Search Climate Insights Directory
44 results
Covid-19 local food security response: Mobilising partnerships to build community resilience during an acute shock
The document details how the Philippi Economic Development Initiative (PEDI), in partnership with UCook's Food Fund and Ladles of Love, addressed food insecurity in Cape Town during the Covid-19 pandemic. Key outcomes included the distribution of over 3,667 food parcels, the purchase of 7.3 tonnes of produce from small-scale farmers, and the provision of R190,000 in income to 29 farms. The study highlights the effectiveness of community-led distribution models and the role of urban farming in mitigating acute shocks. Additionally, it describes the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership's (EDP) role in coordinating food relief through a government-NGO forum and the Community Kitchens programme, which provided digital vouchers to 100 informal kitchens across Cape Town.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Case study
Green technology for mushroom cultivation
The document highlights Mushroom Guru (Pty) Ltd as a practical example of urban agriculture in Cape Town, using indoor vertical farming and aeroponics to cultivate medicinal and gourmet mushrooms. It argues that green technology enables intensive, resource-efficient production that reduces water use and utilizes agricultural waste, contributing to a circular economy. The study also emphasizes the role of training and cooperative platforms, like Fungkifriend, in securing market access for small-scale growers and creating economic opportunities within the urban food value chain.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Case study
Sustainable Agriculture: Market Intelligence Report 2020
The report highlights a transition toward sustainable agriculture in South Africa, driven by climate change, water scarcity, and rising input costs. Key investment areas include undercover farming, renewable energy, conservation agriculture, precision agriculture, and urban agriculture. It emphasizes the Western Cape as a strategic hub for greentech due to its high-value export crop production and supportive government environment.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
Oranjezicht City Farm and Market
The Oranjezicht City Farm (OZCF) is a non-profit project in Cape Town that promotes urban agriculture and social cohesion. It operates a community farm, a farmers market, and the 'Bokashi Brigade' for decentralized food waste composting. The project contributes to the City of Cape Town's resilience goals by diverting 78-100 tonnes of organic waste from landfills annually and supporting local artisanal food producers.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Case study
URBAN LOCKDOWN LESSONS FOR SOUTH AFRICA: INSIGHTS AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR EQUITABLE FOOD SYSTEMS
The report examines the fragility of South African urban food systems exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting how lockdown regulations biased towards formal sectors exacerbated hunger and inequality. It argues that local governments, despite lacking a discrete formal mandate for food security, are uniquely positioned to realize the right to food through urban planning, regulation of markets, and support for the informal sector. The document emphasizes that climate change further threatens these systems by disrupting infrastructure and increasing water scarcity, necessitating a shift in municipal governance from being mere regulators to becoming enablers of sustainable, inclusive food systems.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
Building a Climate-Resilient City: Agriculture and food security
The document argues that strengthening local food systems reduces vulnerability to climate-driven supply shocks in international chains. It recommends that cities protect agricultural land within and around municipal boundaries, utilizing innovative techniques like vertical agriculture and aquaponics. Additionally, it suggests that municipal policies and procurement should support small-scale food production and processing to enhance food security, employment, and community cohesion.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Policy brief
Building a Climate-Resilient City: Agriculture and food security
The document argues that strengthening local food systems increases resilience to climate-driven supply shocks. It recommends that cities protect agricultural land through zoning and greenbelts, embrace soil-free technologies like vertical farming, and promote redundancy through municipal composting and diversified water sources. It also suggests supporting the 'cottage food industry' and community food centres to enhance local resourcefulness and food security.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Briefing
Sustainable land use in Quito to safeguard vulnerable communities from floods, droughts and fires
The document outlines a CDKN-supported initiative in Quito, Ecuador, to address climate vulnerabilities such as landslides and wildfires affecting low-income hillside communities. Through a vulnerability study and a five-year Action Plan, the project promoted ecosystem restoration, sustainable agriculture, and the integration of climate resilience into municipal development planning.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Fact sheet
Gender approaches in climate compatible development: Lessons from Kenya
The report examines how gender relations influence vulnerability to climate risks in urban Kisumu, Kenya. Using the People’s Plans into Practice (PPP) project (2008–2013) as a case study, it finds that while gender-sensitive programming—such as participatory design of water and sanitation facilities—can improve outcomes and empower women, deep-seated cultural biases and structural barriers like male-dominated land ownership persist. The study argues that for climate compatible development to be effective, it must move beyond 'gender-blind' or 'gender-aware' approaches toward 'gender-transformative' strategies that address the root causes of vulnerability and are supported by coordinated county-level policies.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
Sustainable cities: lessons from a Swedish community-level initiative
The 'Sustainable Hökarängen' project utilized an action-research approach to promote resource-efficient lifestyles in a residential district of Stockholm. Key findings emphasize that engagement is most effective when activities are social and enjoyable—such as communal gardening and climate-smart cooking—rather than focused on areas where residents have limited control, such as apartment energy use. The project successfully established a network of 'Sustainability Ambassadors' and local movements like HOPP! to ensure continuity. While a parallel investment programme by Stockholmshem reduced heating energy use by over 30% per square metre, the community-level project found that social cohesion and peer interaction were primary drivers of behavioral change. The brief concludes that evaluating such initiatives requires a mix of quantitative and qualitative methods and long-term follow-up to determine if behavioral changes are sustained.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Policy brief
Connecting the Struggles
This collection of reports and interviews analyzes contemporary European resistance movements, focusing on struggles against extractive industries, infrastructure mega-projects, and economic austerity. It highlights specific cases in Romania, Greece, Scotland, France, and Turkey, while discussing the systemic role of the educated middle class in mobilization. The text argues that Green parties must reconnect with their radical roots and form transversal alliances with social movements to challenge the dominant neoliberal economic model and the 'sacredness of growth'.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
Integrating urban agriculture and forestry into climate change action plans: Lessons from Western Province, Sri Lanka and Rosario, Argentina
The document examines how integrating urban and peri-urban agriculture and forestry (UPAF) into city planning can address climate change risks, food insecurity, and urban poverty. In Western Province, Sri Lanka, the focus is on rehabilitating abandoned paddy lands to reduce flood risks and intensifying home gardening to lower GHG emissions and improve nutrition. In Rosario, Argentina, the city is using UPAF to mitigate the urban heat island effect, reduce 'food miles' and associated CO2 emissions, and manage storm water run-off. The report argues that subnational (provincial) government involvement is essential for scaling these interventions and integrating them into broader land-use and climate action plans.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
THE WATER-ENERGY-FOOD NEXUS IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN
The report examines the water-energy-food (WEF) nexus in Latin America and the Caribbean, highlighting how the region's reliance on natural resources creates critical trade-offs. It argues that while LAC is resource-abundant, fragmented governance and climate change threaten security. The document proposes a framework for action based on infrastructure, information, institutions, and investment to transition toward climate-compatible development.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
The potential impacts of urban and peri-urban agriculture and forestry on climate change adaptation, mitigation and other co-developmental benefits
The report examines Urban and Peri-urban Agriculture and Forestry (UPAF), defined as the production of trees, food, and other agricultural products within urban and peri-urban areas. It notes that while UPAF is expected to contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation, there has been little analysis to determine which specific UPAF models are most effective for different city configurations.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
Integrating urban agriculture and forestry into climate change action plans: Lessons from Sri Lanka
The Western Province of Sri Lanka is utilizing urban and peri-urban agriculture and forestry to enhance climate resilience, specifically through the rehabilitation of abandoned paddy lands and the intensification of home gardening. Pilot projects in Kesbewa demonstrate that these interventions can reduce flood risks by improving storm water infiltration and lower greenhouse gas emissions by reducing food transport needs. The document argues for a 'green mosaic' urban design and the alignment of local, provincial, and national policies—including the revision of the Paddy Act—to scale these low-cost adaptation strategies.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Briefing
Peri-Urban Sanitation and Water Service Provision
The report examines the complexities of service provision in peri-urban areas—the transition zones between rural and urban environments—which often suffer from unclear institutional mandates and rapid, unplanned growth. It argues for a shift from linear to circular nutrient management to enhance food security, a systems-based approach to the water-energy nexus, and the use of inclusive, community-led planning to ensure sustainable and equitable service delivery.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
Policy Tools That Support Transition Into a Green Economy
The document examines how regulations and standards can be used to foster a green economy by either mandating transitions or removing regulatory barriers. It highlights Vancouver's "Green Tape Review" as a successful example of removing obstacles to green technologies, such as green roofs and urban agriculture, through zoning bylaw amendments. The text suggests that a similar proactive review in Manitoba could identify and remove sustainability barriers with minimal opposition compared to imposing higher mandatory standards.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Briefing
From the Common Agricultural Policy to Sustainable Food Systems
The author criticizes the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) as an unequal and unsustainable system that prioritizes industrial production over environmental health and small-scale farming. The text advocates for a shift toward 'sustainable food systems'—defined as those guaranteeing food sovereignty and internalizing environmental costs—and highlights the role of the Greens in Belgium in promoting short supply chains, urban agriculture, and the relocalisation of food production to protect rural social fabrics.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Statement
Urine Diversion: One Step Towards Sustainable Sanitation
The report examines urine diversion as a sustainable sanitation alternative that separates urine from faeces to facilitate nutrient recycling in agriculture. It details various implementation contexts, from rural areas in West Africa and China to urban settings in Sweden, and provides technical guidelines for toilets, piping, and storage. The document argues that urine diversion can reduce environmental pollution and provide low-cost fertilizer, though it notes challenges regarding pharmaceutical residues and the need for institutional mainstreaming.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Report
south-asia-02-seema-285947a0596b7eb3.pdf
The document presents a character profile of a 32-year-old woman who is the primary breadwinner through informal cleaning work while experiencing domestic violence and unemployment within her household. It outlines how floods impact her specifically through waterlogging that hinders her ability to work, causing income loss and health issues for her children due to overflowing drains. The scenario highlights barriers to disaster participation, such as lack of childcare and time, and identifies specific needs including information on evacuation routes, safety net schemes, and training in waste management, urban farming, and biogas technologies to reduce costs.
AI-generated
This summary is written by a language model reading the source document. It is not the publisher's words and is not a substitute for the original.
Document type: Guide