SUSTAINABLY MANAGING NATURAL RESOURCES FOR IMPROVED FOOD SECURITY
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In Cambodia, villagers plant seedlings as part of a reforestation effort. Credit: HARVEST
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March 22 was World Water Day, which calls attention to the 750 million people around the world who lack access to clean water and highlights the need to sustainably manage water in the future. Both agriculture and nutrition are closely linked to water resources: agriculture accounts for 70 percent of water withdrawal globally, and safe water and sanitation are essential to reducing undernutrition, particularly in young children.
Water and other natural resources underpin long-term food security, which is why Feed the Future partners with focus countries to advance the sustainable and equitable management of land, water, fisheries and other building blocks of food production. As climate change drives up temperatures and impacts oceans and precipitation patterns, it is more important than ever to meet the food needs of a growing population in a way that sustainably and efficiently uses scarce natural resources.
Read on to learn how Feed the Future is building a more food-secure world while helping smallholder farmers adopt agricultural practices and low-cost, sustainable technologies that mitigate environmental degradation.
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CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE REDUCES TIME AND LABOR FOR WOMEN IN CAMBODIA
Through the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management, led by Virginia Tech, Manuel Reyes from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University began promoting conservation agriculture and water-saving techniques in Cambodia. Two years later, 56 households on over 149 hectares were using conservation agriculture practices to grow maize, millet, pigeon pea, cassava and soybean.
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SUSTAINABLY MANAGING NATURAL RESOURCES FOR IMPROVED FOOD SECURITY
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In Malawi, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is investing in hydropower, a clean and renewable energy source, to revitalize the country's power sector.
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Since joining a Feed the Future-supported program, Huda and his community have witnessed the restoration of native plants as well as healthier and more productive livestock because of improved grasses, all of which are resulting in more income-generating opportunities.
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In concert with the Government of Honduras and the Honduran Coffee Institute, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's agronomic training is helping to reinvigorate one of the most important productive assets coffee farmers have: trees. New pruning techniques are helping farmers stimulate new growth and achieve higher yields.
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Sambazon Inc., a company based in San Clemente, California, was formed in 2000 when a couple of friends traveling in Brazil noticed the local popularity of the antioxidant-rich a�ai berry and saw an opportunity to introduce it to the United States.
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Water distribution from the new Rivi�re Grise system will be managed by a local water users association trained with support from Feed the Future.
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In Moldova, the Millennium Challenge Corporation is supporting farmers and local groups to rehabilitate irrigation systems that serve approximately 15,000 hectares of land.
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Members of the Kazi Yangu Farmer Group have already seen firsthand the benefits of dry-season production. Group chairman Daniel Ntili sees their new well as the game-changer: "We have left our old practices behind. We don't wait for the rains anymore, because dry-season production is where you find the real profits."
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Farmers using compost and improved vegetable seed with support from Feed the Future have increased yields 15-20 percent during their first year of composting. Aziza, one of many women farmers participating in the program, has learned firsthand how compost can improve the productivity of her land and help boost her family income.
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| Credit: Small Earth Nepal |
To help improve water security in Nepal, the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Adapting Livestock Systems to Climate Change, led by Colorado State University, has been working to introduce efficient bucket drip kit irrigation technology to water-insecure farmers in the Gandaki River Basin.
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| Credit: Partners of the Americas |
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Bill Nichols, a volunteer with the U.S. Agency for International Development's Farmer-to-Farmer program, supported by Feed the Future, is working with local communities in the Dominican Republic to develop a strategy to protect the Yaque del Norte watershed, the environmental health of which directly or indirectly affects two million people.
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Extraordinary Meeting of the Friends of the Lower Mekong
On February 2, Counselor Tom Shannon and Senior Advisor to the Secretary Ambassador David Thorne led a U.S. delegation to the Extraordinary Meeting of the Friends of the Lower Mekong in Pakse, Laos. The Friends of the Lower Mekong, a donor coordination group, came together with the countries of the Lower Mekong to discuss the connection between water resources, energy needs and food security. Learn more.
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UPCOMING EVENTS
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NEWS & MEDIA
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News
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March 27, 2015, Teri Blandon (U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation)
March 26, 2015, Kizito Makoye (Christian Science Monitor)
March 25, 2015, Dan Charles (NPR)
March 20, 2015, Katy Daigle (Associated Press)
March 20, 2015, Jon Springer (Forbes)
March 17, 2015, Robert Sauers (USAID)
March 12, 2015 (USAID)
March 7, 2015, Prince-Josh Adams (IPP Media)
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Opinion & Blogs |
March 27, 2015, Katie Lee (Huffington Post)
March 26, 2015, Darius Mans (Huffington Post)
March 24, 2015, Richard Lugar, Peter McPherson, Dan Glickman (The Hill)
March 24, 2015, Feed the Future
March 18, 2015, Tjada McKenna (The Guardian)
March 18, 2015, Dan Glickman and Doug Bereuter (Agri-Pulse)
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Videos
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March 18, 2015, Giovanni Ortolani and Paola Di Bella (Sci Dev Net)
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March 9, 2015, Secretary John Kerry (State Department)
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ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER
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This newsletter is intended to enhance collaboration and information-sharing
about implementation of Feed the Future. To subscribe or to find out more
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Copyright � 2013. All Rights Reserved.
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