West, Central Africa Agree Security Force to Protect Forests, Seas

By Elias Ntungwe Ngalame

YAOUNDE (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – West and Central African leaders are to put in place a joint security force with the aim of better protecting the Congo Basin’s forest resources and combating pirate attacks in the Gulf of Guinea.

Meeting at a summit in late June in Yaounde, Cameroon, 15 governments agreed to create a regional security network to protect their common heritage. The countries involved are Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Benin, Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Chad, Gabon, Guinea Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tomé-et-Principe, Togo and Gambia.

Tanzania farmers accuse biofuel investors of land grab

BAGAMOYO, Tanzania (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Ali Shaaban was not entirely surprised to see a huge poster erected on his farm warning him not to carry out any agricultural activities in the area.

In the past few weeks the 56-year-old farmer had noticed some white men he didn't recognize driving shiny 4x4 vehicles through his village in Bagamoyo district, about 70km (44 miles) from the commercial city of Dar es Salaam.

Young farmers respond to climate change via social media

By Caleb Kemboi

Julius Cheruiyot checking on the new update on his mobile handset in his farm

Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County, Rift Valley, Kenya— Julius Cheruiyot dropped out of class eight and plunged into farming business as that was the only better option available for him. He was 16 years then. His plight was due to lack of school fees.

Cheruiyot’s father, John Kirarei is a peasant farmer. He did not have enough money to support his 10 children go through education.

Cheruiyot was unable to get formal employment because he did not have any training. He worked in his father’s farm; taking care of livestock in Ngeria, Uasin Gishu County, Rift Valley Region.

OPPORTUNITY: Pan-African land grabbing expose launched

Call for story proposals:  FAIR has created a partnership with the US based Oakland Institute (OI) to investigate specific cases of land grabbing in Africa.  [Deadline: July 15]

OI has pioneered investigative research in this field that has changed policy, broken corrupt deals, etc.  See more at www.oaklandinstitute.org

We are looking for eight to ten journalists who are highly skilled with a history of innovative investigative journalism, able to travel to remote areas longer periods of time, intelligent, able to speak to diverse audiences (from corporates to displaced peoples), and who are ready and willing to get their hands dirty.

It would be potentially dangerous, and you have to be very committed. French and English languages would be a plus.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Planning for Damage Control.

Aaron kaah

Bamenda-cameroon.

In   a report   produced by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2006 entitled   the  “livestock long shadow” it was remarked   that farming livestock and   processing cattle generated 18% of green house gases in to the atmosphere and just 13% came from cars, trucks and other transportations. These livestock transgressions include deforestation of grazing land, the pollution of air and ground water from animal waste and the excessive use of water to raise   grains for feed and its threat on diversity.

Bio-Gas: Reaping the double dividends.

By Aaron kaah

Thousands  of farm families  in Cameroon are learning to make good use of the  earth natural resources to trim utility bills and avoid cutting trees for fuel wood.  Through Bio Gas, a component  of  the Small Grants progamme of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), farm families are  reaping double dividends. An almost free renewable green energy.

Global Carbon market is very poor—CDM official

By Paschal B. Bagonza

 

As the Africa Carbon Forum 2013 gets underway in Ivory Coast this week, the global carbon market situation is “very poor”, especially for the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM).  

A CDM official at the Climate Change Unit, ministry of water and environment, Arthur Ssebbugga-Kimeze says the money paid for each credit is still very low.