Agriculture and Market Update

Fair and Sustainable Trade

CRS Technical Resources — Mon, 26 Apr 2010 20:32:00 +0000

How are NGOs and the private sector seeking to incorporate the progressive and justice-focused principles from Fair Trade into more mainstream commercial activities? How can this be done in ways that are environmentally sustainable, but also profitable?

CRS joined Sustainable Food Laboratory, World Wildlife Fund, and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters at an Earth Day event at Villanova University last week to discuss these questions.

Using Cell Phones to Monitor Food Security Threats – A Food Security and M&E Pilot in Malawi

CRS Technical Resources — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 21:53:00 +0000

Using cell phones only for calling people is *so* 2009. Over the past year leading into this new decade we’ve seen new uses for cell phones in humanitarian work and through CRS programs. In Niger, people learn literacy skills through cell phone programs. In Ghana, farmers can gain valuable market information via text messages. People living with HIV can receive cell phone reminders to take their ARV treatments in Southern Africa, and people can transfer money to different bank accounts in Sierra Leone. Soon, in Malawi, people will be able to monitor shocks to their food security through mobile systems.

Copenhagen, “ClimateGate,” and Commitment

CRS Technical Resources — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 21:57:00 +0000

The road to Copenhagen has been filled with potholes. Feelings seem to be mixed as to whether we can hope for a politically-binding agreement at Copenhagen. At a meeting in Barcelona in early November, developing countries expressed frustration at developed countries’ hesitancy to commit to emissions reductions.

LACRO – Coffee and Climate Change

CRS Technical Resources — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 22:00:00 +0000

This summer, CRS will start work on two innovative projects in LACRO funded by Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (GMCR). Both projects grew out of ongoing conversations with GMCR that began in mid-2007, and both reflect the company’s growing engagement with issues that lie beyond the coffee chain, including food security, migration and climate change.

ASIA – CRS/Afganistan's Village Based Watershed Restoration Program

CRS Technical Resources — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:37:00 +0000

Afghanistan is the most water insecure country in the world and the people of Ghor province are among the most affected in Afghanistan. Insufficient water for agricultural production severely limits licit livelihood options for farmers and livestock keepers in Ghor province. As a result, a resilient crop like poppy, which provides relatively high returns from small plots of land, is an attractive option for water insecure households.

CRS initiated a two-year Village Based Watershed Restoration Program for western Ghor Province in early 2007. The objectives of this program were to improve natural resource management in strategic watershed areas in Ghor as part of CRS biodiversity objectives for Afghanistan.

EARO/ CARO – Sweet potatoes in Tanzania and Rwanda

CRS Technical Resources — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 13:40:00 +0000

On October 15th, at the World Food Prize Symposium in Iowa, Bill Gates announced funding for the $21,250,000 Sweet potato Action for Security and Health in Africa (SASHA) project, led by the International Potato Center (CIP). SASHA was launched officially a few days later as part of the broader Sweetpotato for Profit and Health Initiative (SPHI) at the National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI) in Namulonge, Uganda. The SASHA project seeks to directly improve the food security and livelihoods of at least 150,000 families in Sub-Saharan Africa in five years and provide the evidence base for effective delivery systems to reach many more.

Market Watch (Oct. 09)

CRS Technical Resources — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:43:00 +0000

Dow Jones Industrial Average – 16 oct 2009

UP – 9,995.91. Hitting yearly highs: back over 10,000!

Maize – 16 oct 2009

UP – 384.0 (¢/56lb bushel – CBOT futures Dec 09). Up from 339.00 last AgUpdate. Reports of upcoming freezes in U.S. has raised prices a bit.

[Tech Alert] Mobile Phones: Not Just for Talking Anymore

CRS Technical Resources — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 12:44:00 +0000

Africa has the fastest growing mobile phone market in the world, and many are being used in development projects. One Grameen Foundation project in Uganda uses mobile phones to track banana diseases. Read the New York Times article about this project.

G20 Agrees to Phase Out Fossil Fuel Subsidies

CRS Technical Resources — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:46:00 +0000

World leaders met at the UN in New York the week of September 20, 2009, and expectations were high for what was dubbed “Climate Week.” In the end, according to most critics, it was less-than-exciting. In President Obama’s much-anticipated speech, he reinforced the U.S. commitment to renewable energy, but gave few details on other commitments.

Paying Farmers to Not Cut Trees

CRS Technical Resources — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 12:49:00 +0000

People in developing countries can be paid to not cut down their forests as part of carbon offset schemes for richer countries. The idea is called “avoided deforestation” or “reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation” (REDD) and is being promoted internationally, but faces many challenges.