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U.S. NAFTA dairy demands unacceptable: Alberta agriculture minister
17 Oct, 2017
Alberta’s agriculture and forestry minister Oneil Carlier said that the latest demands made by the United States during NAFTA negotiations are unacceptable for the dairy industry. He was responding to reports that American negotiators want an end to the supply management system for dairy, chicken, eggs and turkey within the next decade.
http://edmontonjournal.com/news/politics/u-s-nafta-dairy-demands-unacceptable-alberta-agriculture-minister
Africa expends $35bn annually on food imports: AfDB
20 Oct
, 2017
The President of African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has stated that Africa spends $35 billion annually on food imports. Specifically, he said it is unacceptable by his estimates, if the current trend continues stressing that Africa is estimated to spend $110 billion by 2030 on food imports.
https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2017/10/20/afdb-africa-expends-35bn-annually-on-food-imports/
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CLIMATE CHANGE
Fiji to sell world's first climate change 'green' bonds
18 Oct, 2017
Fiji will issue a US$50 million (S$67.8 million) "green" bond in coming weeks to help combat the effects of global climate change, the first developing country to do so, Prime Minister Frank Bainimarama said. The Pacific Island nation is seen as particularly vulnerable to climate change, with some of its 300 low-lying islands susceptible to rising seas. The bond will be the first to earmark the cash raised to address the issue, according to the World Bank.
http://www.straitstimes.com/asia/australianz/fiji-to-sell-worlds-first-climate-change-green-bonds
Seven children to sue European governments over climate change
19 Oct, 2017
Seven children are to sue European governments in a landmark lawsuit over the impact that climate change is having on their lives. The Portuguese youngsters, some from the Leiria region which has been devastated by wildfires twice this year, are seeking a ruling to force 47 countries to dramatically cut greenhouse gas emissions.
http://www.breakingnews.ie/world/seven-children-to-sue-european-governments-over-climate-change-810562.html
VN to develop alerts for climate change-related diseases
20 Oct, 2017
HCM City: Vietnam is developing an integrated database and early warning system for diseases related to climate change, Đỗ Mạnh Cường of the Ministry of Health said at a meeting held in HCM City. Reportedly, the ministry was developing a health adaptation plan to climate change for the period 2017-21.
http://vietnamnews.vn/society/405931/vn-to-develop-alerts-for-climate-change-related-diseases.html#G5TTpqdMDLPiZhTj.97
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DROUGHTS
Time, money aggravates Cape Town's water crisis
19 Oct, 2017
Cape Town is experiencing the worst drought in its recorded history. Desalination plants and other plans - which are in the pipeline for Cape Town to help alleviate the water crisis - will probably cost the city billions of rand, and it is not yet clear where this money will come from. Another possibly hampering factor could be the time it will take to construct these facilities.
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/time-and-money-two-major-obstacles-in-tackling-cape-towns-water-crisis-20171019
Parts of New England in ‘moderate drought’
19 Oct, 2017
Boston: A stretch of unusually warm and dry fall weather has pushed portions of New England back into drought. Nearly 43 percent of Connecticut and 32 percent of Massachusetts are considered to be in “moderate drought.” Portions of Maine, New Hampshire and Rhode Island are also reporting moderate drought conditions due to the recent shortage of rain.
https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/parts-of-new-england-in-moderate-drought/
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FLOODS
Storm Brian hits Britain after flooding in south-west Ireland
21 Oct, 2017
Parts of Britain have been battered by winds of almost 80mph and heavy rains as storm Brian crossed the Irish Sea after causing flooding in some parts of Ireland. Gusts of 78mph (125km/h), the highest recorded on Saturday afternoon, struck the Llŷn Peninsula on the north-west coast of Wales, the Met Office said.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/oct/21/storm-brian-causes-flooding-in-south-west-ireland
Water minister: Corruption not a major issue in flood management
19 Oct, 2017
Dhaka: Speaking at a discussion in Dhaka as the chief guest Water Resources Minister Anisul Islam Mahmud said, “It is true that there is some corruption in the construction and repair work of flood embankments, but it is not serious.” Since the corruption occurs at small scale, it is also difficult to trace, he added. The discussion, titled “Flood 2017: Current Situation and Necessary Actions,” was organized by policy think tank Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/dhaka/2017/10/19/corruption-not-major-issue-flood/
Victims of floods can sue, say academics
20 Oct, 2017
Bangkok: Authorities are violating their own rules and could be sued for not maintaining irrigation facilities properly and failing to implement a disaster-prevention plan and warning system, academics said. Maha Sarakham University lecturer Chainarong Sretthachau said that the Royal Irrigation Department (RID) was violating its own rules by allowing the dam to fail and the affected people could sue it for not performing its duty properly.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30329696
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FOOD SECURITY
World Food Day: FAO addresses food security concerns as global population swells
16 Oct, 2017
This World Food Day, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations says one way to combat a globally growing population and the food insecurity that brings, is to change the future of migration, invest in food security and rural development.
http://www.foodingredientsfirst.com/news/world-food-day-fao-addresses-food-security-concerns-as-global-population-swells.html
Yemen calls for greater international assistance to food security, malnutrition
16 Oct, 2017
As countries around the globe celebrated World Food Day, Yemen currently suffers from the worst humanitarian crisis in the world with 17 million of its people – nearly 60 percent of the country’s population – in “crisis” or “emergency” conditions. The latest Food Security report, issued in September, stated that almost three-quarters of the Yemeni population face starvation as food security in the country continues to worsen.
https://reliefweb.int/report/yemen/amid-celebrations-world-food-day-yemen-calls-greater-international-assistance-food
World Food Prize winner says he won't rest until 'Africa feeds itself'
19 Oct, 2017
Akinwumi Adesina, the 2017 World Food Prize winner, said on Thursday "there will be no rest for me until Africa feeds itself." Adesina, president of the African Development Bank Group, said he would use the $250,000 award that comes with the prestigious prize to provide fellowships and grants to young Africans, dedicated to making a living through agriculture.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/money/agriculture/2017/10/19/world-food-prize-winner-says-he-wont-rest-until-africa-feeds-itself/782712001/
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IRRIGATION
Iran developing indigenous farming model to save on water
20 Oct, 2017
The Iranian government is developing an indigenous farming and cultivation model that will suit the country’s climate and resources, with the aim to save water. This model is being developed by the Supreme Council on Water, which is headed by the country’s first vice president and brings representatives from a multiplicity of ministries and organizations.
https://www.azernews.az/region/120836.html
Odisha announces Rs. 1,250 cr irrigation project: India
16 Oct, 2017
The Odisha government on Monday announced a Rs. 1,250 crore mega irrigation system, named Gangadhar Meher Lift Canal System, in the state's Bargarh district. "This project will irrigate a gross command area of about 32,000 hectares including 25,600 hectares in Kharif and 7,000 hectares in Rabi season," said Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.
http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/odisha-announces-rs-1-250-cr-irrigation-project-117101600582_1.html
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WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
World's deepest lake undergoing gravest crisis in recent history
19 Oct, 2017
Moscow: Lake Baikal is undergoing its gravest crisis in recent history, experts say, as the government bans the catching of a signature fish that has lived in the world's deepest lake for centuries but is now under threat. Holding one-fifth of the world's unfrozen fresh water, Baikal in Russia's Siberia is a natural wonder of "exceptional value to evolutionary science" meriting its listing as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/worlds-deepest-lake-undergoing-gravest-crisis-in-recent-history-1764724
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS
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 “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/
Global Water Security for Agriculture and Natural Resources (GWSAN): An ASABE Global Initiative Conference, Hyderabad, India, 3-6 October 2018.
Website: http://www.asabewater.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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