The Swedish government has notified the African Forest Research Network Afornet of its intention to freeze its 20-year old support over what Sweden's ambassador Ann Dismorr described as “administrative problems in recent years.”Mrs Dismorr announced the decision at a conference organised by the network in Nairobi, but explained that the governance problems in the Nairobi-based organisation arose from its huge area of coverage.”To establish and run a programme like this in approximately 30 countries is not an easy task,” she argued but remained firm that the funding would be stopped.

via allAfrica.com: Africa: Fears Over Planned Cut in Research Funding.

Scientists in Eastern Washington are at the forefront of research into an ancient practice that shows promise as a clean fuel source, a way to improve soil condition and to capture carbon that otherwise would be released into the atmosphere.

Researchers from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, the federal Department of Agriculture's research station in Prosser and Washington State University have been integral figures in studies of biochar and its potential uses.

Biochar, a charcoal-like material, is produced when biomass — including wood, plant and animal waste — is burned in the absence of or under low oxygen conditions so the material doesn’t combust.

via Scientists see biochar as promising fuel source | Northwest News – The News Tribune.

Despite pressure from farm state politicians, the Environmental Protection Agency has taken an important step to ensure that biofuels help rather than hurt the environment. Under new guidelines, biofuels produced at new facilities — including ethanol from corn, sugar, plants and other sources — must achieve at least a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared with conventional gasoline.

via Editorial – Sensible Rules for Ethanol – NYTimes.com.

Despite pressure from farm state politicians, the Environmental Protection Agency has taken an important step to ensure that biofuels help rather than hurt the environment. Under new guidelines, biofuels produced at new facilities — including ethanol from corn, sugar, plants and other sources — must achieve at least a 20 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared with conventional gasoline.

via Editorial – Sensible Rules for Ethanol – NYTimes.com.

Biochar has multiple potential environmental benefits, foremost the potential to sequester carbon in the soil for hundreds to thousands of years at an estimate. Studies suggest that crop yields can increase as a result of applying biochar as a soil amendment. Some contend that biochar has value as an immediate climate change mitigation strategy. Scientific experiments suggest that greenhouse gas emissions are reduced significantly with biochar application to crop fields. Obstacles that may stall rapid adoption of biochar production systems include technology costs, system operation and maintenance, feedstock availability, and biochar handling. Biochar research and development is in its infancy. Nevertheless, interest in biochar as a multifaceted solution to agricultural and natural resource issues is growing at a rapid pace both nationally and internationally.

via Environmental Legislation: Biochar: Examination of an Emerging Concept to Mitigate Climate Change.

Copenhagen is closer:  developed countries must put climate financing on the table

Governments must move beyond the rhetoric of the past few days to quicken the pace of global climate change negotiations which begin in Bangkok from Monday 28 September, to avoid plunging millions of people further into poverty, Oxfam International said today.

The UN climate change negotiations, which continue until Friday 9 October, will come hot on the heels of G20 talks in Pittsburgh and will take place in one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change in the world, the Asia-Pacific.

Copenhagen is closer:  developed countries must put climate financing on the table

Governments must move beyond the rhetoric of the past few days to quicken the pace of global climate change negotiations which begin in Bangkok from Monday 28 September, to avoid plunging millions of people further into poverty, Oxfam International said today.

The UN climate change negotiations, which continue until Friday 9 October, will come hot on the heels of G20 talks in Pittsburgh and will take place in one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change in the world, the Asia-Pacific.

Eco-agriculture, in which landscapes are managed to sustain a range of ecosystem services, including food production, may need to replace the current segregation of land use between conservation and production. This could help create resilient agricultural ecosystems better able to adapt to the changing climate conditions.

Experts increasingly agree that active protection of tropical forests is a cost-effective means of cutting global emissions. An international mechanism of reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation REDD is likely to emerge as a central component of a new agreement in Copenhagen. However, many issues need to be resolved, such as how to verify the reductions and ensuring fair treatment of local and indigenous forest communities.

A number of innovative approaches are emerging to keep carbon out of the atmosphere, including the use of “biochar”, biologically-derived charcoal. It is mixed in soils, increasing fertility and potentially locking up carbon for centuries. This is a 21st century application of a technology known as Terra Preta, or Black Earth, used by Amazon peoples before the arrival of Europeans in South America.

via Media-Newswire.com – Press Release Distribution – PR Agency.

Should agriculture be on the agenda of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations in Copenhagen in December 2009? This no longer seems to be the question but the demand from the African Civil Society movements.

It is argued that if fundamental climate change mitigation and adaptation goals are to be met, international climate deal or treaty if you may must include agriculture.

Why is agriculture all of a sudden becoming a key contested area in the climate change discussions? For Africa, it is quite clear the majority population relies on agriculture and natural systems for production and  climate change is bound to impact them disproportionately compared to those who have other means of “securing production” under controlled environments.

So poor farmers farmers in Africa “with or without their consent have become a bargaining chip”- they need support and help to adapt to climate change.  Now, most people will stop there even the most educated in this new emerging hot bed of money and politics. Simply put, how does one help these poor farmers adapt to climate change?

How many solutions or practical measures have been tabled on how “that help” will be formulated?