This new online service introduced by ICID is developed to help various stakeholders in locating required business information through a few clicks. The online directory enlists all the services and products being provided by consultants, manufacturing companies, dealers, and other professional institutions dealing in irrigation, drainage and flood management. This online service is totally FREE and can be availed of by any service provider by submitting the required information on ICID website <http://www.icid.org/ypaddform2.php>. To view this new service, please visit http://www.icid.org/ypsearch.php

FORTHCOMING EVENTS

2nd World Irrigation Forum on the theme: Water management in a changing world: Role of irrigation for sustainable food production, Chiang Mai, Thailand, 6-8 November 2016.

www.worldirrigationforum.net

National Water Research Center (Egypt) International Conference on “Research and Technology Development for Sustainable Water Resources Management”  on the theme “Geo-Measurement, Field Investigation, and Monitoring” Special Sessions, Workshops and Exhibition, Cairo, Egypt, 4-6 December 2016.
E-mail: eng.mirmokhtar@gmail.com, website: www.redwarm2016-eg.org

13th International Drainage Workshop (IDW), Ahwaz City, Iran, 4-7 March 2017, Theme: Drainage and Environmental Sustainability. 
E-mail:13idw2017@gmail.com, website:http://idw13.org

68th IEC and 23rd ICID Congress on Irrigation and Drainage, 8-14 October 2017, on the theme: Modernizing Irrigation and Drainage for a new Green Revolution, Mexico City, Mexico, 8-14 October 2017.
Website: http://www.icid2017.org/ E-mail: cnm@mxcid.org, brobles@tlaloc.imta.mx, luis.rendon@cna.gob.mx, luis.rendon@conagua.gob.mx

USDA announces more than $17 million available to support organic agriculture (Audio)
Watertown Radio, 26 October 2016
The United States Department of Agriculture has announced more than $17 million is available for research and outreach to support the organic agriculture sector. Madison, South Dakota organic farmer Charlie Johnson says that will be helpful in boosting organic production which has already seen good growth. He says organic farmers have fared better than conventional grain producers with the latest economic downturn and seem to be weathering that storm quite well. Johnson says consumers have been asking for organically produced food. The organic industry is the fastest growing segment of U.S. agriculture with sales growing $ 4.2 billion last year to reach a record $43.3 billion.
http://www.gowatertown.net/2016/10/26/usda-announces-more-than-17-million-available-to-support-organic-agriculture-audio/

India's GDP to grow 8%, agriculture 4% this fiscal: Union Minister Meghwal
Firstpost, 24 October 2016
The country's economy will grow 8 percent this fiscal while agricultural growth is expected to be over 4 percent, Union Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said on 23rd October. "In Asia, China was growing at 8 percent for the past 20 years. Now we have seen some decline. India is growing at 7 percent... This year we are hoping that our agricultural growth will be reaching more than 4 percent," the Minister of State for Finance and Corporate Affairs said. "Since 1952, we are fixing a target of our agricultural growth at 4 percent. First time, this year in the history of India we will achieve 4 percent in agricultural growth. That will be an achievement. Our economy will definitely reach 8 percent," Meghawal said in his address at the ICAI International Conference 'Jnana Yagna'. Interacting with the delegates, the Minister said the ICAI members should be able to convert threats into opportunities. He also said the Narendra Modi-led NDA government will not tolerate corruption at any level.
http://www.firstpost.com/business/indias-gdp-to-grow-8-agriculture-4-this-fiscal-union-minister-meghwal-3068182.html

FAO report describes relationship between climate change and food security
Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 21 October 2016
Climate change and agriculture are deeply interconnected. Globally, the agricultural sector is responsible for approximately 21 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. Agriculture is also incredibly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, as it is so dependent on temperature and precipitation patterns. While some regions may benefit from improved growing conditions, the negative effects worldwide are expected to far outweigh the positives. Global food security will be severely affected at a time when population is rapidly expanding. On October 17, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) released The State of Food and Agriculture in 2016, a 194-page report detailing the effects that climate and agriculture have on each other and the actions that need to be taken to protect food security.
http://www.eesi.org/articles/view/fao-report-describes-relationship-between-climate-change-and-food-security

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1.4 million People are facing serious hunger in drought-hit Southern Madagascar
TIME, 27 October 2016
This year’s El Niño weather pattern has amplified the effects of consecutive droughts in southern Madagascar, ravaging crops and leaving 1.4 million people desperately short of food. A report published by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on 26th October said that insufficient rainfall in the southern region of Androy alone caused an 80 percent drop in maize production this year. Production of the staple in the south was already down after the droughts in 2015. Yields of cassava, another staple, were also severely reduced. A crop failure is forcing people to sell their animals and agricultural tools, and is driving them to forage in the wild. The FAO said that it and the World Food Program were trying to replace tools and distribute quick-maturing, drought-tolerant seeds. The FAO said that of the 1.4 million people in southern Madagascar expected to be facing hunger through to 2017, 850,000 were in need of urgent humanitarian assistance.
http://time.com/4548729/sever-hunger-madagascar-drought-crop-failures/

India: Kerala braces for one of the worst droughts
Livemint, 24 October 2016
Kerala is on track to face one of the worst droughts in its history next year, according to experts. The state experienced a shortage of 34% in southwest monsoon between June and September, which contributes close to almost 70% of its annual rainfall. The northeast monsoon between October and December too seems to be failing, as it has still not started raining even though October is about to end. “About 2,100mm out of the state’s annual normal 3,000mm rainfall used to come from southwest monsoon. Even if the north-east monsoon revives in November, it may not be sufficient to bridge the existing deficit,” said Dineshan V.P., faculty at Central Water Resources Development Management (CWRDM) board, a government-run water studies entity.
http://www.livemint.com/Politics/YHZ9gClBSHidKAj5WZApxM/Kerala-braces-one-of-the-worst-droughts.html

Soil moisture and snowpack data can help predict droughts in the US
Knowridge Science Report, 22 October 2016
In May 2012, seasonal drought forecasts for the coming summer did not foresee a drought forming in the country’s midsection. But by the end of August, a drought that had started in the Southern Rockies had spread across the Midwest, parching Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri. This 2012 drought over the Midwest was one of the most severe and extensive U.S. droughts since the 1930s Dust Bowl. In a recent study, researchers find that the severe 2012 drought could have been predicted months in advance using soil moisture and snowpack data. The finding is published in Journal of Geophysical Research. That type of drought is “flash drought”, which can influence large areas in a short time. Flash droughts can lead to big economic losses. For instance, the 2012 drought caused the loss of $30 billion.
https://knowridge.com/2016/10/soil-moisture-and-snowpack-data-can-help-predict-droughts-in-the-us/

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Columbia: Drought group discusses western Carolinas as floods subside
Spartanburg Herald Journal, 26 October 2016
As the last river finally falls below major flood stage near the coast, a rapidly worsening drought is killing crops and causing hard-to-fight wildfires in rugged terrain in western North Carolina and South Carolina. The dry side of the unusual split was the focus of a South Carolina Drought Response Committee meeting Wednesday, where drought-level declarations were made that could eventually enable mandatory water restrictions if necessary. "In Spartanburg County, all of the reservoirs are dropping daily. Are we at a critical stage? No," said drought committee member Brad Powers. "But if it continues as it is, it is going to get bad in a hurry. Not just for us, but for everyone." A few minutes later, Ed Saxton of the Beaufort-Jasper Water and Sewer Authority spoke up. His area about 200 miles south of Spartanburg saw 15 inches of rain from Matthew in early October.
http://www.goupstate.com/news/20161026/drought-group-discusses-western-carolinas-as-floods-subside

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UN agency concerned about food security in DPRK
Shanghai Daily (subscription), 29 October 2016
The World Food Programme (WFP) said that it is concerned about the food security of families affected by floods in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), especially with winter approaching, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters here. "Many families have lost not only their homes, but also their crops and livelihoods," Dujarric said at a daily news briefing. WFP urgently needs 5.4 million U.S. dollars to help all people affected by floods, the spokesman said, adding that it currently faces a shortfall of 23 million U.S. dollars through next year for all of its programmes in the country. In mid-September, the DPRK briefed diplomats from Mongolia, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia and India in Pyongyang on recent floods in the northeast and appealed for cooperation on disaster relief. The floods have left 133 people dead and another 395 missing, according to a UN report issued by the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.aspx?id=333196

Impacts of climate change on global food security (video)
cleveland.com (blog), 27 October 2016
Global food security is an international objective recognized by the United Nations. However, recent accelerated global rises in temperature and sea levels, plus increasing greenhouse gas emissions, hinder the ability of people around the world to access safe and nutritious food.
http://www.cleveland.com/weather/blog/index.ssf/2016/10/impacts_of_climate_change_on_g.html

ADB helps enhance crop diversification and food security in Afghanistan
ReliefWeb, 27 October 2016
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $26 million grant and the administration of a $50 million grant from the European Union to enhance crop diversification and food security by improving irrigated agriculture in the Panj-Amu River Basin. “The project will improve water availability for irrigated agriculture through better water distribution and management,” said Bui Minh Giap, Senior Natural Resources and Agriculture Economist with ADB’s Central and West Asia Regional Department. “It will improve income for around 55,000 farming households through increased cropping intensities, higher crop yields, and crop diversification.” The project is also expected to generate approximately 9,000 full-time jobs for local residents over the project life of 20 years, added Mr. Giap.
http://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/adb-helps-enhance-crop-diversification-and-food-security-afghanistan

Latin America important for India's food security
The Statesman, 24 October 2016
Observing that the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region countries can be an important region for global prosperity and stability, Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (East) Preeti Saran on Monday said the region holds importance for India's food security. Addressing an international conference here on Focus Latin America: The Need for an Effective Programme, Saran also called upon the Latin American countries to invest in the Narendra Modi government's flagship programmes like the 'Make In India', 'Skill India', etc. to strengthen mutual cooperation. "Blessed with vast resources and talent, the LAC region countries are already a very important segment of world economy. And when the global economy is facing recession and turbulence otherwise, LAC can be an important region for global prosperity and stability," she said.
http://www.thestatesman.com/news/business/-latin-america-important-for-india-s-food-security/172534.html

Thailand ready to host 2nd World Irrigation Forum
Pattaya Mail, 27 October 2016
The working committee to organize 2nd World Irrigation Forum (WIF2) and 67th International Executive Council (IEC) has concluded in a final meeting that the events will be scheduled during 6-12 November 2016. The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC) Deputy Permanent-Secretary Lertviroj Kowattana has chaired a meeting of 2nd WIF and 67th IEC organizers to finalize preparations prior to the actual events, requesting the themes to be adjusted in accordance to the atmosphere of national sorrow and grief from the passing of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Cheerful activities and music performances would be removed from the events, which would instead be replaced with special presentations on the late monarch’s accomplishments and His Majesty’s royal guidance on irrigation. The 2nd WIF and 67th IEC is scheduled to take place at the Chiang Mai International Exhibition and Convention Center under the theme “Water management in a changing world: Role of Irrigation for sustainable food production.”
http://www.pattayamail.com/thailandnews/thailand-ready-host-2nd-world-irrigation-forum-153516

Uganda: Rice irrigation machines remain idle for 19 years
AllAfrica.com, 26 October 2016
Two irrigation machines costing Shs100m are lying idle at Mahyoro Sub-county in Kamwenge District 19 years after they were donated by President Museveni. The machines were donated during the 1996 general election to boost rice production in the area. At the time of the donation, Mahyoro was still part of Kabarole District. Farmers who were then engaged in small-scale rice production asked the President for irrigation machines so that their crops would survive dry spells. According to the irrigation project, water would be drawn from the nearby Lake George to water the rice. However, the machines have never been used as such, the farmers have also abandoned rice growing for potatoes, sugarcane and cotton. "The machines have never been fixed in the cultivation area for farmers to irrigate their crops off the shores of Lake George," Mr Innocent Katuramu, a farmer in Mahyoro, said.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201610260045.html

IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE - The Journal of the ICID
Articles available via complimentary online access at: http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/ird