|
China sets 2020 target for nationwide ethanol use to cut corn stocks
13 Sept, 2017
Beijing: China plans to roll out the use of ethanol in gasoline nationally by 2020, state media reported citing a government document, as Beijing intensifies its push to boost industrial demand for corn and clean up choking smog.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-biofuels/china-sets-2020-target-for-nationwide-ethanol-use-to-cut-corn-stocks-idUSKCN1BO03R
Puerto Rico agriculture hard-hit by Hurricane Irma
14 Sept, 2017
Farmers are assessing damages and making recovery efforts in Puerto Rico, after Hurricane Irma slammed the Caribbean island. Puerto Rico Farm Bureau President Hector Cordero says nearly one-third of crops were lost because of the storm.
https://www.fb.org/podcast/puerto-rico-agriculture-hard-hit-by-hurricane-irma
[Top ]
CLIMATE CHANGE
Top White House official to discuss Climate Change at U.N
12
Sept, 2017
Washington: Gary D. Cohn, the chief White House economic adviser, is convening senior climate and energy ministers from about a dozen nations in advance of next week’s United Nations General Assembly meeting, the White House confirmed.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/12/climate/trump-adviser-gary-cohn-un-climate-change-meeting.html
Ugandan farmers adopt new techniques to weather Climate Change
14 Sept, 2017
Climate change continues to have a major impact on small-scale farmers throughout the country, as farmers lose crops and food prices soar due to the resulting food shortages each season. In response, the government is working to reach more rural farmers with smart-farming techniques that they can use year-round.
http://www.seattleglobalist.com/2017/09/14/ugandan-farmers-adopt-smart-farming-techniques-to-combat-climate-change/68699
[ Top ]
DROUGHTS
Wildfires, drought impacting Montana Agriculture
12
Sept,
2017
Wildfires and drought in Montana continue to threaten the state’s agriculture industry. The latest Drought Monitor shows 26 percent of the state in the most severe drought category with all of the states in some form of classified drought.
https://www.fb.org/podcast/wildfires-impacting-montana-agriculture
Despite floods, at least 235 districts likely to face drought this year: Met Dept
6 Sept, 2017
Even though several states saw devastating floods in 2017, the India Meteorological Department has said that nearly 235 districts across the country are likely to experience drought this year because of a monsoon deficit of at least 20%.
https://scroll.in/latest/850615/despite-floods-at-least-235-districts-likely-to-face-drought-this-year-says-met-department
[ Top ]
FLOODS
Penang hit by flash floods following downpour
15 Sept, 2017
Heavy rain has been lashing five districts in Penang, causing floods, landslides, and traffic congestion, uprooting trees, and raising the water levels of two rivers to above the danger point in several areas, according to the state Fire and Rescue Department.
https://www.malaysiakini.com/news/395238
Flood management deals could earn farmers £15k a year
10
Sept,
2017
Setting up a private market in water management could see farmers earn money from businesses in areas susceptible to flooding, analysis by Green Alliance and the National Trust finds.
https://www.businessgreen.com/bg/news/3017019/report-flood-management-deals-could-earn-farmers-gbp15k-a-year
[ Top ]
FOOD SECURITY
North Korea faces food shortages after intense drought, bad harvest
14 Sept, 2017
North Koreans are likely to face serious food shortages despite recent relief from an intense dry spell, officials from the UN Food and Agricultural Organization said. Rainfall has improved since August, but the change in precipitation comes too late to reverse the worst effects of drought.
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/09/13/north-korea-food-shortage-looms-after-drought-hits-harvests.html
[ Top ]
IRRIGATION
PM Modi inaugurates India's biggest dam; 9,000 villages to benefit
17 Sept,
2017
Sardar Sarovar Dam in Narmada district's Kevadia and India's highest was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 17, 2017
. Modi said that over 18 lakh hectares of land in the state would be benefitted with irrigation as Narmada water will flow to over 9,000 villages of Gujarat through a canal network.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/pm-modi-inaugurates-countrys-biggest-dam-on-his-67th-birthday/articleshow/60717721.cms
[ Top ]
WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
The Bahamas set to host UNESCO Conference on Water Resources Management
14 Sept,
2017
Nassau, The Bahamas: The formation of a National Committee to enhance knowledge of local water resources, matters pertaining to protection, governance, and integrated water resources management will be a primary outcome of the UNESCO International Hydrological Programme (IHP) Meeting in Nassau next week.
https://goo.gl/4oTHjc
Sharjah’s SEWA chairman appointed to World Water Advisors Council
14 Sept, 2017
The chairman of the Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority (Sewa), Dr. Rashid Alleem, has been appointed as a member of Singapore’s World Water Advisors Council for his efforts in support of sustainable development practices.
http://www.utilities-me.com/article-5062-sharjahs-sewa-chairman-appointed-to-world-water-advisors-council/
[Top]
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
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/
Drainage and Flood Control Summit, 26 - 27 November 2017, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Website: https://drainagefloodcontrol.com/
8th Asian Regional Conference, 2-4 May 2018, Kathmandu, Nepal, on the theme of “Irrigation in Support of an Evergreen Revolution”
Website:http://nencid.org.np/
69th IEC & Regional Conference, 12–17 August, 2018, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, on the theme: Innovative and Sustainable Agri-water Management: Adapting to a Variable and Changing Climate.
Website: http://www.icid2018.org/
[Top]
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
|