In our quest to boost agriculture in order to ensure food security for an ever increasing global population as well as mass production of cheap animal feedstocks, we seem to be forgetting or overlooking some basic concepts of sustainable use of our natural capital. As pointed out in his book "Dirt - The Erosion of Civilizations", American geologist David R. Montgomery … [Read more...] about Life in syntropy: breaking the paradigm of modern agriculture?
Ernani Pilla
Ernani Pilla es un especialista sénior en recursos naturales en la Unidad de Salvaguardias del BID, responsable del diseño, implementación y supervisión de los proyectos en el campo de desarrollo rural, gestión de recursos naturales (silvicultura, agricultura, acuicultura y pesca), infraestructura marina y costera, gestión de áreas protegidas y conservación de la biodiversidad.
One farmer at a time: how a digital land registry will improve food, land security and forest protection in rural Amazonas
How do you feed a mega-city encrusted in the middle of the Amazon forest without resorting to deforestation? The inescapable answer is agriculture. But the challenge doesn’t end there. The capital city of the Amazonas state, Manaus, finds itself isolated from the major agricultural producing centers of Brazil. As a result, it must rely heavily on smallholder, rural producers … [Read more...] about One farmer at a time: how a digital land registry will improve food, land security and forest protection in rural Amazonas
What do condoms, safeguards, and sustainable development have in common?
In the state of Acre, a remote corner of the western Brazilian Amazon, lies the staple of the rubbertappers’ livelihoods, latex. This milky fluid is released when the rubber tree is cut and hardens once it’s exposed to the air. Latex has been a vital source of income for vulnerable forest communities for decades. However, up until the late 1990s, the combination of unclear … [Read more...] about What do condoms, safeguards, and sustainable development have in common?
Pink drones out of control over the Andes!
No, this is not some military project aimed at equipping wildlife with lethal capabilities. The project is actually harmless. It seeks to increase our knowledge of flamingo flight patterns in southern Bolivia, with the ultimate goal of better locating future infrastructure development in the region. To achieve that, we joined a group of field ornithologists to equip five adult … [Read more...] about Pink drones out of control over the Andes!