The June 2010 issue of People and Science contains a ‘spat’ – a debate between Vicki Hird and John McDermott (of ILRI) on whether we should eat less meat to increase food security. Some flavour of the discussions: Hird: “Meat-hungry western consumers can still eat meat and dairy, but less of it and only from … Continue reading
Category Archives: Food Security
Africa / Animal Production / Climate Change / Drought / Food Security / Livestock / Niger / Pastoralism / West Africa
Millions face hunger in arid belt of Africa
At this time of year, the Gadabeji Reserve in Niger should be refuge for the nomadic tribes who travel across a moonscape on the edge of the Sahara to graze their cattle. But the grass is meager after a drought killed off the last year’s crops. Now the cattle are too weak to stand and … Continue reading
East Africa to take part in 10-year research on boosting food security
East Africa has been earmarked for a global research programme that seeks to strike a balance between food production and environment conservation. Faced with the new threat of climate change, the Consultative Group on International and Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and the Earth System Science Partnership (ESSP) will spearhead the 10-year challenge programme on Climate Change, … Continue reading
Africa needs about $3 bln a year to adapt farming
The cost of preparing the world’s agriculture to deal with increasing global temperatures will be $7 billion annually, a senior climate change researcher said this week at an African conference designed to push farming up the climate change agenda. Africa, the world’s poorest continent that is forecast to be the most affected by global warming, … Continue reading
Africa / Agriculture / Climate Change / East Africa / Food Security / ILRI
Climate models paint bleak picture for East Africa
Climate change is expected to bring greater extremes in weather conditions, but climate models disagree about which problems – droughts, flooding, temperature increases – are most likely in much of northern, central and western Africa. In east Africa, however, the models largely agree: dry areas will suffer more prolonged droughts and wet areas will see … Continue reading
Asia / Biodiversity / Climate Change / Food Security / India / South Asia
Food Security, biodiversity and climate change
GENE CAMPAIGN and Action Aid organized a seminal workshop at New Delhi last week (April23/24) to deliberate on this issue. In her lead presentation, Suman Sahai made the point that climate change will bring turbulence in ALL production systems: no exclusions will be pronounced! The greater the genetic variety, the better the coping strategy will … Continue reading
Experts gather in Nairobi to plan campaign on climate threat to global hunger and poverty
Leading agriculture and climate scientists, policymakers, farmers, and development experts from around the world will gather in Nairobi on May 4 to focus on the threat of climate change to the global food supply. If not dealt with, climate change could imperil efforts to reduce poverty and hunger and threaten the stability of entire nations … Continue reading
Ethiopia: When the rains don’t come on time
Rain rules the lives and wellbeing of rural people in most developing countries: it determines whether they will have enough to eat, be able to provide basic necessities and earn a living, but climate change has made rainfall more erratic in many parts of the world. “What is scary is how fast things have been … Continue reading
Nigeria: Climate change and food challenge
Climate change has gradually dominated discussion in almost every country of the world because of the challenge it poses to the survival of individuals and whole nations. In recent times, whole countries have been threatened by changes in climatic conditions ranging from draught, delayed rainfall, continuous melting of the polar region causing severe flood in … Continue reading
The next green revolution
After enjoying breakthroughs in the fight against low farm productivity more than four decades ago, farm scientists from the Asia-Pacific region are increasingly in agreement with their worldwide peers that their work is no longer keeping pace with the rapidly changing farm environment. Mapping out an appropriate direction for the future was the focus of … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 