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The report argues that food security in mainland Southeast Asia is a complex, cross-cutting issue that cannot be addressed solely through agricultural policy. It examines how trade liberalization can stimulate economic growth and food access, while climate change threatens agricultural availability and stability through extreme weather events. Using Cambodia as a case study, the document highlights the vulnerability of agrarian economies to external shocks, such as the 2008 food crisis and the 200810 global recession. The author concludes that food security requires a holistic, participatory approach with a long-term vision, urging countries in the Mekong region to resist protectionist measures like rice cartels and to integrate climate adaptation into national planning.

The paper argues that trade policies are often gender-blind and can reduce the policy space for states to implement pro-gender development strategies. It highlights the critical role of the informal economy, where approximately 70% of traders in sub-Saharan Africa are women, and suggests that regional trade agreements (RTAs) are better suited to women's needs than large global markets. The authors identify institutional and legal hurdles—rather than social traditions—as the primary obstacles to women's business growth. The document recommends the adoption of a 'gender perspective' in trade analysis and the creation of a gender-sensitivity yardstick for RTAs to ensure that trade liberalization does not exacerbate existing inequalities, particularly in the agricultural sector.

The report examines the intersection of trade and climate change in the Mekong subregion (Cambodia, Lao PDR, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam). It argues that while ASEAN promotes economic integration and trade liberalization, these frameworks often lack explicit climate change commitments, potentially increasing the region's vulnerability. The document highlights projected climate risks—such as sea-level rise, altered precipitation, and temperature increases—that threaten agricultural production and natural resources. It concludes that ASEAN's trade agreements (FTAs/EPAs) generally fail to incorporate climate risk assessments or mitigation strategies, recommending the mainstreaming of climate concerns into economic cooperation frameworks.

The document outlines the nutrient composition, economic value, and safe application of human urine as a nitrogen-rich fertilizer. It details a multi-barrier approach to manage health risks, provides evidence from global field trials showing yields comparable to mineral fertilizers, and offers a framework for developing local guidelines and large-scale collection systems.

The document argues that the degradation of ecosystem services—approximately 60 per cent of those examined by the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment—poses a significant barrier to eradicating hunger and poverty. It specifically highlights how air pollutants like ground-level ozone threaten crop yields in South Asia, how slow progress in energy access in sub-Saharan Africa and developing Asia may lead to increased forest clearing, and how uncontrolled pesticide use in Southeast Asia risks the health of farmers and the supply of wild foods. The brief recommends integrated pest management, stricter chemical legislation, and pro-poor energy policies to mitigate these environmental pressures.

The report assesses three primary stressors—air pollution, energy generation, and pesticides—and their capacity to degrade ecosystem services like crop production, pollination, and nutrient cycling. It argues that these pressures create significant barriers to achieving MDG 1, particularly in South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. The analysis highlights that while universal modern energy access is financially feasible and would reduce ecosystem pressure, current trends in air pollution and uncontrolled pesticide use pose severe risks to food security and biodiversity.

The SEI Strategy 2010-2014 establishes a framework for the institute to act as a leading provider of systems understanding and policy solutions for sustainable development. The strategy reorganizes research into four multidisciplinary themes: managing environmental systems, reducing climate risk, transforming governance, and rethinking development. SEI aims to increase its institutional core funding to 40% by 2014 to enhance strategic flexibility and independence. The institute leverages a distributed structure of research centres across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the USA to link global expertise with local implementation, specifically targeting the needs of poor regions and the development of leadership capacities in the South.

The paper proposes a framework of seven adaptive policy-making practices, divided into planned and autonomous adaptability, to help governments navigate unpredictable climate impacts. Based on research in Canada and India, the authors suggest that while these practices exist, they are often used ad hoc and should instead be integrated into a systematic approach of continuous policy piloting to overcome political and fiscal barriers.

Sudan is highly vulnerable to climate change due to its reliance on rain-fed agriculture, with projections indicating significant declines in crop yields and increased water scarcity by 2060. The document argues that while the country has established frameworks like the Environmental Protection Act of 2001 and the National Adaptation Program of Action (NAPA), effective adaptation is hindered by political instability, top-down planning, and land tenure conflicts. It recommends a comprehensive approach including land tenure reform, a national early warning system, and the integration of climate risks into all levels of national development planning.

The author argues that while development partners (DPs) typically act in a consultative rather than direct capacity during national planning, they can significantly enhance adaptation by collaborating with civil society organizations to implement indigenous and low-cost technologies. Using Uganda's National Development Plan (NDP) and the Climate Change Unit (CCU) as examples, the text highlights the need for DPs to shift from viewing climate change as a purely environmental issue to integrating it into broader development portfolios. Key recommendations include investing in institutional strengthening, establishing national early warning systems, and promoting organic agriculture to build resilience for the rural poor.

The author proposes a 'no-regrets' framework for development agencies to help vulnerable countries adapt to climate change. This approach integrates disaster risk management (DRM), climate change adaptation (CCA), and social protection (SP) into 'adaptive social protection'. The author emphasizes the use of 'spatially enabled governance'—utilizing GIS, spatial data infrastructure (SDI), and ICT—to implement territorial planning, such as watershed management, to protect assets and livelihoods. The paper also advocates for a 'risk-adjusted Social Protection Floor' that guarantees basic needs while incorporating climate-related hazard triggers and innovative finance like weather-index insurance.

The document examines the conflict between increasing food production to meet a growing global population and the degradation of ecosystem services. It argues that the current model of enhancing a few food services at the expense of others is unsustainable and risks irreversible tipping points. The authors propose two primary solutions: a risk-assessment tool to integrate climate and ecosystem risks into decision-making, and a three-pronged strategy to reconcile food and conservation by restoring degraded lands, increasing productivity on existing farms, and managing food demand.

The document examines how participatory communication tools, specifically video and games, can bridge the information gap for the most vulnerable people affected by climate change. It highlights that treating end-users as partners in co-learning rather than target audiences improves the adoption of adaptation strategies. Case studies demonstrate that participatory video in Malawi, Nepal, and Ethiopia helped farmers and children advocate for and implement adaptation measures. Additionally, the paper discusses how games can simplify complex systems, such as probabilistic forecasts for humanitarian action in Senegal or micro-insurance concepts for farmers in Ethiopia and Malawi, to build trust and facilitate better decision-making.

The document argues that ICTs are essential enablers for climate change adaptation, facilitating the collection of environmental data and the dissemination of early warnings to vulnerable populations. It highlights the role of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in supporting the Nairobi Framework and the Hyogo Framework for Action by developing standards, improving telecommunications infrastructure, and deploying weather stations in under-served regions like Africa.

The document argues that Africa's vulnerability to climate change is exacerbated by weak environmental information systems and a lack of data-driven policy. It categorizes information needs into three types: responsive (rapid data for early warning and disaster response), proactive (long-term bio-physical projections and sectoral data), and robust (managing uncertainty through regional climate models). The author highlights South Africa's use of the Wide Area Monitoring Information System (WAMIS) and the Disaster Management Act of 2002 as models for integrating disaster risk reduction into local development planning. The paper concludes that African nations must leverage international networks like the Group on Earth Observation (GEO) to overcome technical capacity gaps and avoid 'mal-adaptation' costs.

The document outlines a framework for climate adaptation information needs, categorised by the type of policy response. Responsive planning requires basic climatology, impact assessments, and logistics data to manage immediate disasters. Proactive planning necessitates long-term science-based projections, GIS-based risk maps, and population dynamics to reduce future risks. Robust planning demands inter-agency coordination, the integration of traditional and scientific knowledge, and the use of worst-case scenarios to inform legislation. The author emphasizes a multi-stakeholder approach involving governments, local communities, NGOs, and meteorological services to ensure effective resource allocation and resilience.

The document outlines the tension between addressing current global development challenges—such as hunger and water scarcity—and preparing for future climate-related disruptions. It highlights projected temperature increases and specific risks to Asia's water and food security, posing a central policy question on how to allocate limited resources between present needs and future resilience.

The author proposes a new green revolution focused on sustainable land management and water harvesting to meet development goals and climate risks. He argues that investing in small-scale rainfed agriculture and conservation agriculture can double or triple crop yields while sequestering carbon. The document identifies systemic barriers, such as the policy fixation on large-scale irrigation and the administrative split between 'wet' water ministries and 'dry' agriculture ministries, and calls for integrated national strategies in Africa to scale these solutions.

The document argues that climate change threatens to reverse progress on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), particularly in rural Asia and Africa. It proposes four principles for adaptation—scale, speed, focus, and integration—and asserts that the developed world has a moral imperative to provide resources and skills to lower-income countries to build resilience and reduce vulnerability.

Egypt faces significant threats to national security and competitiveness due to climate change, specifically regarding energy, water, and food security. The authors present SEKEM, a company using biodynamic agriculture and a Sustainability Balanced Scorecard, as a private-sector model for adaptation and mitigation. The paper advocates for a national 'Green Transformation' in Egypt that integrates technologies and policies across sectors to ensure long-term resilience and job creation.