Asia

This report published by Access to Seeds Foundation documents the farmers’ consultation of the Access to Seed Index 2016 with 35 farmers’ organizations from 26 countries. These four meetings marked the start of the development process towards the second Access to Seeds Index scheduled for Q1 2019. During this consultation farmers’ organizations gave more attention to the impact of climate change than during the previous farmers’ consultation in 2013. The meetings underlined the need to include farmer cooperatives, associations and community seed enterprises in the overall Index assessment. »

This special of Agricultural Systems focuses on prioritising climate-smart agricultural (CSA) interventions at different scales. Currently, there are few tools that can comprehensively evaluate the range of potential technologies and practices and their possible impacts on food production, environmental sustainability, and mitigation in any context. Therefore, what remains is the prioritization of interventions for investment and broad dissemination. This special issue brings together nine papers describing a wide range of approaches and tools. »

This report analyzes a wealth of country data on dietary energy supply, undernourishment indicators and consumption patterns in Europe and Central Asia. The report points to a pattern whereby countries progress from dealing predominantly with undernutrition and micronutrient deficiencies, to coping with degenerative diseases associated with increased dietary fat, sugar, meat and dairy, and processed foods, linked to overnutrition. Today, 13 percent of the population of the region lives in countries suffering from a “triple burden”. »

This article analyses drought adaptation practices of two groups of sugarcane growers – market and contractual farmers – in Vietnam. Results of this study point out that farmers, depending on their preferred type of market channels, reacted differently to the impacts of drought. Contractual farmers paid more attention to the impact on sugarcane tillering and sugar content, while market-oriented farmers paid more attention to sugarcane colour. »

This policy brief draws on a series of studies, multi- stakeholder meetings and group discussions that explored the challenges facing Indonesia’s national and provincial governments in achieving both development and environmental goals. The analysis is informed by a water- energy-food (WEF) nexus framework that has emerged as an important concept for addressing resource trade-offs. »

This briefing by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) highlights how indigenous knowledge and practices play a crucial role in maintaining and enhancing genetic diversity, which reduces agricultural risk and increases resilience to climate change. Evidence from the SIFOR project (Smallholder Innovation for Resilience) in Kenya, India, China and Peru shows how these practices can significantly enhance productivity, incomes and resilience in harsh environments, contributing to the targets set out in Sustainable Development Goal 2. »