The Mekong River in Southeast Asia floods regularly and flood management has been an integral part of local people's lives for many years. But changes to the climate mean that the area now also experiences drought. Can people learn to adapt to droughts as well as floods?Research
from Oxfam Viet Nam and Kyoto University,
in Japan, examines the
recent droughts in Ninh Thuan
province in Viet Nam.
Rainfall in Ninh Thuan has been increasing for some
time, but there is greater variability from year to year. There are also

There is growing evidence that greenhouse gas emissions from human activity contribute to climate change. Many people blame modern farming practices for accelerating this - agriculture produces between 16.8 and 32.2 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions. But could agriculture also hold some solutions to climate change?Research for Geenpeace
International by the University of Aberdeen, in the UK, analyses the
contribution of modern farming to human-induced climate change. The main

This report investigates the role of agriculture in addressing global challenges related to climate, water and food. Based on three international events over 2009: the World Water Forum, the UN Commission on Sustainable Development and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the report identifies the interconnections between the three and the need to develop complementary policy options and action steps. The key findings of the report are:

The sustainability of pastoral systems largely depends on a balancing act between pastures, livestock and people. The mobility of pastoralists and their livestock is also a key factor. With climate change, the authors of this article speculate that this balance will be undermined. Greater herd mobility and diversification of pastoralists livelihoods will be required although diversification out of livestock production may be constrained by the environmental characteristics of most pastoral areas in Africa.Local, national and international action is required to address these issues.

Nigeria is frequently affected by disasters as a result of natural processes. Three quarters of these are related to extreme weather and climate events, including droughts, floods, extreme temperatures, thunderstorms, and desertification. Changes in global climate patterns will have serious implications for Nigeria, as most socioeconomic activities are extremely sensitive to climate variability. In this regard, concerted efforts are being made to address the issue of current and abrupt climate change.

Article examining possible impacts of climate change on developing economies and making suggestions for how countries might develop policies to mitigate ecomomic and fiscal disruption.Among the recommended actions are:When crafting the fiscal stance, governments should take account of their countries' potential vulnerability to economic shocks arising from extreme weather events.governments should create the right incentives and institutions, provide more information to the private sector, and develop basic knowledge on adaptive technologies.This might include:Assessment of the potential e

Empirical evidence shows that increasing women’s control over land, physical assets, and financial assets serves to raise agricultural productivity, improve child health and nutrition, and increase expenditures on education, as women are more likely than men to spend income on food, healthcare and the education of their children.

Pastoralism is a free-range livestock production system. It is practised in all of Africa’s dryland regions, and in some communities it is the main source of food security and income. But will pastoralism survive in the changing climate? This issue of Joto Afrika provides research findings, lessons learnt and success stories from across Africa.Statistics from African Union’s policy framework show that pastoralism contribute between 10 to 44 percent of the Gross Domestic Product in the countries that they live in.

This paper analyses the relationship between agriculture and nature. It notes that agriculture degrades the environment by way of the conversion of forests, grasslands and other habitats for agricultural use; degradation of soil quality, pollution of soil and water through excessive or inappropriate use of pesticides and fertilisers; emissions; loss of crop and livestock genetic diversity through the spread of monocultures. However, the paper goes on to argue that if agriculture can harm the environment, it can also sustain it.

This reports the potential effects of climate change on the agricultural sector in Belize. In particular, it addresses the impacts on all agricultural production, as well as on the sub-sectors of crops and livestock. Some of the key crops for this country’s economy (maize, beans, sugar cane and oranges) are examined in particular.