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International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage (ICID), established in 1950 as a scientific, technical and voluntary not-for-profit non-governmental international organization has the Mission to Work together towards sustainable agriculture water management through inter-disciplinary approaches to economically viable, socially acceptable and environmentally sound irrigation, drainage and flood management. ICID e-Bulletin is a compilation of news items of importance during the preceding week in respect of Agriculture, Climate Change, Drainage, Droughts, Floods, Food Security, Irrigation and Water Resources Management that might be of interest to the ICID fraternity. Feedbacks on the usefulness of the bulletin are solicited vikram@icid.org
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Directory on Irrigation and Drainage - Products and Services (Yellow Pages)
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
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS
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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
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AGRICULTURE |
Agriculture in Pakistan
Daily Times, 22 November 2016
Pakistan has an agriculture-based economy and most of its population earns its bread and butter through farming and related businesses. Pakistan has rich resources of fertile land, abundant water and most favourable climate. Pakistan basically belongs to the farming community. The agriculture sector was given importance in the 1960s but it has been facing successive governments’ neglect for the last few years. Agriculture contributes 21percent to Pakistan's GDP, employs 43.5 percent of country's workforce and contributes more than 66 percent to export earnings. Wheat, rice, maize, barley, gram, cotton, sugarcane, tobacco are major export products which we get from our agriculture sector. Unfortunately this sector is not being paid proper attention and as a result, the production of agricultural crops has lowered. This apathetic attitude of the government has given birth to a number of problems.
http://dailytimes.com.pk/letters/22-Nov-16/agriculture-in-pakistan
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CLIMATE CHANGE |
Namibia: Water crisis - Is climate change the perfect scapegoat?
AllAfrica.com, 18 November 2016
The one-sided global debate on climate change has indirectly crippled critical thinking and service delivery across many sectors. In 2006, a former UK secretary of state compared climate change sceptics to terrorists, who should be censored. Several others have labelled climate change sceptics as a threat to humanity, who should be tried before the courts. Calls to dominate discussions with climate change advocates as opposed to sceptics have been made. The culture of not critically questioning climate change has been promoted. As a result, the wider public has been conditioned to create a huge backlash at sceptics. While taking cognizance of the pressure exerted on water resources by climate change, our current water crisis seems to emanate more from poor management. Climate change has overshadowed the real cause of the water crisis, such as social demographics, land use, governance, lack of pro activeness, ignorance, as well as lack of community participation.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201611180138.html
Moroccan vault protects seeds from climate change and war
Fox News, 13 November 2016
Should a doomsday agricultural crisis hit the world's driest environments, scientists and farmers will turn to an up-and-coming research center and seed bank in Morocco to restock their harvests. Tucked away in the university hub of Irfane in Rabat, the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas, or ICARDA, hosts the largest collection of seeds in North Africa. "If for any reason, a particular community lost all their resources, we are capable of providing them with the seeds for restoration and rehabilitation," says Ahmed Amri, head of ICARDA's Genetic Resources Unit. The crucial role of seed banks in protecting biodiversity is receiving increasing attention because of climate change, which threatens to wipe out crops as dry areas of the world get even hotter and drier. The impact on African agriculture is among the topics being discussed at U.N. climate talks taking place through next week in Morocco.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/11/13/moroccan-vault-protects-seeds-from-climate-change-and-war.html
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DROUGHTS |
Bolivia declares state of emergency over worst drought in 25 years
The Guardian, 21 November 2016
Bolivia’s government has declared a state of emergency over the worst drought in 25 years, making funds available to alleviate a crisis that has affected families and the agricultural sector. The vice-ministry of civil defence estimated that the drought has affected 125,000 families and threatened 290,000 hectares (716,605 acres) of agricultural land and 360,000 heads of cattle. President Evo Morales called on local governments to devote funds and workers to drill wells and transport water to cities in vehicles, with the support of the armed forces, from nearby bodies of water. “We have to be prepared for the worst,” Morales said at a press conference, adding that the current crisis was an opportunity to “plan large investments” to adapt to the effects of climate change on the country’s water supply. The national state of emergency comes after 172 of the country’s 339 municipalities declared their own emergencies related to the drought.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/21/bolivia-drought-state-of-emergency-water-shortages
USA: 102 million trees have died in California’s drought
Motherboard, 20 November 2016
An aerial survey by the U.S. Forest Service has revealed some startling information: since 2010, California’s drought has claimed the lives of 102 million trees across 7.7 million acres of forest. In the 2016 calendar year alone, 62 million trees have died —marking a massive 100 percent increase in tree mortality in the state compared to 2015—and millions of weakened trees are estimated to fall in the upcoming months and years. “The scale of die-off in California is unprecedented in our modern history,” Randy Moore, a forester for the U.S. Forest Service, told The L.A. Times. Moore added that trees are dying “at a rate much quicker than we thought.” In addition to changing the landscape of California, the tree deaths leave both the residents and the environment at risk. First off, there’s the public safety hazard that comes with falling trees.
http://motherboard.vice.com/read/102-million-trees-have-died-in-californias-drought
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FLOODS |
Ethiopian government aims to mitigate floods with new dams
Reliefweb, 23 November 2016
The Ethiopian Government is planning to construct two new dams to mitigate Ethiopia’s devastating and recurring floods. The decision comes just a few months after flash floods ravaged the country, causing as many as one hundred fatalities and displacing tens of thousands of people. The construction, orchestrated by the Awash Basin Authority of Water Resources, Irrigation (ABA) and Energy Ministry, will take place in the Afar region and is estimated to cost 11.7 billion Birr. 236,890 people have displaced since late March due to persistent and torrential rains and corresponding flash floods. The dams are to be part of Ethiopia’s Second Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP-2) which is built on sectoral policies, strategies and programs, lessons drawn from the implementation of the GTP-1 and the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The aim of the GTP-2 is to build a carbon resilient and environment friendly economy elevating Ethiopia to a lower middle income country by 2025.
http://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/ethiopian-government-aims-mitigate-floods-new-dams
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FOOD SECURITY |
Food security benefits found in African biofuels production
Ethanol Producer Magazine, 17 November 2016
Biofuels operations under the right conditions can lead to improved household food security in developing countries, concludes a new study. Irish university research is adding to the body of knowledge about the impact biofuels production has on food security in Africa. Stephen Thornhill, research fellow, and colleagues from the University College Cork, Ireland, recently published the results of their work in the Springer Link journal, Food Security. In the paper, the authors review the limited development of biofuel production on the continent, which has seen a limited number of successful new biofuel operations. The changing policy environment has not been conducive to that development and investors have become increasingly concerned about future demand potential. For example, EU policy is under pressure to cap the amount of biofuels made from food-based feedstocks and African governments have been slow to introduce supportive policies for their own domestic markets.
http://www.ethanolproducer.com/articles/13918/food-security-benefits-found-in-african-biofuels-production
Measuring the State of food security in Sub-Saharan Africa
DuPont Food Security, 17 November 2016
The 2016 findings of the DuPont-sponsored Global Food Security Index (GFSI) were released June 9 by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). The GFSI creates a framework for benchmarking a nation’s food security utilizing the core drivers of food affordability, availability, and quality and safety. This is the fourth in a series of reports that offer a snapshot of food security in a selection of the 113 counties examined by the GFSI. Over the past five years, the Global Food Security Index (GFSI) has revealed improvements in food security, but low-income, developing countries still face many obstacles. The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) reports that overall global economic growth has led to improvements in the structural areas that are essential to improving people’s access to a wide range of affordable and nutritious food, including more extensive food safety-net programs, expanded food transport infrastructure and greater diet diversity. Low-income countries have not yet reached this threshold.
http://foodsecurity.dupont.com/2016/11/17/measuring-the-state-of-food-security-in-sub-saharan-africa/
Sierra Leone: Early warning system for food security
The Patriotic Vanguard, 16 November 2016
The Planning, Evaluation, Monitoring and Statistics Division (PEMSD) at the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security has unveiled a national early warning system (NEWS) for food security in Sierra Leone. The system tracks and monitors food availability, accessibility and affordability through a statistical averaging of a network of markets, production centres and mainstream agricultural farm gates in the country. The NEWS system will provide rapid information on food and variations in prices at different sites across the country. It will be able to monitor the price of rice at Moyamba Junction at the same time as it provides the cost for rice at Kamabai. The Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, Prof Patrick Monty Jones (photo) commended the PEMSD Division at the Ministry for the good work that they have been doing, mentioning that since his arrival at the Ministry, he had come to rely on the Division for information and statistical data.
http://www.thepatrioticvanguard.com/sierra-leone-early-warning-system-for-food-security
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IRRIGATION |
China’s 2,000 year-old irrigation system still tames floods
New Vision, 20 November 2016
In China’s central province of Sichuan, the city of Dujiangyan is home to an ancient irrigation system that still tames floods and irrigates plains to support agriculture. The Dujiangyan irrigation system was built over 2,200 years ago around 250 BC under the guidance of Li Bing, the then governor of the Shu Prefecture of the Qin State. Historical accounts show that the Minjiang River, on which the irrigation system was built, often flooded and wreaked havoc across the vast Chengdu Plain. Part of the astounding engineering project involved cutting a channel through the surrounding Mount Yulei. In the middle of the river a dyke was then created, dividing it into two: an inner river and an outer river, each with its own distinct function. Two spill ways were built at the end of the dyke, creating a gravity irrigation system that soon stopped the floods, yet at the same time diverted water for agriculture. Since its construction two thousand years ago, agricultural production has improved and the size of irrigated land expanded, from 126,000 hectares to over 660,000 hectares covering 36 counties.
http://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1440426/china-irrigation-tames-floods
IFAD signs US$25.5 million agreement to revitalize irrigation for drought-hit farmers in Zimbabwe
ReliefWeb, 18 November 2016
The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Government of Zimbabwe signed a US$25.5 million agreement today to revitalize 6,100 hectares in 152 existing smallholder irrigation schemes in the semi-arid zones in four provinces: Manicaland, Masvingo, Matabeleland South and Midlands. Over 27,700 poor rural households will benefit from this programme. The agreement was signed in Rome by Patrick Chinamasa, Minister for Finance and Economic Development of Zimbabwe and Kanayo F. Nwanze, President of IFAD. The Smallholder Irrigation Revitalization Programme (SIRP) will cover some 46 per cent of the country’s estimated total irrigation-equipped area of about 13,000 hectares. The total cost of the project is US$51.3 million, including $15 million from the OPEC Fund for International Development, $7.9 million from the Government of Zimbabwe and $3.2 million from the beneficiaries themselves.
http://reliefweb.int/report/zimbabwe/ifad-signs-us255-million-agreement-revitalize-irrigation-drought-hit-farmers
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WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
AFD promotes Integrated Water Resources Management in the East
The Sunday Times Sri Lanka, 27 November 2016
As part of its mandate to promote green and socially inclusive growth in Sri Lanka, the French Agency for Development (AFD) is exploring the possibility of implementing a development project in Mundeni Aru Basin in Batticaloa and Ampara districts. This project estimated to cost more than 100 million Euros would benefit the population among the most vulnerable of the island, mainly through a support to farming activities in an area frequently impacted by droughts but also by reducing the risk of flooding, Martin Parent AFD Director, Sri Lanka and Maldives, told the Business Times. An AFD mission paid an observation visit to the Eastern Province recently to identify this project with a view of devising an implementation plan. The mission was conducted with the technical support of Société Canal de Provence (SCP), a French company recognized for its expertise for water management in France.
http://www.sundaytimes.lk/161127/business-times/afd-promotes-integrated-water-resources-management-in-the-east-217934.html
Iran to use ancient remedy for its water crisis
Press TV, 22 November 2016
Iran says it is working on a project to look for water from underground resources – what could take the country back to ancient times when the inhabitants dug deep wells to answer water shortages. Sattar Mahmoudi, Iran’s deputy energy minister was quoted by the domestic media as saying that the project envisages looking for underground water resources as deep as 2,000 meters, stressing that the country will use Russia’s help for this. Mahmoudi added that the government has allocated a budget of Rials 200 billion ($5.7 million) to conduct the required studies. The official added that eastern parts of Iran are specifically believed to contain underground formations that hold significant volumes of water – what is technically referred to as the ‘fossil water’ remaining from ancient seas. “Iran is planning to study the underground resources in the east in cooperation with the Russians,” he told Iran’s IRNA news agency.
http://www.presstv.ir/Detail/2016/11/22/494655/Iran-to-use-ancient-remedy-for-its-water-crisis---
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LATEST PUBLICATION(S) |
FAO, 2016, A methodology for greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration assessments in agriculture - Supplemental materials for info note series analysing low emissions agricultural practices in USAID development projects, FAO; International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), Working Paper No. 187.
Agriculture is a major contributor to GHG emissions, especially in developing countries, where this sector accounts for an average of 35% of all GHGs emissions. Yet many agricultural interventions can also help to reduce GHG impacts. This paper presents the methodology to estimate impacts of agricultural interventions on GHG emissions and carbon sequestration, used in an analysis of several development projects supported by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and presented as a series of case studies. The methodology allows users to estimate (i) GHG impacts at project scale, (ii) GHG emissions by agricultural practice and (iii) GHG emissions per unit of output (emission intensity). The presented approach is a rapid assessment technique that is well suited to provide an indication of the magnitude of GHG impacts and compare GHG impact strength of different field activities or cropping systems.
http://www.fao.org/3/a-i6422e.pdf
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SAVE PAPER - Please do not print this e-mail unless absolutely necessary
ICID e-Bulletin is a weekly compilation providing a snapshot of international media coverage of and commentary on ICID-related issues that does not purport to be exhaustive. The information contained in the compilationis taken as is from sources external to the ICID Central Office and freely available on the Internet. No evaluation on the part of the ICID Central Office has been made in terms of the authenticity of the information that they contain. The ICID Central Office makes no warranty, either express or implied, as to the accuracy.
IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE - The Journal of the ICID
Articles available via complimentary online access at: http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/ird
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2nd World Irrigation Forum and 67th IEC, 6-12 November 2016, Chiang Mai, Thailand, Website: http://www.worldirrigationforum.net
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