AsiaDHRRA Online

FarmFriday, shares this thought-provoking article from the The Economist about Brazil’s success in developing its vast savannah into one of the world’s great breadbasket. Make sure to read the article comments for some interesting viewpoints.
The increase in Brazil’s farm production has been stunning. Between 1996 and 2006 the total value of the country’s crops rose [...]

Here’s an interesting graphic outlining a “taxonomy” of the much discussed practice of “poverty tourism”.  Update: Aaron Ausland, the author, has recently updated the graphic which i think added some context and made it more meaningful.

Read more here…

Farm Friday found this bit in the IRRI Knowledgebank about dryers that have gained popularity in usage in SEA. “The dryers featured here are not neccessarily the best technical solution but, because they are accepted by the users, they seem to offer a good compromise between drying cost and benefits in terms of [...]

Mr. Vu Dangquy, VietDHRRA staff, dropped by the secretariat office yesterday for a brief visit before returning to Vietnam. Quy has just finished his year-long stint with the AWCF exchange program “Capacity-Building for Gender and Co-operatives in Asia” Project funded by the “South-South Exchange Programme” of Fredskorpset (FK) Norway.

With the AsiaDHRRA Secretariat staff
Quy sharing his [...]

Here’s something to interest you if you’re planning your career path or thinking of embarking on a new line of work. ScienceMag presents a nice overview of career opportunities in the area of food security.
The demand for scientists with expertise in the agriculture/food sector is likely to increase in the next decade, says Celia Caulcott, [...]

Download the Synthesis of Deliberations of the Third Meeting of the Farmers’ Forum held in Rome on February 15th-16th 2010
Learn more about the Third Farmers’ Forum here…
What is the Farmers’ Forum?

FarmFriday shares this interesting article by Elizabeth Pennisi in ScienceMag about the scientific community’s efforts in creating “the ideal crop” and “developing new technologies for a better farming future”
Substantial improvements are needed in current crops to achieve higher yields and sustainable farming. To achieve those gains, agricultural companies have turned to robotics and other measures [...]

FrankenThursday brings this worrying article from NPR which says that “A survey of North Dakota has turned up hundreds of genetically modified canola plants growing along roads across the state.” Aint that scary? Apart from safety, health and ecological concerns this has legal ramifications as well, as GMO purveyors like Monsanto has  been known to [...]

The Centre for Sustainable Rural Development (SRD)is proud to announce the launching of their first bi-annual e-newsletter in 2010 containing recent events, news and stories about their projects and activities.
Click here to read the newsletter…
Or better yet pay their website a visit here…

TechTuesday shares this fascinating story about how mobile phones are being used to increase literacy among teens in South Africa. Why don’t they just call these books “movel” instead of “m-novel”?
South African teens were happy to give their thumbs a rest for a while and take a break between MXit chats to read the m-novel [...]

Here’s an interesting read from the http://www.soilassociation.org asserting that those saying we need to double global food production by 2050 are basically using the wrong figures and interpretations.
‘Telling porkies: The big fat lie about doubling food production’, reveals that all those claiming we need to double global food production by 2050, or 50% by 2030, [...]

Here’s an interesting news about increasing yield of african rice varieties:
New findings reported by the Africa Rice Center counter the widely held view that African rice, preferred by local consumers for its taste, is inherently lower yielding than Asian rice. They also confirm its remarkable adaptability to harsh growing conditions in Africa and hence its [...]

Phildhrra Mindanao Staff dropped by the AsiaDHRRA Secretariat Office today for a quick look see. They are currently here in Manila for an exposure/learning activity. Earlier in the day,  Ms. Lany Rebagay and Ms. Marlene of the AsiaDHRRA Secretariat presented to them an overview of the shared history and goals of the DHRRAs.
Ms. Lany Rebagay [...]

AsiaDHRRA welcomed Yuyu Rahayu, Lily Noviani, Nanang Hari, Yasfin, Dwi Astuti of Binadesa who just came from a 7-day exposure visit in organic and agrarian reform communities in Bacolod, Negros Occidental in the Philippines. The visit held from July 19-26, 2010 was supported by Misereor and was arranged by the Paghidaet Foundation, a Misereor partner.
We [...]

The full text of the CSO Statement put forward during the  Investment Forum for Food Security in Asia and the Pacific held in Manila from 7 to 9 July 2010 can now be viewed and downloaded at the CSO Side Event Activity Blog.
The CSO Statement was born out of a very challenging process, given [...]