GLF Live

Global Landscapes Forum

GLF Live is a podcast by the Global Landscapes Forum, the world’s largest knowledge-based platform on sustainable landscapes. Featuring Q&As with the world’s leading experts and thought leaders on sustainability and climate change, GLF Live originally aired as an interactive digital series of live conversations, and select episodes have now been edited and made available as a podcast for your enjoyment. Focused on current events and popular culture, GLF Live informs and engages a global audience on the landscape and environmental impacts of what’s happening in the world today.

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Millet: The next superfood
27-12-2023
Millet: The next superfood
Millets are a type of ancient grain that humanity has cultivated for over 10,000 years. These hardy, dryland crops include pearl, finger, foxtail and proso millets, which are grown across South Asia and Africa, as well as in Eurasia, North America and Australia.But despite being climate-resilient and nutritious, they’re in steady decline and often overlooked for more commercial crops. Experts warn that we must act quickly to conserve the diversity of the world’s millets before it is lost forever.Millets are high in micronutrients and fiber, gluten-free and have a low glycemic index, with a higher nutritional content than refined cereals such as rice, wheat or corn. They can also grow in very difficult, dry conditions with poor soils and at temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius – which makes them a prime candidate for feeding tomorrow’s hotter world.However, millets are difficult to process, and while more reliable than most other crops from year to year, their productivity can be low overall, especially under unpredictable conditions caused by the climate crisis. Still, experts believe millets can play a huge part in filling nutritional gaps in the global food systems – if get the care they need.The United Nations has declared 2023 the International Year of Millets (IYM). Here on GLF Live, we close off the year with this episode, where we’re joined by scientist Chrispus Oduori and chef Wisdom Abiro to learn how we can bring these precious crops back to the mainstream.

Episodes

Millet: The next superfood
27-12-2023
Millet: The next superfood
Millets are a type of ancient grain that humanity has cultivated for over 10,000 years. These hardy, dryland crops include pearl, finger, foxtail and proso millets, which are grown across South Asia and Africa, as well as in Eurasia, North America and Australia.But despite being climate-resilient and nutritious, they’re in steady decline and often overlooked for more commercial crops. Experts warn that we must act quickly to conserve the diversity of the world’s millets before it is lost forever.Millets are high in micronutrients and fiber, gluten-free and have a low glycemic index, with a higher nutritional content than refined cereals such as rice, wheat or corn. They can also grow in very difficult, dry conditions with poor soils and at temperatures of up to 50 degrees Celsius – which makes them a prime candidate for feeding tomorrow’s hotter world.However, millets are difficult to process, and while more reliable than most other crops from year to year, their productivity can be low overall, especially under unpredictable conditions caused by the climate crisis. Still, experts believe millets can play a huge part in filling nutritional gaps in the global food systems – if get the care they need.The United Nations has declared 2023 the International Year of Millets (IYM). Here on GLF Live, we close off the year with this episode, where we’re joined by scientist Chrispus Oduori and chef Wisdom Abiro to learn how we can bring these precious crops back to the mainstream.
Climate-proofing Africa’s crops
19-12-2023
Climate-proofing Africa’s crops
From deadly cyclones to devastating droughts, Africa is already grappling with the effects of the climate crisis, which are being exacerbated by large-scale land degradation. At the same time, the continent is also home to one of the world’s fastest-growing populations, posing major challenges for its food security.One important way to ensure a reliable and nutritious supply of food is by protecting crop diversity from being lost – which is why the Crop Trust has partnered with five African genebanks through Seeds for Resilience, a five-year project providing financial and technical support to safeguard the national seed collections of Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Zambia.In this episode, we speak with Daniel Ashie Kotey, acting director of Ghana’s national genebank, CSIR-PGRRI, and Nora Castañeda-Álvarez, who leads Seeds for Resilience at the Crop Trust, to learn how the project aims to bolster the country’s long-term food security and climate resilience.
How to fix our food
12-12-2023
How to fix our food
Earlier this year, environmental leaders from 185 countries gathered in Vancouver, Canada for the Seventh Assembly of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), where they discussed ways to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises and make conservation more inclusive. The GEF Assembly also saw the launch of the Global Biodiversity Framework Fund, a fund for protecting global ecosystems and species. The Fund will dedicate up to 20 percent of its resources to support Indigenous-led initiatives to protect and conserve biodiversity, and more than a third of its resources towards Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries.In this episode, join host Peter Mbanda Umunay and experts Maria Helena Semedo, Jyotsna Puri and Christopher Brett to find out the key takeaways from the GEF Assembly and what they mean for ecosystem protection.
We need to talk about coffee (again)
05-12-2023
We need to talk about coffee (again)
In Kenya, farmers have been growing coffee beans for well over a century. This beloved beverage still sustains livelihoods across large parts of the country today – and not only those of farmers, but along the entire length of its coffee chain, from growing to processing to consumption.But now, as climate change and land degradation take hold, while demand for coffee skyrockets, it’s more crucial than ever for Kenya’s coffee industry to rethink the way it operates and find new ways to deliver value for local people.In this episode, we chat with experts Elijah Kathurima Gichuru and Anne Fidelis Itubo to learn how Kenya can build sustainable value chains and implement a landscape approach in its agricultural sector, especially in coffee and cocoa production.
How seed banks are protecting the future of food
21-11-2023
How seed banks are protecting the future of food
Genebanks hold the foundations of our food supply, offering insurance against the growing pressures of the climate crisis and other threats to crops worldwide. These seed repositories mitigate the risk of a food crisis in the future by ensuring a healthy, stable and diverse variety of crops will be available when we need it most.However, many of the world’s more than 1,700 genebanks are vulnerable to natural disasters, war, social unrest, infrastructure issues, or a simple lack of funds. To ensure these vital resources are safe and secure, organizations are looking to form long-term funding and genebank collaborations, which have seen success with the Crop Trust’s Long-term Partnership Agreements (LPAs), which offer funding to keep seedbanks running in perpetuity.In this episode, hosted in cooperation with the Crop Trust, host Natasha Elkington speaks with experts Sarada Krishnan and Michael Abberton about seeds, grains, genebanks and how long-term funding and collaboration can help protect crop diversity and the food supply of the future.
Financial disclosures: All you need to know
14-11-2023
Financial disclosures: All you need to know
In the arena of corporate sustainability, there is a wide variety of language and jargon when discussing sustainability standards. How can a company reconcile these different languages as it embarks on its journey of financial reporting?In this episode, produced in cooperation with the Food Systems, Land Use and Restoration (FOLUR) Impact Program, find out how a robust set of standards for sustainability disclosures could help highlight opportunities for investors and how various financial reporting standards can work together to achieve sustainable food systems.This conversation features David Craig, co-chair of the Taskforce for Nature-related Financial Disclosures (TNFD) and Jingdong Hua, vice-chair of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB), moderated by Nicoletta Centofanti, general manager of the Luxembourg Sustainable Finance Initiative (LSFI).
Meet this African leader transforming landscapes
01-08-2023
Meet this African leader transforming landscapes
By 2050, a quarter of the world’s population will live in Africa. The continent and its people have an increasingly crucial role to play in deciding our planet’s fate – and our own.For the first time in its 52-year history, an African woman is steering the ship of a CGIAR research center, CIFOR-ICRAF. Her mission is to “transform lives and landscapes with trees.”In this exciting and exclusive interview, Éliane Ubalijoro, the new CEO of CIFOR-ICRAF and director general of ICRAF, shares her personal and professional journey across three continents that has led up to this important position of leadership.Listen to learn about the deep connection with landscapes she forged while growing up in Rwanda, her journey studying and teaching global health in Canada and Europe, and her work to combat poverty and food insecurity across the Global South.In this episode, find out how our new CEO envisions the future of our planet, and what needs to change – from replenishing our soils to the importance of public and private sector partnerships by also giving women, elders, youth and Indigenous Peoples a seat at the table.
What does sustainable wildlife management look like?
25-07-2023
What does sustainable wildlife management look like?
Millions of people around the world still rely on wild meat as part of their basic diet, with an estimated 5 to 8 million people depending on bushmeat consumption in South America alone. However, unchecked hunting in environments already under pressure can contribute to the depletion of wildlife, threatening entire ecosystems as well as the people who rely on them. The Sustainable Wildlife Management (SWM) Programme is a major initiative of CIRAD, the World Conservation Society (WCS), the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and CIFOR-ICRAF that aims to improve wildlife conservation and food security.The program focuses on three key socio-ecosystems: forest, wetland and savannah, with CIFOR-ICRAF leading the work on “Consumption of wildmeat becomes sustainable” and the ”Monitoring and evaluation mechanism.” This collaborative project develops scalable approaches to conserve wild animals and protect ecosystems, whilst at the same time improving the livelihoods of the Indigenous Peoples and rural communities who depend on these resources.In this episode, hear three experts – Nathalie van Vliet, Kim Spencer and Oswin David – discuss the CIFOR-ICRAF-led SWM project in Guyana, their successes in the past few years, lessons learned, plans for the next five years, and how this project could be replicated or scaled up.
Is sustainable fashion a fad – or the future?
30-05-2023
Is sustainable fashion a fad – or the future?
If fashion were a country, it would be the world’s third-largest greenhouse gas emitter after China and the U.S., contributing about 10% of global emissions.Each year, clothing production uses enough water to provide for 5 million people, while at the same time, up to 92 million tons of used clothes end up in landfills. This is the age of fast fashion – cheap, mass-produced clothes designed to reflect the latest trends, with new collections being released all the time to tempt us into buying more.So, how can we dress up without chewing up the planet? In this episode, we expose the naked truth behind fast fashion and its impacts on communities in the Global South, as well as potential ways to forge a greener future for our clothes.
The secrets of soil
16-05-2023
The secrets of soil
Can soil save us from our disastrous climate trajectory? While the search continues for natural and technological ways to remove carbon from the atmosphere, we seem to have forgotten just how much can be stored in the ground beneath our feet.Soil holds an estimated 2,500 gigatons of carbon, which is more than all carbon in the atmosphere and in plants combined – and scientists believe it could sequester billions more tons annually through more sustainable agricultural and land use practices.In this episode, originally released in June 2022, we quiz one of the world’s foremost soil scientists, 2020 World Food Prize recipient Rattan Lal, on why soil has been overlooked for so long – and how we can start to tap into all the benefits it can bring.
A just energy transition for Africa
02-05-2023
A just energy transition for Africa
Africa faces a dilemma: how can it continue to develop and deliver better lives to its people without drastically growing its carbon footprint – especially given that it’s already being hit hard by the climate crisis?Some African leaders are still considering investing in gas and oil exploration, even though climate experts insist that countries should instead focus on expanding their renewable energy sectors. In this episode, originally released in July 2022, we examine how these different agendas can be reconciled – and what it will take to achieve a just energy transition for Africa. Joining us is Hamira Kobusingye, a climate and health activist from Uganda, and Davina Ngei, the communications manager at Global Women’s Network for the Energy Transition from Kenya.
These women are reshaping sustainable finance
18-04-2023
These women are reshaping sustainable finance
What does it mean to be a leader in sustainable finance? In this episode, we chat with Ayesha Khan, regional director of Acumen Pakistan, and Maria Amália Souza, founder of the Casa Socio-Environmental Fund – two of the women celebrated in this year’s 16 Women Restoring the Earth campaign, which honors and promotes the incredible work of a selection of women over the past year.From supporting grassroots projects in South America to investing in more resilient food systems in Pakistan, tune in to discover how these two women use finance for positive social and environmental change.
Inside the Svalbard Global Seed Vault
04-04-2023
Inside the Svalbard Global Seed Vault
About halfway between mainland Norway and the North Pole lies the world’s most important library of seed samples: the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. It’s somewhat of a backup disk for the global food supply, where an extraordinary diversity of crucial crops can be retrieved if these resources are lost at regular genebanks.In honor of its 15th anniversary, the Vault has opened its doors to new seed deposits – and to mark the occasion, we’re chatting with Åsmund Asdal, who coordinates its operations and management.In this episode, find out what resides in the vault’s chambers, the importance of the Seed Vault’s mission and deposit, and what this all could mean for the world’s food future.
The climate cost of war
21-03-2023
The climate cost of war
War and conflict can have farther-reaching and longer-lasting impacts on our planet than meets the eye. Aside from the destruction of landscapes and human livelihoods, other less apparent costs include military pollution, the curtailing of beneficial programs and projects, mass displacement of humans, and major shifts in economic and social priorities once turmoil subsides. War can cost countries over 40% of their GDP – funds that could have otherwise been invested in protecting the environment or pulling citizens out of poverty.In this episode, first aired in April 2022, we speak with Ukrainian deputy minister of environmental protection and natural resources Iryna Stavchuk and conflict and peacebuilding expert Moosa Elayah to examine what’s happening in different conflict areas – and the toll these conflicts are taking on our planet.Listen back to episode 1 to learn how the ongoing war in Ukraine is affecting global food security.
How sustainable finance can work for women
08-03-2023
How sustainable finance can work for women
Rural women have enormous potential to produce and scale up solutions to the climate crisis, food insecurity and poverty, but they often still lack the resources and recognition they need to succeed.That’s why Women Organizing for Change in Agriculture and Natural Resource Management (WOCAN) created the world’s first framework measuring and monetizing women’s empowerment – the W+ standard. Developed with women in rural Kenya and Nepal, the framework provides metrics and procedures to quantify, verify and monetize women’s empowerment across six areas: time, health, education and knowledge, food security, income and assets, and leadership.In this episode, we’re joined by WOCAN executive director Jeannette Gurung, and the founder and CEO of Ecosystem Regeneration Associates, Hannah Simmons, to learn what that means in practice and how the framework is being used to make climate finance work for women.
10 years of REDD+
21-02-2023
10 years of REDD+
In 2005, member states of the UN began developing a framework that was meant to ensure the protection of the world’s most important, carbon-sequestering, life-giving forests.Given that many of these ecosystems are located in low- and medium-income countries, the framework is designed such that rich countries provide financial rewards for forest protection, coupling conservation and climate change mitigation with economic growth in parts of the world that need it most. In 2013, the framework was solidified and given the name reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation, more commonly known by its acronym REDD+.However, since its inception, REDD+ has developed something of a controversial reputation in the climate sector, revolving around one main question: If the framework is working as it should, then why is there still so much deforestation?Ten years on from the framework’s inception, this episode brings together three REDD+ experts to discuss the framework, what REDD+ has achieved for emissions reductions and livelihoods, if its initial design is still relevant, and how it could be adjusted to work better in the future.Read this report from IUFRO on a decade of REDD+: https://www.iufro.org/science/gfep/follow-up-studies/biodiversity-forest-management-and-redd-2021/ Register for GLF–Luxembourg Finance for Nature: https://events.globallandscapesforum.org/6th-glf-investment-case-symposium/
How to stop the decline of the ocean
07-02-2023
How to stop the decline of the ocean
The ocean covers 70 percent of our planet and supplies half of the oxygen we breathe. Unfortunately, we haven’t taken great care of it: the climate crisis and our burning of fossil fuels are changing its weather-regulating systems, raising its waters to threatening heights and acidifying its pH balance beyond what its species can survive.And yet, recent climate action has primarily focused on land, leaving the ocean neglected and missing the science, policy and funding it needs in order to continue sustaining its life – and ours.In this episode, originally aired in December 2021, we interview Dorothée Herr, a preliminary expert on ocean policy, about how to rebalance the ‘green’ and the ‘blue’ in the context of climate change and what research, funding, decisions and developments are needed most to curb the degradation of our waters.
What’s new for forests in 2023
24-01-2023
What’s new for forests in 2023
Last year, Landscape News ran its Routes to Roots series on forest restoration, zooming out to see the extent of global efforts to bring more forests back onto this planet, then zooming in on the various methods by which that is being done.Now, we’re revisiting the topic at the start of 2023 – yet another year in which we can say that forest restoration is needed more than ever to achieve climate, biodiversity and human rights goals. In this episode, we’re joined by acclaimed young forester Kandi, the interim CEO of forest research institutes CIFOR-ICRAF Robert Nasi, and the chair of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and head of his namesake lab Thomas Crowther to discuss what’s most promising and most needed for forest restoration this year.
Imagine a world without coffee
10-01-2023
Imagine a world without coffee
Could the climate crisis kill coffee? Rising temperatures will cause production to decrease drastically in the world’s most suitable growing areas. Meanwhile, the crop requires huge amounts of water to irrigate, process and transport it across the world, which is quickly becoming unsustainable.Luckily, different coffee actors, from brand-name companies to cooperatives and NGOs, are working together to help ensure this commodity remains with us by making each step along its value chain more resilient, adaptive and sustainable.In this episode, originally aired during GLF Value Chains Week in December 2022, we speak with the Global Coffee Platform‘s executive director Annette Pensel and sustainability director of Jacobs Douwe Egberts (JDE Peet’s) Nadia Hoarau-Mwaura to pull back the curtain on what’s being done to protect these beloved beans.Join us on Thursday, 12 January, for the first GLF Live stream of the year: https://news.globallandscapesforum.org/59031/how-is-collective-action-protecting-the-future-of-coffee/
Restoring the world’s youngest continent
20-12-2022
Restoring the world’s youngest continent
Africa is set for a population explosion in the decades ahead, with a whopping 60% of the continent’s population currently under the age of 25. This booming young demographic comes with major challenges but also presents enormous opportunities to restore African landscapes through green jobs and sustainable agriculture.In this episode, first aired in April 2022, we meet three young African environmentalists to discuss how they’re transforming their local landscapes to be more vibrant, valuable and sustainable: Adrian Leitoro, the Global Landscapes Forum’s 2022 Restoration Steward for drylands, Safiatou Nana from the Ouagadougou chapter of the GLFx restoration initiative, and UNCCD Land Hero Patricia Kombo. Joining us as guest host is Kenyan environmentalist Wambui Paula Waibochi.