World’s oldest bread found: 14,400-year-old crumbs made by Cavemen started ‘farming boom'
16 July, 2018
Previously, the earliest evidence of humans making bread – dating back 9,000 years – was discovered at a Neolithic site at Catalhoyuk in Turkey. But now archaeologists have found traces of blackened crumbs, thought to be around 14,400 years’ old, suggesting ancient civilizations had mastered making bread long before farming became widespread. Bread making was crucial to the development of early societies, allowing them to form towns and communities around wheat crops.
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/716837/bread-worlds-oldest-found-discovered-jordan-natufian-shubayqa-1-news
EU Wheat harvest shrinks as weather takes toll
13 July,
2018
Severe weather that has brought drought to northern Europe and storms to France is increasingly likely to shave millions of tonnes off this year's EU wheat harvest, adding to a picture of tightening global supply of the cereal. As summer harvesting gathers pace in Europe, the U.S. Department of Agriculture became the latest forecaster to lower its outlook for EU wheat production, as part of a downgrade to world supply that triggered a price rally.
https://www.agriculture.com/markets/newswire/eu-wheat-harvest-shrinks-as-weather-takes-toll
UC to team with Israel for agricultural research
21 July,
2018
Israel's Agricultural Research Organization signed a memorandum of understanding with the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources and UC Davis to study water, irrigation, technology and related topics. The agreement will enhance collaboration on research and extension for natural resources management in agriculture with an emphasis on soil, irrigation and water resources, horticulture, food security and food safety.
http://www.westernfarmpress.com/water/uc-team-israel-ag-research
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CLIMATE CHANGE
Slowing Gulf Stream current to boost warming for 20 years
19 July,
2018
The prospect of the Gulf Stream slowing down and even stopping altogether has worried many experts in recent years. Some believed that this would cause a rapid cooling around the world with resulting global chaos. But a new study finds the Gulf Stream go-slow will have a significant impact on planetary temperatures, but not in a chilled out way.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-44875508
Humans are altering seasonal climate cycles worldwide
19 July, 2018
An analysis of decades of satellite data has revealed how humans are changing seasonal cycles in the lower atmosphere. The accumulation of greenhouse gases produced by burning fossil fuels has increased air temperatures in summer and caused larger annual temperature swings in the northern hemisphere. Previous research has documented how global warming is altering seasons on the ground — causing winter snowpacks to melt earlier, shifting animal migrations and lengthening fire seasons.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05780-z
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DROUGHTS
Crop failure and bankruptcy threaten farmers as drought grips Europe
20 July, 2018
Farmers across northern and central Europe are facing crop failure and bankruptcy as one of the most intense regional droughts in recent memory strengthens its grip. States of emergency have been declared in Latvia and Lithuania, while the sun continues to bake Swedish fields that have received only 12% of their normal rainfall.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jul/20/crop-failure-and-bankruptcy-threaten-farmers-as-drought-grips-europe
Recent drought led to archaeological discovery of circular enclosure near Newgrange: Ireland
13 July, 2018
A drone flight and a lingering dry spell have exposed a previously unknown monument in Ireland's Boyne Valley, forgotten for thousands of years and long covered by crops — which, struggling to cope with a lengthy drought, finally revealed the ancient footprint. The area around Newgrange is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with a number of ancient and prehistoric monuments, including other henges. The region has been pored over by archaeologists for decades. But this henge was thoroughly hidden, until the drought revealed it.
https://www.npr.org/2018/07/13/628905864/in-ireland-drought-and-a-drone-revealed-the-outline-of-an-ancient-henge
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FLOODS
Heatwave grips Japan after deadly floods
20 July, 2018
A heatwave in Japan has killed more than 30 people and complicated recovery efforts after recent flooding. In three prefectures that bore the brunt of the deadly floods and landslides – Hiroshima, Okayama and Ehime – 145 people were hospitalized with heatstroke symptoms on as temperatures soared above 35C.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jul/20/heatwave-grips-japan-after-deadly-floods
At least 19 dead following flash floods in Vietnam
22 July,
2018
At least 19 people have died following flash floods in Vietnam, officials have said, as residents in affected areas sought safety on higher ground. Boasting a long coastline, Vietnam is battered by floods and storms every year, with hundreds of lives lost from the annual monsoon barrage. The remnants of Typhoon Son Tinh, now a tropical depression, made landfall on Wednesday night, the third tropical storm to hit Vietnam since the start of the year.
https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2018/0722/980359-vietnam-floods/
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FOOD SECURITY
WACCI boosts AGRA's African food security vision
22 July, 2018
The West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI), University of Ghana, has boosted the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa's (AGRA's) vision of a food secured Africa, by churning out 14 PhD plant breeders. The graduation, which is the last batch of WACCI trained PhD students is funded by the AGRA, forms part of the University of Ghana's 2018 graduation.
https://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/business/WACCI-boosts-AGRA-s-African-food-security-vision-670950
One-third of global fisheries operating at biologically unsustainable levels
20 July, 2018
About 3.2 billion people around the world currently rely on fish for nearly 20 percent of their animal protein. That means that humans eat more than 150 million metric tons of fish every year — and as the global population increases by a couple billion over the next few decades, that number will surely rise. Though the amount of fish captured in the wild plateaued in the 1990s, remaining stable ever since, and the rapid growth of aquaculture is beginning to slow down, the report projects that total fish production will grow to 201 million metric tons by 2030.
https://news.mongabay.com/2018/07/one-third-of-global-fisheries-operating-at-biologically-unsustainable-levels/
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IRRIGATION
25% central funding for Maharashtra irrigation projects: India
18 July,
2018
The centre has agreed to fund 25% of the ₹15,325 crore irrigation projects planned for Maharashtra state. The central government has sanctioned ₹3,831 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY) to complete the 91 irrigation projects. The projects, which will come up in Vidarbha and Marathwada, besides other drought-prone regions, will add 376,915 hectares to the state’s irrigation potential.
https://www.livemint.com/Politics/x3XK1i21zsSNUW1iQc0PXM/25-central-funding-for-Maharashtra-irrigation-projects.html
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WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Scientists use satellites to measure vital underground water resources
19 July, 2018
With the hope of providing water resource managers with better tools to help keep aquifers healthy, a team of scientists from ASU and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) are using the latest space technology to look underneath Earth's surface to measure this precious natural resource. They've focused their efforts on one of the world's largest aquifer systems, located in California's Central Valley, measuring both its groundwater volume and its storage capacity. The results of their most recent findings in this ground breaking study have been recently published in Water Resources Research.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/07/180719112217.htm
Women’s role in Water Resource Management can help move toward SDG6
17 July, 2018
Globally, water supply services are managed either by the government, private sector, local community, or a combination of these proponents. The percentage of women making decisions at the water management level is significantly low, even though women have higher stakes in getting an improved drinking water supply and ensuring system maintenance. This power imbalance creates a barrier to improving water resource management (WRM). When provided with options, women often make better management decisions, which also leads to higher levels of household and per capita income, high immunization rates, literacy, and contraceptive prevalence rates.
https://sciencetrends.com/womens-role-in-water-resource-management-can-help-move-toward-sdg6/
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS
ICID Upcoming Webinar: Negotiations for Resolution of Trans-boundary Water Conflicts on 1 August 2018, Wednesday @ 14:30 hrs (IST); Speaker: Hon. Karlene Maywald, Chair ICE WaRM. For more details, please visit: http://www.icid.org/icid_webinar.html
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/
5th International Symposium on Dam Safety, 27-31 October 2018, Istanbul, Turkey
Website: http://www.damsafety2018.com/
9th International Micro Irrigation Conference, 16-18 January 2019, Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India on the theme: Micro Irrigation in Modern Agriculture.
Website: http://micro-irrigation2019.com/
International Dam Safety Conference 2019, 13-14 February 2019, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, India
Website: www.damsafety.in/idsc2019
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 Productivity Mapping of Major Indian Crops 2018, published by NABARD
The study on Water Productivity Mapping of Major Indian Crops presents for the first time, maps on the water productivity of ten major Indian crops across cultivating districts and states. It builds on the expectation that if key decisions regarding irrigation, cropping patterns, input pricing, and incentive structures are predicated on water productivity of crops, it would ensure that water in agriculture is distributed more widely, water-use efficiency is enhanced, and Indian agriculture becomes more sustainable and productive in the long run. Thus, the study seeks to inform targeted policies and investment interventions for meeting the twin objectives of har khet ko pani (water to every field) and ‘more crop per drop’. The report will encourage policy makers to take note of and trigger an effective response to the looming water crisis faced by the agriculture sector in India. The book has been released as an Open Access and may be downloaded @ http://icrier.org/pdf/Water_Productivity_Mapping_of_Major_Indian_Crops.pdf
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