascar
Africa & Middle East: Madagascar is a country rich in biodiversity, but deforestation, land degradation and the effects of climate change are ravaging the nation’s natural resources. It is estimated that 20% of the island is already affected by desertification. Eighty-five percent of the Malagasy population practice subsistence farming. More than eighty percent of the population survives on less […]
Read MoreOn-farm Biogas in the UK
Europe: In the UK, farmers and growers are exploring how agriculture can better contribute to combating climate change. According to a National Farmers Union (NFU) case study, farming and forestry account for about 7% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Ninety million tonnes of agricultural organic material, such as manure, are produced per year, […]
Read MoreTesting Climate Scenarios in the Netherlands
Europe: In the Netherlands, agriculture is a major economic sector. The effects of climate change in the Netherlands may cause a rise in temperature and a higher CO2 concentration, which would result in higher yields. However, climate change also poses serious threats. To anticipate the effects of a changing climate and limit the risks, whilst maximising […]
Read MoreOptimizing Water Use in Palestine
Africa & Middle East: Currently in Palestine, water demand greatly exceeds water supply and the high price of water severely limits the 20% of the Palestinian labour force who are employed in agriculture. Subsequently, farmers’ livelihoods are threatened, as is food availability for the Palestinian people. In 2007, the Palestinian Farmers’ Union (PFU) set up a Water and Environment […]
Read MoreAnti-Soil Erosion Practices Help Preserve Biodiversity in Albania
Europe: Albania is gifted with a rich biodiversity, but this variety is vulnerable to climate change impacts. The coastal habitats in the Mediterranean are fragile ecosystems, and the land is under threat of coastal erosion, waterlogging and increased salinity. Inland, approximately 25% of the land suffers from natural soil erosion due to the corrosive effects of […]
Read MoreSoil Degradation in the Seychelles
Africa & Middle East: The main threat the Seychelles islands face is desertification and further soil degradation during heavy rainfall. As a small and yet geographically diverse island, the Seychelles consists of many extremely vulnerable ecosystems. Climate change has led to coastal erosion, flooding and more frequent and intense tropical storms, which has resulted in a shortage of arable […]
Read MoreThe Aloe Vera Value-Added Project in Kenya
Africa & Middle East: The effects of climate change in Kenya are being felt in terms of frequent droughts, floods, land and environmental degradation as well as a general rise in temperatures. These impacts inflict serious losses to smallholder farmers due to crop damage from floods and crop failure in times of drought. The Aloe Vera Value-added project was […]
Read MoreMeeting the Grade: The Case of Groundnuts in Malawi
Africa & Middle East: Work has been taking place in Malawi to enable farmers’ to achieve the grades and standards required to take part in broader markets. Whilst a lack of technical and financial capacities is often the greatest hindrance to meeting these targets, which cover food safety, quality, social and environmental standards, the ever-changing nature of the standards […]
Read MoreFarmer Workshops in Ghana to Fight Forest & Land Degradation
Africa & Middle East: The wealth of Ghana’s natural resources plays a significant role in its economy through farming, fishing, forestry and mining. However, a history of overexploitation and mismanagement of these resources combined with lack of environmental information undermines the sustainable development of the country. Estimates put the costs of environmental degradation in Ghana at nearly 10 per […]
Read MoreClimate Change Risks and Food Security in Bangladesh
Asia: In the last two decades, an ever-increasing frequency of floods, droughts and cyclones have caused extensive economic damage and have impaired livelihoods in Bangladesh. Agriculture, a key economic sector accounting for nearly 20 per cent of GDP and 65 per cent of the labour force, is greatly at risk. Adapting to and mitigating the effects […]
Read MorePartnership to Train Female Dairy Farmers in Pakistan
Asia: As part of GCARD 2010, Farming First hosted a session entitled ‘Better Benefiting the Poor through Public-Private Partnerships for Innovation and Action.’ Within the discussions, our panel of experts addressed several case studies that present different ways that partnerships have helped to empower smallholder farmers around the world. Hans Joehr – Nestec Nestle buys around […]
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