|
Syngenta announces plans to engage stakeholders in agriculture
7 Sept, 2018
A few weeks ago, Syngenta one of the leading agriculture companies helping to improve global food security announced plans to engage stakeholders in agriculture from around the world in a three-month exercise with an aim of building a shared vision for the future of sustainable agriculture.
https://www.cnbcafrica.com/videos/2018/09/07/syngenta-announces-plans-to-engage-stakeholders-in-agriculture/
Use of agricultural residues in power plants can cut Delhi pollution by 8 pc by 2025, says study: India
22 Aug, 2018
The use of agricultural residues in power plants can help reduce pollution in the Delhi-NCR region by 8 per cent by 2025, a new study has suggested. The study, conducted jointly by The Energy and Resources Institute and Automotive Research Association of India, suggests several measures that could help in reducing pollution by 2025.
https://indianexpress.com/article/delhi/delhi-pollution-agricultural-residues-power-plants-study-5319557/
Inadequate financing hampers Africa smallholders' ability to improve production
6 Sept,
2018
Africa's smallholder farmers are responsible for the majority of the continent's food production, however their production efforts are hindered by the lack of access to adequate financing, experts said. They were speaking at a session panel "the business case for agriculture" on the sidelines of 2018 African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) in the Rwandan capital Kigali.
http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-09/06/c_137450220.htm
[Top]
CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change could affect human evolution
7 Sept, 2018
As the planet continues to warm, evolutionary changes are expected in other species as well — including Homo sapiens. Climate change will alter the internal workings of our bodies in subtle but significant ways and will likely cause a noticeable shift in our appearance. Biologists have observed squirrels and salmon developing at an accelerated pace, causing them to reproduce at a younger age. Earlier summers have caused some flowers to bloom earlier in the year. And corals are forging new relationships with microscopic algae to survive in warmer, more acidic seas.
https://www.nbcnews.com/mach/science/climate-change-could-affect-human-evolution-here-s-how-ncna907276
As the world grows hotter, infectious diseases spread northward
7 Sept,
2018
As humans burn more and more fossil fuels, heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide are released into our atmosphere. As a result, we’re seeing warmer-than-average years, extreme heatwaves, and heavier rains. The perfect conditions for insects to thrive. Now, they and other disease-carrying pests – known to scientists as “vectors” – are spreading farther and bringing diseases to places where they hadn’t been previously as our climate is changing.
http://redgreenandblue.org/2018/09/07/climate-change-world-grows-hotter-infectious-diseases-spread-northward/
[Top]
DROUGHTS
Two million risk hunger after drought in Central America: UN
7 Sept,
2018
Poor harvests caused by drought in parts of Central America could leave more than two million people hungry, the World Food Programme (WFP) said, warning climate change was creating drier conditions in the region. Lower than average rainfall in June and July has led to major crop losses for small-scale maize and bean farmers in Central America's "Dry Corridor", which runs through Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua.
https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20180907/world/two-million-risk-hunger-after-drought-in-central-america-un.688602
Kangaroos and emus swarm into cities as drought worsens: Australia
8 Sept, 2018
Wild animals and birds are heading towards towns and cities in a hunger-fuelled mass migration as Australia suffers its worst drought in decades. Mobs of camels rampaged through wheat farms in Western Australia after walking hundreds of miles in search of food and water. They had never been seen so far south before. Huge numbers of kangaroos are racing through inner suburbs of Canberra, having fled farmlands to the west where grass has run out.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/world/kangaroos-and-emus-swarm-into-cities-as-drought-worsens-qs7sp276f
[Top]
FLOODS
Kerala battles 'rat fever' outbreak after worst floods in a century: India
3 Sept,
2018
Kerala is battling an outbreak of a bacterial disease that authorities suspect has killed dozens of people since mid-August after the worst flooding in a century. A health ministry spokesman said there had been nearly 200 confirmed cases of what is locally called rat fever - the waterborne disease leptospirosis transmitted via the urine of infected animals, with symptoms including muscle pain and fever.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/363426-kerala-battles-rat-fever-outbreak-after-worst-floods-in-a-century
[Top]
FOOD SECURITY
By 2050, 115 million may face food insecurity due to reduced water level in Ganga: India
28 Aug, 2018
Water level in River Ganga depleted at a rate of −0.5 to −38.1 cm/year between the summer of 1999 and 2013, according to a recent study published in Nature’s Scientific Reports. The study revealed that the constant reduction in water flow in downstream states was caused by groundwater depletion in the adjoining Gangetic aquifers. Both the in-situ and remotely sensed observations suggest that the pre-monsoon Ganges river water is continuously depleting, the study observes.
https://www.downtoearth.org.in/news/by-2050-115-million-may-face-food-insecurity-due-to-reduced-water-level-in-ganga-61459
UN agencies launch major report on global food security, malnutrition
29 Aug, 2018
Five United Nations agencies are set to launch the new edition of “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said that the launch would be on 11 Sept, in Rome. The FAO said the report gave an updated estimate of the number of hungry people in the world, including regional and national breakdowns, and the latest data on child stunting and wasting as well as on adult and child obesity.
https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/09/un-agencies-launch-major-report-on-global-food-security-malnutrition/
[Top]
IRRIGATION
41 projects under Parvati Giri Mega Lift Irrigation inaugurated in Odisha: India
9 Sept,
2018
As many as 41 projects of Parvati Giri Mega Lift Irrigation was inaugurated in Odisha state, which is expected to benefit people of the state's western region. These projects with a budget of Rs 1,171 crores are expected to provide irrigation to 50,000 hectares of land. The projects will be implemented in 9 districts of the state. While Bolangir and Sambalpur will have 13 and 8 projects respectively, 5 projects each will be in Jharsuguda and Kalahandi districts. Nayagarh and Boudh will have 3 projects each.
https://kalingatv.com/state/odisha-cm-inaugurates-41-parvati-giri-mega-lift-irrigation-projects/
[Top]
WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
IUCN calls for expanding women’s role in water governance
6 Sept, 2018
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has launched a report titled, ‘Women as Change-makers in the Governance of Shared Waters,’ highlighting the role of women in transboundary water governance. IUCN’s review of research into the role of women in water governance finds that the issue has not received much attention, despite women playing an important role in the way water is used, shared and allocated.
http://sdg.iisd.org/news/iucn-calls-for-expanding-womens-role-in-water-governance/
Ocean Cleanup: Device launched to remove thousands of tons of plastic from Great Pacific Garbage Patch
16 Aug, 2018
A supply ship towing a long floating boom designed to corral ocean plastic has set sail from San Francisco for a test run ahead of a trip to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The ambitious project by The Ocean Cleanup, a Dutch non-profit group, hopes to clean up half of the infamous garbage patch within five years when all systems are deployed.
https://www.rte.ie/news/world/2018/0909/992591-ocean-clean-up/
[Top]
FORTHCOMING EVENTS
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 (9IMIC), 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/
[Top]
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 @ https://bit.ly/2Q6OUZg
|