Carbon finance has become a hot topic in rural development, with many governments and civil-society groups looking to leverage the carbon capture potential of trees and soil to raise funds for agricultural and agroforestry projects.

The well-attended World Congress on Agroforestry (WCA) in New Delhi last week, with strong contingents from business, government, nonprofits and academia - and a blog that drew more than 35,000 readers - is the latest evidenc

A great deal of the World Congress on Agroforestry, held last week in New Delhi, focused on business: How to link smallholders to markets? How to make agroforestry profitable? How to engage major corporations? How to guarantee social and environmental sustainability while making money?

Globally, about 842 million people are undernourished – about 12% of the population – and more than 2 billion suffer from micronutrient deficiency, or “hidden hunger,” according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

With two new issue briefs, presentations, blogging and social-media coverage, SIANI and its partner Focali will have a strong presence at the 10-14 February event in New Delhi, which will bring together more than 1,000 researchers, policy-makers, donors and members of civil society.

Home gardens have been vital to human societies for thousands of years: from clusters of beneficial trees and shrubs planted on forest edges in pre-historic times, to the lush edible gardens grown traditionally in many tropical regions, to the tiny, densely planted backyards that dot cities worldwide.

Home gardens have been vital to human societies for thousands of years: from clusters of beneficial trees and shrubs planted on forest edges in pre-historic times, to the lush edible gardens grown...

Roughly 24% of the world’s land area is degrading, including more than a fifth of the cropland and nearly a third of the forests – yet 1.5 billion people directly depend on degraded areas....