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MotorLeaf: The farming AI which helps boost modern indoor farms
23 May, 2018
The recent expansion of agricultural tech, combined with emerging food security concerns, has led to the development of modern agricultural practices which seem a million miles away from the rolling green fields and romanticised ideas of farming yore. MotorLeaf is the latest company to find a role in this new market. The artificial intelligence developer has created a new AI which can help urban and indoor growers to monitor their crops, and predict issues in real time.
https://en.reset.org/blog/motorleaf-farming-ai-which-helps-boost-modern-indoor-farms-05232018
Scientists boost crop production by 47 percent by speeding up photorespiration
31 May, 2018
Plants such as soybeans and wheat waste between 20 and 50 percent of their energy recycling toxic chemicals created when the enzyme Rubisco--the most prevalent enzyme in the world--grabs oxygen molecules instead of carbon dioxide molecules. Increasing production of a common, naturally occurring protein in plant leaves could boost the yields of major food crops by almost 50 percent, according to a new study led by scientists at the University of Essex published in Plant Biotechnology Journal.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-05/crwi-sbc052518.php
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CLIMATE CHANGE
Millions of dengue cases can be prevented if world limits global warming
30 May, 2018
Millions of cases of dengue fever, the world's fastest spreading tropical disease, could be prevented annually if global warming is capped at 1.5°C, says a study that purportedly is the first to show the health benefits of a cooler planet. Using computer models, researchers from the University of East Anglia in Britain found that capping warming at 2°C could cut annual dengue cases in Latin America and the Caribbean by up to 2.8 million by the end of the century.
http://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/health/millions-of-dengue-cases-can-be-prevented-if-world-limits-global-warming/article24032624.ece
RBS latest bank to join growing trend of tackling climate change
30 May,
2018
As RBS makes a public commitment to combating climate change, it joins global banks like HSBC, Bank of America and Deutsche Bank in moving away from fossil fuels and providing financial backing to more sustainable projects
https://www.compelo.com/rbs-banks-climate-change/
Global warming hits poorest hardest, new research shows
30 May,
2018
The wealthiest areas of the world will experience fewer changes in local climate compared to the poorest regions if global average surface temperatures reach the 1.5°C or 2°C limit set by the Paris agreement, according to new research. The new study, published in Geophysical Research Letters, a journal of the American Geophysical Union, compares the difference between climate change impacts for wealthy and poor nations.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-05/uom-gwh052918.php
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DROUGHTS
Drought adds to woes of Afghanistan, in grips of a raging war
27 May, 2018
Kabul: Afghanistan, already torn by decades of intensifying violence, is grappling with a drought in two-thirds of the country that could lead to severe food shortages for up to two million more people, the United Nations has warned. The United Nations humanitarian coordinator in Afghanistan said in a report released last week that a “precipitation deficit” of 70 percent in most parts of the country had affected winter harvests, and resulted in grim prospects for the spring and summer.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/27/world/asia/afghanistan-drought-war.html
Balochistan approves cloud seeding project for drought-hit areas
30 May, 2018
Quetta: In a bid to overcome drought in some districts of the province, the Balochistan government has decided to use cloud seeding and artificial rain technology, a practice successfully used in drought-hit regions of the world. Initially, the project will cater to needs of an area of 10,000 square kilometres in Gwadar district, where the catchment of four dams is located.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1410838/balochistan-approves-cloud-seeding-project-for-drought-hit-areas
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FLOODS
Shark, 5 foot snake on flooded streets after heavy rain in Mangalore: India
30 May,
2018
Heavy rain for the last four days has thrown life out of gear in the port city of Mangaluru in Karnataka. There is knee-deep water in many parts of the city, and it is not just the residents who are seen wading through the water. After the high tide brought in more water into the city from the Arabian Sea, on video, a near six-feet-long shark could be seen on Mangaluru streets. In another video, a five-feet-long snake can be seen swimming in shallow water on a street in a residential area in the city.
https://www.ndtv.com/cities/shark-5-foot-snake-on-flooded-mangaluru-streets-after-heavy-rain-1860073
Alberto begins to dissipate, leaving deaths, flooding behind
31 May,
2018
Remnants of the first named storm of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season are pushing into Canada, but Alberto's heavy rains have drenched the Southern Appalachians, claiming lives in raging flash floods, triggering mudslides and washing away bridges. Since its Memorial Day landfall in the Florida Panhandle, Alberto's heavy rains have been widespread, with flooding reported from Alabama through Tennessee, Kentucky, the Carolinas, West Virginia and Illinois.
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/article212316674.html
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FOOD SECURITY
Global food security experts meet in Belfast
31 May, 2018
Food security experts from all over the world converged in Belfast last week (28-31 May) for a major summit on how to feed a growing global population. Keynote speakers include those with experience in organizations such as WHO, UN, EU, World Wildlife Fund, World Bank, and PepsiCo – as well as international agri-food research institutions such as Wageningen WUR (the Netherlands), the China Agriculture University, and the University of Minnesota. A ‘super-panel’ of senior, international female food regulators gave an overview of some of the biggest challenges facing the global food industry: A rapidly-growing population; climate change, food fraud and Brexit.
https://www.agriland.ie/farming-news/global-food-security-experts-meet-in-belfast-this-week/
Boost for food security efforts as WACCI receives international accreditation
28 May, 2018
The West African Center for Crop Improvement (WACCI) at the University of Ghana has received international accreditation from Germany for its postgraduate programmes. The Agency for Quality Assurance through Accreditation of Study Programs (AQAS) granted the accreditation to WACCI after a rigorous evaluation of the PhD in Plant Breeding and MPhil in Seed Science and Technology programmes being run by the center.
https://www.myjoyonline.com/news/2018/may-28th/boost-for-food-security-efforts-as-wacci-receives-international-accreditation.php
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IRRIGATION
Jain Irrigation to execute Rs 239 cr project in Vidarbha region: India
23 May,
2018
Jain Irrigation Systems will execute a Rs 239.17 crore drip irrigation project in Vidarbha region, Maharashtra state in next 24 months. In a regulatory filing, the company said more than 10,000 farmers and 20,748 acre command area covering 65 villages of Arvi taluka of Wardha district in the state will be benefitted from the project.
https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/business/jain-irrigation-to-execute-rs-239-cr-project-in-vidarbha-region-2574243.html
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WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
In Shimla, water being distributed under police protection as crisis looms: India
31 May, 2018
Following an acute drinking water shortage in Shimla, the Municipal Corporation is distributing water under police protection. Over 70 police personnel have been specifically deployed to deal with the situation in the water-deprived hill-station. The tourism industry in Himachal Pradesh's Shimla has also been massively hit as tourists are cancelling their visits to the hill-station.
https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/shimla-water-crisis-water-being-distributed-under-police-protection-1860247
Study suggests scientists can use microbial measurements to gauge river flow
31 May,
2018
Oregon State University scientists have created a tool that can predict the flow rate of Arctic rivers with a surprising degree of accuracy based on the makeup and abundance of bacteria in the water. Their successful "genohydrology" approach is important because many Arctic rivers are remote and quite rugged, making deployment of flow meters to measure the water dangerous and expensive. They also believe their model has the potential for adaptation to remote rivers around the world.
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-05/osu-sss053018.php
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS
BOM Webinar: Accounting for Australia's water resources on Thursday, 7 June 2018, 1.00 pm – 2.00 pm AEST by Janice Green Team Leader, Water Accounting and Regulations Bureau of Meteorology (Presenter). This webinar will examine how to measure, monitor and account for water stores, flows, water rights and water use. It will show how to access Bureau's water information products for national, regional and local data.
To Register, please visit: https://bit.ly/2kJG0CB
International Conference and 69th International Executive Council Meeting of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage, 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) and 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
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