The New Agriculturist

The New Agriculturist edition 2008-06

In this issue...

An additional 75 million people have fallen below the hunger threshold this year (credit: IRIN) Despite rapid assistance given to ailing banks during the recent financial crisis, we report on concerns that policies to address hunger and poverty will not be supported in the same way. The experiences of communities worldwide, whose dependence on common resources and efforts to manage them often go unrecognised, are also highlighted.

Full listing of the contents of this edition of the New Agriculturist

Focus on... Common resources

Three-quarters of the world's poor depend on their immediate surroundings in order to survive, but many of these common resources are at risk. In this edition, we look at some of the threats, benefits, constraints and opportunities faced by communities worldwide.

Common land, shared success in Kenya

The Olkiramatian Group Ranch has strict rules on where livestock can graze A system of rangeland management in the southern Rift Valley of Kenya is attracting international interest. By dividing their land into zones for grazing, crops and conservation, Maasai pastoralists are striking a balance between nature and nurture.

Clearing a path for Mexico's community forests

Mexico's vast forests provide many rural communities with food, fibre and medicine (credit: World Bank) Communal tenure has a long history in Mexico but it was only relatively recently that constitutional reforms gave communities clearer ownership over their forests and new opportunities to manage them. An increasing number of indigenous communities are now legally harvesting and processing their own timber.

Oil, toil and trouble bubbling - India's jatropha tussle

'Wastelands' are a vital source of fodder for poor rural livestock keepers Plans to transform millions of hectares of India's so-called 'wastelands' into biofuel plantations have met fierce opposition from those who see the lands as a lifeline for the rural poor.

Developments

Human fertiliser - closing the nutrient loop

Containers for urine collection, left, and Ecosan fertiliser from processed urine (credit: Sandrine Tapsoba/CREPA) The value of nutrients contained in Ouagadougou's household excreta has been estimated at US$22 million per year. Now, some of that lost potential is being reclaimed through an innovative scheme to collect the waste and turn it into fertiliser.

Making a splash: milk for the masses in Haiti

Increasing domestic milk production has benefitted many rural families (credit: Veterimed) A scheme to establish community dairies across Haiti is helping locals afford delicious, nutritious milk products and enabling them to switch away from expensive imports from the EU and Canada.

Book reviews

Reviews of some of the latest publications related to agriculture and rural development. The lead book in this edition is A Splendid exchange by William Bernstein.

Country profile: Solomon Islands

Banana is one of the most important subsistence crops (credit: Graham Lyons) The South Pacific archipelago is still reeling from devastating ethnic violence that resulted in the destruction of vital agricultural infrastructure. While subsistence farming is still the mainstay of most families in the country, numerous threats to their livelihoods are emerging.

News brief

WFP's new procurement policy aims to support farmers in the developing world (credit: IRIN) A food crisis looms in Zimbabwe, contaminated animal feed disrupts poultry sales in China, DFID pledges millions to tackle climate change in Bangladesh, rats plague farmers in northeast Burma, beneficial insects in Pakistan and much more.