A US study has listed farmers and foresters among the people most likely to take their own life. The research carried out by America’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that those who work in farming, fishing, and forestry are the top most likely to commit suicide, compared to those in other jobs. Published last week, the data was gathered from 17 US ...

One of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to “End hunger, achieve food security and adequate nutrition for all, and promote sustainable agriculture.” Smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa number around 33 million, representing 80% of all farms in the region, thereby contributing up to 90% of food production in some sub-Saharan African countries. These facts state the importance of this group of farmers in ...

Michael Donoghue writes in this issue that Pacific Islanders are responsible for only a tiny fraction of GHG emissions, yet they are suffering the worst effects of global warming. This unjust situation should be at the heart of the climate debate but was overshadowed in Paris by the much-acclaimed progress made elsewhere. We would question how much progress can truly be made ...

Chinese-owned mining company exporting to Dubai gave armed groups AK-47s for access to gold, alleges Global Witness, an international NGO that works to break links between natural resource exploitation, conflict, poverty, corruption, and human rights abuses  Armed groups in Shabunda territory, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, received gifts of arms and cash from a Chinese mining company and made up to $25,000 per month extorted ...

The NASA spacecraft Juno successfully entered Jupiter’s orbit on Monday, marking what seems like a huge achievement in a five-year and $1.8 billion journey to investigate the largest planet in our solar system Braving intense radiation, a NASA spacecraft reached Jupiter on Monday after a five-year voyage to begin exploring the king of the planets. Ground controllers at the NASA ...

The Ogun State Government has concluded plans to distribute free seedlings of teak, gmelina and other species of trees to individuals and residents of the state in order to curb the effects of climate change as well as environmental degradation. Commissioner for Forestry, Chief Kolawole Lawal, made this known recently while addressing stakeholders during an official visit to Sagamu, Iperu, ...

More than 30 countries have formally deposited their instruments of adherence with the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) to enforce the Port State Measures Agreement (PSMA), the world’s first international treaty designed specifically to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, globally. Adopted by FAO members in 2009, the treaty marks a big step beyond self-regulation ...

Uganda, a country renowned for its rich biodiversity, is taking strides to integrate gender considerations into its national policies, plans and programmes to implement its obligations under the Convention and the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020. The efforts by Uganda are said to be contributing to the ongoing global effort to achieve gender equity and equality, as reflected in the ...

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have launched a technical guidance document which aims to promote mainstreaming of biodiversity and ecosystem services into agriculture through national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs), and thereby contribute towards achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. The technical guidance document, titled: ...

When on that black Tuesday, May 31, 2016 the sad news of Dr. Femi Olomola’s demise was made public by the matriarch of his nuclear family, his wife of many years, Mrs Kunbi Olomola, a palpable cloud of dejection and sadness enveloped the entire members of the Nigerian Institute of Town Planners (NITP) throughout Nigeria. Dr. Olomola until his death ...