Thirsty and hungry cities are posing significant challenges for the urban-rural interface ranging from food security to inter-sectoral water allocation. Not only is the supply of resources to urban centres a growing challenge in low-income countries, but even more is the urban return flow, as investments in waste management and sanitation, ie the ‘ultimate food waste’, are not able to keep pace with population growth. And where polluted water is used in irrigation to feed the cities, food safety is becoming a crucial component of food security.

Given their substantial societal benefits, such as supporting economic activities and providing better livelihoods in rural areas, ecosystem services should gain higher importance in water-food-energy nexus debates. Yet, not all values from ecosystems are quantifiable, data is often not adequate and methods of measuring these values are not sound. This situation challenges researchers and water managers to improve research tools and give adequate attention to ecosystem services by implementing interdisciplinary approaches and integrated management of ecosystems and their services.

Financial cooperatives and microfinance institutions (MFIs) are the two major sources of rural finance in Ethiopia. Whereas MFIs are relatively new, financial cooperatives have existed for centuries in various forms. The coexistence of two different institutions serving the same group of people, and delivering the same financial services, raises several policy questions. Those questions have become particularly relevant, as the government has embarked on developing a new strategy for improving rural financial services delivery.

La población rural de Santiago del Estero, Argentina, habita, mayoritariamente, en tierras fiscales. Hacia fines de la década de 1990 y principios de 2000, esas tierras se volvieron codiciables para el cultivo de soja. Esto generó focos de conflicto entre los capitalistas interesados en ellas y la población rural que allí residía. El objetivo de este artículo será examinar las formas que asume la lucha por la tierra en Santiago del Estero en el período 1990-2012.

In addition to global developments and food policy changes, 2014 also saw important developments with potentially wide repercussions in individual countries and regions. This chapter offers perspectives on major food policy developments in various regions including Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, Central Asia, South Asia, East Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean.

In Wageningen heeft de planologie van meet af aan haar plaats tussen de technische wetenschappen moeten vinden en hervinden. Naast aansprekende resultaten, zoals de lagenbenadering die in Wageningen is ontwikkeld, heeft dat geleid tot permanent theoretiseren van de complexe wederzijdse inwerking tussen menselijk handelen en bodem, water en klimaat. Groene planologie en het landschap als centraal onderzoeksobject bepalen de huidige positie en theorievorming van de planologie.

Financial cooperatives and microfinance institutions (MFIs) are the two major sources of rural finance in Ethiopia. Whereas MFIs are relatively new, financial cooperatives have existed for centuries in various forms. The coexistence of two different institutions serving the same group of people, and delivering the same financial services, raises several policy questions. Those questions have become particularly relevant, as the government has embarked on developing a new strategy for improving rural financial services delivery.