COP 18 enjoying C-Neutral coffee from Costa Rica

This year approximately 20,000 cups of the coffee will be served daily from this carbon neutral labeled coffee. That is how 180 years after Costa Rica carried out its first export of the so called gold grain, activity that lead to the positioning so far as one of the most important quality coffee producers in the world, it is the first nation to give the grain another added value, by offering the first CO2 neutral coffee in the most important meeting on this issue and impact in the future of the planet...
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Global temperatures on the rise

Many regions have faced extremes of droughts, floods and heatwaves. The number of cyclones worldwide was around normal but some, such as Superstorm Sandy, which lashed the Caribbean and the United States, were especially devastating, the WMO said. The report which looked at the global temperature between 2001 and 2011 says Africa was not spared as it experienced above average temperatures during theperiod with the most anomalous warmth across parts of northern Africa...
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Farmers face new climate risks

IFAD said smallholder farmers will need to increase their general resilience to withstand shocks, such as extreme weather events, and stresses. “These farmers must be supported to scale up multiple benefit approaches that reduce poverty, enhance biodiversity, increase yields and lower greenhouse gas emissions in order for them to boost resilience to climate change,” the global agricultural organisation said...
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Taking the Knowledge of Doha Back to Kenya�s Rural Communities

DOHA, Nov 28 2012 (IPS) - The skyscraper Qatari capital city of Doha is a far cry from Cecilia Kibe’s home in Turkana district, a remote area in Kenya inhabited by mostly nomadic communities and pastoralists hit hard by the effects of climate change. But the agriculturalist-cum-sociologist has come here to the 18th Conference of the Parties (COP18) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), thanks to funding from the Mary Robinson Foundation for Climate Justice (MRFCJ), to sit and listen as scientists, researchers, top government officials and activists argue their case...
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Agriculture day set to dominate at climate conference

As delegates meet at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Doha, Qatar, to craft a new international climate agreement after the 1997 Kyoto treaty expires next month, another group will be calling attention to the huge role agriculture could play in being part of the solution to climate change...
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Disaster-hit Africa struggles at Doha indaba

THE climate change negotiations in Doha, the capital of Qatar, continue to be a big frustration for African countries greatly affected by droughts, tropical cyclones and storms.At least this is the view of African non-governmental organisations advocating for a better deal at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 18th Conference of the Parties (COP18)...
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Delegates feel the heat as food prices sour

As the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), 18th Conference of Parties (COP18) being held in Doha, Qatar, heats up, delegates have started feeling the heat, as food prices have become so high. Exorbitant rates of snacks and refreshments at a number of outlets functioning at the Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) have come under fi re from visiting delegates, including those from the US and Europe...
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Maize production in southern Africa to drop 30%

Rockefeller Foundation says, production of maize a critical staple is expected to drop by 30% in southern Africa by 2030 as a result of climate change.Lack of economic activity and poverty, render African countries, and especially the poorest communities, disproportionately vulnerable to climate change impacts...
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Is agriculture being treated unfairly?

Bruce Campbell, Program Director at the Consortium of International Agricultural Research Centers (CGIAR) says the world mustn’t read a lot into the non-mentioning of agriculture during the official opening of the eighteenth session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) Conference of the Parties (COP 18) at the Qatar National Convention Centre in Doha, Qatar...
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What women want from Doha

Dr. Lindiwe Majele Sibanda, CEO of Food Agriculture Natural Resources Policy Advocacy Network and spokesperson for global agriculture coalition Farming First Women are the fountain of life. They are mothers, innovators, educators, farmers and custodians of the environment, particularly rural women. In Africa, 70% of the population – of which a significant portion are women – live in rural areas and are fully dependent on land and other natural resources for their livelihood...
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Research on innovations: Chronicle of a field tour

From 24th July through 2nd August, Karen Greenough made a long tour through southern Burkina and northern Ghana as part of her ethnographic research on innovations resulting from VBDC activities.  She started on Tuesday with Fred Kizito and Lee Davelaar, who were gathering information for the Volta Scenarios and Storylines (VSS) project...
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Are we learning from the past?

CPWF recently published the fourth paper in its research for development series, entitled 'Evolution of Agricultural Water Management in Rainfed Crop-Livestock Systems of the Volta Basin'. The paper presents findings of a comprehensive review of more than four decades of agricultural water management work in the Volta Basin and provides recommendations for future efforts...
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Smallholder farmers need improved stake in Nile's development

There is enough water in the Nile Basin to support development, but small farmers are at risk of being marginalised, says new book. A new book on the Nile River basin, based on based on the results of three major research projects supported by CPWF, was published on November 5th. The Nile River Basin: Water, Agriculture, Governance and Livelihoods provides unique and up-to-date insights on agriculture, water resources, governance, poverty, productivity, upstream-downstream linkages, innovations, future plans and their implications...
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Africa Portal

The Africa Portal is an online knowledge resource for policy-related issues on Africa. An undertaking by the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI), Makerere University (MAK), and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), the Africa Portal offers open access to a suite of features including an online library collection; a resource for opinion and analysis; an experts directory; an international events calendar; and a mobile technology component—all aimed to equip users with research and information on Africa’s current policy issues...
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