Greening rural development can stimulate rural economies, create jobs and help maintain critical ecosystem services and strengthen climate resilience of the rural poor. This report by the Ministry of Rural Development, India, with support from the United Nations Development Programme, presents strategies for inclusive rural development embodying the principles of environmental sustainability. It defines ‘green’ outcomes for major rural development schemes, reviews the design and evidence from the field to highlight potential green results and recommends steps to improve green results.

This United Nations flagship publication launched at the Rio+20 Conference on Sustainable Development in June 2012 aims to raise awareness on sustainability and green growth. The objective is to show renewed political commitment for sustainable development, while assessing progress to date. Sustainable development, which is seen as the guiding principle for long-term global development, consists of three pillars: economic development, social development and environmental protection.

Surplus woody plants in areas where there is bush thickening present an opportunity to harvest the wood as bio-fuel. The health of the ecosystem and rangeland restoration must, however, always be prioritised during any tree harvesting for bio-fuel. In South Africa, indigenous woody plants are a prominent feature of the savannah, the largest of the vegetation biomes in South Africa and the Southern African sub-continent.

This paper examines how developing countries have attempted to promote rural development through biofuel production, what social outcomes those strategies have created and what lessons can be learned. This is done by comparing the contexts of Brazil, India and Indonesia; three countries with important agricultural sectors that have put large-scale biofuel programmes in place. The analysis indicates a disparity between the social discourse and the adopted biofuel policy instruments.

The success of REDD+ depends on whether it can be economically viable and if any resulting payments are sufficient to cover the opportunity cost plus any transaction cost. Where tenure security over forested areas is weak, REDD+ can pose a risk for forest communities, who could be dispossessed, excluded and marginalised. This review explores how payment for avoided deforestation and forest tenure impact the success of REDD+ projects in terms of effectiveness, efficiency and equity.

The Climate Action Tracker (CAT) compares and assesses national and global action against a range of different climate targets across all relevant time frames. This report assesses whether Mexico’s current policies and climate action pledges meet the country's targets and approach the targets required for a global 2°C or lower pathway. According to the report, Mexico is among the countries most advanced in reducing emissions from deforestation and ensuring afforestation through payment for environmental services.

Market solutions based on the trade of carbon offset credits remain a dominant feature in international climate change negotiations. This paper undertakes a preliminary assessment of potential of climate change mitigation projects by evaluating Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects related to agriculture and land use change in Latin America. Results suggest that potential benefits of carbon markets in the agriculture and forestry sectors are often overstated, with failures in the areas of additionality, project accountability and sustainable development.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development’s (IFAD) annual report 2011 describes the achievements of its programme of work through 240 projects in 94 countries, as well as its new strategic framework for 2011-2015. The report documents the milestones and indicators towards sustainable rural development, including a number of regional examples. It highlights IFAD’s efforts to support the empowerment of poor rural women and young people, to increase rural financial services and weather insurance, and to address climate change, which is one of IFAD’s most central strategic aims.

The Government of the UK and Norway have supported the production of an independent report to help inform the decision-making process on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) at the upcoming United Nations climate change negotiations in Doha in December 2012.

North China is the most important food basket of China, where the majority of wheat and corn are produced. Most crops grown in North China are irrigated, thus water security is food security. Since the 1980s, drying has been frequently observed, as shown by a reduction in precipitation, cutoff in riverflow, and shrinkage of lakes. This increase in drying cannot be explained by climate change alone. We propose that intensive land-use in this area in recent decades has had a significant impact.

This brief, produced jointly by FAO, UNEP and RECOFTC, outlines the ways in which forests contribute to climate change adaptation in the Asian region. It details current climate changes impacting forest ecosystems in Asia; key components of climate change adaptation and sustainable forest management; the current status of climate change adaptation and forests in Asia; and the way ahead.

Overview:

Trees and forests play important roles in reducing landslide risk through various mechanisms. Tree roots reinforce soil layers, anchor the soil to bedrock and form buttresses against soil movement. Trees also reduce landslide risk by lowering soil moisture levels – interception, evaporation and transpiration are the primary mechanisms. These mechanisms, and others, also make trees valuable in land reclamation following landslides.