Call for Abstracts: World Mountain Forum 2014
World Mountain Forum: Moving Mountains toward Global Sustainable Development
Cusco, Peru – 23 & 24 May 2014
In order to promote Sustainable Mountain Development (SMD) in view of the considerable global challenges ahead, several engaged partners have jointly launched the World Mountain Forum (WMF). It provides an outstanding platform for SMD and brings together SMD stakeholders from around the globe, providing them a platform for exchange about their experience, promotion of collaborative action and for fostering political dialogue among different levels of government and society. The overall goal therefore, is to create dialogue with articulated concrete actions and concerted efforts of how to address the plight of these fragile ecosystems, through SDM.
The WMF 2014 will showcase and discuss available local, regional and global experience in mountain development. It will identify opportunities and challenges for the future of global SMD is likely to face. The WMF 2014 is expected to produce insights that will feed into other relevant global initiatives and events such as the UN Secretary General’s High-level Panel on Global Sustainability (GSP) and the CSD biennial cycle 20/21 in which mountains are one of five priority themes. Furthermore, it will deliver valuable input to the main global sustainable development processes including the Rio- (UNFCCC, CBD, UNCCD) and RAMSAR Convention. It is expected that the WMF 2014 will also contribute to the Post-2015 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) process at the national, regional and global levels. The WMF 2014 will bring the opportunity for mountain countries to discuss on how better ensure mountains are adequately incorporated into the future climate deal that the COP20 (Lima, December 2014) will advance.
Key topics
The WMF 2014 will cover the following topics: Family Farming, Water and Food Security; Climate Change; Mountain cities; and Mountain Communities. As each topic is very broad, the WMF 2014 is proposing some priority issues that will be covered by presentations from participants. Based on the material received, the organizing committee will arrange the sessions of the WMF. The presentations may have the form of paper, poster or audiovisual.
Key dates
28.Feb.2014 Deadline for submission of abstracts for presentations
10.Mar.2014 Announcement of selected presentations
15.Mar.2014 Registration deadline
31.Mar.2014 Deadline for final version of presentations
23.May.2014 Starting of the WMF 2014
Click HERE for more information and any other inquiry contact wmf@mtnforum.org
Post Source: http://www.mtnforum.org/content/world-mountain-forum-moving-mountains-toward-global-sustainable-development
Call for articles: Family farmers breaking out of poverty
Farming Matters | 29.4 | December 2013
“Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice.”
Nelson Mandela
In the International Year of Family Farming we are confronted with a shameful paradox. Family farmers produce more than half of the world’s food. That is a reason to celebrate family farming. Yet, 70% of the world’s most impoverished people live in rural areas and belong to family farming or pastoralist communities. How is this possible? And how can this situation be changed? We seek your groundbreaking views, your innovative proposals and experiences that show how family farmers can break out of the poverty trap and increase their resilience.
Some countries are experiencing strong economic growth, even as food and nutrition insecurity increase. Conflicts over resources (land, water, and biodiversity) and degraded resource bases often threaten the poor and the marginalised who are directly dependent on these resources.
Poverty is not just about a lack of money. It has as much to do with people’s asset base in a much broader sense, and thus with power. Poverty is also about people’s capability to deal with situations of shock or stress – whether social, economic, political or physical. Poor people lack the resilience to effectively cope with these shocks. Over the last decade climate change has added to these problems, resulting in ever growing resilience deficits in rural communities.
How can poor people in rural areas break out of this vicious cycle? In the June 2014 issue of Farming Matters we will focus on how agro-ecological approaches strengthen the resilience of family farmers and help them break out of poverty. We will look at how agro-ecological farming practices and the social dimensions of family farming contribute to strengthening resilience and sustainable resource management. In so doing we examine the roles of young people and women and how policymakers, organisations and researchers can actively encourage the effective and widespread use of agro- ecological approaches as a way to address rural poverty. We welcome your contributions, with supporting evidence.
Articles for the June 2014 issue of Farming Matters should be sent to the editors before April 1st, 2014.
E-mail: info@farmingmatters.org
Post Source: http://www.agriculturesnetwork.org/magazines/global/family-farming/call-for-articles-poverty
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