What we’ve been reading this week

This week’s summary on the news stories, reports and blogs that have grabbed our attention. We welcome your thoughts and comments on these articles.

Sustainable resources

The Goldilocks Dilemma of irrigation, Thrive

Severe drought no longer caused just by nature, EurekAlert!

Mobilising African resources for Agenda 2063, ecdpm

Science on the pulse: Top 10 Ecosystem Services and Resilience reads of 2015, Thrive

Sustainable agribusiness and markets

The State of Agricultural Commodity Markets 2015–16, FAO

The State of Sustainable Markets: Statistics and emerging trends 2015, IISD

Investing in Inclusive Agribusiness – Trends, Opportunities and Challenges, PAEPARD

Lychees: an exotic fruit that provides a lifeline for Madagascar, The Guardian

Sustainable Development Goals 

Are We There Yet? Five criteria for successfully measuring progress on the SDGs, IISD

Poverty and inequality are challenges for the UK, not just poorer countries, The Guardian

Implementing the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs: Where to Start? IISD

Rising to humanity’s greatest challenge, CGIAR via Youtube

Building Genetic Resources

Building a Farmer-Centered Movement for Seed Biodiversity, FoodTank

Genetic diversity of livestock can help feed a hotter, harsher world, FAO

Livestock Diversity is Crucial for Future Food Security on a Harsher Planet, FoodTank

Women 

Transforming Lives and Livelihoods from a Gender Lens, AWARD

Women We Love: 25 Influential Women in Food and Agriculture, FoodTank

Empowering African Women Scientists, AWARD

Food and Nutrition

Healthy Beginnings: New Evidence Cites Breastfeeding’s Health Benefits for Moms, Babies and Economies, USAID

Early poverty disrupts link between hunger and eating, EurekAlert!

Breastfeeding could prevent 800,000 child deaths, Lancet says, The Guardian

Overweight children are a growing problem in Africa and Asia, LA Times

Other…

African Union Adopts Egyptian President Sisi’s Initiatives on Climate Change, Egyptian Streets

Survey: British public among the least concerned about climate change, The Guardian

Study: Monsanto’s glyphosate now most heavily used weed-killer in history, EurekAlert!

How can coffee become a better tool for development? Devex

Zika Virus, the Story So Far, LRB