As I am writing this editorial, Pakistan is being hit by the most serious floods in 180 years, while Russia suffers from an unprecedented drought. Unequal distribution of water is not new, but the ferocity of fluctuations and contrasts between situations is.   Water is being referred to as the new oil, even though there … Read more

Local resources / From the Brazilian GMO campaign / Payment for Environmental Services (1) / Payment for Environmental Services (2) / More to read   Farming Matters welcomes comments, ideas and suggestions from its readers. Please send us an e-mail to [email protected] or write to P.O. Box 2067, 3800 CB Amersfoort, the Netherlands. Local resources … Read more

Farming Matters | 26.3 |September 2010 Water is a scarce resource, and it will be even scarcer in the future. We drink it, use it to process and cook food, or to cool things down. It is essential in terms of sanitation and hygiene, and even has cultural and ceremonial uses. But agriculture is the biggest … Read more

From farmers to hydroelectric power stations, the number of downstream water users is large and diverse. But the quantity and quality of the water they receive depends on what is done upstream. Upland communities can now get compensation for their role, following business agreements from which everybody benefits. It is widely estimated that, during the … Read more

We have now reached a point in which negotiations to find any common ground for our shared resource use have become so difficult that wars seem the only alternative. Yet, Anil Gupta feels that peace is possible – through shared use patterns, and the creation of frugal cultures that impose an artificial scarcity on those … Read more

In our June 2005 issue, an article explained how GIAHS (Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems) was being developed to safeguard the world’s most valuable traditional agricultural systems, reflecting rich biodiversity, knowledge systems and cultures. David Boerma, now working on a large GIAHS initiative funded by the German government in Tanzania and Kenya, explains how the … Read more

Solidarity subscriptions / New East African magazine / Our December issue: Partnerships for learning / Readers’ panels Solidarity subscriptions A few weeks ago we sent out our electronic newsletter and invited readers to take out a “solidarity subscription”. We have already received many positive reactions – and many readers have taken a paid subscription. They … Read more

The livelihoods of small-scale farmers depend on fair access to water, yet their interests are often not taken into account, nor their voices heard. What does good governance mean in terms of water management? Should the focus of governance efforts be on drafting new legislation? Or is good governance reflected in the enforcement of the … Read more

When Project WET first began in north central United States in 1984, it aimed to find tools to explain about groundwater processes to schools and communities. Now, 25 years later, the centre produces a wide variety of water resource materials and training programmes for educators in over 50 countries. Sandra DeYonge, Vice President of publications, … Read more

New books from Institute of Development Studies, Greenpeace International, Earthscan and others An upside down view of governance Institute of Development Studies, 2010. IDS, Brighton, U.K. 85 pages. OECD governments spend over €7 billion a year to improve governance – yet for many, governance is a vague concept. This book explains what practitioners know from … Read more