By JULIA DAY, STEPS Centre member Welcome to Salzburg, where this afternoon Kofi Annan is opening the Toward a Green Revolution in Africa conference with a speech that has called for a “uniquely African Green Revolution” founded on pro-poor policies with women as the crucial key. As food prices escalate at an unprecedented rate and…
SALZBURG DAY 1: KOFI ANNAN CALLS FOR A “UNIQUELY AFRICAN GREEN REVOLUTION”
SALZBURG: VISIONS FOR THE FUTURE OF AFRICAN AGRICULTURE
By JULIA DAY, STEPS Centre member As 60 plus delegates from governments, farmer organisations, NGOs, business, academia and donor foundations across Africa and the wider world make thier way to Austria ahead of tomorrow’s Toward a Green Revolution in Africa conference, this might be a good time for a little rumination. Some perspectives on the…
SALZBURG GLOBAL SEMINAR: TOWARD A ‘GREEN REVOLUTION’ IN AFRICA
By JULIA DAY, STEPS Centre member There is a clear need for a new vision for agricultural development in Africa that can deal with the complexities of agriculture in diverse settings across Africa and meet the conditions necessary to achieve more equitable benefits for Africa’s farmers. Kofi Annan will chair a conference beginning on Wednesday…
RESILIENCE 2008: RESILIENCE, ADAPTION AND TRANSFORMATION IN TURBULENT TIMES
By MELISSA LEACH, STEPS Centre director To watch live coverage of panel discussions, workshops and key presentations from Resilience 2008, log on to Web TV. Four of us from THE STEPS Centre (myself, Andy Stirling, Adrian Smith and Sally Brooks) are here in Stockholm at ‘Resilience 2008: Resilience, Adaptation and Transformation in Turbulent Times’. This…
IAASTD: CHANGE IN FARMING CAN FEED THE WORLD
By JULIA DAY, STEPS Centre member The 2,500-page International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) report has garnered support from sixty countries, the World Bank and most UN bodies for radical changes in world farming. Today’s Guardian carries the story. STEPS member John Thompson takes an in-depth look at on the conflicts…
Rethinking regulation in China: decisions facing farmers
By ADRIAN ELY, STEPS Centre member See more photos from this project on our Flickr site The oilseed flowering season is almost over in central China, and cotton planting has started. Farmers first grow seedlings in nursery patches on the sides of their fields, before transplanting to a larger area after oilseed has been harvested….
Rethinking regulation in China: Zhang’s seed shop
By ADRIAN ELY, STEPS Centre member See more photos from this project on our Flickr site China’s new rural development campaign (Xīnnóngcúndianshi) was initiated in 2003 and has reshaped the agricultural sector in Hubei. Reductions in the public sector workforce led to redundancies in the central Chinese province, motivating several extension workers to move into…
IAASTD: CONFLICTING VISIONS FOR A HUNGRY PLANET
By JOHN THOMPSON, STEPS Centre member Assessments GaloreIn recent years, global assessments have become the focus of considerable international scientific interest and the mobilisation of vast institutional, technical, human and financial resources. These frequently attempt to combine ‘expert-driven assessment’ with processes of ‘stakeholder engagement’ to address critical issues of major international importance.They are often presented…
BIOFUEL TRADING SCAM
By JULIA DAY, STEPS Centre member The front page story of today’s Guardian delves into the murky world of a biofuels scam. “Up to 10% of biofuel exports from the US to Europe are believed to be part of the rogue scheme reaping big profits for agricultural trading firms,” writes environment correspondent Terry Macalister. And…