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Starting from Zero: What can Rio+20 offer small-scale farmers?

Maria Yolanda, 35, is a small-scale farmer living in Antioquia in the Peruvian Andes. Her hopes for “a good future for my children, in a healthy environment” echo with those of billions of us around the globe.

But Maria Yolanda is worried about the water resources that will be available to her in the future. “This is something that keeps us all worried. We hear about climate change and we know there is a lot of pollution of our water as well,” she says.

Campaigns update: what does the outcome of Durban mean for climate change?

The recent Durban meeting of the UNFCCC climate change talks closed with some positive news coverage this week. But what’s the reality behind the headlines?

Grounds for cautious optimism

On the positive side, governments have stated that a binding agreement on climate change is required, and that emissions cuts need to be reached which are in line with the science.

El Salvador: Taking action on climate change

This week we were invited to do something very special within the community with which we have been working; to release the baby turtles, which have been protected by a conservation project, back into the sea.

When we arrived at the centre I was surprised at how tiny the turtles were and how vulnerable they seemed when I considered that we were about to send them straight into the powerful waves of the Pacific. Thus, I was even more surprised when we put the turtles down onto the sand and without any hesitation they ran straight for the water, into the waves, and were gone.

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Thirsty cobs demand water justice!

 

You’ve heard of a flash mob, but what about a flash cob? This morning 3 giant corn on the cobs took to the street armed with their watering cans to demand fair access to water for poor people in the developing world. 

Mariá Yolanda Rojas Ávila grows maize in Peru.  She says “To me, water means life. Without water, people, animals and crops cannot live. I hope for a good future for my three children, in a healthy environment. I hope we will have enough water in the future.”

Central America storm: The poorest are hit the hardest

Progressio development worker Maggie von Vogt has seen for herself the devastating impacts of the heavy rain that’s hit Central America this last week.

And in a hard-hitting interview broadcast today on BBC Radio 5 Live, she talks about how it’s the poor who are hit the hardest – and how the people of El Salvador and Central America have had enough of bearing the brunt of the impacts of climate change.

Tropical Storm 12E hits hard in Central America

We have been deeply concerned to hear of the impact of heavy rains and flooding across Central America, especially Progressio’s programme areas of El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras.

In El Salvador, 20,000 people are reported as displaced due to the situation. Xiomara Ventura, Progressio’s Regional Representative in Central America, writes, “Honduras is on red alert in the south and west. There are forty people dead, about thirty-five thousand affected families, productive land damaged and infrastructure flooded.” Communities that Progressio works with are directly affected.

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