By Jim Sumberg and John Thompson When considering the nature and spatial distribution of economic activity, two fundamental contrasts take centre stage: ‘urban vs. rural’ and ‘industry vs. agriculture’. While…
Agriculture as Assembly (or, what is the nature of the factory in ‘factory farming’?)
Low Carbon Energy Development Network (LCEDN) Second International Workshop
The second international workshop of the Low Carbon Energy for Development Network (LCEDN), titled Transitions to low carbon energy systems: which pathways to energy access for all?, will take place at…
Video: Pastoralism in Africa – doing things differently
Our new book Pastoralism and Development in Africa explores the booming livestock trade in the Horn of Africa, a region more often associated with conflict and famine. In this video,…
Health markets: Gerry Bloom and David Peters in Nature
Gerry Bloom, STEPS health convenor and David Peters (Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health) have a comment piece in Nature today, on the challenge of unregulated health markets in…
Pastoralism: the hidden story of development in the Horn of Africa
Our new book Pastoralism and Development in Africa: Dynamic Change at the Margins explores the hidden story of pastoralism in the Horn of Africa. The latest volume in our Pathways…
Green Grabs explained: radio interview with Melissa Leach
Last week, our director Melissa Leach was interviewed about green grabs – the appropriation of land for environmental ends – by Brent Bambury of the Canadian station CBC Radio. Here’s…
The slippery nature of ‘water grabbing’
Large-scale land acquisitions for agricultural investment, popularly known as ‘land grabbing’, have recently attracted headline attention. But the implications of these land grabs for water resources have stayed out of…
Press release: Single-track sustainability ‘solutions’ threaten people and planet
Fostering grassroots innovations and empowering the creativity of marginalized groups can boost sustainability The targets, indicators and approaches being used to pursue progress towards sustainable development at Rio+20 are counter-productive,…
Press release: Green grabs: the dark side of the green economy
Green’ market initiatives are increasing poverty. Local ecosystem stewardship must be nurtured instead. ‘Green grabbing’ – the rapidly-growing appropriation of land and resources in the name of ‘green ’ biofuels,…
Influencing the Rio+20 outcome document
By Melissa Leach The STEPS Centre submitted a position paper to the Rio+20 zero draft preparation process, in which we argued that science, technology and innovation have essential roles to play in…