News Overview

The Quezon City Vendors Business School Ordinance has been recognized as one of the Official Gold Awardees in the inaugural Gawad Galing Lokal na Batas (GGLB).

The Quezon City Vendors Business School Ordinance has been recognized as one of the Official Gold Awardees in the inaugural Gawad Galing Lokal na Batas (GGLB)

This work demonstrates how mechanized rice straw composting and the 4R nutrient management principles can transform agricultural byproducts into high-value assets, significantly boosting farmer incomes while providing safe, organic produce for local school feeding programs in Vietnam.

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (3-6 February 2025) -- The Africa Conference on Sustainable Agricultural Mechanization (ACSAM) wraps up with a shared practical vision for scaling sustainable mechanization on the continent. Climate-smart agriculture also became a constant topic of discussion, as delegates hammered home on the need to close yield gaps by transforming Africa’s agri-food systems to be more efficient, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable. The 3-day conference was organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and hosted by the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania to build partnerships, address issues, and bolster successful models and future trends for more pronounced, scalable solutions for African farmers.

As the global community grapples with a “polycrisis” of climate change, geopolitical instability, and rising food insecurity, the traditional tools of agricultural development are hitting a wall. For decades, the primary strategy of agricultural research for development (AR4D) has been a “hard” mechanistic approach: developing a high-tech solution and attempting to scale it linearly across the globe. However, a groundbreaking new study published in Agricultural Systems suggests that this reductionist mindset is no longer enough to transform our food systems.

The institutionalization of VBS represents a significant step forward for urban food systems and micro-entrepreneurship. Under the ordinance, Quezon City aims to further strengthen vendors through comprehensive learning on safe food handling, climate change adaptation, and sustainability, ensuring that vendors are prepared to meet both present and future challenges.

Fighting climate change requires a comprehensive strategy that spans energy, transport, and, crucially, food and agriculture. Halting deforestation and adopting sustainable practices in irrigation, biodiversity management, and land use, are imperative. Plant breeding can help.

As the climate crisis intensifies, the communities least responsible for global emissions are often the ones facing the most severe consequences. In the drylands of Baringo County, Kenya, the Ogiek and Endorois peoples are witnessing firsthand how altered precipitation and prolonged droughts threaten their traditional livelihoods.