In 2014, as the focus on climate-smart agriculture sharpened, CCAFS helped advance the concept and practice in farmers’ fields and in global initiatives, through close collaboration with farmers, civil society, governments and researchers.

Climate-smart #agriculture: Acting locally, informing globally. The #CCAFS Annual Report 2014: bit.ly/1zXRXJ0http://t.co/0kgdrwvyLP—
AAS CGIAR (@AAS_CGIAR) May 14, 2015

The report consists of the following topics:

• Impact through policies and partnerships

• Enhancing capacity to deliver impact

• Breakthrough science and innovation

• Communications for development

• Addressing gender and social inequality

• Regional Highlights

• CCAFS People

• Funding and strategic partners

Download the Report here.

Credit: Climate Change Agriculture and Food Security

Premier and Minister of Finance, Dr. the Honourable D. Orlando Smith, OBE, joined Caribbean leaders in Martinique last week for a regional consultation with the President of France, Francois Hollande.

The leaders met on May 9 to agree on a regional position on climate change ahead of the 21st Session of the Conference of Parties (COP) to the United National Framework Convention on Climate Change scheduled to take place in Paris later this year.

Premier Smith was accompanied to the meeting by Deputy Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Labour, Mr. Joseph Smith Abbott, and Acting Deputy Director of the International Affairs Secretariat, Ms. Najan Christopher,

The Premier attended the plenary sessions aimed at the coordination of a Caribbean negotiating position on climate change.  He also held informal talks with fellow Caribbean leaders and President Hollande.

Premier Smith stated that the British Virgin Islands’ participation in the summit…

The decline of the parrotfish is one of the reasons behind the reef’s decline.
PHOTO BY DON RHODES

While drifting along on a shallow ledge on Conch Reef, I spot a group of colorful parrot fish chomping away at algae and other growth on the coral.

A bit farther I see a massive plume of white debris blast from the tail end of a large parrot fish.

“What goes in must come out,” I think.

Turns out parrot fish, while eating algae and seaweed, are doing their part to keep the reef healthy.

Without them and other sea-dwelling plant eaters, algae and seaweed would overgrow the reefs, suppress coral growth and threaten the incredible array of life that depends on reefs for shelter and food.

Healthy coral reefs are important for the Florida Keys.

They provide shoreline protection and support our tourism, sport fishing and diving businesses.

A detailed report, 

By Siddhartha Garoo

Any discussion about Jammu and Kashmir is so much dominated by what has happened and what continues to happen in Kashmir valley that little is known or understood about parts of former princely state that neither belong to Kashmir region nor to Jammu region. This vast land tract, which constitutes most of the land mass of the former princely state of Jammu & Kashmir is known by various names and is home to many distinct and proud ethnic groups with their own independent culture, history and traditions, which gets unnoticed because of the numerical strength of people from Kashmir valley and Jammu regions.

Photo source: webjazba

The key to understand this “other Jammu & Kashmir” lies in terms “wazarats” that was used for two main ethnic and linguistic regions of the “wazarat of Gilgit” and “wazarat of Ladakh”. These wazarats were vassal states of the princely state…

Trinidad and Tobago is highly vulnerable to the impacts of global climate change; particularly rising temperature, decreased precipitation and sea level rise (SLR). It is anticipated that these changes will have adverse effects on the physical environment and economy. There is therefore a need to reduce the risks associated with the expected impacts of climate change on the country by mainstreaming climate change adaptation into development planning. In December 2012, the Government of Trinidad and Tobago signed a technical cooperation (TC) with the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB) to undertake a pilot study on integrating climate change adaptation (CCA) into coastal zone management (CZM) in SW Tobago.

The Institute of Marine Affairs is the executing agency. Activities under this project began in April 2013 and are expected to be completed in June 2015. The objective of this TC is to develop an ICZM program that incorporates CCA and disaster risk management using an ecosystem based approach. The lessons learnt from this TC will directly inform the development of the broader national ICZM Policy Strategies…

McRaven’s order to destroy the photos was first mentioned in a 2011 draft Pentagon IG report examining whether the Obama administration gave special access to Hollywood executives planning the film “Zero Dark Thirty.”

In February 2014 a FOIA lawsuit brought against the Department of Defense by Judicial Watch spurred the declassification of documents that showed U.S. Special Operations Commander, Admiral William McRaven, ordered the immediate destruction of any photos of the death of Osama bin Laden. The documents showed that on May 13, 2011, McRaven told subordinates, only hours after Judicial Watch issued a press release stating they would be filing suit for the records, that any photos should have already been turned over to the CIA –presumably so they could be placed in operational files out of reach of the FOIA (more on this terrible exemption[1] below) – and if anyone still had access to photos, to “destroy…