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""The Visible Hands That Feed" approaches the food sector against the backdrop of its pivotal role for social and ecological relations to trace the potentials and limitations for sustainable change from within. This is accomplished through an in-depth exploration of the practices, visions, concerns, and relationships that unfold at the very locations where food is grown, processed, stored, and served."

On the basis of a literature review, this paper outlines the main mitigation options for agricultural activities and the broader food system on the supply and the demand side. Economic, policy/legal barriers, technical barriers, socio-cultural barriers, institutional barriers as well as biophysical or environmental barriers exist that hinder the implementation of these options. Such barriers operate at farm level, at national level, at the international level as well as at consumer level. The identified barriers are clustered and recommendations are developed to overcome them, including capacity building and education, participatory approaches with farmers, setting economic incentives right, redirecting public support to focus on sustainable practices, reforming agricultural subsidies, stricter regulations, improved tenure security, coherent policy signals, addressing policies and trade structures at international level and market regulations for fairer prices to producers. However, suitable approaches for the development of food systems need to be context-specific as agricultural systems as well as barriers obstructing the implementation of mitigation approaches are highly diverse and specific to local circumstances. Including mitigation targets related to agriculture in countries' NDCs provides an opportunity to raise ambition to tackle emissions related to food systems.

The European Soil Strategy for 2030 by the European Commission has set the foundations for an overarching approach to the protection of soils in Europe. In this scientific opinion paper, the German Environment Agency (⁠UBA⁠) lays down its key recommendations for the upcoming Soil Health Law. Feedback on legislative options is provided and experience gained in Germany in the past years on soil protection and restoration is shared. Knowing the outstanding importance of soils for human and ecosystem health, UBA strongly agrees that a new binding European legislative framework on soils with high ambition is urgently needed.

"The U.S. Supreme Court is more important than ever in the lives of Americans. Its politicization, however, has hijacked its mission to provide equal justice under law. This book explains how politics, polarization and worldview - factors that affect everyone - have adversely influenced the Court and thus the nation"--

"In Assignment China, former CNN correspondent Mike Chinoy draws together a remarkable collection of personal accounts from some of America's most eminent journalists to describe the evolution of reporting on China. Seymour Topping, Stanley Karnow, Barbara Walters, Dan Rather, Nicholas Kristof, Evan Osnos and David Barboza, among dozens of others, describe what it was like to report on some of the most important events of the last 75 years. At turns amusing, revealing and shocking, we discover the extraordinary challenges faced by correspondents as they covered such historic moments as the Chinese civil war' Chairman Mao's Cultural Revolution; Richard Nixon's groundbreaking visit in 1972; China's opening up to the outside world; the crackdown in Tiananmen Square; corruption at the highest levels of government; and the Covid pandemic - all set against the background of the country's extraordinary economic boom and steady march towards superpower status. Assignment China is an enthralling read for China-watchers and anyone else interested in how people around the world get their news about this major global power"--

Civil society organisations (CSOs) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) face mounting challenges, especially in authoritarian states, where they encounter closures, persecution and smear campaigns. Consequently, their crucial work in advancing human rights, good governance and inclusive human development is increasingly stifled and criminalised. Activists and professionals linked to CSOs also endure surveillance and persecution. This should worry European policymakers since a vibrant and free civil society in MENA is in their interest, as it is key for human development. This policy brief proposes seven ways for development cooperation to protect CSOs in authoritarian regimes in the MENA and beyond. European foreign and development policies in the MENA region have led to governmental partnerships that often sustain authoritarian regimes at the expense of citizens' rights, for instance on migration (Francavilla, 2023; Grimm & Roll, 2023). Although substantial humanitarian aid reaches conflict zones, one of the root causes of the continuing political violence and conflicts – absence of accountable democratic governments – remains inadequately addressed (Barakat & Fakih, 2021). To avoid further empowering authoritarian rule in the region, European policymakers should reassess their multi- and bilateral governmental cooperation. The prevalent assumption amongst many policymakers that the incumbent authoritarian regimes in MENA can provide political stability needs to be discarded. The stability paradigm guiding European relations with the Arab World should instead be replaced with a do-no-harm approach. Although "do no harm" is a core principle of European development cooperation policy, it often is ignored in practice or trumped by other interests (Leininger, 2023). Development cooperation benefitting citizens must prioritise inclusive human development through cooperation with a wide range of actors, including elected state bodies, independent media and watchdog CSOs (Rutzen, 2015). This policy brief develops seven recommendations for European policymakers in development cooperation. The first step is to overcome the prevalent stability-through-cooperation paradigm to prevent further negative effects on human rights, democracy and civil society. Therefore, it is important that European policymakers recognise these authoritarian regimes' unwillingness to implement reforms that would reduce their control over political institutions. Second, it remains crucial that policymakers acknowledge the increasingly shrinking space for critical voices in civil society. Third, governments and regional organisations should give CSOs a voice at international summits and in international organisations to increase the visibility of their demands and show support for oppressed voices. Fourth, European development cooperation professionals should establish flexible crisis funding lines for at-risk CSOs and their staff. Fifth, at-risk journalists, activists or human rights defenders (HRDs) need access to fast-track visa programmes to ensure they can continue their work from abroad when the authorities want to silence them. Sixth, European development cooperation profession-als should continue to support marginalised voices and groups and push for more inclusive governance. Lastly, European governments should limit arms exports to authoritarian regimes.