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World’s first major agricultural trade using blockchain completed, resounding success
25 Jan, 2018
In a first for the global agricultural industry, a cargo shipment of soybeans has been completed using Blockchain technology. The trade was carried out digitally using Easy Trading Connect (ETC) Blockchain platform. ETC incorporated a number of contracts and certificates needed for the international trade of agricultural products. The shipment from America to China involved five different parties including Louis Dreyfus Co, Shandong Bohi Industry Co, ING, Societe Generale and ABN Amro.
https://cointelegraph.com/news/worlds-first-major-agricultural-trade-using-blockchain-completed-resounding-success
Landless cultivators to be farmers too: India
24 Jan, 2018
Over 14 crore households who cultivate on land owned by others under a formal lease agreement or even under a temporary arrangement overseen by the gram panchayats or other official functionaries may soon start getting assorted sops doled out to “farmers” by the government just as their land-owing counterparts do.
http://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/landless-cultivators-to-be-farmers-too-change-of-definition-to-extend-assorted-benefits-to-14-cr-currently-excluded/1027695/
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CLIMATE CHANGE
Dimming the Sun to cool Earth could ravage wildlife: Study
23 Jan, 2018
Paris: Geoengineering schemes designed to deflect some of the Sun's planet-warming rays would backfire if suddenly discontinued, wiping out species and entire ecosystems, a study published on Monday warns. Half-a-century's worth of warming could rebound in a handful of years, dooming many amphibians, mammals, corals and land plants to local or global extinction, according to the findings, published in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.
http://www.straitstimes.com/world/dimming-the-sun-to-cool-earth-could-ravage-wildlife-study
Lloyd's of London to divest from coal over climate change
24 Jan, 2018
Lloyd's of London, the world's oldest insurance market, has become the latest financial firm to announce that it plans to stop investing in coal companies. The firm has long been vocal about the need to battle climate change, with insurance one of the worst affected industries by hurricanes, wildfires and flooding in recent years.
https://www.edie.net/news/9/Lloyd-s-of-London-to-divest-from-coal-over-climate-change/
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DROUGHTS
Cape Town to run out of water by 12 April amid worst drought in a century
24 Jan, 2018
Residents of Cape Town have been warned that they face losing piped water to their homes within two months if they do not implement drastic measures to counter the effects of the worst drought for almost century to hit South Africa’s second city. Local authorities have warned the 500,000 residents that if consumption reductions are not achieved by “Day Zero” – 12 April – they will have to queue at 200 standpipes for daily rations of 25 litres.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jan/24/cape-town-to-run-out-of-water-by-12-april-amid-worst-drought-in-a-century
Drought returns to Texas just months after Hurricane Harvey floods state
24 Jan, 2018
Just five months after the monster storm gave Texas its wettest month in history, much of the state is now in a drought — including areas that saw historic flooding.
https://www.texastribune.org/2018/01/24/texas-drought-ravages-panhandle/
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FLOODS
Govt set to start $500-m Metro Manila flood control project this month
9 Jan,
2018
The government plans to start the $500-million Metro Manila Flood Control Management Project this month, following the approval by the boards of the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank of the loans for the project, according to the Finance Department. The department said of the total project cost, $207.603 million would come from the World Bank as approved by its board of executive directors on Sept. 28, 2017.
http://thestandard.com.ph/business/biz-plus/255911/govt-set-to-start-500-m-metro-manila-flood-control-project-this-month.html
Millions set to be exposed to severe flooding by 2040, new study finds
23 Jan,
2018
The impact of climate change will lead to a tenfold increase in the risk of river flooding unless concrete protective measures are put in place, a new study has found. The EU-funded study found that rainfall changes caused by global warming will increase river flood risks across the globe over the next 25 years, with the need for adaptation greatest in the US, India, and Africa.
https://greennews.ie/millions-exposed-severe-flooding-2040/
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FOOD SECURITY
FAO, Legislators team up to put food security, agriculture in spotlight
22 Jan, 2018
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has teamed up with 10 legislators to put up a "parliamentary alliance" that will focus on food security and nutrition in the Philippines. The group is expected to initiate discussion on proposed and pending policies on agriculture and food security.
http://news.abs-cbn.com/video/business/01/22/18/un-arm-partners-with-lawmakers-to-put-spotlight-on-food-security-agri
‘Speed Breeding’ could hold key to the future of food security
16 Jan, 2018
Between climate change and a rapidly expanding population, the future of food security is uncertain. Scientists at the John Innes Center, University of Queensland and University of Sydney have been working around the clock to develop a new “speed breeding” technique that could prove promising in helping feed the nine billion people excepted to inhabit this planet by 2050 in the face of unpredictable climatic conditions.
http://www.sustainablebrands.com/news_and_views/product_service_design_innovation/sustainable_brands/%E2%80%98speed_breeding%E2%80%99_could_hold_key_
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IRRIGATION
Irrigation helps Malkangiri farmers become self-sufficient: India
22 Jan, 2018
Even as Malkangiri district in Odisha state lags way behind in growth when compared to other districts in the country, irrigation facilities made available to farmers have brought in a positive change in their lives. There was a time when farmers after harvesting paddy used to leave their land uncultivated due to lack of irrigation facilities in the district. In the absence of know-how and availability of bank loans, farmers were reluctant to take up vegetable cultivation. However, things have undergone a change after implementation of a slew of irrigation projects in the district.
https://www.orissapost.com/irrigation-helps-malkangiri-farmers-become-self-sufficient/
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WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
World’s first 'Vitamin D' water launched in UAE
18 Jan, 2018
A bottled water with Vitamin D will be available in the UAE supermarkets for those battling the sunshine vitamin deficiency. The orange colored 'Al Ain Vitamin D' bottle was launched in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday during the International Water Summit held as part of the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week. Manufacturers Agthia Group said it is the world's only water bottle with Vitamin D, and without any preservatives, flavours or colours.
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/nation/World-first-Vitamin-D-water-launched-in-UAE
Water resources threatened by glacier retreat
23 Jan, 2018
Melting glaciers around the world will result in reduced downstream water resources even in basins with low ice coverage, reports a paper published online this week in Nature Climate Change. Glacier retreat and associated future runoff changes raise major concerns over the sustainability of global water resources, but global-scale assessments of glacier decline and resulting hydrological consequences are scarce.
https://www.technologynetworks.com/tn/news/water-resources-threatened-by-glacier-retreat-296592
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS
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)
Water Saving in Irrigated Agriculture in Egypt: Case Studies and Lessons Learned, November 2017
The Egyptian National Committee for Irrigation and Drainage (ENCID) has launched a new book titled 'Water Saving in Irrigated Agriculture in Egypt: Case Studies and Lessons Learned.' The publication is a compilation of successful water saving innovation ideas at the farm level and is a rich source of reference work for all the professionals engaged in agricultural water management aspirating for "More and more crop per drop." For more info, kindly write to Encid@link.net
http://www.encid.org.eg
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