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Gregory Lee

Mar 30, 2014
06:45

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I live in northern Thailand (Nan Province, about 19N, 100E). Burning for land clearing is in full swing and the air pollution is terrible. I see farmers burning valuable organic nutrients, literally going up in smoke, then turning around and buying synthetic chemical fertilizers to try to increase yields. Tropical soils are characterized by low organic content, and boosting soil organics is a way toward long-term farm sustainable productivity. I wonder if your group is interested in seeking ways to change attitudes to this type of land clearing through some innovative grassroots approaches linked to using incentives as micro-credit / debt forgiveness offset by the cost savings to the rest of society when considering the financial costs of the burning (e.g. increased medical costs, lost revenues in tourism, etc.). Ironically, many rural farmers have moved away from traditional methods using organic nutrient recycle in favor of expensive synthetic agro-chemicals. The aim is to move people away from burning toward comprehensive use of mulching, composting w/ worms, no-till / low till methods, green manures, use of EM (Effective Micro-organisms) and IM (Indigenous Micro-organisms), companion planting, SRI (System of Rice Intensification)/ fish and rice methods of rice cultivation, SALT (Sloping Agriculture Land Technology). These are all off-the-shelf and field proven methods which may be unknown and unfamiliar to many farmers. Cultural inertia is the key source to resistance to change. Using micro-credit / finance incentives individually and collectively as per the Grameen Bank (http://www.grameen-info.org) may be effective to overcome this resistance. My main interests are in sustainable agriculture, emergency preparedness, emergency communications and improving environmental education in rural Thai public schools. I am unfamiliar with the overall structure and process, having only stumbled upon this site today. You can see what we are about at www.neighborhoodlink.com/org/rtcth and our companion site www.neighborhoodlink.com/RTC-TH_Tech Thanks for your time and consideration. I look forward to your response.

Tal Lee Anderman

Jun 18, 2014
12:34

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Hi all! Join us for an informational webinar, Wed. June 25, 1:00 - 2:00 PM EDT, hosted by the MIT Climate CoLab’s Land Use: Agriculture, Forestry, and Livestock contest, featuring a conversation with Fellows and Advisors, Dr. James Baker, Director of the Clinton Foundation’s Forest and Land-Use Measurement Program, and Dr. Jayant Sathaye, Director of the International Energy Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. The webinar is free and open to the public, and provides an exciting opportunity for contest participants, as well as those considering submitting a proposal by the July 20th deadline, to ask questions and get feedback from advisers who will be judging the contest. Wed, Jun 25, 2014 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT Register now at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3119875597820168962 The webinar agenda will include: - Discussion of important findings highlighted in newly released Chapter 11 of the IPCC Working Group III’s report on Agriculture, Forestry and the Other Land Use (AFOLU) Sectors. - Overview of priorities of the Obama Administration’s Climate Action Plan relevant to the land use sector. - Review of the winning 2013 contest proposal and why it was successful. - Preliminary comments made by catalysts on first submitted proposals - Open Q&A with advisers from webinar participants on the topics discussed, contest proposals, and any comments received. We hope to see you there!!

Godwin Ogada

Sep 4, 2014
05:39

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this is a a prudent move to save our climate

Morey Bean

Oct 1, 2014
08:12

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Hi Toy! Thanks for your thoughtful note. We hope you can join us for a visit to the Park someday! I am also helping the Park's Chief Ranger Emmanuel De Merode fundraise for an environmental education bus to help get kids to the Park to appreciate its natural beauty, helping them become future stewards of the Park and its flora and fauna. See: https://virunga.org/donate/