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Harvesting Results from the International Year of Soils
As 2015 draws to a close, so does the International Year of Soils. Research on soils is a critical pillar of CIAT’s work, as Center staff demonstrated throughout the year, in a global campaign that put soils at the forefront of issues ranging from food security and...
Bovine Intervention: Colombia prepares to give unsustainable cattle production the hoof
An ambitious proposal from the Colombian government to make cattle production more sustainable could save over a billion tonnes in greenhouse gas emissions, while protecting forests, regenerating land and boosting farmer incomes. If funded, the work will contribute to...
What is behind a cup of fair trade coffee
Traditionally, the Fairtrade certification system has been organized under a single global umbrella the Fairtrade Labelling Organizations, currently known as Fairtrade International. However in 2011, Fair Trade USA and Fairtrade International issued a joint statement announcing their separation.
Smart beans help farmers cope with global warming – CIAT on Deutsche Welle
The eyes of the world are on Paris as leaders from 195 countries continue to hammer out a global agreement on how to address climate change, a threat that is expected to have huge impact on the ability of some communities to grow food. Take beans, for example. Beans...
What’s in your noodle soup?
You may never have heard of it before. A globetrotting crop by all accounts, it's thought to have been introduced into Southeast Asia in the Philippines from Mexico in the 19th Century. As our diet becomes ever more complex, cassava - or tapioca - a root crop like...
Not so dirt cheap
The coffee on your desk might never have arrived this morning. Deforestation rates in Ethiopia – one of the world’s top coffee exporters – are so high, records show, that forest is slashed from 40 to less than 3 percent of the country. As well as surviving...
Genome Editing: As Easy, Useful, and Safe as it Sounds?
Helping experts in crop biotechnology explain their work to non-specialists is a tough job – one to which I’ve dedicated a lot of time as a science writer/editor over the last 20 years. One rhetorical device that I’ve always found handy for getting my mind around...
Soil Organic Carbon and the 4‰ Initiative: Soils for food security and climate
2015 has been an exciting year for those of us engaged in research to support sustainable development of agriculture in the tropics. The Sustainable Development Goals have been adopted, and incorporate goals for society, agriculture, and ecosystems, including the...
Burundi: Breaking down barriers for beans
As part of our contribution to the United Nations’ International Year of Pulses, we’re starting a blog series called “Bean-Growing Country of the Month.” This first article focuses on a country that is rebuilding its bean research programme with assistance from the...
Pathways for restoring soils: Strengthening local capacities in Nicaragua
Two initiatives undertaken with partners are beginning to make a difference in fostering more productive use of soils and contributing to restoring soils in smallholder farming in Nicaragua. “These are motivating examples of what we can achieve if we work together...