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176 results
Food and Farming: Time to Choose!
The document critiques the EU's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), stating that it subsidizes industrial farming, pollution, and the destruction of biodiversity. It highlights the inefficiency of intensive meat production, the prevalence of pesticide residues in produce, and the environmental damage caused by tobacco and olive intensification. The authors propose a shift toward eco-conditionality for payments, the abolition of export subsidies, and the prioritization of small-scale organic farming and local markets.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Who will feed Africans?
The document critiques the 'new' Green Revolution in Africa, which it describes as a corporate takeover driven by multinational agribusinesses and philanthropic foundations. It highlights the risks of genetically modified (GM) crops and synthetic fertilisers, contrasting these with the benefits of agroecology. The report argues that small-scale farmers, who produce 80% of the food consumed in Africa, are the key to food security and should be supported through policy reforms that prioritise public goods and ecological sustainability over private corporate profit.
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Document type: Report
Small is Powerful
The report highlights the transformative potential of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that operate with a 'triple bottom line' approach to benefit local environments and communities. It identifies systemic barriers to growth, including a lack of formal definitions for 'green enterprises,' prohibitive collateral requirements for loans, and a lack of financial literacy among entrepreneurs. Through case studies in India, Mongolia, Peru, Senegal, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uganda, the document demonstrates how LGEs—ranging from organic farming and waste recycling to sustainable fisheries—are often excluded from public and private investment. The report concludes with recommendations for public finance institutions, private investors, and national policymakers to implement global taxonomies, support clustering models, and develop specific financial products for informal and micro-scale green businesses.
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Document type: Report
Goals Regulation International Trade Farm to Fork Strategy
The EU's Farm to Fork Strategy aims to make Europe climate neutral by 2050 by transforming food manufacturing, processing, and transportation. Key targets for 2030 include reducing chemical pesticide use and risk by 50%, cutting nutrient losses by at least 50%, reducing fertiliser use by at least 20%, and increasing organic farming to 25% of EU agricultural land. The strategy will influence trade policy to secure commitments from third countries on animal welfare and pesticide use. For SADC EPA countries, which exported approximately USD 2.5 billion to the EU in 2020, these changes present both cost implications and opportunities driven by shifting consumer preferences. South Africa is the most affected SADC EPA state, accounting for 76% of these exports, with edible fruits (51%) and fisheries (26%) being the top export sectors.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Supporting Socio-Economic Resilience in the City of Cape Town through Sustainable Urban Agriculture
The document argues that urban agriculture (UA) provides a pathway to community resilience by improving food security, creating jobs, and reducing environmental impact. It highlights the transition of Nazeer Sonday from intensive hydroponic tomato farming to a regenerative polyculture system at Vegkop Polyculture Farm in Philippi. By implementing practices such as no-till, mulching, and crop rotation, the farm increased its soil organic content (SOC) from 0.5% to 2% and expanded its crop variety from one to approximately thirty. The case study emphasizes that regenerative practices mitigate economic risks, such as the 2008 spike in potassium nitrate fertiliser prices, and reduce dependence on costly synthetic inputs. It also notes the role of co-operatives and Participatory Guarantee Systems (PGS) in helping small-scale farmers access larger markets and ensure sustainable production.
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Document type: Case study
Improving market access for Cape Town urban farmers
The document identifies that urban agriculture (UA) in Cape Town is often viewed only as a food security solution rather than a viable economic activity. It highlights that small urban farmers are frequently locked out of formal markets due to a lack of economies of scale, high investment requirements, and insufficient business management skills. To overcome these, the report suggests the use of formal co-operatives to aggregate produce, the adoption of specific food safety accreditations (such as SAGAP or GlobalGAP), and the development of local physical markets like agrihubs and farm stalls. It also emphasizes the role of online marketplaces and the Western Cape Department of Agriculture's Market Access Programme in bridging the gap between producers and off-takers.
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Document type: Briefing
Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) of Senegal’s Saloum Delta
The report applies the SAVi simulation service to the Saloum Delta in Senegal, quantifying the monetary value of its wetlands and mangroves. It assesses the economic trade-offs between business-as-usual trends, infrastructure development (roads and oil extraction), and conservation efforts (organic agriculture, mangrove reforestation, and solar cookstoves). The analysis provides a baseline for policy-makers and investors to design conservation finance solutions and sustainable development strategies.
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Document type: Fact sheet
Grâce à une stratégie nationale en matière d’agriculture biologique, l’agriculture malgache s’ouvre au monde
Madagascar has implemented a national organic agriculture strategy and Law No. 2020-003 to transition traditional farming into a certified organic sector. Supported by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the government is piloting 'Organic Agricultural Territories' (TVAB) in the Diana, Sava, and Analanjirofo regions to achieve economies of scale and ensure product integrity for export. Between 2020 and 2024, organic farming area grew by over 60%, increasing from 103,817 to 169,893 hectares, while the number of organic producers rose to 62,000.
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Document type: Case study
NATURAL CAPITALISM
The document critiques the industrialization of agriculture, highlighting the degradation of topsoil, loss of genetic diversity, and high fossil fuel dependence. It proposes a shift toward 'natural capitalism' through resource productivity, closed-loop systems, and the restoration of natural capital. Key alternatives discussed include organic farming, biointensive minifarming, and management-intensive rotational grazing, emphasizing their potential to sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
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Document type: Report
EUROPEAN GREEN OFFICE HANDBOOK
The European Green Office (EGO) Handbook serves as a guide for transforming offices into sustainable spaces through a 'light' Environmental Management System (EMS). It outlines a Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle involving top-level commitment, the appointment of a Green Office coordinator, and the monitoring of environmental performance indicators. The document provides detailed technical and behavioral advice across several domains: energy efficiency (lighting and HVAC), sustainable procurement (prioritizing local and Fairtrade products), resource reduction (minimizing paper and water use), waste management (following the waste hierarchy), and the creation of a healthy indoor environment. It also addresses social responsibility, including work-life balance and inclusive employment, and provides a detailed checklist and data requirements for an Office Ecological Footprint Calculator.
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Document type: Guide
Klimatkalkylatorn: Metoddokument
The document outlines the methodology for the Klimatkalkylatorn tool, which estimates a user's climate footprint across four consumption categories: housing, food, transport, and shopping, plus a fixed societal impact. It details the use of Swedish national statistics (SCB), the GTAP input-output model for indirect emissions, and specific emission factors for energy and transport. The tool compares individual results against a Swedish average of 10.7 tonnes CO2e, a global average of 6.4 tonnes CO2e, and a 2020 target of 7 tonnes CO2e per person.
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Document type: Guide
The Scottish Diet
The report finds that the average Scottish diet has a food Footprint of 0.75 global hectares (gha) per person, with meat being the primary driver of environmental impact. Transitioning to a diet based on healthy eating recommendations can reduce this Footprint by 15% to 25%. Further reductions are possible through vegetarianism, sourcing local produce, and choosing organic options, with an ideal 'Best Diet' (healthy, vegetarian, local, and organic) reducing the Footprint by approximately 40% to 0.46 gha/cap.
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Document type: Report
Implementability of agro-environmental targets in Estonia
The document examines Estonia's agro-environmental targets set within the Rural Development Plan 2007-2013, the Water Act, and the Nitrate Vulnerable Area programme. While chemical loads have decreased since 1990, challenges remain regarding fertiliser efficiency, manure management, and institutional coordination. The brief recommends integrating policies on the marine environment and water courses, establishing a permanent commission for water policy between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Environment, and improving advisory services for small and medium producers.
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Document type: Policy brief
Rapport voyage d’étude sur Aguié tenue du 12 au 16 Novembre 2012
The report details a study tour in the Aguié department, Niger, focused on 'productive sanitation' (EcoSan). It describes the use of hygienized human urine (Takin Ruwa) and feces (Takin Bussasché) as agricultural fertilizers. Key findings include significant yield increases in millet and peppers compared to chemical fertilizers, the importance of community engagement with religious and traditional leaders to overcome cultural resistance, and specific technical protocols for the collection, storage, and application of ecological fertilizers to ensure safety for producers and consumers.
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Document type: Report
Protecting the environment: Why a gender perspective matters
The report examines how social constructions of gender—rather than biological differences—create inequalities in the division of labour and access to resources, which in turn dictate how men and women interact with and are affected by the environment. Through case studies in Uganda, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, and South Africa, it demonstrates that women often face a 'double work burden' and higher vulnerability to environmental hazards, while men typically dominate large-scale, more environmentally damaging industrial activities. The document proposes an analytical framework focusing on formal and informal constraints to help organisations implement gender-sensitive programming.
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Document type: Report
Transforming Gender Relations in Agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa
The report analyzes how rigid gender norms, lack of capital, and limited asset ownership prevent women from benefiting from agricultural commercialization in Sub-Saharan Africa. It highlights that women often perform the bulk of the labor but lack control over the resulting income, which can lead to poor product quality and reduced household nutrition. The document provides a strategic framework for interventions, ranging from professionalizing traditional 'women's crops' to redistributive actions that challenge male-dominated chains. Case studies from Kenya (SHEP) and Zimbabwe (ZOPPA) demonstrate that combining gender awareness training with technical capacity building and organic certification can improve income parity and market access for women farmers.
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Document type: Report