April 30, 2010 - World Association of Soil and Water Conservation

tions, or being affected by them. Several hundreds of people have contributed to this book, either collectively orindividually. They include the scientists, soil conservation and protection practitioners and stakeholders.http://eusoils.jrc.ec.europa.eu/ESDB_Archive/eusoils_docs/other/SCAPE.pdf▲ Biosafety Newsletter in MalaysiaThe 'Biosafety Newsletter' published by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (NRE), Malaysia is ajoint effort with United Nations Development Programme - Global Environment Facility (UNDP-GEF) project. Inpushing forward the Ministry's effort to have open communication with stakeholders and also in beingtransparent, the newsletter is an important tool to ensure that accurate information is given to all stakeholdersand public in general. The publishing of this newsletter that zooms in on biosafety will be a useful communicationtool to convey up to date information about the Biosafety Act and other related legislations for the purpose ofraising awareness and giving unbiased information to all stakeholders and the public.This newsletter is envisaged to be a reliable reference point on current issues and national policies concerningbiosafety and to get reports of biosafety activities. This Biosafety Newsletter is an avenue to provide usefulinformation about biosafety in general and publicize biosafety events, initiatives and training courses in Malaysia.This newsletter is published three times a year. An online version is also made available on the NRE biosafetywebsite (http://www.biosafety.nre.gov.my).▲ New Newsletter: The latest issue of the History, Philosophy, and Sociology of Soil Science Newsletterhas been released. This issue includes information on the value of historical studies to scientists, a studentwriting contest, symposium plans for the 2010 WCSS in Brisbane , recent books and articles, and much more.The newsletter is available on the IUSS website by clicking on the “IUSS Newsletters” link and scrolling down to“Commission for History, Philosophy and Sociology of Soil Science” to “Number 17 – January 2010”. (From IUSSAlert 58)▲ It is my great pleasure to share with you our latest issue of Between the Lines, the Equator Initiativenewsletter. This edition highlights the North American Launch of the International Year of Biodiversity, twoEquator Initiative-supported “Brown Bag” events held at UNDP Headquarters, and a number of otherdevelopments in our work to support local and indigenous efforts in biodiversity conservation and povertyreduction. The Equator Initiative is also reaching out to Equator Prize winners from all four award cycles toparticipate in a collaborative project with the GEF-Small Grants Programme (SGP) and the Secretariat to theConvention on Biological Diversity (SCBD) entitled, “Biodiversity for Local Livelihoods”.The newsletter is available for download at: Between the Lines April 2010Or write to eileen.de.ravin@undp.org▲ Out now: Farming Matters, Going for MORE AnimalsLivestock is very much under debate, as it is a big contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. What weshould not forget is that most of these emissions come from countries using industrial farmingpractices, and that for family farmers, livestock is still, first and foremost, an opportunity. Hence thetitle of the latest issue of Farming Matters, which shows that there is a lot to be gained fromintensifying livestock keeping in family farming. View the issue here.Sample issue of Farming MattersFarming Matters (formerly LEISA Magazine) offers debate, interviews, opinions and background information onsustainable family farming. Are you not a subscriber and would you like to receive a sample copy of our latestissue? Or do you know of an organization that would really appreciate receiving this issue? Send an e-mail withyour name, function, organisation you work for and address, or with the name and address of the organization orperson you would like to have it send to, to Petra Rooijakkers (p.rooijakkers@ileia.org).DebateLivestock services: free or fee?In the 1990s, when privatisation was the buzzword, many countries commercialised the provision of livestockservices, such as vaccinations, advice and training. Has privatisation helped farmers? Or should governmentsremain responsible for livestock services in order to benefit society as a whole, and the poor in particular? Jointhe debate.The future of family farmingCan family farming produce enough food for the growing world population? we asked inour December issue Scaling up and sustaining the gains. Here’s what our readersthink.Learning AgriCultures: first two modules availableileia has a new educational series in the making, providing ideas for teaching about theprinciples behind sustainable small-scale farming. It consists of seven modules,17