|
Puerto Rico’s agriculture, farmers decimated by Hurricane Maria
24 Sept, 2017
Hurricane Maria wiped out about 80 percent of the crop value in Puerto Rico — making it one of the costliest storms to hit the island’s agriculture industry, said Carlos Flores Ortega, Puerto Rico’s secretary of the Department of Agriculture. The island suffered a loss of $780 million in agriculture yields, according to the department’s preliminary figures.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/24/us/puerto-rico-hurricane-maria-agriculture-.html
Malawi mining, agriculture to get a boost
28
Sept, 2017
Mining and agriculture sectors in Malawi are expected to get a boost following a Brazilian company’s plans to invest US$50 million in the sectors. The intention to invest in the two sectors was revealed by Danilo Daneluci, Chief Executive Officer of Brazil’s Costa Negócios responsible for Africa. The two met on the sidelines of the ongoing 72nd United Nations Assembly (UNGA) in New York City, United States.
https://malawi24.com/2017/09/28/mining-agriculture-get-boost/
Asia Agri-tech Expo & Forum witness participation from 36 countries, regions
28 Sept,
2017
Taipei, Taiwan: Asia Agri-tech Expo & Forum opened its doors on Thursday to visitors representing agriculture, livestock and aquaculture companies from over 36 countries and regions looking to source the latest in seeds, seedlings, agriculture machinery, feeds & feed additives and farm equipment.
http://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/Asia-Agri-tech-Expo-Forum-Opens-to-Attendees-from-36-Countries-Regions-1002686036
[Top ]
CLIMATE CHANGE
Global warming has made European heat waves 10 times more likely, study reports
28
Sept, 2017
A group of international researchers have found that climate change has made the sweltering record-breaking temperatures that scorched Europe this summer at least 10 times more likely.
https://sciencerecorder.com/article.php?id=131705
'Off the chart' emissions add to climate change, poverty
28 Sept,
2017
A new report from Trócaire, published in advance of the Citizens' Assembly, says that emissions are "off the charts" and are contributing to hunger and a loss of water in some of the poorest countries across the globe. The 'Still Feeling the Heat' report, which analyses the effect of climate change across five countries highlights how the poorest people in the world continue to pay the price for political failure to tackle climate change.
http://www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/off-the-chart-emissions-here-add-to-climate-change-poverty-36176288.html
[ Top ]
DROUGHTS
Witch doctors in Uganda sacrificing children to end drought: Report
26
Sept,
2017
Witch doctors are sacrificing children in Uganda, looking to turn the tide with miracles in the drought-stricken country, a new report said. Officials in Uganda say the number of human sacrifices is on the rise, as the East African country battles its worst drought in more than half a century. More than 11 million people are facing food insecurity and more than 1.6 million are on the brink of famine.
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/09/26/witch-doctors-in-uganda-sacrificing-children-in-bid-to-end-drought-report-says.html
[ Top ]
FLOODS
Senate passes FAA extension without flood insurance provision
28 Sept, 2017
The Senate cleared a six-month extension of the Federal Aviation Administration on Thursday but also removed a flood insurance provision, meaning the bill will need to return to the House. The legislative ping-pong comes after the House voted 264-155 earlier Thursday to approve the bill, which also includes new tax relief for hurricane victims.
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/352930-senate-passes-faa-extension-without-flood-insurance-provision
India: Chennai residents raise houses to escape flood fury
29 Sept,
2017
With barely a month left for the onset of the north-east (NE) monsoon, Chennaiites living in low-lying, flood-prone areas have opted for "building lifting" to raise the height of their homes and avoid getting inundated. Engineering companies in the city offering house-lifting services are flooded with inquiries and orders, particularly from residents in low-lying areas.
http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-chennai-residents-raise-houses-to-escape-flood-fury-2549148
[ Top ]
FOOD SECURITY
Disappearing traditional crops pose threat to food security, warn experts
24 Sept, 2017
Agriculture experts have warned that agriculture mechanization, expansion of large-scale agriculture and new technologies have led to the disappearance of local crop varieties as farmers look for more commercial varieties that grow faster and produce more yields. The experts were earlier this week, speaking during an African Union Regional Workshop on the Implementation of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA).
http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/220499/
Volunteers attacked delivering quake aid in southern Mexico
28 Sept, 2017
Mexico City: A group of young people delivering relief supplies to earthquake victims in the southern state of Oaxaca have been attacked and robbed. The attackers stole the group’s cellphones and about $2,000. The Archdiocese of Mexico’s information service, Siame, says unidentified gunmen waylaid a pickup truck driven by the group.
https://cruxnow.com/global-church/2017/09/28/volunteers-attacked-delivering-quake-aid-southern-mexico/
[ Top ]
IRRIGATION
Water Tech Farms give irrigators look at latest water-saving technology
25 Sept,
2017
The Kansas Water Office has teamed up with more than a dozen farmers to help extend the life of the world’s largest freshwater aquifer. Through a new kind of farm, the state is partnering with progressive farmers in a demonstration project that shows irrigators how they can do more with less. Irrigators can get a closer look at these technical advances at some of the state’s 15 Water Technology Farms, said Tracy Streeter, director of the Kansas Water Office.
http://www.gctelegram.com/news/20170925/water-tech-farms-give-irrigators-look-at-latest-water-saving-technology
[ Top ]
WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
US, Mexico reach deal on Colorado River water
27 Sept,
2017
The U.S. and Mexico have unveiled a new agreement to preserve water for millions of households and farms that depend on the overused Colorado River. The agreement sets aside some Colorado River water for environmental restoration, and it calls on the two countries and a coalition of charitable foundations to contribute a total of $18 million for restoration, research, and monitoring.
http://www.newsadvance.com/news/national/wire/the-latest-us-mexico-reach-deal-on-colorado-river-water/article_41b40eab-91bb-5f11-9627-a512aecddc1c.html
[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
|