This article discusses the mitigation and adaptation potential of organic agricultural systems along three main features: farming system design, cropland management and grassland and livestock management. An important potential contribution of organically managed systems to climate change mitigation is identified in the careful management of nutrients and, hence, the reduction...

British colonial rule and the white Rhodesian Government made Zimbabwe one of the world’s most inequitable countries. The Land Apportionment Act of 1930 gave white settlers control of more than 51 percent of the country’s land, leaving areas less fertile and more arid to the native population. Despite the land...

Este trabajo tiene como objetivo generar una metodología específica para evaluar la sustentabilidad de la producción familiar de cerdos a campo, y obtener líneas de interpretación de su sustentabilidad mediante un análisis relativo y horizontal de seis casos en el sur de Uruguay.

This publication is a summary of research carried out by the Italian Association for Organic Farming(AIAB)1 for the Ministry of the Environment, the purpose of which was to analyze Italian experiences of organic farming in National Parks in order to draw conclusions which could then be useful for the further...

This Food Security Toolkit, designed specifically for Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs), aims to improve Pacific Islanders’ ability to produce and access safe and nutritious foods that meet their dietary and cultural needs. Targeting food security in the Pacific region is a critical action in the face of climate...

This paper presents the general trends of demand and supply of organic products in Asia and the Pacific. This regional market is put in perspective within the global agrifood market and the current economic conditions that may have a great impact on the development of organic agriculture in Asia and...

Existe en el ámbito agrícola poca información y claridad técnica sobre el uso adecuado de materia orgánica (MO), sobre la manera de calificar su calidad e inclusive sobre las categorías o tipos de MO que se pueden utilizar. La materia orgánica del suelo es un elemento crucial para la regulación...

Existen dos criterios para poder cuantificar el número de personas que se encuentran en extrema pobreza: por un lado, el enfoque indirecto de la línea de pobreza, según el cual, una persona es considerada pobre extremo si su gasto o ingreso no cubre el valor de una canasta mínima de...

The aim in the activities of the Rural Network is to showcase the results achieved in the development of the Finnish countryside and to pass on best practices to be utilised further in other contexts. The many ideas and innovations produced by the numerous participants of the Best Practices 2010...

Smallholder farmers in Kenya grow most of the country's food, vegetables and fruit. These farmers face formidable challenges in increasing production, preserving natural resources and addressing the impact of climate change in food production systems. Meeting these challenges is vital to sustained livelihoods and reduction of poverty, especially in the...

The paper reports work aimed at improving livelihoods of smallholders by providing investors, policymakers and implementers with concrete knowledge and tools to make informed investment decisions on small-scale irrigation water management interventions. The projects reported assessed promising irrigation interventions and their ‘market potential’, analyzed which technologies ‘fit’ in major agroecological...

The objectives of this work are, in a first place, know the relationship between family farming of the Pampas region of Argentina with the different factors of production trying to verify whether, in the context of this región increasingly specialized in the production of soybean, embedded in global marketing channels,...

The Food Security Thematic Programme (FSTP) is a programme of the European Union (EU) that aims ―to improve food security in favour of the poorest and the most vulnerable, and contribute to achieving the first Millennium Development Goal (MDG), through a set of actions which ensure overall coherence, complementarity and...

The development of nutrition indicators for biodiversity is a collaborative international process, led by FAO together with Bioversity International and other partners. The task is part of the Cross-Cutting Initiative on Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition. The initiative was launched on the basis of a recognized link between biodiversity, food...

Every single day, scientific evidence of climate change mounts all around the world and in Turkey. In the 20th century, the average temperature increased by 0.6°C all around the world and by 0.95°C in Europe. According to the latest developments, the consequences in the Mediterranean Basin would be more severe...

This course provides a definition of vulnerability and illustrates the three critical dimensions used to define it. It also presents the most commonly used methods to assess vulnerability, and provides examples and criteria for selecting the appropriate vulnerability indicators.

Current agricultural practices are regarded as one of the most significant drivers of biodiversity loss. At the same time, the goal achieving global food security remains a long way off; indeed, the number of malnourished has recently risen to over 1 billion people. The world desperately needs an agricultural production...

Sustainably managed forests have multiple environmental and socio-economic functions important at the global, national and local scales, and play a vital part in sustainable development. Reliable and upto-date information on the state of forest resources - not only on area and area change, but also on such variables as growing...

Sustainably managed forests have multiple environmental and socio-economic functions important at the global, national and local scales, and play a vital part in sustainable development. Reliable and upto-date information on the state of forest resources - not only on area and area change, but also on such variables as growing...

The hilly-mountain area of Serbia is considered to be of a great ecological and socioeconomically value. The traditional agriculture practice, which is still in use in Serbia, seems to be outdated. This is why it is almost impossible to stop the migration process, so the population started leaving the farms...