Hayden Montgomery

The Central American Climate-Smart Agriculture Strategy (EASAC) strategy of targeting non-binding regional governance to influence national governments is inherently limited and may be ineffective on its own, find Fanny Howland, jean francois LE COQ, Sara Estefanía Collazos Acosta, Jose Arana, Genowefa Blundo Canto, Andrea Castellanos and Deissy Martínez-Barón (CIAT, CIRAD). Climate policy implementation in Central America depends on a range of factors: 1️⃣ International cooperation 2️⃣ Intersectoral and actor coordination 3️⃣ Availability of technical and research expertise 4️⃣ Research input Read below ⤵

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What can agricultural land contribute to protecting biodiversity? In this issue of From the Ground Up, American Farmland Trust's Caro Roszell, and farm and forest policy consultant (and an editor of From the Ground Up) Brian Donahue, investigate this question, shining a light on the rise and fall of the populations of bobolink and other grassland birds in New England. They examine the factors contributing to their significant decline and provide hopeful pathways forward that could be a boon for both the region’s food systems and its biodiversity. With the rise of twentieth century industrial agriculture and suburban development, the farmland habitat for most grassland birds was greatly reduced. On the farmland that remained, earlier and more frequent hay cuttings improved the quality of the hay but degraded the habitat. Sadly, many hayfields now function as ecological sinks, attracting grassland birds to nest and then destroying nestlings before they can fly. Roszell and Donahue present a promising paradigm for farmers and wildlife to support each other. They write, “A rebirth of New England grass farming, after more than a century of decline, could yield multiple benefits: new opportunities for farmers and an increasing regional food supply; improved soil health, carbon storage, and resilience; and real biological conservation value from our farmland.” Read their thoughts and suggestions on how simple adjustments to hay cutting and grazing practices can be the pathway to an avian-agrarian partnership that will make habitats healthier for all species, human and wild. https://buff.ly/4emf5Wd #conservation #newengland #northeast #landconservation #wwfc #environment #biodiversity ##bobolink #agriculture #farming #grassland #grasslandbirds

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As we approach #COP16, I’d like to share an insightful article by Dafna Siegert on the critical role of biodiversity in shaping our lives, businesses, and the global economy. Here are some important highlights: ⭐ A nature-positive business model could generate 395 million jobs by 2030 and contribute $10 trillion to global GDP growth. 💰 There is a $711 billion annual funding gap needed to reverse biodiversity loss—a gap we urgently need to close. 🏞 Healthy wildlife and ecosystems are vital for a strong economy, diverse food production, and medical breakthroughs. 🌳 Biodiversity reduction can cause risks such as infrastructure damage, lower revenues,  reduced supply of quality natural resources, increased insurance costs, and undermining the ability to reach climate goals 🌲 Ecosystems act as natural carbon sinks, providing critical solutions to capture CO2. Yet, climate change is rapidly degrading these ecosystems. 📉 The losses are staggering: 32% of the world’s forests, 50% of coral reefs, and over 85% of wetlands have been destroyed. 📈 Risks we face if biodiversity continues to decline: water shortages, food insecurity, GDP reduction (50% of which depends on nature), job losses, rising commodity prices, and migration crises. 👷‍♂️ The World Economic Forum estimates nature-related business opportunities worth $10 trillion annually, creating 395 million jobs by 2030. 🤼 What can we do? Shift consumer preferences, better manage food supply chains, improve diets, reduce post-harvest losses, and minimize food waste. 🏢 Businesses must unite to address biodiversity loss and climate change together, as both are critical to achieving our sustainability goals. Governments and industries must act now. The cost of inaction is far greater than the investment needed to protect our planet. Let’s work together to drive the change that’s urgently needed. #Sustainability #Biodiversity #ESG

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Addressing #gender inequities in #agrifoodsystems starts with recognizing gaps in women's voices in policy processes. Discover strategies for improving women's agency in policymaking. 👇 https://bit.ly/3IeQqVB #AgPolicy #GenderInAg

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🌿🐄 Climate finance meets livestock development: key takeaways from September's global dialogues 🌍💰 LD4D members recently participated in two events shaping the future of sustainable livestock and climate finance. From Brasilia to New York City, we shared our latest research and tools for unlocking climate finance for livestock development in low-and middle-income countries. Read our latest blog post to learn about: 🎯 Key outcomes from the "Scaling Methane Mitigation in Sustainable Tropical Agrifood Systems" workshop 🔎 Insights from our participation in Climate Week NYC 🎉 The enthusiastic reception of our new evidence briefs for building climate finance investment cases, creating supportive national policies and quantifying livestock sector emissions We're proud to contribute to global efforts in supporting sustainable, climate-resilient and inclusive livestock development. Read the full story here: https://lnkd.in/enirGeZD Thanks to our collaborators in these events: Climate & Clean Air Coalition, Clim-Eat, The World Bank, G20 Brasil 2024, Instituto 17, Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (WOCAN), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Environmental Defense Fund, Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences #SustainableLivestock #ClimateFinance #AgricultureInnovation #GlobalDevelopment #ClimateFinance4Livestock #ClimateWeekNYC #UNGA79 #WhyLivestockMatter

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COP16 on Biodiversity🇨🇴: New fund or no New Fund, are we ready to pay the price? Halfway through the negotiations in Cali, the question on resource mobilization for biodiversity is a divisive one. Developing countries are calling for a new fund, citing current mechanisms that are too bureaucratic to enable rapid and effective implementation of the Global Biodiversity Framework (KMBF). Developed countries, on the other hand, are concerned about the costs and delays that such a fund would entail. With COP16 aimed at the concrete implementation of the KMBF, the financial needs are crying out: the 20 billion mobilized are insufficient to support urgent action on the ground. And we're here to remind world leaders that it's crucial to ensure that indigenous peoples and local communities have direct access to funds to develop their own solutions for protecting forests and biodiversity. 👉 Rich countries must honor their financial commitments, and developing countries must make their voices heard for accessible, effective and immediate resources. #COP16 #DirectFundforIPLCs #Biodiversity

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In this blog post, our allies at Agroecology Fund highlight how important it is to fund not just agroecology, but participatory research, learning, and collaboration across geographies. https://lnkd.in/gK-wv6SA

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In this blog post, our allies at Agroecology Fund highlight how important it is to fund not just agroecology, but participatory research, learning, and collaboration across geographies. https://lnkd.in/gK-wv6SA

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Last week, TechnoServe’s Tony Siantonas and Margarita Guerra unpacked how small and medium agriculture enterprises and start ups are making an impact in Latin America at #COP16. Regenerative business programs TechnoServe is implementing in Colombia are leading the way in economic development while addressing key issues like climate change. This is just a sample of this insight conversation focused on the growth happening in Latin America. Hear the full interview here: https://bit.ly/40rh4ow

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📣 Livestock Data for Decisions (LD4D) Livestock & Climate Finance Solutions Group has launched three evidence briefs to support low- and middle-income countries to access #ClimateFinance for livestock systems. The briefs explore the roles of: ➡️ Investments ➡️ Policies ➡️ Data …towards addressing the greenhouse gas emissions from the livestock sector and improving productivity as the global population grows. Learn more here: http://spr.ly/6040ou9uA #ClimateFinance4Livestock #WhyLivestockMatter

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🌟 New Project Alert: "Farmers Cooperative Empowerment Project" in Peru! 🌟 We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Farmers Cooperative Empowerment Project (FCEP), dedicated to creating long-term economic impact in rural communities across Peru. 🚜 What is FCEP? The FCEP aims to connect local producers with state resources, provide specialized training, and offer accessible microloans for small-scale agricultural and commercial activities. 🌾 Our Approach: 🔹 Capacity Building: Equip farmers with the knowledge and skills to thrive. 🔹 Network Guidance: Foster connections, market access, and collaborations for growth. 🔹 Microcredit: Provide financial means to invest in farms and long-term future. 🌱 Our Goals: By empowering farmers, the FCEP aims to: ✨ Reduce poverty ✨ Enhance food security ✨ Promote sustainable agricultural development Join us in our mission to uplift rural communities and create a brighter future for farmers in Peru! #RuralDevelopment #Agriculture #Sustainability #EconomicGrowth #Peru #CommunityBuilding #FoodSecurity

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Agroecology boosts farming by using natural processes 🌿 and biodiversity to improve soil health, reduce synthetic inputs, and enhance climate resilience 🌧️. 🌍 Environmental Sustainability Agroecology uses natural inputs and ecological processes, reducing reliance on synthetic chemicals and preserving ecosystems. This approach supports long-term sustainability by maintaining soil health, water quality, and biodiversity. 🌱 Soil Health Practices like crop rotation and reduced tillage improve soil structure and fertility. These methods enhance soil’s water and nutrient retention, reduce erosion, and increase productivity. 🐞 Biodiversity Conservation Diverse cropping systems create habitats for beneficial organisms, aiding in pest control and reducing the need for chemical pesticides. This biodiversity makes agricultural systems more resilient to pests and diseases. 🌧️ Resilience to Climate Change Agroecology enhances resilience through diverse cropping systems that can better withstand extreme weather events. Practices like agroforestry and cover cropping improve soil and water retention, reducing erosion. 💧 Water Conservation Techniques like mulching and cover cropping improve soil moisture retention and reduce evaporation. This is crucial in water-scarce regions, ensuring sustainable water use. 🌳 Carbon Sequestration and Climate Mitigation Practices such as agroforestry and reduced tillage increase carbon storage in plants and soils, helping mitigate climate change. Reduced use of synthetic inputs also lowers the carbon footprint of farming operations. United Nations, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), WWF-India, Wildlife Trust of India, Wildlife Conservation Society, Nature Conservation Foundation, The Habitats Trust, The Animal Care Organization (TACO), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Forest Department, Govt. of Uttarakhand, Karnataka Forest Department, Tamil Nadu Forest Department, Parveen Kaswan, Dr. PM Dhakate, Nikhil Kamath, Nithin Kamath. #agroecology #agrotech #sustainablefarming #katidhan

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🌱 Exciting News! Our NRCS Final Report is Here! We’re thrilled to share the results of RAFI's two-year project, "Accessing NRCS Services and Benefits: Challenges and Recommendations for Historically Underserved Farmers and Ranchers." This report highlights key barriers faced by small-scale and BIPOC farmers in accessing USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) programs. 📌 What’s Inside? 🌱Challenges and solutions to improve access to NRCS services. 🌱Data-driven insights from 225 producer surveys and 326 TA cases. 🌱Stories from producers in the Southeast, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. 🌱Eight categories of recommendations to enhance NRCS outreach, technical assistance, and conservation planning. This report is a call to action for more effective support for farmers who steward our land. Let’s create a better future for all producers. 🌾 📖 Read the full report: https://bit.ly/4fc0w7J #NRCS #USDA #RAFI #ResilientFarmers #NRCS #USDA #RAFI #ResilientFarmers #Conservation

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Two weeks ago I attended and moderated a panel during the workshop "Scaling Methane Mitigation in Sustainable Tropical Agrifood Systems", co-organized by the Ministerio Da Agricultura Pecuaria E Abastecimento and the Climate & Clean Air Coalition in Brasilia, Brazil. The event brought together government officials, private sector representatives, international organizations, and non-profits, and we explored critical #policy needs, #implementation strategies, #research innovations, and how to #finance this transition for accelerating methane mitigation in tropical agricultural systems. We had multiple interesting and thought-provoking discussions, but here are my KTA: - We need to accelerate the development of methane-reducing technology that is in the pipeline, but that are many practices that can be implemented now: improving productivity of livestock systems offers a massive win-win opportunity to reduce methane emissions intensity and improve sustainability of systems. Integrated systems such as livestock-crop, or livestock-crop-forestry are a great example, and Embrapa has documented reductions in methane emissions in these systems. - Strong sectorial plans: it was very clear that a robust plan for agriculture such as the #ABC+ Plan in Brazil is crucial to support adoption of sustainable and methane-reducing practices by farmers. It is also urgent that countries incorporate agriculture methane into their Nationally Determined Contribution Plans (NDCs). - Functional and knowledgeable advisory services who need to have clear understanding about the methane-reducing technologies and the economic opportunities that follow them. Every farmer should be able to access the right information regarding the opportunity of adopting sustainable practices, and how to implement them. - Financing mechanisms: there is an urgent need to promote dialog between the productive and financing sectors to unlock sustainable agriculture funding opportunities, which also includes the need for a clear, feasible MRV framework that works for farmers, banks, and governments. You can watch the workshop recordings here: https://lnkd.in/eePYjqjc You can read the final document here: https://lnkd.in/ePAVVkYt

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Agrifood research in climate vulnerable countries is critical to our ability to anticipate and more easily and cheaply address the impacts of climate change on the most exposed populations. However, the willingness to fund such work seems to be rapidly dwindling. More and more countries elect governments that are more concerned about maintaining a lifestyle and standard of living that was never sustainable at a global level and which certainly should not be aspirational at this point in time. And it might be more important to focus less on where the scientists live and more on where they are from. There has been such a brain drain around the world that many of the best scientists are in the places where they have the stature and funding to do their best work. That does not mean that they have no connection to the places they came from. After all, this is what drives much of what I have always worked on — poverty, food, sustainability, and the conservation of natural resources.

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LABOR TRAFFICKING AMONG AGRICULTURAL WORKERS IN BRAZIL 🇧🇷 CenHTRO hosts the next PRIF Learning Series on June 4 at 12 p.m. EST. Researchers from Stanford King Center on Global Development Human Trafficking Data Lab will present on estimation strategies used to measure the prevalence of labor trafficking among agricultural workers in Brazil. Register now: https://lnkd.in/gZJcCk_M The Stanford team used two estimation methods – probability sampling proportional to size (PPS) and the network scale-up method (NSUM) – to examine the prevalence of labor trafficking in the agricultural sector across four Brazilian states: Maranhão, Bahia, Piauí, and Tocantins. Join our global community of researcher-learners dedicated to improving evidence-informed efforts to #EndHumanTrafficking. Engage with previous PRIF Learning Series events 👉 http://t.uga.edu/9Fv University of Georgia - School of Social Work

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🌍 Unlocking the Potential of Smallholder Agroforestry Through Climate Finance 🌍 How can we ensure that the hundreds of millions of smallholder farmers, responsible for nearly 80% of agricultural production in the Global South, are not left behind by climate finance and can become key players in addressing climate change? At New York Climate Week, the CASH Coalition hosted a panel, "No Smallholder Farmer Left Behind" -- facilitated by Lakshmi Viswanathan (CASH Coalition), and drawing on the insights of John Mundy (One Acre Fund), Emma van de Ven (Rabobank), Ricardo Bayon (Encourage Capital), and Jackson (Jack) Kimani (Climate Action Platform for Africa (CAP-A)) -- to discuss how to leverage climate finance to unlock the potential of smallholder agroforestry. Our latest blog summarizes key takeaways from the panel and dives into the unique challenges of and opportunities for scaling smallholder agroforestry through access to finance. 🔗 Read more and watch a video overview: https://lnkd.in/eWZqgEJ8

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