The climate-food security connection in Indonesia

Nusa Tenggara Timur, or East Nusa Tenggara, is a remote province located 1,200 miles from Jakarta (map). It is home to more than four million people, spread across 550 islands. The province is among the poorest in Indonesia–at least a third of its population earns below the poverty line.

Not surprisingly, NTT faces real development challenges, including periods of serious food insecurity. Since irrigation systems are virtually nonexistent, farmers here are almost wholly dependent on monsoon rains to supply water to their crops. But even in years of normal rainfall, the province can expect to distribute between 20 and 25 thousand tons of food aid to families. During El Niño years, which typically result in significantly less rainfall, the aid figure can be twice that. Rates of malnutrition, especially in children, can reach 25% during these periods.

Scientists at the International Research Institute for Climate and Society want to reduce these impacts by using seasonal climate forecasts to alert government authorities about periods when below-average rainfall is expected. Indonesia has a good system in place to respond to food insecurity, but the challenge is generally one of timing. From the moment a problem is declared to the moment the first shipments of rice and other aid is unloaded, half a year may pass. The hope is to give agencies and humanitarian organizations such as CARE Indonesia months of lead time to stock up on food supplies, jump-start their monitoring activities and set aside funds and other resources in case the food problems materialize.

We’ve organized a workshop for tomorrow in NTT’s capital, Kupang, with CARE Indonesia, Bogor Agriculture University (IPB) and the provincial food-security agency in order to share the latest research findings and discuss their potential use in food-security planning. This latter goal is critical. We can issue the best forecasts in the world, but if there’s no institutional system in place to understand and act on them, they’re essentially useless.

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The Wall Street Journal’s new environment blog

The sidebar announcement preempts the dropped jaws…

No, your computer isn’t misfiring. Welcome to a new Wall Street Journal blog, Environmental Capital. It replaces the Journal’s Energy Roundup blog. Environmental Capital will continue Energy Roundup’s tradition of tracking daily energy news. And it will go further, analyzing how the energy world, and all of business, is adapting to mounting concern about the planet.

With Jeff Ball at the helm, look for smart analysis on the sector. He’s a sharp reporter who’s been covering Detroit for years and I’m sure he’ll bring great insights to the forum. And Keith Johnson is nothing if not prolific, with a great filter for what’s news and what’s not.

Curious to see how the editorial side will cover (if at all) the new blog. I’ll post any reax in the days to come.

WSJ discusses IRI work

Tom Wright has a post about IRI on the Energy Roundup blog.

That’s because for most people, especially the world’s poorest, forewarning of short-term changes in temperatures can help them make life-or-death decisions, these scientists say. It’s also because scientists say models that predict climate can do so with accuracy only over a year or so. The International Research Institute for Climate and Society, part of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, outlined a project to help farmers on the Indonesian part of Borneo island to predict up to six months ahead when dry weather is likely to cause uncontrollable bush fires. The institute aims to raise funding to pay farmers not to use slash-and-burn techniques during those peak dry periods.

Read it here.

WSJ and COP13

The Wall Street Journal is covering Bali on its Energy Roundup blog, which, word has it, will transmogrify into a climate change blog in early 2008. About time. Looks like you don’t have to be logged in to access the posts, so check it out.

Speaking of Bali, anyone there now? I’ve never been to a COP, so I can only imagine the total chaos that must ensue, especially to the uninitiated. Please feel free to post your stories!

Rupie takes charge!

NYT reports on the first significant change at The Wall Street Journal since the Murdoch/DJ deal went through.

The paper will rechristen Pursuits, its Saturday leisure section, as Weekend Journal, the same name as the Friday section, according to several people familiar with the paper’s decision.

They are changing the name because readers and reporters are confused by the fact that Friday carries a Weekend section and the actual weekend day has a Pursuits section.

Not a bad start. Maybe he’ll get rid of the Weekend Journal altogether. Now that would impress me.

Wall Street Journal Exodus?

Ok, so while the following is a wholly non-scientific analysis, I thought it was interesting enough to comment on:

I am a member of LinkedIn, which is a myspace for yuppies. One of the nice features of the service is that it alerts you when your former colleauges or classmates join the network, so that you can reach out and “link” to them.

I also happen to be a former WSJ employee. Since I left the paper last year, I’ve been keen on staying in touch with my ex-colleagues there, and have used LinkedIn’s service to do so. Typically, I’ll get an alert every few days on my home page telling me that one or two, maybe up to four, WSJers have joind the network since I last logged on–which is typically every few days. This morning, FIFTY WSJers had become members in the last 48 hours.

Is something astir in the henhouse now that a fox has gotten the keys?

outsourcing “journalism”

Article from latimes.com

James Macpherson, editor and publisher of the Pasadena Now website, hired two reporters last weekend to cover the Pasadena City Council. One lives in Mumbai and will be paid $12,000 a year. The other will work in Bangalore for $7,200.

Good. Let me qualify. Good, if it means there will be fewer reporters being paid to take down minutes of meetings. One is hard-pressed to categorize these sorts of stories as “journalism” to begin with. I hope it means the Pasadena Now publisher will spend the liberated money to pay reporters to open closets, lift rugs, rake muck.

Additional commentary can be found on the Center for Citizen Media web site.