Indonesia
Borneo’s ancient forests vanishing at faster rate due to palm oil
El Niño drought trims coffee crop in Asia
Coffee growers in Vietnam, Indonesia and India, three of the seven largest coffee-producing nations on earth, will harvest smaller crops — down by a combined 2.5 percent — due to drought magnified by the El Niño weather pattern, according to a USDA forecast. The semi-annual Coffee: World Markets and Trade report said a record crop of Arabica beans in Brazil, the world's largest coffee grower, would lead to a modest rise in global production.
World Bank-backed palm-oil projects displaced communities
In a piece that explores the dramatic expansion of palm-oil plantations in the rainforests of Indonesia, journalists Jocelyn Zuckerman and Michael Hudson detail abuses committed against the Batin Sembilan, an indigenous community in Sumatra that was forcibly resettled by the largest agribusiness in Asia, Wilmar International Limited.
U.S. challenges Indonesia at WTO over food-import barriers
The United States and New Zealand asked the World Trade Organization to rule that Indonesia unfairly restricts imports of fruits, vegetables and animal products, based on regulations imposed in 2012.
Reforestation is a promising antidote to climate change
At least three-quarters of the forests of the world have been cut down or damaged, says the New York Times in a two-page story that says...