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Focus on

Water in agriculture
Water in agriculture
In this edition, we highlight some of the approaches and initiatives from Bolivia, China, Nicaragua, Tanzania and Pakistan that are helping to conserve water, improve agricultural productivity and provide greater benefits to farming communities.
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Points of view

Role of the media in agricultural development
Role of the media in agricultural development
The role of the media as an effective player in agricultural and rural development is undervalued. So what are the challenges and opportunities for the media to promote more effective agricultural development? We ask experts for their views.
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My perspective... a personal viewpoint

John Kamanga
John Kamanga
In the midst of Kenya's worst drought for 20 years, John Kamanga, coordinator of a land owners' association based in the South Rift valley, reflects on how livestock rearing can be sustained, both in the short and long term.
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Country profile

Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
After an 11 year civil war, which crippled economic, political and social structures, Sierra Leone remains one of the poorest countries in the world. But, with vast natural resources and a government keen to support agriculture, the country has enormous potential.
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News brief

Intense El Niņo rains expected for drought-stricken East Africa
With heavy rain already beginning to flood parts of East Africa, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that further El Niño rains could compound the humanitarian crisis caused by drought.
South Asia and South Pacific devastated by natural disasters
Hundreds of people have died and over a million have been displaced by typhoons in South Asia and a tsunami in the South Pacific.
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Editorial

Despite concerns over the forthcoming Copenhagen climate summit and whether a global treaty will be achieved, positive work continues to be done to address the challenges at a local level, which should inspire and encourage us. In this issue, we highlight some of the policies and agricultural approaches that are bringing benefits to rural communities.
read more
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In pictures

Participatory bean breeding in the Andes
Participatory bean breeding in the Andes
Small farmers are helping CIAT develop improved varieties of bush and climbing beans. This picture story, from the town of Darién in Colombia's Western Andes, documents this participatory process and sheds light on CIAT's research, the lives of bean farmers and the techniques used in traditional bean production.
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Developments

Kenya's horticulture business in wilt
Horticulture, Kenya's leading foreign exchange earner, is faced with two serious challenges: prolonged dry weather and low export demand. In response, growers are adopting new technology, including hydroponics, and improving the efficiency of water and nutrient usage.
Taming China's Yellow Dragon
In China, afforestation could be turning the tide against rampant desertification. A tree-planting project in the Kubuqi desert has been described as a flagship project by the UN Convention to Combat Desertification.
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Book reviews

Feeding the planet
Feeding the planet is one of 12 books that comprise "The Sustainability Project", covering the challenges posed by globalization and offering practical solutions for the 21st century. For informing, educating and stimulating debate and action, the project will provide a lasting and valuable resource.
Globesity: A planet out of control?
Why is the world getting fatter and who is to blame? Is it down to individuals suffering an epidemic of gluttony, or is it more complicated? It's much more complicated, say the authors of this highly readable analysis of global obesity.
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The New Agriculturist is a WRENmedia production.