SciDev.Net

This report by the Institute for Development Studies details the results of a pilot project in Bangladesh aimed at developing a screening process for the UK Department for International Development (DFID) to identify and manage climate change impacts on development investments.

The authors highlight predictions that climate change in Bangladesh may lead to stronger cyclones, increased flooding during the monsoon rains and exacerbated drought in the dry season.

They suggest that raising roads and improving drainage could be a cost-efficient way to reduce the impact. Other options recommended for managing risks include paying greater attention to infrastructure design in health, education and private sector development programmes; and to non-structural measures such as livelihood diversification, education and training about disaster risks and adaptation, and improved research and monitoring.

The authors conclude that DFID should support dialogue on disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, integrate priorities identified by the Bangladeshi government, increase emphasis for assistance on urban areas, and stimulate a multi-donor dialogue about water issues.

This book-length report details a study by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) that aimed to map vulnerability to the impacts of climate change in Africa. 

Climate change models of four different future scenarios were used and the impacts on agriculture assessed. Biophysical and social vulnerability were also analysed, using indicators developed specifically for this research.

The outcomes suggest, if tentatively, that many already vulnerable systems may be adversely affected by climate impacts, including the mixed arid-semiarid systems in the Sahel and rangelands in eastern Africa, the Great Lakes region, the coastal regions of eastern Africa and the drier zones of southern Africa.

The report concludes that adaptation is best researched at national or regional levels, not the macro level, due to local variability, and that communities themselves need to become much more involved in adaptation strategies.

This paper provides a call for a new Green Revolution focused on Africa. It summarises the successes and failures of the original Green Revolution, setting out the challenge of igniting a new one that can succeed in Africa.

The authors identify the need for more robust seed varieties, more trained scientists, improved inputs and cultivation practices, better supply and marketing infrastructure, and greater access to irrigation. Achieving these, say the authors, will require strong partnerships between philanthropists, governments, donors, research institutes and the private sector, as well as decisive leadership.

This report summarises six conferences from the Food and Agriculture Organization's forum on biotechnology in food and agriculture. The background documents for each conference are presented with a summary of the key points raised.

The topics covered include: gene flow; biotechnology's role in developing countries' agricultural research strategies; regulations for genetically modified organisms; molecular marker-assisted selection for improving crop and livestock; and biotechnology applications in food processing and public participation in decision-making.

The report draws together the insights and perspectives of informed individuals from different countries, professions and sectors.

This report evaluates the impacts of genetically modified (GM) crops in Argentina between 1996 and 2005, alongside wider trends in the country's agriculture and national economy.

The authors calculate the financial benefits of three GM crops — soybeans, maize and cotton — to be over US$20 billion, although they also estimate that about US$2.3 billion is needed to restore soil fertility after soybean cultivation.

They say that introducing GM crops to Argentina resulted in approximately one million new jobs over ten years, and led to lower global soybean prices.

The authors conclude that the benefits of introducing GM crops such as soybeans outweigh the costs.

But they call for public debate and policy intervention to address the environmental problems caused by long-term soybean monocultures, and the risks of depending too heavily on soybean exports.

This review of the UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) by the UK Environmental Audit Committee expresses disappointment that the MA has had limited impact on policymakers and nongovernmental organisations around the world. The authors recommend increasing the report's reach by, for example, setting up a new Millennium Ecosystem Fund to help developing countries integrate environmental protection into their national development plans. The authors also call for the MA to become an ongoing activity with periodic updates on the state of the world's ecosystems.

The UK government is expected to publish its response to these recommendations later in the year.

This 200-page report provides background data and analysis on climate impacts in sub-Saharan Africa, and identifies 'hotspots' of environmental change. It maps current farming systems throughout the continent, as well as key indicators of climate change including number and length of growing seasons and annual rainfall. A map of 'vulnerability' across the continent is presented, based on natural, physical, social and human indicators, and financial capital under different climate scenarios.

Some of the uncertainties in the analysis are identified and the decision-making implications discussed. Although the maps do not disclose the causes of climate change in Africa, they do give policymakers warning of the communities and farming systems likely to suffer most.

The report points out that Africa will face some of the largest impacts despite its countries being among the world's lowest greenhouse gas emitters. Developed countries therefore have an ethical obligation to help the continent prepare for climate change impacts, say the authors, although they also emphasise the need for local communities to start implementing adaptation strategies for themselves.

This report contains summaries of what the UN Environment Programme considers to be beacon projects in dryland reclamation. Projects are regarded as successful if they are innovative; have a low environmental footprint, and help to increase social and economic benefits to communities. In addition, successful projects need to be self-sustaining for at least two years after external funding ends.

This 55-page report (in English and French) contains case studies on how dryland communities and external organisations have tackled land degradation in Africa and Asia. The case studies were written from the perspective of non-governmental organisations in developing countries, and published by the UN convention secretariat in Bonn.

This 25-page report summarises the economic opportunities for the 2 billion people who live in drylands. In addition to agriculture, forestry, and livestock-rearing, the report highlights solar energy development, aquaculture, tourism, afforestation, bioprospecting, and mining as areas in which people and governments can (and often do) invest in. This report is aimed at policymakers and policy advisors. It is well written and contains good ideas and insight.

This report from the World Resources Institute (Washington, DC, USA) examines ways to effectively integrate socio-economic considerations into decision-making and policy frameworks for managing agricultural biotechnology. The report draws on case-study material from Indonesia and the Philippines as well as a range of other sources.

The authors argue that a two-step process is necessary to effectively integrate socio-economic concerns into decision-making processes: effective research in order to clarify the potential socio-economic impacts, followed by practical steps to incorporate these concerns into policy and regulatory processes. They examine a range of research methods that can help to achieve these ends.

The report focuses on the central role of public participation to help identify the socio-economic implications that matter to people. The authors use examples from their research to illustrate the use of various mechanisms to promote and facilitate public involvement. The report ends with a series of specific recommendations for different stakeholder groups, including civil society groups, scientists, the biotechnology industry and governments.

This thorough report introduces and summarises the key issues in a concise and accessible manner. Policy makers, research scientists and non-governmental organisations will find it especially valuable.

This article summarises the findings of a study undertaken by US-based academics at the Economic Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture and the State University of New Jersey.  The authors analysed data on the impact of the adoption of genetically modified Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) maize on corn production in seven southern African countries:  Angola, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.  The report discusses the importance of corn in southern African farming and diets and describes the process of adoption of Bt corn, which was slow at first.

The study found that both large and small-scale farmers who planted Bt cotton benefited in terms of increased yields and reduced pesticide applications, although it was impossible to quantify the latter advantage in relation to smallholders.  Small farmers said that they liked the quality of the Bt corn varieties.

The report goes on to estimate the potential impact of improved corn yield on food security in the region.  The authors conclude by discussing possible measures that might encourage small farmers to adopt the new varieties.

This annual report reviews global biotech areas by country, crop and trait. It identifies the top 14 'mega-countries' (there were ten in 2003), nations growing 50,000 hectares, or more, of biotech crops. It notes that during 2004 the absolute growth in biotech crop area was, for the first time, higher for developing countres (7.2 million hectares) than for industrial countries (6.1 million hectares).

The review points out that the increased hectarage and impact of the five principal developing countries (China, India, Argentina, Brazil and South Africa) has implications for the future adoption and acceptance of biotech crops worldwide, and it provides full overviews for each of the five countries.

This review comes from the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA), whose stated objective is 'to provide information and knowledge to the scientific community and society re biotech/GM crops, to facilitate a more informed and transparent discussion re their potential role in contributing to global food, feed and fibre security, and more sustainable agriculture'.

The French, Spanish and UK authors of this report examine the implications of growing GM and non-GM maize in proximity and conclude that co-existence of these crops can be achieved by applying "a few simple measures". The report contains field data and literature surveys of co-existence studies and explores issues such as pollen movement, viability and the potential for cross-pollination. It also describes measures currently used in North America and Spain to minimise the adventitious presence of GM maize in a non-GM crop.

The report concludes that good farming practices and normal harvesting procedures alone are adequate to reach the 99.1 % purity threshold set by the 2004 EU labelling legislation. Additional measures, such as buffer zones and increased separation distances reduce further the probability of GM presence to "minute levels". This, the authors conclude, means that GM, conventional and organic maize producers can co-exist and maintain the integrity of their crops.

Importantly, the data used in this report originate from both commercial planting as well as research plots. This report will be of interest to people concerned about co-existence; it will be valuable to those involved in regulation and policy-making, and it will be of practical help to agriculturalists.

Coral reefs are the most diverse of all marine ecosystems and they provide economic benefits to the growing number of people who live in low-lying coastal areas. Research has suggested that climate change poses a threat to these complex ecosystems.

This report includes a thorough introduction to the ecology of coral reefs as a background.  It then provides an overview of the 'regular' stresses to which coral reefs are exposed, and how climate change affects them additionally.  The report suggests that the crisis affecting coral ecosystems must be understood as a combination of interacting stresses and says any attempts for remediation have to consider this.

The report provides a thorough yet accessible introduction and a comprehensive assessment of the stresses affecting coral reef systems. It will primarily be useful to someone who is new to the field.

Readers will have to download the report in pdf format.

The authors of this report, from the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics (ABARE), assess the likely socio-economic and environmental issues of adopting biotechnology. They conclude that some of the poorest regions of the world stand to gain the most by the technology, through higher yields, better nutrition and helping to develop crops that are better adapted to local conditions.

The report stresses the importance and value of cost-benefit analyses, and the need to consider technologies on a case-by-case basis. As well as outlining specific developments in agricultural biotechnology, the authors argue the cases for and against its use, and assess the potential economic impacts. Issues currently facing developing countries with regard to GM crops include the need for a sound regulatory system, trade impacts and intellectual property rights.

This report gives a general overview relating to GM crops in developing countries, with more emphasis on the socio-economic agenda than many other reports of this nature. It will be of specific interest to those focussing on the financial and trade impacts of GM crops for developing countries.

This report follows a survey of seven countries of West and Central Africa, assessing the strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for the application of biotechnology in the subregion. Sponsored by the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, the original survey led to a second, more in-depth study, funded by the West and Central African Centre for Agricultural Research and Development (WECARD), to analyse the capacity to apply agri-biotechnology for food security in West and Central Africa.

The report considers issues such as biotechnology research capacity, personnel base and infrastructure support services, along with levels of public awareness of biotechnology and biosafety. The author of the report recommends focussing on existing strengths in Senegal, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire to help with biotechnology training, as well as addressing specific problems that require high-level research capacity.

This report was submitted for a stakeholders’ workshop to define the priorities for a regional framework of action in biotechnology and biosafety. It will be of interest to those involved in setting agendas and capacity building.

The GM Science Review formed one element of the UK government’s “national dialogue” on GM issues, which took place in 2003. The Science Review aimed to provide a summary of the (then) current scientific knowledge about GM crops, and fed directly into the UK government’s decision-making process on the commercialisation of GM crops. This, supplementary Second Report of the GM Science Review Panel, is a comprehensive literature review. It was co-authored by a panel of 22 selected specialists, ranging from plant breeders to environmental scientists.

The aim of the review was to ensure that policy-makers were informed about the best scientific evidence available. The panel was given a specific brief to highlight the remaining areas of uncertainty in scientific understanding of GM crops. The panel concludes that there is no scientific case for an outright ban on the commercial cultivation of GM crops in the UK, but neither do they find evidence to support a blanket approval. Instead, the panel recommends that new crops should be analysed on a case-by-case basis prior to commercial approval.

This report is a valuable summary of the state of scientific knowledge relating to the cultivation of GM crops, and is especially of interest to anyone who needs to refer to the fundamental research.

This report reviews some of the main scientific achievements in discovering the extent of global biodiversity decline. It also reviews some of the major scientific initiatives to improve understanding of biodiversity issues that have been put in place since the 1992 Earth Summit.

It is one of 11 reports prepared by the International Council for Science to coincide with the World Summit on Sustainable Development that was held in Johannesburg in August 2002. Other reports in the series tackle issues such as biotechnology, climate change, energy, and traditional knowledge.

The Living Planet Report is a periodic update on the state of the world's ecosystems produced by the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF).

WWF have developed what they call the Living Planet Index. The index is based on trends over the past 30 years in populations of hundreds of species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and fish.

Between 1970 and 2000, the forest species population index declined by about 15 per cent, the marine index fell by about 35 per cent, while the freshwater index dropped 55 per cent over the 30-year period.