GOROKA, Papua New Guinea, May 8, 2012 (IPS) - A new community justice programme being rolled out in Papua New Guinea’s vast village court system is bringing international human rights-based laws to rural communities and boosting the protection and empowerment of women and children.

In the long term, it could help to reduce the high numbers of female and juvenile victims of abuse.

Busani Bafana interviews JANE KARUKU, the first woman president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa. Jane Karuku, the new AGRA boss, dreams of seeing smallholder farmers become the drivers in Africa's quest for food security.

BULAWAYO, May 11, 2012 (IPS) - While women constitute the majority of food producers, processors and marketers in Africa, their role in the agricultural sector still remains a minor one because of cultural and social barriers.

By Gard Benda Kibaale, Uganda May 8th 2012-Members of Parliament from Bunyoro sub region in Uganda have vowed to push government to formulate a policy on informal justice systems in an effort to improve access to justice for the poor. The commitment was made by the Members of parliament recently during a symposium on informal justice systems at Kibaale Hotel in Kibaale District.

The Kurt Schork Memorial Fund is now seeking entries for its 2012 annual awards in international journalism. Awards will be presented in two categories: local reporters covering events within their home country or region, and freelance journalists covering international news. Entrants can submit up to three articles each.

Pre-publication results: UN-Water Survey of 130 Countries Provides In-Depth Status Report on Global Efforts to Improve Water Management

Nairobi and New York, 4 May 2012 (UN-Water – UNEP) – Over 80 percent of countries have reformed their water laws in the past twenty years as a response to growing pressures on water resources from expanding populations, urbanization and climate change.

AlertNet’s big package of articles, blogs and videos looking at Solutions for a Hungry World is now online! The package explores how the world might feed itself in 2050 as population rises, appetites change and the world grapples with climate change, water shortages and other pressures. Lots of your stories in there so get more eyes on them!

You can find it all at http://hungryworld.trust.org

Twitter hashtag is #futureoffood

We’d love if you’d tweet, retweet, “like,” comment and so on!

Some suggested tweets:

Charundi Panagoda interviews DANIELLE NIERENBERG of Worldwatch Institute

WASHINGTON, May 1, 2012 (IPS) - Thirty percent of food is wasted globally, while one billion people go hungry and another billion are obese.

The current food system is broken and is failing to meet the world's nutritional needs, says Danielle Nierenberg, "Nourishing the Planet" project director at Worldwatch Institute.

Rome, 3 May 2012 - Global food prices measured by the FAO Food Price Index fell three points or 1.4 percent from March to April 2012 but seem to have stabilized at a relatively high level of 214 points, FAO said today.

The fall was the first after three consecutive months of increases and although the index is significantly down from its record level of 235 points in April 2011, it is still well above the figures of under 200 which preceded the 2008 food crisis.

ACCRA: 2 May 2012 - AGRICULTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY AWARENESS IN AFRICA:Expansion of the Forum’s activities to contribute to an enabling environment for agricultural biotechnology that will allow for the testing and delivery of innovative tools to help farmers enhance their food security and create wealth for their families and nations

From IRI News:
Ethiopia A model for improving climate services in Africa

On World Water Day, UN community says better management of finite water resources is key to feeding the world

Rome, 22 March 2012 - UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today said that producing enough food to feed the world's rapidly growing population will require the international community to ensure the sustainable use of the world's "most critical finite resource," water.

REVIEW OF RAINFALL PERFORMANCE IN THE PAST SEASON (SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 2011) AND SEASONAL RAINFALL OUTLOOK FOR MARCH TO MAY 2012

1. Highlights of the rainfall performance from September to December 2011

As was predicted at the end of August, the September to December 2011 rainfall season was influenced by moderate La Niña conditions which matured towards the middle of the season. The following were observed during September to December rainfall season:-

REVIEW OF RAINFALL PERFORMANCE IN THE PAST SEASON (SEPTEMBER - DECEMBER 2011) AND SEASONAL RAINFALL OUTLOOK FOR MARCH TO MAY 2012

1. Highlights of the rainfall performance from September to December 2011

As was predicted at the end of August, the September to December 2011 rainfall season was influenced by moderate La Niña conditions which matured towards the middle of the season. The following were observed during September to December rainfall season:-

By George Achia, Staff Science WriterNairobi:The Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD) has predicted depressed and poorly distributed rainfall over most parts of the country during the March – May long rain season.

The department has advised the farming communities of Western, Nyanza and Rift Valley where rainfall is expected to be near-normal with a tendency towards above-normal to take advantage of the rains and maximize crop yield through appropriate land use management.

Climate Change Media Expo 2012 A Stunning Success in Kigali Rwanda
By Hailuh Wudneh in Kigali
A three day international climate media exhibition has ended at the Serena Hotel Kigali, Rwanda with a call to journalists in Africa to play the leading role of disseminating climate information early enough to enable action by decision makers to prevent disasters.