The International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), a global network organization with 106 member countries in its fold, is dedicated to the promotion of best practices in water for agriculture, and addresses water supply and management for food production, including drainage and flood control. While striving to improve water and land management, and enhancing the world supply of food and fibre, ICID takes on board environmental concerns and seeks sustainable solutions.

Three smallholder villages located in typical communal (from 1948), old (1987) and new (2002) resettlement areas, on loamy sand, sandy loam and clay soils, respectively, were selected to explore differences on natural resource management and land productivity. Focus group discussions and surveys were carried out with farmers. Additionally, farmers in three wealth classes per village were chosen for a detailed assessment of their main production systems.

The report is an initiative of the Agriculture and Rural Development Department (ARD) of the World Bank. Aquaculture is the fastest-growing food sector in the world and is expected to contribute more than 50 percent of total fish consumption by 2020. Just over 90 percent of aquaculture production originates in Asia, and nearly 70 percent in China alone. Efforts to expand aquaculture production to meet the ever increasing worldwide demand for seafood continue.

Water scarcity is considered to be one of the largest threats for many parts of Africa. Under water scarce conditions reducing the consumption of water and preventing pollution of accessible water resources is essential. Combating water scarcity in both dimensions of quality and quantity is of special relevance for the LNV priority regions (including those in Water Mondiaal). Future LNV policies to address food security in Africa will affect the use, spread and fate of agrochemicals as well.

ICARDA has long-standing outreach programs in North Africa, the Nile Valley, and the Red Sea region (Fig 2). In its current strategic plan, the Center will extend its work to the drylands of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Lebanon is ICARDA’s second host country and the country that witnessed the launch of the center in the mid-1970s through the ALAD program of the Ford Foundation. This process culminated in 1977 with a host country agreement signed with the Government of Lebanon in 1977, which established ICARDA here as an International Center.

Een verkennend onderzoek naar de ruimtelijke impact van multifunctionele landbouw (MFL) op het landschap. De analyse richt zich op de fysieke veranderingen in het landschap als gevolg van MFL en de factoren achter de ontwikkeling van MFL. De sturende factoren zijn te verdelen in omgevingsfactoren, ondernemersfactoren en overheidsfactoren. Het onderzoek behelst een literatuurstudie, een regionale analyse en aan de hand van interviews en veldbezoeken zijn 4 casestudie gebieden onder de loep genomen. Dit zijn: Gelderse vallei, Walcheren, Bellingwolde en Waterland.

Deze quickscan onderzoekt of en hoe het voor bestaande melkveehouders aantrekkelijk kan zijn om deels − of geheel − over te schakelen op rietteelt. Het concept is bedoeld om de overstap aantrekkelijk te maken naar ‘natte landbouw’ in (landbouw)gebieden die vernatten. Wanneer wordt het interessant om over te stappen op rietteelt in een gebied waar de traditionele landbouw niet meer kan ondernemen

In het gebied Heemskerkerduin en Noorddorp is onduidelijkheid over de toekomst. Vorig jaar moest het bestemmingsplan herzien worden. Werkgroep ‘Van Duin tot Dorp’ merkte dat er veel onrust heerst bij de tuinders over de toekomst van het Heemskerkerduin en Noorddorp. De werkgroep heeft daarom in 2008 contact gelegd met de Wetenschapswinkel Wageningen UR met de vraag advies en onafhankelijk onderzoek te doen naar de toekomst en inrichting van het gebied. Allereerst hebben de onderzoekers van LEI vanuit bestaande data bestanden gekeken naar de economische vitaliteit van het gebied.

Given its vast land resources and favorable water supply, the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC’s) natural agricultural potential is immense. However, the economic potential of the sector is handicapped by one of the most dilapidated transport systems in the developing world (World Bank 2006). Road investments are therefore a high priority in the government’s investment plans and those of its major donors.

O relatório “Natural Resources, Environment, and Sustainable Growth in Mozambique”, de Timothée Ollivier, Dominique Rojat, Carl Bernadac and Pierre-Noël Giraud, desenvolve e testa uma metodologia para medição do impacto ambiental e da exploração dos recursos naturais na sustentabilidade do desenvolvimento em Moçambique.

Rural Communities have their own sets of laws rooted in their particular culture, environment, traditions and history that are separate from national laws. Lack of education, years of wartime political oppression and violence, and government-enforced cooperative ventures during the 1970’s have created a deep feeling of suspicion among rural small-scale farmers for all government laws and programs. This
conception has been reinforced by the fact that historically communities have only been made aware of