Title of document: Strengthening sustainable food systems through geographical indications Authors: Emilie Vandecandelaere; Catherine Teyssier; Dominique Barjolle; Philippe Jeanneaux; Stéphane Fournier; Olivier Beucherie Journal’s name if any: Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: FAO/EBRD Year of publication: 2018 Geographic focus: Asia & Mekong regional Main issues / topics addressed (for example: Background: what does the literature have to say about geographical indications and their impacts?; Framework of analysis; GI processes and their economic impacts; Synthesis of causal mechanisms and success factors …) School of agroecology (if any): Web address to original document (if any): www.fao.org/3/I8737EN/i8737en.pdf Summary: This study seeks to provide empirical evidence on the economic impacts that are generated through the GI process, beginning with the official recognition of a GI and the steps that follow. It focuses on the food sector and reviews nine cases, offering a variety of national contexts and local value chains. The approach considers “operational” GI processes: those in which a code of practice (or specifications) is defined and the GI is used and managed by a collective organization. The cases are: Colombian coffee, Darjeeling tea (India), Futog cabbage (Serbia), Kona coffee (United States), Manchego cheese (Spain), Penja pepper (Cameroon), Taliouine saffron (Morocco), Tête de Moine cheese (Switzerland) and Vale dos Vinhedos wine (Brazil). A specific methodological framework (detailed in the annex) has been developed based on qualitative and quantitative analysis of each case thanks to field work carried out by Masters and PhD students, so as to identify the economic impacts of GI processes and define the mechanisms involved.   Read More

Title of document: Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for Asia and the Pacific Authors: Madhav Karki (co-chair, Nepal), Sonali Senaratna Sellamuttu (co-chair, Sri Lanka); Sana Okayasu (IPBES), Wataru Suzuki (IPBES); Lilibeth A. Acosta (Philippines/Germany), Yousef Alhafedh (Saudi Arabia), Jonathan A. Anticamara (Philippines), Anne-Gaëlle Ausseil (New Zealand), Kirsten Davies (Australia),  Alexandros Gasparatos (Greece/Japan), Haripriya Gundimeda (India), Faridah-Hanum Ibrahim (Malaysia), Ryo Kohsaka (Japan), Ritesh Kumar (India), Shunsuke Managi (Japan), Wu Ning (China), Asha Rajvanshi (India), Gopal S. Rawat (India), Philip Riordan (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), Shyam Sharma (India), Amjad Virk (Pakistan), Changyong Wang (China), Tetsukazu Yahara (Japan), Youn Yeo-Chang (Republic of Korea). Journal’s name if any: Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: IPBES Year of publication: 2018 Geographic focus: Asia & Mekong region Main issues / topics addressed (for example: …) School of agroecology (if any): Web address to original document (if any): https://www.ipbes.net/assessment-reports/asia-pacific Summary: Summary for policymakers of the IPBES regional assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services for Asia and the pacific   Read More

Title of document: Grow Asia: Smallholder farming intervention Landscape in South East Asia Authors: Grow Asia Journal’s name if any: Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: Grow Asia Year of publication: 2016 Geographic focus: SEA Main issues / topics addressed (for example: Introduction to the study; Executive summary; Overview of smallholder farmer financing needs; Our detailed research findings…) School of agroecology (if any): Web address to original document (if any): Summary: General presentation of Grow Asia: Smallholder farming intervention Landscape in South East Asia   Read More

Title of document: 50 Years of ASEAN – Still Waiting for Social and Ecological Justice Authors: Fransiskus Tarmedi, Julia Behrens & Manfred Hornung Journal’s name if any: Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: Heinrich Böll Stiftung Southeast Asia Year of publication: 2017 Geographic focus: ASEAN Main issues / topics addressed (for example: The Development of ASEAN - an introduction; ASEAN Identity, now and into the future: the interaction across borders in Southeast Asia; ASEAN among Great Powers…) School of agroecology (if any): Web address to original document (if any): https://www.boell.de/en/2017/11/16/50-years-asean-still-waiting-social-and-ecological-justice?dimension1=ds_asean50_en Summary: In 1967 the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was founded. Which role does social and ecological justice play? How does ASEAN react to the current geopolitical situation, in which the climate crisis poses the biggest threat and must be tackled through joint efforts? Countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam are highly vulnerable to climate change and feel the consequences already today. Is ASEAN able to react to the social and ecological challenges by taking the interest of its people into account? This book collects all articles of our dossier "50 Years of ASEAN" and analyzes the institutions of ASEAN - their history, dynamics and policies.   Read More

Title of document: Who Wants to Farm?  Youth Aspirations, Opportunities and Rising Food Prices Authors: Jennifer Leavy and Naomi Hossain Journal’s name if any: Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: OXFARM, DEV, IDS Year of publication: 2014 Geographic focus: Global Level Main issues / topics addressed (for example: Who wants to be a farmer? What the literature says; Approach and methodology; Findings; Conclusions…) School of agroecology (if any): Web address to original document (if any): Summary: This paper explores these conditions in a context of food price volatility, and in particular rising food prices since 2007. To do so, it analyses primary qualitative research on the attitudes of young people and their families to farming in 2012, a time when food prices had been high and volatile for half a decade. In theory, assuming higher prices benefit small farmers, food farming should be more attractive since food prices started to rise in 2007. But this simple causal assumption overlooks both that in many developing countries, it takes considerable economic power - ownership or access to cultivable land and affordable credit for inputs - to turn a profit in farming. It also fails to take into account more sociological explanations governing work and occupational choice - status aspiration and merit on the one hand, and perceived risk on the other. These two explanations help to explain why young people from relatively low income families, particularly those most likely to innovate and raise productivity levels, do not perceive farming as a realistically desirable occupational choice   Read More

Title of document: 10 years of Participatory Guarantee Systems in Vietnam –A Capitalisation Study Authors: VECO Journal’s name if any: Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: VECO, ALiSEA Year of publication: 2018 Geographic focus: Vietnam Main issues / topics addressed (for example: 10 years of Participatory Guarantee Systems in Vietnam – A Capitalisation Study; How does PGS work in Vietnam? …) School of agroecology (if any): Web address to original document (if any): Summary: Executive Summary: 10 years of Participatory Guarantee Systems in Vietnam –A Capitalisation Study   Read More

Title of document: Learning together in the Ayeyarwady Delta: Lessons and Good Practices Authors: U Htet Kyu; Libera Antelmi-Dazio and Shagun Gupta Journal’s name if any: Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: LIFT Year of publication: Geographic focus: Myanmar Main issues / topics addressed (for example: Agricultural Production and Post-Harvest Management; Integrating farmers in the rice value chain; Turning Income Generating Activities into Profitable Business…) School of agroecology (if any): Web address to original document (if any): Summary: This document compiles lessons and good practices that arose from implementation of the Delta 2 Programme, funded by the Livelihoods and Food Security Trust Fund (LIFT). The lessons were presented by implementing partners during Learning Alliance workshops held in Bogale and Yangon on 1st and 3rd October 2014 respectively. The purpose of this report is to share the experiences of LIFT’s partners in the implementation of their projects during Delta 2. The report presents lessons shared at a series of workshops organised by LIFT in October 2014, focusing on agricultural production and post-harvest loss reduction, integrating farmers in the rice value chain, making income generation activities profitable, organising collective services.  Participants also shared their experience of hire-purchase models, market price information and agricultural finance.   Read More

Title of document: A Checklist of Plants in Lao PDR Authors: KNA, NAFRI, NUoL Journal’s name if any: Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: KNA, NAFRI, NUoL Year of publication: 2017 Geographic focus: Lao PDR Main issues / topics addressed (for example: Introduction Lao in checklist and Appendix School of agroecology (if any): Web address to original document (if any): http://www.forest.go.kr/newkfsweb/kfi/kfs/kna/application/publication/detailForm.do?seq=38442&mainCd=210103&searchCnd=&searchWrd=&mn=KFS_15_05_10&orgId=kna&pageIndex=1&pageUnit=10 Summary: This checklist is a part of the collaborative project between NAFRI (National Agriculture and Forestry Research Institute) and KNA (Korea National Arboretum), consolidating the four previously published checklists and adding the plant names of Laos, all information have been updated and contains information on total of 5,200 species This publication including 226 families, 1,536 genera and 5,204 species was developed by upgrading the former checklist called “A checklist of the vascular plants of Lao PDR” published in 2007 by the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, NAFRI, NUoL and IUCN Lao PDR. In particular, it features the Lao name and Lao index together with scientific name and English index in order to increase the efficient and convenience to local people, students, researchers and professionals who has interested in the field of biodiversity and flora in Lao PDR   Read More

Title of document: Sustainable Development goals in Lao PDR - ເປົ້າໝ​າຍ​ການພັດທ​ະນ​າ​ແບບຍືນຍົງ_both Lao & English Authors: MoFA, UN in Laos Journal’s name if any: Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: MoFA and UN in Laos Year of publication: Geographic focus: Lao PDR Main issues / topics addressed (for example: 18 goals for Sustainable Development in Lao PDR ……) School of agroecology (if any): Web address to original document (if any): http://www.la.one.un.org/images/sdgs/SDGs-booklet_FINAL-spread.pdf Summary: This booklet talks about 18 global goals for Sustainable Development in Lao PDR (SDGs)   Read More

Title of document: Laos - CLEAR “Consolidated Livelihood Exercise for Analyzing Resilience” Authors: MONRE and WFP Journal’s name if any: Ministry/Government Agency/Organisation: MONRE, WFP and SWEDEN Year of publication: 2016 Geographic focus: Lao PDR Main issues / topics addressed (for example: Livelihood zones; Resilience profile; Access to land; Livelihood diversity……) School of agroecology (if any): Web address to original document (if any): Summary: This special report is published jointly by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment and the World Food Programme with technical support from the USAID’s Mekong Adaptation and Resilience to Climate Change (Mekong ARCC) project, as well as inputs from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests, Ministry of Planning and Investments, Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, the United Nations Development Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the NGO Disaster Risk Reduction and Management consortium (Oxfam, CARE, World Vision, the French Red Cross) and Decide Info. The report examines climate impacts on livelihoods and is intended to be used as a tool to identify adaptation options for the most vulnerable livelihoods.   Read More