Tag Archives: countries
New Tool to Improve Assessment of Forest Biomass and Carbon Stocks
A new online platform launched by FAO will allow countries to improve the assessment of forest volumes, biomass and carbon stocks. This data is crucial for climate change research and mitigation activities, such as increasing the carbon stock in forests through reforestation, and bioenergy development. The new GlobAllomeTree, jointly developed by FAO, the French Research Centre CIRAD and Tuscia University of Italy, is an international, web-based platform designed to help climate-change project developers, researchers, scientists and foresters calculate forest biomass and forest carbon. This data will assist national policymakers in making informed decisions about their climate change and bioenergy strategies. “This is the first time that countries have access to an extensive database of tree models used to evaluate forest resources worldwide. It allows them to get a clear picture on their forests’ capacities to store carbon,” said FAO Forestry Officer Matieu Henry. Easy to access and use The tool enables users to assess stem volume, tree biomass and carbon stocks from tree characteristics such as trunk diameter, height and wood specific gravity, for various types of trees and ecological zones. Access to the tool is free and users can also develop and submit their own calculation models. At current status, the tool covers 61 tree species in 7 different ecological zones in Europe, 263 tree species in 16 ecological zones in North America and 324 species in 9 ecological zones in Africa. The calculation tools for South Asia, South-East Asia and Central and South America are soon to be finalized and uploaded to the platform. Forest carbon estimation for REDD+ This new platform will be particularly useful in the context of REDD+ activities (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and increasing the carbon stock in forests), where governments will need more accurate assessment of the forest carbon stocks and carbon stock changes. In this context, a few countries have already advanced their approaches to forest monitoring for REDD+ by using tree calculation models. For example, national institutions in Vietnam supported by the UN-REDD National Programme have conducted field measurements to develop new calculation models in a number of forest types throughout the country. Indonesia has produced and adopted a national standard for developing tree databases, and in Mexico, national forest authorities have developed a national database and new calculation tools. These efforts will help countries to obtain more accurate data on the status of forest resources and forest carbon stocks and changes and support implementation of national and international forestry policies. Continue reading
Four Reasons Farmland May Be the Investment of the Decade
By Igor Zhitnitsky and Victor German NEW YORK ( TheStreet ) — Over the last several years, U.S. farmland prices have seen astounding gains, outperforming most other asset classes by a lot and leading some to speculate that farmland is the latest in a series of asset bubbles set to burst. But while the run-up in agricultural land is cooling off for the moment and the market may be ripe for a temporary pullback, the overall trend is fundamentally positive. Here are four reasons the long-term outlook for U.S. agricultural land is strong: Foreign demand for meat: The rapidly expanding middle class of the developing world has a growing appetite for meat. While China has been able to meet its own demand, its grain production capacity is inadequate to feed its livestock, which cannot be sustained on grazing alone. Per-acre grain productivity is much lower in China than in the West, and so the country has turned to the U.S. and other large producers for feed grains. This foreign appetite has led to a sharp increase in demand for corn and soybean-producing land in the U.S., and that pressure will only increase as the Chinese and other developing world consumers continue to increase their meat consumption. That points to the increasing importance of agricultural land. Historically low grain supplies: The 2012 drought showed that supplies of corn and other grains are unusually low. Average stocks-to-use ratios — an industry standard for measuring the amount of supply cushion available to the market — is historically low and has been trending down over the decade. That indicates that growth in demand is generally outpacing supply, and price shocks like last year’s will likely become more commonplace. Historically low debt levels: During the 1980s, when farmland did go boom and then bust, the market saw high levels of debt. Farmers racked up loans and rushed to buy out their neighbors’ properties before prices went any higher, leading to a crash in land values when grain prices faltered. In this decade, however, farmers’ debt levels are very low and stable. In addition, agricultural lending institutions and Farmer Mac ( AGM _ ) have heeded lessons learned from the 2008 credit crisis and kept lending practices on the conservative side. Technologically driven productivity gains: The per-acre production of U.S. farmland has grown consistently and rapidly for decades, outpacing both the productivity of agricultural sectors in other countries, as well as other industries in the U.S. In this decade, many high-tech productivity drivers are emerging, ranging from the use of GPS for precision farming to the bioengineering of more efficient grain strains. The trend hasn’t gone unnoticed by the elites of the investment community – Ray Dalio’s Bridgewater Associates holds a sizable position in Monsanto ( MON _ )and Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway ( BRKA ) made a long-term bet on Deere & Co. ( DE _ ) So how can a sophisticated investor benefit from this macro trend? Investing in established companies that dominate the industry is one route, the one taken by some high-profile names. A more ambitious investor willing to take on more risk might also do well by picking winners from among smaller more volatile agricultural ventures springing up in the sector. Companies based outside the U.S., like Adecoagro ( AGRO _ ) and Cresud ( CRESY _ ) are examples, but one should weigh carefully the potential instability and political risks that loom over the agricultural sectors of developing countries. The best way to benefit from rising land prices is the obvious one — to own a geographically diversified portfolio of land. There are unmatched advantages to directly owning farmland, including high reliable yields and tax advantages that other asset classes lack. Owning land, however, is very involved. It comes with complexity many smaller investors don’t think they can navigate on their own — CSR ratings, proximity to transportation and irrigation, working with land managers, protecting land from erosion, commodity hedging, complying with a multitude of state laws affecting absentee landlords and liquidity issues. But for those motivated to finding opportunities in the Corn Belt, a gold rush for fertile land may be the investment frontier of the decade. At the time of publication the author held no positions in any of the stocks mentioned. This article was written by an independent contributor, separate from TheStreet’s regular news coverage. Continue reading
Tanzania: Agro Forestry Greatly Improves Food Security
BY ORTON KIISHWEKO, 30 JUNE 2013 IN his publication, “Is agroforestry a suitable response to climate change”, the Regional Director of the Environment of Bas- Sassandra, notes that he exploitation of natural resources – land, water, biodiversity is reaching saturation point and this is compounded by expanding population growth. “The degradation of the natural forests is aggravating the impact of climate change,” he notes. But the most important point, he adds is “Agro forestry systems, can contribute to the mitigation of the effects of climate change, mainly by improving the microclimate and the biodiversity and the attainment of food security goals.” According to available scientific information, climate change is already affecting forest ecosystems and the services they provide including ecosystem sustainability and the maintenance of biodiversity. It is also expected to have increasing effects both positive and negative on the ecosystems and socio-economic development in the future. For example, while deforestation is responsible for about 18 per cent of greenhouse gases, forests currently still absorb more carbon than they emit and an increased tree growth is foreseen in some regions bringing new opportunities for forest industry and forest-dependent communities. To succeed in a better integration of trees and human activities on city outskirts is thus an issue for the future: improving the urban dweller’s quality of life, increasing revenues from cultivated plots in periurban areas, product diversification, etc. The tree then serves as a biodiversity reservoir in increasingly urbanising areas and could also be a factor in limiting pollution caused by leaching and runoff of chemical fertilizers used by farmers, a significant problem with peri-urban agriculture. As such, urgent efforts are required to make political decision makers understand that agro forestry is both a tool to be distributed widely as well as a different way of production. The move to strengthen this natural phenomenon was boosted this year when Vice- President Mohammed Gharib Bilal paved the way for further regional collaboration on agroforestry projects to address climate change and food security issues. He went to the World Agroforestry Centre’s Nairobi campus to learn more about our research and development activities. “We are truly honoured and humbled by the effort you have made to join us ,” said Director General Dr Dennis Garrity. In a short presentation about agroforestry and the Centre’s work, Dr Garrity highlighted partnerships with Tanzania over two decades and opportunities which exist for the future. He touched on the areas he knew were of particular interest to the Vice-President, namely climate change and food security. Dr Garrity spoke about the Centre’s work on climate change adaptation in Morogoro and about Shinyanga, Tanzania where 500,000 hectares of land are now under improved agroforestry systems. “Over 20 years, we have seen a transformation in the landscapes of Shinyanga,” he said, “this highly successful project is an example of community-based natural resource management in coland it has been hailed a global success story”. Dr Garrity went on to explain the concept of Evergreen Agriculture and his vision for the widespread integration of fertilizer trees species – Gliricidia, Tephrosia and Faidherbia albida – to provide farmers with a continual and permanent supply of fertilizer on their farms to improve crop yields. He proposed a range of opportunities for collaboration, including up-scaling Evergreen Agriculture and reigniting the Kilimo Kwanza Programme (Kiswahili for Agriculture First). Dr Garrity called for reinvigorating Tanzania’s National Agroforestry Committee to investigate applying agroforestry science across the country. The Centre’s Tanzania Country Representative, Aichi Kitalyi, added detail about some of the local issues and the need to learn from what has happened in order to develop actions for the future. Partnership Coordinator, Professor Temu, elaborated on climate change and how the integration of trees on farms can help the poor, especially those in rural villages in his native Tanzania. In his response, Vice- President Dr Bilal spoke of the goodwill that has been generated by the Centre in the country. “The environment is everything,” he said. “Your organisation is looking at the problems of food security and the environment. “The work of your institute is very important,” The Hon Bilal continued, posing the question “How can we use your knowledge and experience for strong and tangible activities that will help Tanzania and other countries in the region?” The Vice-President requested the Centre to advise his office, and keep them informed of developments in such work. He said this was of particular relevance now as they struggle to address climate change in the wake of the COP 15 meeting which failed to reach a binding agreement at the end of last year. As the discussions wrapped up, participants looked to future collaboration and maximising opportunities for agroforestry to directly benefit Tanzania. Dr Bilal toured the World Agroforestry Centre’s stateof- the-art soils and tree seed laboratories and planted a Faidherbia albida tree at the grounds. The Faidherbia tree – the tree is being advocated for Evergreen agriculture from Zimbabwe and Southern Tanzania in an attempt to improve soil fertility. Under such arrangements, villages have good crop harvest year-in year-out whether the rains were good or bad. The farmers enjoy a bumper harvest when there is a lot of rain as the crops also benefit from the fertility below the trees. “During drought,” he continued, “the tree canopy and mulch from leaf fall reduce the amount of water evaporating from the soil. This ensures that sufficient moisture remains in the soil below the trees to enable crop growth and ample harvests. The falling albida pods and leaves, it is said, were like earthworms. “They improve soil fertility,” he said. In such cases, farmers do not buy fertilizers for their field crops. This is because “applying fertilizers to crops under the F. albida trees spoils the crops as they become excessively vegetative and unproductive”. In addition to its fertility- enhancing qualities, F. albida has other uses that the villagers value highly. There is potential for enhancing crop productivity through agroforestry at the farm level. Some trees can enhance on-farm productivity and improve livelihoods of the smallholder farmers. Agroforestry is a profound investment vehicle to alleviate poverty and build environmental resilience, particularly in remote areas. It could realize the vision for creating an Evergreen Agriculture in Africa through fresh approaches to agroforestry, Farmers and policy makers have so far not taken advantage of the potential of agroforestry to contribute to poverty alleviation, to soil fertility to increased crop yields, to protection of watersheds, biodiversity, to climate mitigation through increased carbon sequestration. The role that agroforestry can play in restoration of degraded lands, in helping to reduce carbon emissions (by taking the pressure off indigenous forests) and contributing to climate mitigation through increased carbon sequestration. Such investment would build on the ongoing analyses of potential target areas for restoration being researched by WRI. In 1999, ICRAF began a project on “improved land management in the Lake Victoria basin” in collaboration with the Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture). The project has generated new insights into the state and causes of land degradation as well as the opportunities for farmers to improve both their incomes and the local environment through the use of new crop varieties, agroforestry and simple water harvesting techniques. Also, a major new study indicates that farms and forests may not be as incompatible as we often assume. Using detailed satellite imagery, scientists from the World Agroforestry Centre (WAC) found that on almost half of all farmed landscapes around the world, landowners are either sparing some existing trees or planting new ones, leading to what the study calls “significant” tree cover. Continue reading
