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Book (stand-alone)Traditional fermented food and beverages for improved livelihoods 2011
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Small-scale on-farm fermentation enterprises are important both for stimulating sustainable development in rural and peri-urban areas of countries, and for making food available to the increasing populations in urban areas. It can play an important role in strengthening livelihoods of millions of people and reduce their vulnerability to poverty, through both income generation and by making an important contribution to dietary variety and food security. Small-scale on-farm fermentation enterprise s also provide linkages to other income generating activities such as the manufactures of equipment, packaging and other ingredients that may be required for fermentation. This booklet is intended to heighten awareness about the potential of fermented foods and beverages as a viable enterprise that can contribute to small-scale farmers’ income. It provides information to decision-makers at policy-level and those involved in development programmes about opportunities, markets and technical sup port required for such a diversification enterprise. -
DocumentCity Region Food System Situational Analysis. Colombo, Sri Lanka FAO - Food for the Cities Programme
Working Document
2016Also available in:
No results found.City region food systems (CRFS) encompass the complex network of actors, processes and relationships involved in food production, processing, marketing and consumption in a given geographical region. The CRFS approach advocates for strengthened connectivity between urban centres and surrounding areas –whether peri-urban or rural– for a fair rural development and well-managed urbanisation. At the same time, it fosters the development of resilient and sustainable food systems, smallholder agricult ure, sustainable rural and urban production, employment, improved livelihoods, and food and nutrition security for all. This report describes the first phase of the city region food system (CRFS) assessment. This phase consists of a descriptive assessment and appraisal of the local context and CRFS, primarily based on the analysis of secondary data, stakeholder interviews and consultations. It provides an overview and description of the local context (including the political and institutiona l environment) and its CRFS. It includes a definition of the geographical boundaries of the CRFS, an overview of its overall structure and characteristics, an analysis of how it functions, stock of baseline information and identified gaps, and, to the extent possible, an indication of general trends and critical issues relevant to increase the sustainability and resilience of the specific CRFS. These key issues will be further examined in the next project phases: in-depth assessment and policy planning phases. The situation analysis builds on secondary data. Secondary data includes information from spatial datasets, statistics, studies, institutional, policy and legal frameworks, and information obtained from local expert knowledge through stakeholder consultations, focus-group discussions and interviews. The Colombo Municipal Council, CMC, is the oldest local authority in Sri Lanka, which celebrated its 150th anniversary this year. Historically Colombo city has been the main c ommercial city in Sri Lanka; however recently accelerated modernization efforts have changed the traditional outlook of Colombo municipality. During recent years, Colombo city was heavily invested for its infrastructure development to make the city an urban tourist attraction. Because of the recent developments, Colombo city was ranked as the number one fast growing city in the world in 2015. Align with this modernization, more and more people are attracted to Colombo city and its peri-urban are as for living and as well as for business. According to latest census statistics, there are 2,324,349 people living in Colombo district with a population density of 3438, which is the highest in the country. Remarkably, from the country’s population, one tenth reside in Colombo district. Population in CMC and the population density are 0.65 m, 15000-18000 per sq. km respectively. Further, this population has a complex diversity with respect to their age, ethnic, religious, and income level compo sitions. Therefore, Colombo city probably has one of the diverse and complex food systems in Sri Lanka, which requires vastly different types of foods to feed the large population in a small and congested city. Conversely, there is hardly any agricultural farming and food production in CMC limits, which has created multiple dependencies to food system of the city. -
Book (stand-alone)Sustainable management of Miombo woodlands
Food security, nutrition and wood energy
2018Also available in:
No results found.The Miombo woodland is a vast African dryland forest ecosystem covering close to 2.7 million km2 across southern Africa (Angola, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe). The woodlands are characterized by the dominance of Brachystegia species, either alone or in association with Julbernardia and Isoberlinia species. It is estimated that the woodlands – through their numerous goods and services which include various non-wood forest products (NWFPs) (e.g. insects, mushrooms, fruits, tubers, medicine, fodder, honey, seeds) and woodfuels, which, for simplicity, will be referred to as non-timber forest products, or NTFPs, throughout the publication – sustain the livelihoods of more than 100 million rural poor and 50 million urban people. The charcoal sector alone employs vast numbers of rural people and offers additional income to many poor rural families. Communities moreover rely directly on the woodlands for food and nutrition. NWFPs add vital micro- and macronutrients to local diets and contribute to diversified food systems, while woodfuel is essential for cooking and sterilizing, thus ensuring proper nutrient absorption and providing clean water for drinking. Forests and trees, if managed sustainably, are an important source of resilience for rural people in the Miombo woodlands, supporting households to absorb and recover from climatic or economic calamities and contributing to resolving the underlying causes of food insecurity, undernutrition and poverty by providing nutritious edible products and woodfuel for cooking in addition to conserving biodiversity and water resources, buffering extreme weather conditions and preventing land degradation and desertification. Generally speaking, it is now accepted that forests managed for both timber and NTFPs retain more biodiversity and resilience than forests managed solely for one aspect, e.g. timber and exotic timber plantations. However, a growing population in high need of agricultural land and unsustainable use and overharvesting of natural resources in parts of the Miombo woodlands, combined with climate change impacts (e.g. drought, fires), leave insufficient time for many trees and associated species to regenerate naturally, posing a serious threat to the products and services of the woodlands, and to the livelihoods depending on them. Compounding the problem and hindering development of the Miombo ecosystem, are: i) lack of an enabling policy environment; ii) unsustainable management; iii) limited willingness and ability to pay for and access to energy-efficiency technologies; iv) inadequate awareness and information, including technical capacity; v) high poverty levels; and vi) limited access to microcredit facilities. With the Committee on World Food Security’s endorsement of the recommendations presented in the High Level Panel of Experts Report on Sustainable Forestry for Food Security and Nutrition in late 2017 – which include promoting multifunctional landscapes, integrated food-forestry systems, and research on associated linkages, among other things – forests and trees are expected to play a greater role in future land-use decisions and related policies. This paper provides an overview of these linkages in the context of the Miombo woodlands, in the hope that future land use, policy decisions and financial investments are shaped to support the contributions of forests and trees to the health and livelihoods of communities in the ecoregion. The following key messages were formulated: • Forests and trees, if managed sustainably, are an important source of resilience for rural people in the Miombo woodlands, supporting households to absorb and recover from climatic or economic calamities and contributing to resolving the underlying causes of food insecurity, undernutrition and poverty by providing nutritious edible products and woodfuel for cooking in addition to conserving biodiversity and water resources, buffering extreme weather conditions and preventing land degradation and desertification. • Current data bases referring to the value of the Miombo must be analysed and used as evidence to improve policy-making. • Miombo woodlands may be dominant (spatially), but they have not been addressed as a single unit but as part of the region’s forests. They form part of the overall forestry strategies and no specific mention in the conventions does not suggest that their importance is underplayed. • The management of Miombo will require some changes in management structures, especially in providing benefits emerging from trade in forest products to local managers. • Local forest managers should play a greater role in allocating resources for feedstock for charcoal production.
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