Food and agriculture blogs
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Rebalancing power in the Kenya-UK green bean value chain
9 September 2019Farmers and workers often struggle to influence decision-making and trading patterns within global value chains. A recent IIED webinar discussed an initiative to overcome hurdles for farmers and workers to secure a stronger voice and influence trading arrangements within the Kenya-UK green bean value chain
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Beyond maize: exploring agricultural diversification in Zambia
22 August 2019Zambia's food system is widely seen as not working. A new report looks at how to increase crop diversity, support better nutrition and support resilience at local and national level
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For street vendors, finding water and toilets isn’t just a nuisance, it’s cutting into earnings
12 August 2019Guest blogger Carlin Carr argues that providing street vendors access to safe, clean water, sanitation, and hygiene resources benefits not just sellers but the wider community
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The two faces of Bandung’s street food: recreation and reliance
7 August 2019A new report highlights the central role that street food plays in the food security of low-income workers
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Tackling widespread hunger in cities means listening to the urban poor
5 August 2019As urban food insecurity attracts growing interest in policy debates, Cecilia Tacoli makes the case for ensuring that the views of poor urban residents both inform and shape solutions.
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Science with citizens, or science for citizens?
23 July 2019Alejandro Guarín says citizen science is a great way to crowdsource knowledge, but involving citizens in research can also be a powerful tool for social change
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Keeping Bolivia’s culture alive through food
18 June 2019On Sustainable Gastronomy Day (18 June), guest blogger Angel Ramos explores initiatives that are helping to preserve Bolivia’s rich food heritage
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Vietnamese forest and farm producers work towards more resilient livelihoods and landscapes
27 May 2019As the UN launches the Decade of Family Farming, Duncan Macqueen considers the role of the Forest and Farm Facility programme in improving incomes, employment and sustainable agricultural practices for Vietnamese farmers
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Wild meat: is there an appetite for alternatives?
21 May 2019The age-old tradition of hunting wild meat has, in many cases, become unsustainable. Efforts to change local habits have had little effect. Ahead of this year’s International Day for Biological Diversity, guest blogger Stephanie Brittain argues that to protect biodiversity, without compromising health and livelihoods, we need to understand much more about why people eat wild meat
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Cooking for our future
20 February 2019Healthy, sustainable and inclusive gastronomy – Carmen Torres reflects on this month’s food systems conference and a new ally in the shift towards sustainable food systems
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Food Change Labs tackle complex issues with the whole system in the room
30 January 2019Felia Boerwinkel describes how 'change labs' have successfully brought together diverse stakeholders to find ways to improve local food systems in Uganda, Zambia and Indonesia
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Building transparency and trust into smallholder commodity trading and contract farming
13 November 2018Smallholder farmers have long had difficulties getting a fair price for their produce. A recent IIED webinar discussed how linking farmers to commodity exchanges and an ‘incentive-based’ contract farming (IBCF) approach can help improve farmer-buyer relations and establish more transparent trading arrangements
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As climate changes, Himalayan farmers return to traditional crops
29 October 2018Traditional crops and innovations are offering Himalayan farmers a way to deal with the challenges of climate change, but there is much work to be done for this to become a truly viable alternative
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Achieving real transformation in our food system
23 October 2018Frank Mechielsen of Hivos reports back from the annual Committee for Food Security, the main international platform that explores food security concerns. He describes how joint action can deliver much needed change in the way we produce and consume our food
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Food, sisterhood and dreams
16 October 2018On World Food Day, Nicole Szucs reports back from a dialogue on increasing dietary diversity and local food systems in Bolivia, and highlights a new video showing how women play a vital role in the food cycle, from production to consumption
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Creating knowledge and supporting action: citizen-generated evidence from food diaries in Uganda
14 September 2018Citizens in Western Uganda are using food diaries to generate data on food consumption – helping them understand their own diets and advocate for a better food system
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We need to safeguard biodiversity and promote diverse diets
22 May 2018Coinciding with this year’s International Day for Biodiversity, a new report from IIED and Hivos explores how we can reverse the alarming loss of biodiversity in agriculture and foster diverse diets
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How people are providing evidence, and influencing to get food policies that work for them
26 April 2018Food policies that are based on evidence and advocacy delivered by citizens are more likely to benefit those whose lives they affect most. An event this week heard how connecting people to policy can help secure healthy and more sustainable diets for everyone
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Attracting Zambia's youth to agriculture: it's about time
29 January 2018Zambia's vibrant youth are crucial to developing a prosperous agricultural sector. This means shaking off outdated perceptions and providing young people with the right incentives
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Food, ecosystems, equality – can we have it all?
19 December 2017Sustainable landscapes are essential for our future. A major international gathering will this week look at how to speed up action for more resilient, equitable, productive and climate-friendly landscapes. IIED and partners have recently launched a new project that will use innovative ways of working to promote these outcomes in Africa
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Nourishing diversity in our food systems
10 October 2017Although our food systems seemingly deliver impressive abundance and variety, we are losing crucial agricultural biodiversity and our increasingly homogenised diets are leading to disease and obesity. Seth Cook sets out five steps for better, more diverse food systems
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Shaping the future of forest and farm landscapes in Africa
21 August 2017As part of a new interdisciplinary partnership, IIED will be working with sector experts, scientists and practitioners to better understand and manage the growing competition for land in Sub-Saharan Africa, as governments seek to balance food production with forest conservation targets
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Promoting diversity on the farm – and the plate
5 June 2017As a recent meeting in Lusaka showed, Food Change Labs offer an innovative path towards greater diversity on the farm and on the plate in Zambia
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Notes from the field – Dlonguebougou, Mali
11 April 2017Returning to the village in Mali she first studied 35 years ago, senior fellow Camilla Toulmin finds three changes remarkable
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Reframing food security for an urbanising world
10 April 2017Achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of zero hunger by 2030 means taking account of changes in both rural and urban contexts. Cecilia Tacoli reports back from a workshop organised with IFAD on some of the issues raised