My friend Takao and his wife Emi went on a Caribbean cruise in January 2020, just before the COVID-19 pandemic, to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. As part of the tour, they visited Nassau, the capital of the Bahamas. The giant cruise ship took an eastward course early in the morning and sailed slowly towards the vast pier, facing the sunrise, with Paradise Island … [Read more...] about Socioeconomic Sustainability Against Climate Events: How Breakwaters can Minimize the Disruption of Tourism in the Bahamas
Agriculture and Food Security
How the War between Russia and Ukraine Might Affect Your Dinner in Latin America and the Caribbean
Agricultural commodity prices have been very volatile since the early 2000s, peaking in 2008, then declining sharply until 2010 before starting to rise again (i). In 2012, prices reached a new peak caused by a historic drought in the United States, but then remained low over 2015–2019, a period that also saw a restocking of inventories of soybean, wheat, and corn. In stark … [Read more...] about How the War between Russia and Ukraine Might Affect Your Dinner in Latin America and the Caribbean
Land and empowerment: The importance of female land ownership for food security
In rural areas of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), agriculture remains the most important source of income. In the region, 54.6 % of the rural labor force engages in agricultural production and reaches more than 80 % in Andean countries such as Bolivia or Peru. The majority of this group are smallholder farmers, who are also the most likely to face poverty and food … [Read more...] about Land and empowerment: The importance of female land ownership for food security
Ecosystem services as a tool to better plan environmental interventions
In our previous posts on natural capital, the concept of ecosystem services for the integration of the environment into public economy and welfare economics has been extensively developed (see previous articles here). Ecosystem services make it possible to link the ecological function of ecosystems to the well-being of populations and socio-economic activities. Combined with … [Read more...] about Ecosystem services as a tool to better plan environmental interventions
Supporting fishers’ associations in Haiti: Lessons learned and future perspectives
Featured in a previous post, the Ministry of Agriculture of Haiti (MARNDR) has been implementing the Artisanal Fisheries Development Program (AFDP) in the South-East, South, and Grand’Anse departments since 2015. The Program, funded by the Government of Haiti (US$ 1.5 million) and the Inter-American Development Bank’s (IDB) grant of US$ 15 million, aims to sustainably improve … [Read more...] about Supporting fishers’ associations in Haiti: Lessons learned and future perspectives