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Singapore farms team up to boost farming sector
27 Oct, 2017
Twenty farms from the livestock, food fish and vegetable sectors have come together to form a farming federation, the Singapore Agro-Food Enterprises Federation (Safef). Members include egg farm Seng Choon Farm, Rong-Yao Fisheries and vegetable farm Sustenir Agriculture (Singapore). Farmers are banding together to improve the small but important agriculture sector.
http://www.tnp.sg/news/singapore/spore-farms-team-raise-standards
Transglobe angers Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture
24 Oct
, 2017
The Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture has expressed anger with Transglobe Company for blocking Farm Input Subsidy program (Fisp) using the courts after the company was not given a contract to supply fertilizer. The company has been blocked from supplying fertilizer this year, months after it was involved in the botched purchase of maize from Zambia.
https://malawi24.com/2017/10/24/transglobe-angers-parliamentary-committee-agriculture/
VC SABDK flags off women farmers for training in latest agriculture techniques: India
23 Oct, 2017
Jammu: Vice Chairman, State Advisory Board for Development of Kisans (SABDK), Daljit Singh Chib flagged off a group of women farmers of Jammu Division for training in “Post-Harvest processing of fresh fruits and vegetables” at Indian Council of Agriculture and Research Institute under ICAR, Pusa, New Delhi being held from 24-29 October.
http://www.dailyexcelsior.com/vc-sabdk-flags-off-women-farmers-training-latest-agriculture-techniques/
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CLIMATE CHANGE
GAO: Climate change already costing US billions in losses
24 Oct, 2017
A non-partisan federal watchdog says climate change is already costing U.S. taxpayers billions of dollars each year, with those costs expected to rise as devastating storms, floods, wildfires and droughts become more frequent in the coming decades. A Government Accountability Office report released said the federal government has spent more than $350 billion over the last decade.
http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/gao-climate-change-costing-us-billions-losses-50675184
Australia commits $1.5mln for women in Climate change
19 Oct, 2017
Australia has announced an ongoing commitment of $1.5 million over four years to support the meaningful participation of Pacific women in climate related decision-making. This programme will harness the talents of the next generation of climate leaders from the region.
https://fijisun.com.fj/2017/10/19/aust-commits-1-5m-for-women-in-climate-change/
Climate change could overwhelm sewer systems
27 Oct, 2017
Much of New Zealand's more than $20 billion of wastewater and stormwater systems aren't designed to withstand the potentially extreme impacts of climate change, researchers say. The latest study out of the Deep South National Science Challenge - a research collaboration with a strong focus on climate change - has looked at the threat that extreme weather events and rising seas could have on our sewer networks.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11936947
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DROUGHTS
Food ruined by drought could feed more than 80mln a day: World Bank
24 Oct, 2017
The food produce destroyed by droughts would be enough to feed a country with a population the size of Germany’s everyday for a year, the World Bank has reported. In a new study, it said, the “shockingly large and often hidden” consequences of prolonged periods without rain threatened to stunt the growth of children and condemn them to a lifetime of poverty.
https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/oct/24/food-ruined-by-drought-could-feed-more-than-80m-a-day-says-world-bank
Nelson Mandela Bay drought: Residents warned to reduce consumption
25 Oct, 2017
Port Elizabeth: Water consumption in Nelson Mandela Bay has increased despite the fact that the metro is experiencing one of its most severe droughts to date. Rainfall figures for the region are at their lowest in 20 years.
http://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/nelson-mandela-bay-drought-residents-warned-to-reduce-consumption-20171025
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FLOODS
Storm Herwart sweeps across Germany, Czech Republic, Poland
29 Oct, 2017
Storm Herwart has wreaked havoc across parts of central Europe, disrupting public transport, causing floods and uprooting trees. At least five people have been killed and several injured.German long-distance trains were halted across much of northern Germany on Sunday because of damage left by the storm.
http://www.dw.com/en/storm-herwart-sweeps-across-germany-czech-republic-poland/a-41160734
New York City could get hit with a flood every five years: Study Warns
25 Oct, 2017
With the October 29 anniversary of Superstorm Sandy approaching and storms leaving the world’s coastlines waterlogged, 6sqft recently covered a new report predicting rising sea levels and a growing flood risk. Now a new study found that New York is almost halfway through a 500-year span of rising seas that began in 1800–and the worst is yet to come.
https://www.6sqft.com/study-new-york-city-could-get-hit-with-a-flood-every-five-years-instead-of-every-500/
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FOOD SECURITY
FAO highlights importance of food security for upcoming WTO conference
25 Oct, 2017
Rome, Italy: Top officials from around the world will gather in Buenos Aires for the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference in December. While subjects such as e-commerce are expected to be high on the agenda, rapidly expanding international food trade remains a critical issue and gained substantial momentum after the agreement at the last conference — in Nairobi in 2015 — to eliminate agricultural export subsidies.
http://www.world-grain.com/articles/news_home/World_Grain_News/2017/10/FAO_highlights_importance_of_f.aspx?ID=%7BB426D92E-BD06-42AA-B913-1DF82CC30D4A%7D&cck=1
Farm experts take stock to tackle food security in Nigeria
26 Oct, 2017
Farm experts drawn from diverse field of the country’s agricultural value chain held a two-day meeting at the Reiz continental hotel Abuja on how a German development initiative, the Green Innovations Centres for the Agriculture and Food Sector in Nigeria, has trained over 27,000 farmers and is setting sail to create partnership with rice, cassava, maize and potatoes processors and input dealers to secure the country’s food future.
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/247424-farm-experts-take-stock-tackle-food-security-nigeria.html
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IRRIGATION
Gujarat govt waives GST on drip irrigation: India
24 Oct, 2017
The Gujarat government on Tuesday announced that farmers in the poll-bound state would not have to pay the Goods and Services Tax for using drip irrigation, a news channel reported. The 18%-GST on drip irrigation will be borne by the state-run Gujarat Green Revolution Company. This is likely to cost the government Rs .78 crore annually.
https://scroll.in/latest/855260/gujarat-government-waives-gst-on-drip-irrigation-says-state-will-bear-it-ndtv
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WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Nile Basin countries vow to boost cooperation for water security
27 Oct, 2017
The 10 Nile Basin countries have committed to make use of Nile water and other water resources in the Basin to meet various water demands, including energy generation and trade, to spur regional economic growth.
http://www.newtimes.co.rw/section/read/222493/
Vietnam joins ASEM seminar on water resources management in Laos
26 Oct,
2017
Champasak, Laos: Vietnamese Ambassador to Laos Nguyễn Bá Hùng called on the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) to take actions to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. A new holistic and interdisciplinary approach to water resources management is needed, integrating water management into each country’s sustainable development strategy and ASEM co-operation, he said.
http://vietnamnews.vn/society/416278/viet-nam-joins-asem-seminar-on-water-resources-management-in-laos.html#ByZvmoILMomKxsh5.97
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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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