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India's 2018 budget aims to lift millions of rural farmers and workers out of poverty
1 Feb, 2018
Hundreds of millions of poor rural Indians will be helped out of poverty, under plans announced by government – spreading the benefits of the impressive performance which the Indian economy is experiencing. More Indian homes will be connected to the electricity network, farmers will see a steep rise in the selling price of their produce and poor families will be credited with approximately $7,500 (£5,300) of free healthcare, according to the latest Union (national) Budget unveiled on Thursday.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/india-budget-2018-poverty-economy-help-farmers-bjp-arun-jaitley-trade-modi-china-a8189226.html
New technologies aid in transforming Alberta agriculture
31 Jan, 2018
More than 1,000 farmers came out on the first day of a three-day Edmonton agriculture conference to learn about how new technologies can make their livelihoods more efficient. The FarmTech event at Northlands featured innovations such as Climate FieldView, a new digital agriculture software recently launched in Western Canada. It aims to help farmers make better decisions out in the field.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/farming-future-technology-conference-alberta-1.4511631
Facial recognition for cows is latest Cargill-Backed tech idea
31 Jan, 2018
Cargill Inc. is backing an Irish startup that uses facial recognition software to help increase the productivity of dairy cows, the latest move by the largest closely held U.S. company to bolster its agricultural-technology efforts. Cargill has taken a minority stake in Cainthus, which harnesses machine-learning and imaging techniques to identify cows and glean information on everything from their behavior to appetite.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-01-31/facial-recognition-for-cows-is-latest-cargill-backed-tech-idea
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CLIMATE CHANGE
World's biggest miner BHP to exit global coal body over climate change policy
2 Feb, 2018
The world's biggest miner BHP said Tuesday it would leave the World Coal Association and review its membership of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to show support for action against climate change. The Anglo-Australian giant has been reviewing its industry group memberships to see if their stances align with its view that climate change must be tackled through emissions reductions and the use of renewable energy.
https://e.vnexpress.net/news/business/companies/world-s-biggest-miner-bhp-to-exit-global-coal-body-over-climate-change-policy-3707419.html
‘Silver bullet’ to suck CO2 from air and halt climate change ruled out
1 Feb, 2018
Ways of sucking carbon dioxide from the air will not work on the vast scales needed to beat climate change, Europe’s science academies warned on Thursday. From simply planting trees to filtering CO2 out of the air, the technologies that some hope could be a “silver bullet” in halting global warming either risk huge damage to the environment themselves or are likely to be very costly.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/feb/01/silver-bullet-to-suck-co2-from-air-and-halt-climate-change-ruled-out
Global temperatures could pass limit set by Paris climate deal within 5 years
1 Feb, 2018
Global temperatures could surpass a limit set by the Paris climate agreement within the next five years, according to a new forecast by British scientists. At least one year in the next five could exceed the threshold the deal set of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, or 2.7 degrees Fahrenheit, above pre-industrial levels.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/weather/2018/02/01/global-temperatures-could-pass-limit-set-paris-climate-deal-within-5-years/1087326001/
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DROUGHTS
Drought-stricken Cape Town joins urban water project
1 Feb, 2018
As drought-hit Cape Town faces the prospect of its taps running dry as soon as April, it is joining a project to work out how cities can better prepare for water shocks and stresses in the future. Engineering firm Arup will collaborate with five cities this year to develop a set of practical tools that will help urban areas deal with too little or too much water. The four others are Amman, Jordan; Mexico City; Miami, and Hull, England. The aim is to produce a guide for cities of all sizes to understand and measure the resilience of their water systems.
https://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2018/0201/Drought-stricken-Cape-Town-joins-urban-water-project
Amid record heat, drought may return to California
2 Feb, 2018
January in Southern California is typically marked by rain, chilly temperatures and snow-capped mountains. But this month is ending on a decidedly hot and dry note. The region is in the midst of a heat wave that on Monday brought record high temperatures for the day in places such as Long Beach (91 degrees), UCLA (89), Santa Ana (88), Oxnard (87) and Newport Beach (85). At 93 degrees, Lake Forest was the hottest spot in the United States. More records could fall Tuesday, and there is no rain in the foreseeable future.
http://www.governing.com/topics/transportation-infrastructure/tns-california-heat-drought.html
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FLOODS
France sees worst rains in 50 years, floods peak in Paris
29 Jan, 2018
Rivers swollen by France's heaviest rains in 50 years have engulfed romantic quays in Paris, swallowed up gardens and roads, and halted riverboat cruises. The national weather service said Monday that January has seen nearly double normal rainfall nationwide. Weeks of heavy rains force road closures, engulf scenic embankments and halt riverboat cruises.
http://www.chron.com/news/nation-world/world/article/France-sees-worst-rains-in-50-years-as-floods-12534926.php
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FOOD SECURITY
Hunger continues to intensify in conflict zones, UN agencies report to Security Council
29 Jan, 2018
Food insecurity continues to worsen in places torn by conflict, United Nations agencies reported Monday, listing Yemen, South Sudan and Syria among the countries most affected by acute hunger. Highlighting the extremely critical importance of humanitarian support for affected communities, the report was generated by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) as part of bi-annual briefings to the UN Security Council on food security.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=58500
Aquaculture, urban farming key to UAE food security
1 Feb,
2018
Abu Dhabi: The UAE will promote innovations in aquaculture and urban farming to ensure food security, a top official said on the sidelines of a press conference to announce the details of a global conference on food security to be held in Abu Dhabi next week. Aquaculture is the farming of fish and other aquatic organisms in controlled conditions, even in the desert. More than 40 innovations will be exhibited at Global Forum for Innovations in Agriculture.
http://gulfnews.com/news/uae/environment/aquaculture-and-urban-farming-key-to-uae-food-security-1.2167044
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IRRIGATION
Karnataka gets Asia’s largest drip irrigation project with Israeli tech: India
29 Jan, 2018
The largest drip irrigation project in Asia, the Ramthal project in Karnataka, executed by Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL), has been commissioned. Netafim, an Israeli corporation, has provided technical assistance for this project, which is based on the Israeli drip technology. A total of 2,150 km length of pipeline was laid for the drip irrigation project which will irrigate 12,300 acres of land and benefit 6,000 farmers.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/economy/agri-business/karnataka-gets-asias-largest-drip-irrigation-project-with-israeli-tech/article22592938.ece
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WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
World Bank: $210 mln project to improve Baghdad water quality
2 Feb, 2018
Erbil, Kurdistan Region: A new World Bank project will allocate $210 million to rehabilitate key infrastructure needed to improve the quality of drinking water and wastewater services that will benefit some 5 million Baghdad residents who suffer from water shortages and help prevent the outbreak of waterborne diseases.
http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/010220182
China's wetland protection in high gear
2 Feb, 2018
Beijing plans to restore or create 2,200 hectares of wetlands this year, as part of China's continued efforts in wetland protection. In 2017, the city restored more than 1,700 hectares of wetlands and created some 680 hectares, bringing the new and restored wetland area to 8,000 hectares over the past five years, according to Beijing's municipal gardening and greening bureau. Known as the "kidneys of Earth," wetlands play a crucial role in water purification, flood control, and maintaining bio-diversity.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-02/02/c_136945007.htm
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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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