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The report analyzes the economic fragility of Berau, East Kalimantan, caused by its heavy reliance on coal mining, which contributes over 60% of its GRDP. While the district is shifting toward palm oil, the study warns that mono-cropping palm oil risks replicating the same commodity-dependency trap. It recommends a transition plan based on increasing productivity and efficiency over land expansion, diversifying into high-value crops like pepper and cocoa, and developing downstream processing refineries to capture added value. Additionally, the report suggests optimizing government revenue through 'Own-Source Revenue' and implementing innovative ecological fiscal transfer mechanisms to reward sustainable land management.

Mighty Earth expresses concern over the Ivorian government's plan to empty protected areas of inhabitants to combat deforestation, noting that 1.5 to 2 million people in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana live in such areas. The organization highlights a history of abuses during evictions and argues that the global chocolate industry, which funded illegal cocoa production, has a moral responsibility to compensate expelled farmers.

This briefing describes the use of open spatial data to identify environmental 'hotspots' in Manitoba to optimize the allocation of limited resources for water quality, sustainable agriculture, and carbon sequestration.

The document finds that Brazil can significantly increase agricultural output without deforestation by eliminating inefficiencies, though this requires substantial increases in operational costs and farm equipment investment.

The report finds that Brazil can significantly increase agricultural and livestock production without further deforestation by eliminating productivity inefficiencies. Achieving these gains would require substantial increases in operational costs and capital investment in equipment. The analysis suggests that converting low-productivity pasture to high-productivity cropland could further boost agricultural output by 26 percentage points.

The report analyzes the economic fragility of Berau Regency due to its heavy reliance on coal mining and the risks of replacing it with a palm oil monoculture. It argues for a multi-dimensional transition focusing on palm oil productivity efficiency over expansion, diversification into high-value crops like pepper and cocoa, and the development of downstream processing industries. The document also proposes optimizing local government revenue and implementing innovative ecological fiscal transfer mechanisms to incentivize sustainable land management.

The briefing identifies three specific water-quality hotspots in Manitoba based on 2016 Census of Agriculture data: the Southwest Red River Valley (high fertilizer application), Southwestern Manitoba (high conservation tillage), and the Southeast Red River Valley (high non-incorporated manure application). It argues that spatial targeting of natural infrastructure, such as engineered wetlands, and beneficial management practices can maximize the efficiency of public investments to reduce nutrient runoff into Lake Winnipeg.

The report explores the use of impact tokens—blockchain-based digital representations of social and environmental impacts—to overcome five primary barriers in the impact investing industry: lack of appropriate capital, market segmentation, limited exit options, unsophisticated measurement practices, and a shortage of high-quality opportunities. Through ten case studies across sectors like agriculture, energy, and forestry, the document demonstrates how these tokens can increase trust, promote financial inclusion, accelerate monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) processes, and incentivize sustainable behaviors.

The report details a session from Africa Climate Week 2019 focused on integrating climate and conflict risk management in fragile African regions. It identifies key visions for resilient agriculture, such as community cohesion and ecological innovation, while highlighting barriers including top-down policy mismatches, corruption, and land tenure issues. The session emphasizes the need for locally-driven, peer-to-peer capacity building and innovative funding to scale resilience efforts.

The document analyzes the intersection of voluntary sustainability standards (VSS), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and gender equality in agriculture. It evaluates five major standards—Fairtrade International, IFOAM (Organic), Rainforest Alliance, UTZ Certified, and 4Cs—across six key themes: household food security, access to productive resources, education, unpaid domestic work, decision-making/empowerment, and decent work. The guide finds that while VSS can indirectly improve women's status through increased income and sustainable practices, they can also inadvertently exacerbate inequalities if local gender dynamics are ignored, such as by prioritizing commercial crops over women's subsistence farming or increasing women's unpaid labor to meet certification quality requirements. It provides specific recommendations for development organizations to implement 'gender-transformative' approaches, including providing childcare during training and supporting women's land rights.

The document describes a framework for integrating gender analysis into National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) across six African nations, highlighting the need to move beyond binary views of women's vulnerability toward a nuanced understanding of gender dynamics. It identifies systemic gaps in institutional coordination and capacity, while providing technical evidence on how gender disparities in education, labor roles, and decision-making affect climate adaptation outcomes.

The study examined the alignment between the sustainability perspectives of palm oil smallholders in Indonesia's Riau province and the frameworks of the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) schemes. While smallholders define sustainability through the long-term viability of their families and communities—emphasizing access to credit, inputs, and fair pricing—the study found that the rhetoric of both RSPO and ISPO has evolved to include these priorities. However, the effectiveness of these schemes remains limited by low smallholder participation; as of 2016, only 3,500 independent households and 80,300 'plasma' scheme producers in Indonesia were certified, despite smallholders accounting for 36% of total production.

The report finds that while some progress has been made, the world is not yet on track to achieve the 2020 climate turning point. Progress is uneven across the six milestones, with most outcomes designated as having insufficient or off-track progress, though some areas like shipping and public climate finance are on track.

The Mpumalanga Provincial Spatial Development Framework proposes a polycentric growth management model to address apartheid-era spatial imbalances and promote sustainable economic diversification. It identifies five key economic growth and innovation centres—Mbombela, Emalahleni, Middleburg, Secunda, and Ermelo—and a network of alternative growth centres to decentralise economic activity. The framework emphasises enhancing connectivity via the N4 Maputo Corridor and other strategic routes, protecting high-potential agricultural land and biodiversity, and transitioning the province's coal-dependent economy toward low-carbon and climate-resilient alternatives. It also outlines strategies for urban densification, the development of sustainable human settlements, and the creation of Rural Economic Zones (REZ) to transform rural livelihoods.

The report evaluates green economy (GE) investments in Georgia, focusing on buildings, agriculture, and tourism. Using the SAVi methodology, it demonstrates that while traditional financial analysis suggests these investments may not be profitable, incorporating environmental, social, and economic externalities reveals a high sustainable internal rate of return (S-IRR) of 84% and a sustainable net present value (S-NPV) of approximately GEL 20.4 billion.

The document argues that women's economic empowerment (WEE) strategies in South and Southeast Asian agriculture often fail to achieve gender equality because they ignore systemic patriarchal norms and power imbalances. It identifies four primary barriers: the perception of women as secondary labour, the gap between legal access and actual control over resources, the confinement of women to low-value stages of the agricultural value chain, and gender-blind policy implementation. The author contends that economic growth and market inclusion do not automatically lead to gender equality. To address this, the briefing recommends positioning social equality as central to projects, facilitating power negotiations, supporting collective action for women, and ensuring gender-responsive policy implementation across ministerial bodies.

The document evaluates the world's collective progress toward six climate milestones in energy, transport, land use, industry, infrastructure, and finance. It concludes that while some progress has been made, the global community is generally not on track to achieve the 2020 climate turning point. The report highlights significant data gaps that hinder accurate tracking and urges governments, businesses, and financial institutions to increase ambition and fulfill commitments to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

The green bond market in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is growing, with USD 12.6 billion issued since 2014. Brazil, Chile, and Mexico dominate the market, with Chile leading the region in sovereign green bond issuance. While energy is the most funded sector, LAC shows a higher proportion of funding for land use and industry compared to global trends. The report highlights significant opportunities for growth in sustainable agriculture and the 'blue economy' (ocean-based resources), while noting that public sector entities and financial institutions have substantial untapped potential for future green issuances.

The Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) green bond market experienced a strong recovery in 2019, largely driven by Chile's first sovereign green bonds. While Brazil, Chile, and Mexico dominate the market, the region shows significant potential for expansion in green infrastructure, sustainable agriculture, and ocean-based 'blue' finance. The report highlights a high prevalence of USD-denominated issuance and a strong reliance on external reviews, though post-issuance reporting varies by issuer size and type.

The green bond market in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) experienced a strong recovery in 2019, driven largely by Chile's first sovereign green bonds. While Brazil, Chile, and Mexico dominate the regional volume, the market is characterized by a high prevalence of US dollar-denominated debt and a significant reliance on private placements. Energy remains the most funded sector, though LAC shows a uniquely high allocation toward land use and industry compared to global trends. The report highlights substantial untapped potential in sustainable agriculture and the 'blue economy' (ocean resources), suggesting that sovereign issuance and multilateral development bank support are key to scaling these markets.