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

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 giving more than $1M to grow Maine agriculture products
The Daily Progress, 4 November 2016
Nine Maine agricultural firms will receive more than $1 million from the federal government to help develop new products. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is providing the grants to help agricultural producers who want to build new product lines. One of the largest grants is a $250,000 award to Ricker Hill Orchards, a popular Turner apple producer. The money's designed to help the orchard expand its product reach nationally and increase production of products such as raw apple cider vinegar and hard cider. Another grant of more than $49,000 will go to American Unagi of Thomaston to work on products made from farm-raised eels. The grants are among more than $45 million the USDA is giving to help farmers, ranchers and business owners around America to develop new product lines.
http://www.dailyprogress.com/usda-giving-more-than-m-to-grow-maine-agriculture-products/article_83641147-69d9-56f4-8924-b350153732ce.html

Haiti - Agriculture: The CARICOM will partner with FAO
Haitilibre.com, 2 November 2016
The Minister of Agriculture of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Sabato Caesar met Nathanael Hishamunda, the Representative of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Haiti, in order to analyze the possibility for FAO to coordinate the agricultural assistance of the CARICOM (Caribbean common market), jointly with the Ministry of Agriculture. Nathanael Hishamunda, welcomed the initiative of CARICOM of collaboration with FAO in restoring livelihoods and improving food security of rural farm families hit hard by the devastating hurricane Matthew, allowing them to recover their production capacity.
http://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-19115-haiti-agriculture-the-caricom-will-partner-with-fao.html

Paris climate change deal becomes international law
Tampabay.com, 5 November 2016
The Paris Agreement to combat climate change became international law on Friday — a landmark deal about tackling global warming amid growing fears that the world is becoming hotter even faster than scientists expected. So far, 96 countries, accounting for just over two-thirds of the world's greenhouse gas emissions, have formally joined the accord, which seeks to limit global warming to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit. More countries are expected to come aboard in the coming weeks and months. Secretary General Ban Ki Moon commemorated the event, talking with civil society groups at U.N. headquarters in New York to hear their concerns and visions for the future. "Today we make history in humankind's efforts to combat climate change," Ban said in his opening remarks. He praised the civil groups for mobilizing hundreds of millions of people to back fighting climate change but warned the outcome remained uncertain.
http://www.beaches.tampabay.com/incoming/paris-climate-change-deal-becomes-international-law/2301590

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Time is ripe to predict drought to help African farmers
SciDev.Net, 31 October 2016
The scorching heat of Kenya’s south coast is causing nightmares to many farmers. Just two months ago, after the rains arrived, Kenya’s south coast was lush with green scenery. The maize fields were thriving and the tomatoes and bell peppers were flourishing. Farmers were happy and looking forward to a bumper harvest. Today, however, the green is gone, the maize is withered and the situation is grim. A drought is looming. Even the drought-tolerant crops such as Syngenta’s Kilele F1 tomato variety and amaranth greens are being affected by the extreme heat. The farmers are asking themselves hard questions about what they could have done differently to avoid losing their crops. The farmers at the Kenyan south coast are not alone. Drought is ravaging crops and destroying harvests in countries across Africa and Asia.
http://www.scidev.net/sub-saharan-africa/disasters/opinion/predict-drought-help-african-farmers.html

Sri Lanka’s annual droughts will worsen unless government steps up
Humanosphere, 28 October 2016
From floods to drought – there’s no reprieve for Sri Lanka. Unfortunately, it will only get worse with climate change, unless the government commits to some immediate improvements. More than 800,000 people in all nine provinces of Sri Lanka have been affected by the latest dry spell, according to the most recent data from the national Disaster Management Center. Numbers have varied over the course of the drought, but the government is now providing drinking water for less than 150,000 of those people. Nearly 1,000 people are currently in immediate need of a drinking water supply. At 5,000 rupees ($34), a personal tank of water is far too expensive for most villagers. Instead, when the government supply is insufficient or delayed, people are relying on small-scale vendors who charge four to 10 rupees (three to seven cents) for each one-liter bottle.
http://www.humanosphere.org/environment/2016/10/sri-lankas-annual-drought-will-worsen-unless-government-steps/

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China's third-longest river Huaihe faces significant flood risk
Shanghai Daily (subscription), 2 November 2016
UNRELENTING rain along the Huaihe River, China's third-longest waterway, has pushed the water level to a record high and fanned concerns over possible floods, Huaihe water conservation commission said on Wednesday. The El Nino and La Nina phenomena have had a significant effect on the weather this year, and the river flooded in the summer, said Wang Bin, an inspector from the commission. Since October, heavy rain has pushed water levels on the Huaihe tributary to record highs. In October, 177 millimeters of rain fell in the Huaihe drainage area, 289 percent more than the average of previous years, Wang said. Four billion cubic meters of water is expected to flow into Hongze Lake, which is in the lower reaches of Huaihe, in the near future. The commission has ordered local authorities to closely monitor the weather and take precautionary measures. Hydropower stations and irrigation facilities shall be properly used to control floods, it said.
http://www.shanghaidaily.com/nation/Chinas-thirdlongest-river-Huaihe-faces-significant-flood-risk/shdaily.shtml

India: Is Chennai doomed to repeat 2015's devastating floods?
The Diplomat, 28 October 2016
India’s National Institute of Disaster Mitigation has identified floods as the most recurrent disaster in India and marked 23 Indian states as flood-prone. It further categorized urban floods and riverine floods, indicating that each requires different control strategies. In December 2015, the city of Chennai in south India faced one of its worst natural disasters ever in the form of rain-induced urban floods that ravaged the city. At the precipice of the monsoon in the state of Tamil Nadu, of which Chennai is the capital, it is important to look at how flood mitigation and disaster preparedness efforts are shaping up in the city. After the AIADMK government that was in power during the Chennai floods was re-elected this May, Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa sanctioned $1.6 million toward putting flood-prevention machinery in place and desilting lakes and other water bodies.
http://thediplomat.com/2016/10/is-chennai-doomed-to-repeat-2015s-devastating-floods/

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Open source' seeds key to food security in Kenya
The Standard (press release), 1 November 2016
One of the most celebrated United Nations events, the World Food Day, was marked on the October 16, this year. Even as we celebrated the World Food Day to promote awareness and action against hunger, malnutrition and poverty, 1.5 million Kenyans are still starving. The Government has led strategic interventions such as Njaa Marufuku, National Expanded Irrigation programmes, Strategy for Revitalising Agriculture, Kilimo Biashara and Food Bio fortification and there have been slight declines in the Country Hunger Index over the years as documented in the Global Hunger Index and other reports. Malnutrition has also slightly declined as evident from data on nutritional status of women and children from the Kenya Demographic Health survey. A lot has been achieved in the recent past; however, this is not enough to halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger, a set target in the Millennium Development Goals which transitioned in 2015.
http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000221675/open-source-seeds-key-to-food-security-in-kenya

EU, FAO achieve €8.6m food projects in eastern Sudan
Sudan Tribune, 31 October 2016
The European Union has achieved a 8.5 million Euro developments projects to address food security in four states in eastern Sudan implemented by the Nation’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and local actors. In a joint statement released on Sunday, the EU Mission in Sudan and the FAO said the situation in Sudan, which is vulnerable to climatic variability, has been exacerbated by the effects of El Niño-driven changes in the rainfall pattern. "This has contributed to reduced water and grazing land availability, as well as lower agricultural production increasing crisis-level food insecurity, especially in the Eastern regions of the Country," underlined the joint statement. In this context, the purpose of the €8.6 million programme is to address these challenges in eastern Sudan states of Blue Nile, Gedaref, Kassala and Red Sea. Local authorities in the region are involved with the FAO to implement this capacity building and development plan.
http://sudantribune.com/spip.php?article60700

Uganda: Government to develop irrigation scheme
AllAfrica.com, 2 November 2016
The State minister for Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries, Mr Christopher Mbalibula Kibanzanga, has said the government is negotiating with the South Korean government to develop a solar pump irrigation scheme system on River Mpologoma on Tirinyi Road in eastern Uganda. Mr Mbalibula said the project is intended to stop farmers from depending on traditional rain as the only source of water for agriculture produce, yet there is plenty of water sources that can be put to better use for agriculture sustainability to increase on house whole income of farmers. The minister made the remarks during launch of a pilot demonstration centre of modern rice milling machine at Upland Rice Millers Ltd in partnership with Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) in Jinja on 1st November.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201611020020.html

Rwanda: How small scale irrigation has turned Rwandan farmers into multi-millionaires
AllAfrica.com, 31 October 2016
The long awaited rainy season is finally with us and is a great relief to many small scale farmers around the country who depend on the rains for farming. In the dry season, many farms are visibly dry and bare as farmers abandon them for lack of rain and seek other means of making a living for their families. This is contrary to the new way of life for farmers in Nyagatare District, many of whom solely depend on agriculture for their daily bread. Farmers here no longer rely on seasonal rainfall for farming activities. In fact the dry season is to them the most profitable. While other farmers are lamenting the dry season for lack of rain, they are smiling all the way to the bank under the hot scorching heat. In 2014 the government of Rwanda through the Ministry of Agriculture and Animal Resources (MINAGRI) embarked on a project that has seen many farmers' lives improve by leaps and bounds. Many have seemingly been turned into overnight millionaires.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201610310064.html

Kenya: Irrigation projects gobble up billions but hunger persists
AllAfrica.com, 30 October 2016
How the Galana Kulalu scheme has managed to produce only 70,000 bags of maize despite being allocated Sh7 billion is raising serious questions about the government's projects aimed at enhancing food security. The Sh7 billion allocated last year was meant to place 10,000 acres under irrigation but, so far, only 2,500 acres have been achieved. When it was launched, the project was touted to be a game changer with a potential to produce 20 million bags which is 41 per cent of Kenya's annual maize consumption and bring the price of unga down to Sh83. But two years down the line, the 70,000 bags are not even enough to meet demands of just one county in need of food aid. The National Irrigation Board (NIB) says they have taken long to realise their target because they have been testing different varieties of maize in a bid to find the best variety.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201610300005.html

Sri Lanka to initiate many major irrigation projects in next few months
Colombo Page, 28 October 2016
Sri Lanka's President Maithripala Sirisena said the country always achieved victories through major irrigation projects and marking a dawn of a new era in the agricultural sector of the country, the works of many major irrigation projects will be initiated in the next few months. Participating in the 30th Annual General Meeting of the Mahaweli Engineering Society, held under the patronage of the President at the Hector Kobbekaduwa Agrarian Research and Training Institute in Colombo on Friday (28), the President said the Government has currently implemented many irrigation projects with the local and foreign financial assistance and steps have also been taken to commence works of many suspended projects.
http://www.colombopage.com/archive_16B/Oct28_1477665955CH.php

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