According to the recently released Humidtropics Situational Analysis report for Xishuangbanna Prefecture, Yunnan, China, the region was an area of extreme biodiversity and cultural diversity, although much of that biodiversity has now been lost to monoculture rubber plantations. The Situational Analysis summarizes the situation of rural development, agriculture and environment as it is perceived by expert opinion and literature evidence, as of 2014/2015. This report is the second Situational Analysis to be completed in the Central Mekong Action Area. It was conducted during the stages of … [Read more...]
New Partnership Platform for Better Impact on Poverty in Northwest Vietnam
Northwest Vietnam is a mountainous area bordering China to the North and Lao PDR to the South. About 30 ethnic minorities with distinct languages and traditions, including cultivation practices live in the area, the most populous groups being Thai, H’mong and Nung. It is estimated that roughly 80 percent of the population’s livelihoods are based on agriculture. The area is also poor: poverty rates of Son La and Dien Bien are 29.4 percent and 38.6 percent, respectively, compared to the national average at 9.8 percent, according to statistics from Vietnam’s General Statistics Office. In … [Read more...]
Scientists Call for Systems Research in Agriculture to Realize the Sustainable Development Goals
From March 3 to 6, the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) hosted the global systems research and development community at the International Conference on Integrated Systems Research for Sustainable Intensification in Smallholder Agriculture. Social and agricultural scientists participating in the conference are stressing the importance of agricultural research to be done with a holistic systems perspective, and for better links between research on improvements in specific commodities and natural resources management. Dr. Frank Rijsberman, CEO of the CGIAR Consortium, … [Read more...]