Large-scale agricultural land investments in Africa are often considered solely from the land perspective. Yet land, water and other natural resources are closely interlinked in agricultural production and in sustaining rural livelihoods. Such investments involving irrigation will potentially have implications for water availability and utilization by other users, making it imperative to regard water as an economic rather than a free good.

The major objectives of the workshop were to share and exchange Best Practices and success stories in Agro-tourism in the Caribbean, with a view to preparing a strategy and programme for the development and promotion of agro-tourism in the Region...

Bananas (Musa spp.) belong to the most important global food commodities, and their cultivation represents the world's largest monoculture. Although the plant-associated microbiome has substantial influence on plant growth and health, there is a lack of knowledge of the banana microbiome and its influencing factors. We studied the impact of (i) biogeography, and (ii) agroforestry on the banana-associated gammaproteobacterial microbiome analyzing plants grown in smallholder farms in Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

The technological and institutional requirements needed for a broader distribution and adoption of new cropping technologies are indicated, using as example the case of changes in land use by soybean growers of the Brazilian Cerrados. In Brazil, soybean had contributed significantly to economic development, accounting for 8 percent of total exports. The current survey was conducted on a red-yellow Latosol in southeastern Minas Gerais. In 1986, 72 percent of this area was under annual crops and 11 percent under pastures.

The printable flyer provides a short overview of the Andes basin development challenge on water and food including infographics on the region we work in.

Innovation systems thinking is increasingly influencing approaches to sustainable agricultural development in developing world contexts. This represents a shift away from technology transfer towards recognition that agricultural change entails complex interactions among multiple actors and a range of technical, social and institutional factors. One option for practically applying innovation systems thinking involves the establishment of innovation platforms (IPs).

Apart from the issue of fairness, there is also considerable evidence that giving people secure rights to their land and natural resources, helps to ensure that land is properly maintained and resources are responsibly exploited. Ruth Meinzen-Dick, a researcher on land and water rights, explains the link.

This training resource is presented in five modules. 1) Global perspectives on animal genetic resources for sustainable agriculture and food production in the tropics. This module provides some insight into the need for better use of animal genetic resources (AnGR) in the context of projected demand for food in developing countries until 2020. 2) Improving our knowledge of tropical indigenous animal genetic resources.