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New rice variety created by CRISPR Gene-Edit Technology can yield upto 31% more grain per crop
28 May, 2018
Rice is one of the most plentiful food grains in the world, yet there's only so much rice a crop in the field can produce. At the same time, world hunger is on the rise, affecting over 10 percent of the global population, according to a UN report. To overcome this natural farming barrier, and to feed more people around the world, scientists have created a new variety of rice which can increase grains per crop by a whopping 31%.
https://www.indiatimes.com/technology/news/new-rice-variety-created-by-crispr-gene-edit-technology-can-yield-up-to-31-more-grain-per-crop-346275.html
Nigeria: World Bank, Govt open up markets for rice farmers
31 May, 2018
Kano: As part of the Federal Government's efforts to make rice production more attractive and profitable for Nigerian farmers, the federal Ministry of Water Resources is opening up new market frontiers for rice farmers by linking them with off-takers and aggregators. The Ministry took the first step recently by organizing a Business Forum in Kano to bring rice farmers, off-takers and other value chain actors to the table to start discussions on how to do business together under the Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria (TRIMING) project, supported by the World Bank.
http://allafrica.com/stories/201805310696.html
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CLIMATE CHANGE
Resource competition and climate change hampering South Sudan peace and development
7 June,
2018
Ongoing conflict in South Sudan continues to hinder its ability to sustainably manage and develop its natural resources, threatening the livelihoods of more than 10 million people depending on the country’s natural resources, according to a new UN report. The South Sudan State of Environment & Outlook Report highlights that competition over access to pasture, water, fuelwood, and productive farmland – between pastoralists and farmers, and communities and clans – could intensify conflicts and forced migration within and beyond South Sudan.
https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/press-release/resource-competition-and-climate-change-hampering-south-sudan-peace
Nature study shows it's cheaper to reduce global warming than to adapt to it
5 June, 2018
One of the main objections that critics of global warming mitigation measures often cite is that they cost too much. A new study in the journal Nature takes issue with that conclusion. Several studies since 1991 have concluded that it is cheaper to develop new technologies to mitigate climate change than it will be to adapt to it. What those studies weren't able to do was estimate the amount of the savings.
https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1117054_nature-study-shows-its-cheaper-to-reduce-global-warming-than-to-adapt-to-it
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DROUGHTS
Kenya votes $50m for floods, droughts response
7 June, 2018
Kenya has set aside 50 million dollars in the next financial year, starting July, to mitigate the effects of drought and floods that are now considered national disasters. While speaking at conference on building resilience to mitigate the impact of drought and floods organized by the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (Kippra) Dr. Julius Muia, the Planning principal secretary at the Ministry of Devolution and Planning said the country has identified ending emergencies as a priority to ensure that it meets its development goal under the Vision 2030 blueprint.
https://economicconfidential.com/world-news/kenya-votes-50m-for-floods-droughts-response/
Severe drought warning issued for most of Pakistan
8 June, 2018
Islamabad: Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has warned of drought in most parts of the country following below average seasonal rainfall. On Wednesday, the department announced that “water availability in major reservoirs is low” in most parts of the country. It added that moderate to severe drought is prevailing in the barani areas of Punjab, lower Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), south Punjab, southwest Balochistan and southeast Sindh.
http://www.arabnews.com/node/1317626/world
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FLOODS
Hurricanes are slowing down, making floods worse
7 June,
2018
Last year, Hurricane Harvey dumped more than 5 feet of rain on the Houston area in just a few days making it the heaviest rainstorm the U.S. has ever recorded. Now, a new study shows that multiple factors, each of them climate change-related, are raising the risk of similar, meandering hurricanes in the U.S. and other parts of the globe.
https://www.axios.com/with-climate-change-expect-more-slow-moving-bf2b1309-a1f2-4eed-9eed-77f2b71816f2.html
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FOOD SECURITY
Conflicts and weather expand list of countries needing food aid
7 June, 2018
Global food supply conditions remain broadly ample, but conflicts continue to acutely aggravate and prolong severe food insecurity. Adverse local weather conditions have also raised the number of countries requiring external assistance for food, according to FAO's new Crop Prospects and Food Situation report.
https://reliefweb.int/report/world/crop-prospects-and-food-situation-no-2-june-2018
FSSAI to start rating eateries on quality, hygiene: India
7 June, 2018
As part of a pilot project covering Pune, Mumbai and Nagpur, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is set to launch a hygiene plus rating system for quick service restaurants, food chains and joints. The restaurants will essentially be assessed on parametres such as disposal of excess food, hygiene practices, water management and work towards promoting healthy eating habits.
http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2017/08/fao-urges-united-nations-to-establish-world-food-safety-day/#.Wxlm7EiFPIU
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IRRIGATION
Study says groundwater pumping can increase arsenic levels in irrigation, drinking water
7 June,
2018
For decades, intensive groundwater pumping has caused ground beneath California's San Joaquin Valley to sink, damaging infrastructure. Now research published in the journal Nature Communications suggests that as pumping makes the ground sink, it also unleashes an invisible threat to human health and food production: It allows arsenic to move into groundwater aquifers that supply drinking water for 1 million people and irrigation for crops in some of the nation's richest farmland.
https://www.waterworld.com/articles/2018/06/study-says-groundwater-pumping-can-increase-arsenic-levels-in-irrigation-drinking-water.html
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WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Changing monsoon patterns worsening India’s water crisis, conflicts: Study
7 June, 2018
Tourists are being asked to stay away from Shimla in Himachal Pradesh state during peak holiday season, and schools have been shut for this week, as the city received nearly 60 percent less water daily since May 18. The crisis could hit the state’s economy as 7.2 percent of the state’s gross domestic product is dependent on tourism. Reservoir levels in Himachal Pradesh are 56 percent below normal for this time of the year, according to a fact-sheet released by Climate Trends, a Bengaluru-based non-profit, on June 5.
https://www.bloombergquint.com/global-economics/2018/06/07/changing-monsoon-patterns-worsening-indias-water-crisis-conflicts-study
China gets US$600m World Bank loan for water supply and water pollution plans
7 June,
2018
The World Bank said it has approved three loans of US$600 million to China to improve water resource management. The loans, approved Wednesday, will be used to improve water supply and wastewater services and adopt integrated pollution and watershed management in the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangxi and Liaoning, according to a statement from the bank.
http://www.thestandard.com.hk/breaking-news.php?id=108593&sid=6
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS
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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