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Japan Pledges $9m USD for Afghan Agriculture
27 February 2017
Japan embassy on Monday in Kabul said the country will support Afghanistan with $9 million USD to improve Afghanistan agricultural production. The project, Improvement of the Agricultural Value Chain in Herat, will be implemented until March of 2019 in Injil district of Herat province.
http://www.tolonews.com/business/japan-pledges-9-usd-afghan-agriculture
How Buhari’s agric programme is creating jobs, pushing Nigeria towards self-sufficiency in rice
27 February 2017
In late 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari launched the pilot phase of the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP), spurring thousands to debut as rice growers on at least one hectare of land each. Even for existing farmers, pre-ABP, the programme, despite its downside, helped improve operations.
http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/224697-special-report-%e2%80%8ehow-buharis-agric-programme-is-creating-jobs-pushing-nigeria-towards-self-sufficiency-in-rice.html
Washington State Professor Finds Sky-high Opportunities for Drones in Agriculture
27 February 2017
Many farmers and ranchers are already benefitting from drone technology, but the work of researchers like Dr. Lav Khot is showing that we’ve only scratched the surface of what this relatively new technology can do for agriculture.
http://www.fb.org/news/washington-state-professor-finds-sky-high-opportunities-for-drones-in-agric
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CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change may boost mercury in ecosystems, food chain
27 February 2017
Rising temperatures may cause localized increases in the amount of toxic mercury introduced into ecosystems, impacting wildlife and the food chain.
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/climate-change-may-boost-mercury-in-ecosystems-food-chain/70000910
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DROUGHTS
WHO scales up response in Somalia as drought-affected populations face difficult situation
27 February 2017
The World Health Organization (WHO) is scaling up its response in Somalia to provide critical health services for 1.5 million people currently affected by severe drought conditions and a worsening food crisis.
http://www.emro.who.int/media/news/who-scales-up-response-in-somalia-as-drought-affected-populations-face-difficult-situation.html
‘Drained bone dry’: Battling 15 years of drought, Colorado River could decline by 35% by end of century
27 February 2017
The drought-stricken Colorado River Basin has gotten some temporary relief in the past few weeks after winter storms have pounded the region with fresh rain and snow. But while this is good news in the short term, experts are warning that the troubled Colorado River – which has been battling drought for the past 15 years – is still facing some serious long-term challenges. A new study, released in the journal Water Resources Research, suggests that future warming could cause the river’s flow to decline by as much as 35 per cent by the end of the century.
http://news.nationalpost.com/news/world/drained-bone-dry-battling-15-years-of-drought-colorado-river-could-decline-by-35-by-end-of-century
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FLOODS
With Climate Change, California Is Likely To See More Extreme Flooding
28 February 2017
Almost 200,000 people were ordered to evacuate after a hole in the emergency spillway in Northern California's Oroville Dam threatened to flood the surrounding area. Climate change could be a factor of extreme flooding in California.
http://www.npr.org/2017/02/28/517495739/with-climate-change-california-is-likely-to-see-more-extreme-flooding
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FOOD SECURITY
Food security will not be achieved by 2030 without sustainable actions, FAO warns
02 March 2017
Without additional efforts to promote pro-poor development, reduce inequalities and protect vulnerable people, more than 600 million people would still be undernourished in 2030.” This was revealed by the United Nations Organization Food and Agriculture Organization in its new report entitled “The Future of Food and Agriculture: Trends and Challenges”
http://www.ecofinagency.com/agriculture/0203-36545-food-security-will-not-be-achieved-by-2030-without-sustainable-actions-fao-warns
3 key ingredients to achieve food security in Africa
27 February 2017
Feeding a growing number of Africans, as climate change intensifies, will require boosting harvests - and environmental protection
http://news.trust.org/item/20170227151821-hgat6
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IRRIGATION
90% of Iran’s Farmlands Irrigated
6 March 2017
About 90% of Iran’s agricultural products are cultivated on irrigated lands, according to deputy energy minister. “Instead of increasing agro production by expanding irrigated farmlands, there is an urgent need to focus on higher productivity in the sector and to reduce environmental pollutants,” the Persian daily Shorou quoted Rahim Meydani as saying at the 13th International Drainage Workshop.
https://financialtribune.com/articles/economy-domestic-economy/60853/90-of-iran-s-farmlands-irrigated
Irrigation to Begin on the Rio Grande Project
4 March 2017
The Rio Grande Project is used to irrigate lands in the Elephant Butte Irrigation District in southern New Mexico and in the El Paso County Water Improvement District No. 1 in far west Texas. The Rio Grande Project also supplies water to Mexico in accordance with the 1906 international treaty. In addition, water from the project is used for municipal and industrial purposes by the city of El Paso, Texas.
http://krwg.org/post/irrigation-begin-rio-grande-project
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WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
New standards for better water quality in Europe
27 February 2017
The European Water Framework Directive has been in force since 2000. Its purpose is to ensure that rivers, lakes, coastal waters and groundwater achieve a 'good status' by 2027. However, Europe still has a long way to go to achieve its goal. In many places there is a need to implement concrete measures to improve the water body structure, restore the continuity of surface water and reduce contamination with nutrients and pollutants with much more consistency than has been the case so far.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/02/170227100740.htm
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS
13th International Drainage Workshop (IDW), Ahwaz City, Iran, 4-7 March 2017, Theme: Drainage and Environmental Sustainability.
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/
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LATEST PUBLICATION(S)
National Agriculture Policy, Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, September 2016.
Agriculture remains the mainstay of Malawi’s economy, contributing significantly to employment, economic growth, export earnings, poverty reduction, food security, and nutrition. It also plays a critical role in ensuring sustainable use of natural resources. All of these pose a threat to food security and nutrition in the face of a growing population, increased land pressure, and climate change. In trying to address these challenges in the past, Malawi has over-concentrated on maize self-sufficiency for food and tobacco as a cash crop, at the expense of other agricultural commodities, including livestock and fisheries. Moreover, the sector remains predominantly subsistence-oriented. In response, the NAP seeks to sustainably transform the sector from subsistence to a market orientation in order to increase agricultural production, marketed surpluses of commodities, and real incomes.
http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/NAP_Final_Signed.pdf
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