Report on application of SWAT model for soil conservation planning. A study was undertaken to evaluate the soil erosion parameters using semi-distributed
basin scale SWAT model in different watersheds of Chakwal and Attock districts. The
model was calibrated and validated for a small watershed without any soil conservation
structures. For this purpose four sub-catchments of Dhrabi watershed were selected and
model setup was done using Arc SWAT interface for each sub-catchment independently.

Despite the increasing acknowledgment of scholars and practitioners that many large-scale agricultural land acquisitions in developing countries fail or never materialize, empirical evidence about how and why they fail to date is still scarce. Too often, land deals are portrayed as straightforward investments and their success is taken for granted. Looking at the coffee sector in Laos, the authors of this article explore dimensions of the land grab debate that have not yet been sufficiently examined.

Cette journée de réflexion a été consacrée à la place de l’enjeu foncier en milieu rural dans les conflits civils contemporains dans les pays en développement. Elle a mobilisé le réseau élargi du Comité, avec plus d’une cinquantaine d’experts, de chercheurs et de décideurs venus contribuer au débat. Jean-Pierre Chauveau et Éric Léonard de l’IRD-Pôle foncier de Montpellier ont assuré le cadrage général et l’identification des principaux intervenants.[…]

The ‘region’ has increasingly become an entry point for inducing a transition towards sustainable food provision, environmental quality for living and recreation, and/or economic competitiveness. Regional projects and strategies have assembled politicians, entrepreneurs, civil society organisations, and researchers in joint endeavours, with ambitious names such as Food Valley, Energy Valley, Health Valley, or Greenports. This report labels such endeavours as ‘regional transitions’.

A feasibility study has been worked out for an integrated advisory system for precision agriculture on the production of forage (grass and maize) for dairy farming in the Netherlands. Technology is not restrictive anymore to apply precision agriculture on important cultivation measures. It is now about achieving an effective integration of sensor data, models, metrics and equipment in a comprehensive advice system. It has been advised how a practical advice system for operational decisions can be realized on the dairy farm in the foreseeable future (