local communities

For generations, people have managed natural resources in such a way that their multiple needs for food, fibre, fodder, fuel, building materials, medicinal products and drinking water were largely fulfilled. Farming, livestock, forestry and fisheries systems have evolved, and been adapted to variable and changing environmental and socio-economic conditions.

The CFS Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems – known as RAI – are a set of ten principles that apply to all types and sizes of agricultural investment including fisheries, forests and livestock. They address all stakeholders and apply to all stages of the value chain.

The most controversial aspect of the census recently held in Burma has been the denial of the large Muslim population in Arakan to identify themselves as Rohingya, the term of their choice. The government ban means as many as one million people remain uncounted in Arakan.

Recognizing the importance and
uniqueness of the Sundarbans, the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
declared the Indian portion of the forest a World Heritage
Site in 1987, and the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Program

Are the household characteristics that
are good for transition to a more diversified
market-oriented development process in Vietnam also
important for reducing poverty? Or are there tradeoffs? The
determinants of both poverty incidence and participation in

CIFOR Infobrief no. 77

In Big Men, director Rachel Boynton has achieved a tour-de-force of documentary filmmaking.

Like other regions of the world, Africa
is beginning to experience the impacts of human-induced
climate change. These observed changes in climate parameters
have not occurred uniformly across Africa. Mitigation is
concerned with reducing the level of greenhouse gas

Traditional agrosilvopastoral systems have been an important component of the farming systems and livelihoods of thousands of ethnic minority people in the uplands of Mainland Southeast Asia.

The urban and the rural are increasingly interconnected. Rural areas have become places of consumption, as leisure and recreation have become important functions of rural areas. There are also indications that increased urbanisation even leads to a stronger appreciation of green areas situated far beyond city limits.

As many as two in three people worldwide believe that ordinary citizens can make a difference in the fight against corruption. Whether it’s taking on an abusive school system, exposing a crooked driving instructor or blocking the re-election of a corrupt mayor, these individuals are demonstrating their power to bring about lasting change in their communities.

The food security of more than 80% of Tanzania’s population and the country’s economic growth depend on family farming on certifi ed village lands.