UNITED NATIONS
The United Nations Development Programme and the African Development Bank have launched a US $24 million programme to help the Government of Cameroon combat poverty and improve opportunities for
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Pro-poor resource governance under changing climates
It is now widely known that the natural resources and livelihoods of rural poor people are under increasing pressure. Growing demand for natural resources as well as ongoing and projected climatic changes
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Management of highland wetlands in central Kenya: the importance of community education, awareness and eco-tourism in biodiversity conservation
<p>The loss of natural habitats through destructive anthropogenic activities has been identified as one of the major drivers of environmental degradation. This is even more prevalent in developing countries
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World economic and social survey 2011: the great green technological transformation
This new report analyses the challenges and options involved in shifting to a “green economy” based on more efficient and renewable energy technologies, transforming agricultural technologies so as to guarantee food security without further degrading land and water resources, and utilizing technology to adapt to climate change.
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Peru
Despite their long history and their prominence in the local diet, potato yields of small Andean farmers are generally low. This is largely due to pest and disease-related losses. Intensified potato
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Bleak future
PARTNERS in peril is a film on the life of the people living in the Sundarbans and the state of resources in the area. Sundarbans is the only mangrove tiger land in the world. The present
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Power to the people
Rajasthan shows interest in the successful watershed missions of Madhya Pradesh
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Land rights and ownership in Orissa: status report
This UNDP study focuses on the situation of land rights and ownership in Orissa. Provides concrete suggestions to improve access of the poor to land and highlights the need to arrest processes that are promoting land alienation.
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For an environmental viewpoint
CSE director is called upon to talk science and environment at a state governors meet
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Water ecosystem services and poverty under climate change: key issues and research priorities
Benefits to people from water ecosystems like rivers, swamps, floodplains and groundwater systems are central to human well-being. But ecosystems are in trouble and the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have each shown that freshwater
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National Dairy Research Institute
The National Dairy Research Institute as country's premier Dairy Research Institution has developed considerable expertise over last five decades in different areas of Dairy Production, Processing, Management and Human Resource Development.
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Productive sanitation: Increasing food security by reusing treated excreta and greywater in agriculture
Currently some estimated 854 million people worldwide are chronically hungry due to extreme poverty; and about 2 billion people lack food security intermittently due to varying degrees of poverty (FAO 2006).
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Strategic framework for resilient livelihoods in earthquake-affected areas of Nepal
On 25 April, Nepal experienced a catastrophic earthquake that not only took the lives of over 8,000 people, injured over 22,000, and displaced over 100,000, it also affected the livelihoods of over 2.28
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In search of economic alternatives for gender and social justice: voices from India
This publication is a collection of Indian voices on economic structures, relations and principles that are needed to serve the goals of sustainable economic and human development, poverty eradication, social justice, and empowerment of the most vulnerable segments of society: women, dalits and adivasis.
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Global agro-industries meet to be held in Delhi from April 8
India will host the first four-day global conference on agro-industries, to be held in Delhi from April 8, 2008. The Global Agro-Industries Forum (GAIF) will promote the importance of agro-industries for economic development and poverty reduction, a press release of GAIF said. Around 500 senior representatives from the agro-industry, governments, technical and financing institutions, civil society and UN agencies will discuss the potential of agro-industries and the challenges they are facing. The conference will be jointly organised by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), in close collaboration with the Indian government. The Prime Minister of India, Manmohan Singh will officially inaugurate the Forum on April 9, in the presence of The FAO director-general Jacques Diouf, UNIDO director-general Kandeh K Yumkella, IFAD president Lennart Bage. Rapid globalisation, market liberalisation, and urbanisation have created new opportunities for countries to trade agricultural and food products. However, they have also created challenges and increased risks. Countries with inefficient agro-industries are likely to be left behind those with modern and efficient agro-industries. While high-income countries add, on average, US$180 of value by processing one tonne of agricultural products, developing countries generate only $40 of value per tonne, the press release said. Increasing the market opportunities particularly for small-scale producers in rural areas, by improving their production, processing and marketing capabilities, will be one of the main issues of the conference. Delivering better products at lower prices could be beneficial for poor consumers and could also create employment opportunities. The GAIF will also encourage dialogue between the private and public sector in order to foster partnerships for developing competitive agro-industries.
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Highlights
Water: Halve the number of people without access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation by 2015. Health: Reduce HIV prevalence in young men and women aged 15 to 24 by 25 per cent in
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The silver spoon
Development in the small farm sector holds the key to a holistic progress in the Asia Pacific countries
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Budget to focus on women, farmers
THE upcoming Union Budget should have a special focus on women and farmers. This message was conveyed by Congress chief Sonia Gandhi while speaking at a function in her constituency, Rae Bareli, on Wednesday, where she expressed certainty that finance minister P Chidambaram would "keep the common man's difficulties, especially faced by women and farmers, in mind while preparing the budget'. Speaking at a Bank of Baroda function to launch the 1,000th self-help group, Ms Gandhi was also quoted by agencies as saying that while 8-9% economic growth was not a mean achievement, real happiness would come when the common man's difficulties are wiped out. She added that health and education were keys for achieving real happiness. The comments are politically significant as many in the Congress have been saying much the same thing. At a pre-budget meeting with Mr Chidambaram recently, Congress leaders pointed out that 9% growth alone growth was unlikely to pay dividends for the party in an election year. They had asked the FM to focus on the
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Plan to engage 75 lakh Adivasis in horticulture
The state government has drawn up a major poverty-alleviation programme under which more than 75 lakh Adivasis will be covered in the first phase. By the year 2020, all of them will be engaged in
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Reducing poverty in rural areas: ASF approves Rs 22.2 million grants for agribusiness enterprises
The Agribusiness Support Fund's (ASF) appraisal committee has approved 96 grants worth Rs 22.2 million for different private sector agribusiness enterprises focusing on reducing poverty in rural areas. According to a message received here on Saturday the committee meeting, held in Lahore early this week. Particularly considered NWFP, FANA and Balochistan for these grants for enterprises ranging from farmer groups to SMEs, from all over Pakistan for different business development services (BDS). Grants to farmers enterprises groups (FEGs) were provided for establishment of grass-roots level income-generating activities, with a focus on value-addition. These groups have 1200 farmers all over Pakistan. The major initiative was supporting clusters of FEGs--approximately five FEG in every cluster--in establishment of milk chilling centres to preserve milk and ensuring its supply to ultimate consumer in pure and fresh condition and increasing income by eliminating the role of middlemen, walk-in tunnels for off-season farming of different vegetables, flower growing and marketing and pickles production and sales: ASF also supported enterprises in setting up nurseries and introducing new varieties of fruits and vegetables. Funding support to SMEs included grant support for setting up of mega cold storage facility in Karachi aimed at reducing spoilage. This facility will play an important role in the promotion of exports of horticultural produce from Pakistan to international markets. ASF also supported an association of fruit and vegetables exporters, importers and merchants in the establishment of 'Business Resource Centre'. The purpose of this centre will be to provide business opportunities, marketing services, training and linkages development etc. In addition, another association in the floriculture sector was provided support in creation of a strategy document for their operations. ASF also continued its support to agribusiness enterprises in gaining different certifications aimed at enhancing exports of fruits and vegetables. The Agribusiness Development and Diversification Project (ADDP) of Ministry of Food and Agriculture (Minfal) with the support from Asian Development Bank had created ASF with a grant of Rs 4.1 billion. ASF has been established to develop the agribusiness sector in Pakistan to support economic growth and for employment generation. It has further been tasked to promote private sector agribusiness enterprises by providing matching grants for purchase of BDS and also providing capacity building support to BDS providers. Copyright Business Recorder, 2008