21 August 2009 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Modified irrigation practices have decreased water usage for crops by 40 percent in the Beni Mellal region of Morocco, while increasing wheat crop yields by 50 to 80 percent since 2004. Working in conjunction with the Institute of Agronomical Research, part of the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture, the International Center of Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) has in the past five years implemented new methods of irrigation, known as deficit and supplemental irrigation, in tandem with early planting and increased weed control, which have shown to use water more efficiently, helping the farmers yield greater productivity rates under more stable conditions. “The ultimate goal is to improve water productivity and water allocation and reduce water losses/wasting through technical/technologies, institutional and policy options (TIPOs),” Dr. Mohammed El Mourid, ICARDA’s Regional Coordinator for North Africa in Consultation, explained to MediaGlobal. “Using less water while increasing productivity give more return and income to farmers, and saves water for more areas and for longer periods, reaching sustainable use of natural resources here,” El Mourid said. The program’s deemed accomplishments have paid off: The International Fund for Agricultural Development and the Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development have now agreed to fund the second phase of the project, “devoted essentially to scaling the results,” and introducing the practices to different regions. Amy Lieberman

The urban poor found to be the most vulnerable to climate change

21 August 2009 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Cities will see the highest numbers of poor people in economic stress because of climate change, according to a study released this week by Purdue University. The new report was the first to quantify the threat posed by climate change on different socio-economic levels of poverty in the global South. Climate change is widely expected to impact developing countries disproportionately by destroying livelihoods and causing widespread food insecurity. Indeed these effects are already being observed in much of the global South. “People have often made the statement that climate change is stressful for those that are in poverty, but this is the first quantification of that stress that explores the impacts on poverty in different strata of the poor population,” Professor Noah Diffenbaugh, interim director of Purdue’s Climate Change Research Center and a co-leader of the research project, told MediaGlobal. While rural agriculturalists will experience devastation, the report found that farmers will be somewhat cushioned by an increase in income because of rising food prices—at least in places where agriculture will still be possible. But the urban poor will face food scarcity coupled with a decrease in income, which is likely to cause hunger to skyrocket. The report is based on a new economic-climate analysis framework. It compares the economic impacts of recent extreme weather events such as drought, storms, and floods on the poor in seven strata in 16 different countries. It then illustrates the likely extrapolation of the real-world impacts of weather volatility by plugging the current experienced effects into the latest climate change projections. Getting a better grasp on where, when, and how climate change will cause loss of lives and livelihoods is key to formulating policy to protect those who are most in danger, said Diffenbaugh. Molly Slothower

Lives of humanitarian workers in jeopardy

19 August [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Through a series of events organized in several world capitals, the United Nations today paid honor to the increasing number of aid workers who lose their lives providing humanitarian assistance to vulnerable populations. This assistance often takes the form of provision of food, water, and shelter after devastating natural disasters strike or violent wars erupt. The past three years have seen a sharp rise in attacks against aid workers, which culminated in a record 260 aid workers being killed, kidnapped, or seriously injured in violent attacks in 2008. “The world is getting a lot more complicated,” Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Catherine Bragg told MediaGlobal. “Humanitarian actors are now being seen as soft targets.” Bragg mentioned Somalia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan as places where aid workers often experience the most kidnappings and deaths, but also said this phenomenon is happening all over the world. “In 2006, 17 humanitarian workers from an NGO [non-governmental organization] called Action Against Hunger were killed and we still do not know who the perpetrators are,” she explained. The UN has recently joined forces with NGOs involved in humanitarian work to create Saving Lives Together, a framework whose objective is to facilitate the sharing of vital information in the field and allow for joint planning “so we can maximize our security staff,” explained Bragg. In addition to pooling of resources, however, Bragg said for any strategy to be successful in decreasing the number of attacks against humanitarian aid workers, “it has to be better emphasized, better explained, and better known that humanitarian assistance is neutral—it is independent of political motive—and it is only provided according to need.” In addition to honoring past and present aid workers, World Humanitarian Day also hopes to raise public awareness of the plight of those being served—the faceless victims of conflicts and natural disasters erupting in increasing numbers. Raquel Thompson

Indian sanitation trailblazer awarded highest water honor

18 August 2009 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: The modern toilet is one of civilization’s most significant advances, according to Dr. Bindeshwar Pathak, the winner of this year’s Stockholm Water Prize. The award, which is the highest honor in water-related development work, was presented to Dr. Pathak at this week’s World Water Week in Stockholm. It was given in recognition of his work in improving the sanitation of those living in poverty in India—and now other developing countries—including his efforts towards ensuring that no one in India must clean pit latrines by hand as an occupation. Reserved for Indian “untouchables,” those from the lowest rung of the still-lingering caste system, the job of “scavengers” often falls to people who believe they have no option but to be lowered into latrines to clean them for a living. Dr. Pathak founded the Sulabh International Social Service Organisation (SISSO) in 1970, and his organization has grown to be a leader in the field of sanitation technology, social enterprise, and healthcare education. “Dr. Pathak’s leadership in attaining these remarkable socio-environmental results has been universally recognized, and not least by those who have secured the freedom of human dignity as a consequence of his efforts,” Josh Paglia, Communications Officer at the Stockholm International Water Institute, told MediaGlobal. Over 2.5 billion people in the world live without access to clean water on a day-to-day basis, including many in India. SISSO aids communities in improving their access to safe and clean latrines or toilets, ensuring access to clean water, and changed attitudes towards sanitation via widespread education campaigns. Molly Slothower

Editor: Nosh Nalavala

Assistant Editor: Christina L. Madden

THIS WEEK IN DEVELOPMENT is distributed globally and read by leaders of both developed countries and the countries of the global South, the global media, policymakers in donor countries, non-governmental organizations and key personnel in the United Nations Secretariat, its agencies and managers in the field worldwide. If you wish to continue receiving or recommend this weekly newsletter disseminated gratis, please refer to our website: www.mediaglobal.org