|
Ivory Coast, chocolate giants team up to make cocoa production more sustainable
19 Apr, 2018
Faced with the prospect of losing all its forests, Ivory Coast has partnered with chocolate makers to try to halt the spread of cocoa plantations in protected national parks and reserves. Ivory Coast is the world's biggest cocoa producer, but agriculture of the plant has led to mass deforestation. In order to prevent losing all its forest cover by 2034, the country is exploring new ways of tracking cocoa production and developing agroforests.
https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Africa/2018/0419/Ivory-Coast-chocolate-giants-team-up-to-make-cocoa-production-more-sustainable
Halophytes can be used as potential crops for food, fuel
19 Apr,
2018
Karachi: Prof Dr. Han W Koyro from Justus Liebig University Giessen of Germany said that Halophytes (plants of saline lands) can be used as potential crops for food, fuel, fiber, fodder and medicines. These plants have evolved mechanisms to tolerance high salinity. Many halophytes can even grow better under saline conditions. In many parts of the world several halophytes are cultivated on commercial scale and even sold in the markets.
https://nation.com.pk/19-Apr-2018/-halophytes-can-be-used-as-potential-crops-for-food-fuel
Water-saving potential of crops identified
18 Apr, 2018
Producers have implemented irrigation and fine-tuned cultural practices to make the most of available moisture, but soil conditions and unpredictable rainfall can still make crops vulnerable to yield-reducing drought, according to an announcement from the University of Tennessee. With a growing world population and finite land and water resources, identifying crops with water-saving potential could be a central issue for the future of food and water security. The study could help producers combat drought.
http://www.feedstuffs.com/news/water-saving-potential-crops-identified
[Top]
CLIMATE CHANGE
New Zealand bans offshore drilling to combat climate change
13 Apr, 2018
New Zealand is banning offshore drilling and gas exploration as part of its effort to combat climate change. The country will allow current operations around some 50 existing permits to continue even as it stops issuing authorizations for new explorations. If companies find oil and gas reserves in areas of their current permits, however, they may be allowed to drill.
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2018-04-13/new-zealand-bans-offshore-drilling-to-combat-climate-change
First landlocked US city sues oil industry over climate change adaptation costs
19 Apr,
2018
The city of Boulder Colorado — alongside Boulder County and San Miguel County— is suing Exxon and Suncor to recover costs from damages that they say the oil and gas industry knowingly caused by not being upfront about the dangers of climate change for decades.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/boulder-colorado-climate-change-exxon-sues-oil-industry-us-costs-a8311411.html
[Top]
DROUGHTS
Drought returns to huge swaths of U.S., fueling fears of a thirsty future
17 Apr, 2018
Less than eight months after Hurricane Harvey pelted the Texas Gulf Coast with torrential rainfall, drought has returned to Texas and other parts of the West, Southwest and Southeast, rekindling old worries for residents who dealt with earlier waves of dry spells and once again forcing state governments to reckon with how to keep the water flowing.
http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2018/04/17/drought-returns-to-huge-swaths-of-us-fueling-fears-of-a-thirsty-future
Argentina imports 120,000 tons of soybeans from U.S after drought cuts crop
13 Apr, 2018
Argentina, the world’s third biggest soy producer, booked its largest purchase of U.S. soybeans in 20 years this week after drought cut its harvest, forcing crushers there to turn to imports.
http://santiagotimes.cl/2018/04/14/argentina-imports-120000-tons-of-soybeans-from-united-states/
[Top]
FLOODS
State of emergency, rescues in Hawaii after severe flooding
18 Apr,
2018
More than 340 people have been airlifted to safety after nearly 30 inches of rain hit the Hawaiian island of Kauai, with another storm on its way. Kauai residents struggling with the aftermath of torrential rains are bracing for the possibility of more flooding.
http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/ap/world/the-latest-hawaii-lawmakers-provide-m-for-flood-repairs/article_6b3fc725-f2a8-5071-a620-b14926e9fce2.html
[Top]
FOOD SECURITY
Man-made conflict, climate change main drivers of global hunger, says UN
19 Apr,
2018
The United Nations said that the main drivers of hunger and malnutrition were man-made conflict and climate change and the protracted crises that followed. Global hunger had escalated by 5 percent in 2016, said Mario Arvelo, Chair of the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), while introducing CFS's report on the main decisions and policy recommendations.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-04/19/c_137120975.htm
World Bank, FDA want to invest in food security in Mauritania
18 Apr, 2018
The World Bank and the French Development Agency (FDA) will support households vulnerable to climate shocks in Mauritania for the next two years, the two bodies announced in a joint statement. They commended the government’s efforts to design an “innovative programme” of seasonal cash transfers to households affected by climate shocks, including droughts.
http://www.chronicle.co.zw/african-cities-tackle-food-security-nutrition-challenges/
[Top]
IRRIGATION
World Bank funds new agricultural irrigation programme in Mozambique
19 Apr,
2018
The World Bank will contribute US$80 million to the Irrigation and Market Access Project for Farmers (Irriga), starting in July in central and northern Mozambique, a representative of the institution announced. The amount will be disbursed over six years and is expected to cover an area of 7,000 hectares and to benefit 14,000 farmers to support the expansion and development of irrigation to increase production and income of the families covered by the project.
https://macauhub.com.mo/2018/04/19/pt-banco-mundial-financia-novo-programa-de-irrigacao-agricola-em-mocambique/
[Top]
WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
PVH forges partnership with WWF to protect global water resources
17 Mar, 2018
PVH Corp. has forged a three-year partnership with World Wildlife Fund, the leading conservation organization, to support water stewardship efforts in key sourcing communities for PVH’s businesses and the broader apparel industry. Under the new agreement, PVH has committed to focus on freshwater conservation in Ethiopia, India, China and Vietnam.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180417005326/en/PVH-Corp.-Announces-Partnership-WWF-Preserve-Protect
‘Water security necessary for sustainable development in the UAE’
4 Apr,
2018
With the UAE being one of the most arid nations in the world, supply of clean, accessible water is critical for sustainable development and indispensable for human health, well-being and prosperity across the region.
http://www.technicalreviewmiddleeast.com/power-a-water/water-a-environment/water-security-necessary-for-sustainable-development-in-the-uae
[Top]
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), 3-6 October 2018, Hyderabad, India: An ASABE Global Initiative Conference.
Website: http://www.asabewater.org/
9th International Micro Irrigation Conference, 16-18 January 2019, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India, on the theme: Micro Irrigation in Modern Agriculture.
Website: http://www.icid.org/conf_microirri.html
3rd World Irrigation Forum (WIF3) & 70th International Executive Council Meeting, 1-7 September, 2019, Bali, Indonesia, on the theme: Development for water, food and nutrition security in a competitive environment.
Website: http://www.icid2019.org/
[Top]
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.enc
|