By Zofeen Ebrahim

KARACHI, Jun 14 (IPS/TerraViva) – In the summer heat, fresh mangos are the fruit of choice for politicians seeking to exchange favours with foreign dignitaries. But when it comes to global trade, the prospects of the so-called king of fruit are limited. Continue Reading

By Kanis Dursin

JAKARTA, May 31, 2012 (IPS) – Misradi, a 58-year-old farmer from the Jelok neighborhood in Pacitan, East Java, some 524 kilometres east of Jakarta, has found a way to reduce his monthly expenses by 30 percent: instead of buying produce from the local market, he and his family now harvest most of their vegetables from their own yard.

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Rousbeh Legatis interviews MOHAMED BÉAVOGUI of the International Fund for Agricultural Development

UNITED NATIONS, May 30, 2012 (IPS) – As Africa’s Sahel region faces a new food crisis, smallholder famers hold the key to making future development policies sustainable. Continue Reading

By Claire Ngozo

LILONGWE, May 29, 2012 (IPS) – As she sits down to watch the 8pm news on TV, Mercy Kamphoni from Chamtulo Village in Malawi’s Mangochi lake district looks elated. She still cannot believe that she is the new proud owner of a television set, refrigerator and radio.

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By Mariela Jara

LIMA, May 29, 2012 (IPS) – For ages, rural women in the Peruvian highlands have been selecting and storing seeds, ensuring their preservation. But the authorities have failed to tap into this storehouse of knowledge and experience, despite the contributions it could make to the design of effective policies for adaptation to climate change, which poses a growing threat to the women’s livelihoods. Continue Reading