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Kenya coffee farmers going nuts yields record Macadamia crop
24 Apr, 2018
Kenyan farmers used to grow macadamia trees to shade their coffee bushes. Now they’re making so much from production of the nuts that they’re abandoning the beans. The East African nation, known for its prized arabica coffee, is gaining a reputation for its macadamias with production growing to a record last year.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-24/kenyan-coffee-farmers-going-nuts-yields-record-macadamia-output
Farm Safety Partnership sets industry targets to make farming safer
24 Apr,
2018
The Farm Safety Partnership (FSP) has set a target to reduce the number of farming fatalities by at least 50% by the summer of 2023, in its latest initiative to transform the safety record in the farming industry. The move came as over 20 representatives from all areas of the industry gathered at NFU headquarters under the FSP banner to discuss this year’s health and safety campaign.
http://www.pig-world.co.uk/news/farm-safety-partnership-sets-industry-targets-to-make-farming-safer.html
World’s first solar cooperative transforms Gujarat village into a land of 'solar farmers': India
17 Apr, 2018
In the Dhundi village of Gujarat's Kheda district grazing cows and buffaloes is a very frequent sight. While the summer brings with it unbearable heat, the blazing sun is a harbinger of good news in this village. A source of power, water and income, it has rendered Dhundi as a model solar village.
https://yourstory.com/2018/04/dhundi-village-gujarat-solar-powered/
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CLIMATE CHANGE
Carbon taxes could make significant dent in climate change, study finds
6 Apr, 2018
Putting a price on carbon, in the form of a fee or tax on the use of fossil fuels, coupled with returning the generated revenue to the public in one form or another, can be an effective way to curb emissions of greenhouse gases. That’s one of the conclusions of an extensive analysis of several versions of such proposals, carried out by researchers at MIT and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL).
http://news.mit.edu/2018/carbon-taxes-could-make-significant-dent-climate-change-0406
First genetically engineered coral created to help save reefs from climate change
24 Apr,
2018
Genetically engineered coral has been created by a team at America’s prestigious Stanford University, in a project they hope will serve as a “blueprint” for future coral conservation. For the first time, researchers were able to apply a unique tool called CRISPR-Cas9 to edit coral genes.
https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/coral-reef-genetically-engineered-climate-change-great-barrier-global-warming-a8318756.html
California's wild extremes of drought and floods to worsen as climate warms
23 Apr,
2018
Over the past couple of years, California lurched from its worst drought ever to disastrous, record flooding. Now, a new study suggests the frequency of these rapid, year-to-year swings from extreme dry to wet conditions — which the study authors dub "precipitation whiplash events" — may become more common in California’s future as a consequence of man-made global warming.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2018/04/23/california-drought-floods-worsen-climate-change/541822002/
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DROUGHTS
500,000 children affected by drought in Afghanistan: UNICEF
23 Apr, 2018
Kabul: The extremely dry winter has affected 22 provinces across Afghanistan and now threatens to negatively impact the lives of one million people, with an additional two million who could feel its effects over the coming months. Food insecurity and reduced access to safe water are beginning to take their toll in the 10 worst affected provinces, where 20 to 30 percent of water sources are reportedly dry.
https://reliefweb.int/report/afghanistan/500000-children-affected-drought-afghanistan-unicef
Mozambique prays for rain as water shortages hit country’s poor
22 Apr, 2018
In the township of Chamanculo, in Maputo, Mozambique, a network of household taps made the community water pump obsolete years ago, freeing residents from the daily burden of lugging massive jerrycans of water long distances. But a water crisis, partly caused by an ongoing drought affecting much of southern Africa, is already reversing progress in this coastal city.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/apr/22/mozambique-prays-for-rain-water-shortages-hit-poor-maputo-southern-africa-drought
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FLOODS
Refugee camp submerged as flash floods hit northern Kenya
20 Apr,
2018
Heavy rains and flash flooding in northern Kenya have destroyed homes, displaced thousands, and left tens of thousands at risk of waterborne diseases such as cholera—including in Dadaab, one of the world’s largest refugee camps. In Mandera county, at least 750 homes were swept away and an estimated 4,500 people have been displaced. In Turkana county, a bridge has been washed away, cutting off stranded communities from supplies and support.
https://reliefweb.int/report/kenya/refugee-camp-submerged-flash-floods-hit-northern-kenya
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FOOD SECURITY
FAO committed to empower smallholder Indonesian farmers
24 Apr,
2018
The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) affirmed its support for the Indonesian government's policy to empower smallholder farmers. The statement was conveyed by the new FAO representative to Indonesia Stephen Rudgard in the meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on Monday, April 23. The meeting also considered the need to have a sustainable oil palm sector in Indonesia. Around 48% of palm oil plantation is in the hand of the smallholders
https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2018/04/24/055917863/FAO-Committed-to-Empower-Smallholder-Indonesian-Farmers
Pallas Foods achieves Global Food Safety Standard Certification
24 Apr, 2018
Pallas Foods has become the sixth company in the world to achieve certification to a major new food safety standard, which covers the safe intake, storage, assembly and distribution of food products. The Dublin-based food distributer was presented with its certificate during a special ceremony at the National Standards Authority of Ireland’s (NSAI) offices earlier this month.
https://www.checkout.ie/pallas-foods-achieves-global-food-safety-standard-certification/58779
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IRRIGATION
Positive prospects for solar-powered irrigation systems
12 Apr,
2018
Solar powered irrigation systems are now an affordable and climate-friendly technology for both large and small-scale farmers in developing countries. But they need to be adequately managed and regulated to avoid the risk of unsustainable water use, FAO stressed in a new report published. Sharp and ongoing drops in the price of photovoltaic panels give new impetus to the renewable energy source as a way to enhance irrigation capacity.
https://reliefweb.int/report/world/positive-prospects-solar-powered-irrigation-systems
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WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Wine production in South Africa drying up in water crisis
17 Mar, 2018
South Africa is set for a steep decline in wine production in 2018 as the country grapples with a water crisis ravaging Cape Town and surrounding areas, a Paris-based global organization has said. The Western Cape region has gone without significant rains for more than three years, forcing South Africa's second city to slash residential water consumption.
https://www.newvision.co.ug/new_vision/news/1476335/sa-wine-production-drying-water-crisis
Water stress threatens nearly half the world’s thermal power plant capacity
17 Apr,
2018
The tension between energy production and water availability will grow only more severe in the coming decades. Freshwater withdrawals from the power sector already represent 18 percent of all water withdrawals globally; in developed countries like the United States, this number can be as high as 40 percent.
http://www.eco-business.com/opinion/water-stress-threatens-nearly-half-the-worlds-thermal-power-plant-capacity/
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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), 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/
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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.enc
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