We have one planet and we need to take care of it. The changes in climate patterns are impacting our lives. We’ve seen how droughts in different parts of the world have led to famine or soaring food prices. As we prepare for international conferences such as Rio+20, the sessions offered under this theme will give you an opportunity to:

• discuss various climate change challenges and influence the messages which will be presented at different climate change  international conferences
• learn how different  parts of the world have embraced innovative recycling methods and creating new employment opportunities
• learn about environmental friendly farming methods and climate smart agriculture
• acquaint yourself with indigenous traditions to predict climate patterns

With the global population hitting 7 billion people in less than a month, decision makers, development workers, smallholder farmers, public and private entities are faced with the challenge of ensuring access to affordable, safe and healthy food that meets dietary needs in a satisfactory manner while making sure that food is produced in an environmentally sound and socially just manner.

The Share Fair sessions will discuss the various aspects of food security, such as:

• link between rural employment and food security
• how to feed people better and smarter
• impact of migration and population growth on

Gender equality is an essential component of sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction. Equitable access to more and better jobs in rural areas enable rural women and men to become effective economic actors and engines of growth, as well as conservers of the natural environment. During the various Share Fair sessions, participants will be exposed to inspiring stories on:

• innovative ways of empowering and building women's capacity
• promoting gender-sensitive financial services

As development workers we need to act in a timely manner to respond to the needs of the people who we work with and for. This means we cannot afford reinventing the wheel: rather, we need to use the body of available knowledge, act on this, generate new knowledge and learning to influence policy. And this cannot be in isolation, but by nurturing networks and contributing to communities of practice.

The many sessions under this topic will address key issues such as:

• capturing and acting on knowledge to generate new knowledge
• dynamics of managing and nurturing communities of practice
• how organizational behaviour and culture can help or hinder knowledge-sharing
• embedding knowledge management and learning in development programmes
• building the capacity of people to generate, adapt and share knowledge, experience and insight

Livestock contributes to the sustainable livelihoods and security of more than 800 million poor smallholder farmers. It offers poor households sources of high quality nutrition, especially for pregnant women and for improving the cognitive skills and mental growth of children. In marginal rural areas, where poverty is rampant, livestock represents an important asset for local cultural and socioeconomic systems, and allows the effective use of otherwise unutilizable resources. In working with rural communities and pastoralists, our aim is to develop a sustainable livestock sector where smallholder farmers can have higher incomes and better access to services, technologies and markets.

The Share Fair sessions will provide the participants an opportunity to:

• learn about new livestock technologies and approaches
• discuss innovative approaches to target nomadic communities
• explore the benefits of livestock
• development revolving funds

Development programmes and projects aim to address the many challenges faced by smallholder farmers and producers. These range from having access to good inputs, strengthening the delivery of business and financial services, facilitating access to markets, and providing timely market information to strengthen the negotiating and bargaining power of smallholder producers. Today, increasingly this is possible through a public-private partnership. The various sessions will showcase examples of:

• innovative public-private partnerships discuss innovative approaches to target nomadic communities
• developing a value-based market for smallholder producers
  
• different value-chain approaches

Mobile phones are no longer a luxury item and have become a ubiquitous and essential part of our lives. Similarly, social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs have radically changed the way we interact and communicate. The many sessions under this theme highlight:

• innovative use of mobile telephony in agriculture
• how Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) have helped improve the bargaining power of smallholder farmers and provided a more direct link to markets
• the power and potential of social media in connecting people and creating local, national and global networks
• how social media tools can create conducive learning and sharing environments across geographical and language boundaries

Secure access by rural poor people to water is central to the achievement ofthe Millennium Development Goals, inparticular the target of reducing by halfthe proportion of people living inextreme poverty and hunger by 2015.Most of these people depend onagriculture for their livelihoods. In mostdeveloping countries, agriculture usesmore than 80 per cent of mobilizedwater resources. But more thanhalf the water diverted for agriculturedoes not contribute directly tofood production as intended.

With an increasing number ofcountries facing severe watershortages, efficient use of water byagriculture to reduce poverty andhunger is a significant issue. Join thisinteresting debate and attend the manysessions on this theme to learn about:

• different agricultural solutions towater scarcity challenges
• how technology is helpingsmallholder farmers to bettermanage water resources
• diverse rain harvesting methods

The global population is projected to rise from its present level of 7 billion to 9.2 billion by 2050. An estimated 1 billion people already are going hungry. Today’s generation of young people is the largest in history. However, young rural people are increasingly disillusioned about working in the agricultural sector, which in many countries is stagnant and unproductive. The Share Fair sessions will aim to address the many challenges facing us such as:

• who is going to feed this growing world population
• how can we make agriculture enticing and attractive to avoid an outmigration of young people to urban areas
• partnering with young farmers to create a new cadre of rural entrepreneurs