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Sustainable farming, ‘key’ to world free of hunger, malnutrition: UN agriculture chief
17 Sept, 2018
Focusing this year on the links between agricultural trade, climate change and food security, Director-General José Graziano da Silva said in the foreword of FAO's latest flagship publication, on the world’s Agricultural Commodity Markets that “ensuring food security for all is both a key function of, and a challenge for agriculture, which faces ever-increasing difficulties.” The report points out that by the middle of this century, higher temperatures, precipitation changes, rising sea levels, extreme weather events and a likely increase in damage due to pests and disease, will all significantly impact agriculture and food security.
https://news.un.org/en/story/2018/09/1019552
Fish farms to produce nearly two-thirds of India's fish supply by 2030
9 Sept, 2018
India produced 10.8 million tonnes (mt) of fish in 2016, the third highest in the world, after China and Indonesia. India’s share of global fish production was around 6%, according to the FAO. In aquaculture, India is second only to China, with a 7% share in global production. India exported a tenth of its fish in 2016. In the 1950s, fish from the seas accounted for more than 70% of India’s fish production, but by 2016-17 its share had more than halved, and inland farming rose.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/fish-farms-to-produce-nearly-two-thirds-of-indias-fish-supply-by-2030/articleshow/65734974.cms
Incentivize sustainable farming to reverse forest loss in Africa, says World Bank report
1 Sept, 2018
A World Bank Program on Forests (PROFOR)-funded study has examined what it will take to put agricultural value chains on the side of both the people and the planet, drawing on examples from Asia and Latin America. Specifically, the research focuses on six commodity production systems (coffee, cocoa, beef, soybean, oil palm and shea butter) and their role in tree cover loss and restoration.
https://news.globallandscapesforum.org/29644/incentivize-sustainable-farming-to-reverse-forest-loss-in-africa-says-new-world-bank-report/
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CLIMATE CHANGE
As planet warms, hungrier insects will destroy more crops
12 Sept, 2018
Crop losses for critical food grains will increase substantially with global warming as rising temperatures boost the metabolism and population growth of insect pests, new research says. Researchers looked at how insect pests that attack three staple crops — rice, corn and wheat — would respond under a variety of climate scenarios. They found that rising global temperatures would lead to an increase in crop losses from insects, especially in temperate regions.
https://www.americanagriculturist.com/crops/planet-warms-hungrier-insects-will-destroy-more-crops
Climate change may drive 10 percent of amphibian species in the Atlantic Rainforest to extinction
12 Sept,
2018
Global warming could lead to the extinction of up to 10% of frog and toad species endemic to Brazil's Atlantic Rainforest biome within about the next 50 years. The temperature and precipitation regimes predicted to occur between 2050 and 2070 will be lethal for species that are less well adapted to climate variation and inhabit certain areas of the Atlantic Rainforest.
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/09/180912202418.htm
Latest UNESCO update confirms remaining within 1.5°C climate target is critical for survival of World Heritage-listed coral reefs
17 Sept,
2018
The UNESCO World Heritage Centre released an update to its 2017 first global scientific assessment of the impact of climate change on UNESCO World Heritage coral reefs. The latest update concludes that limiting global temperatures to 1.5°C degrees above pre-industrial levels would mean World Heritage-listed coral reefs are expected to avoid severe annual bleaching this century.
https://whc.unesco.org/en/news/1878
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DROUGHTS
Diverse forests are stronger against drought
21 Sept,
2018
Diversity is strength, even among forests. In a paper published in Nature, researchers led by University of Utah biologist William Anderegg report that forests with trees that employ a high diversity of traits related to water use suffer less of an impact from drought. The results, which expand on previous work that looked at individual tree species’ resilience based on hydraulic traits, lead to new research directions on forest resilience and inform forest managers working to rebuild forests after logging or wildfire.
https://unews.utah.edu/diverse-forests/
Medium-height trees survive drought best
4 Sept, 2018
Forests with canopy heights of around 18 metres are more resistant to the effects of severe drought than those with shorter and taller trees, according to researchers in China and the US. In the past, studies have disagreed on whether forests with lower or higher canopies will be more likely to make it through prolonged spells of hot, dry weather. The discrepancy has made it difficult for forest managers, who need to know which tree heights to encourage to ensure the highest growth and survival rates during extreme drought.
https://physicsworld.com/a/medium-height-trees-survive-drought-best/
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FLOODS
18 killed in landslide in Philippines following Typhoon Mangkhut
20 Sept,
2018
A massive landslide buried dozens of homes near a central Philippine mountain Thursday, killing at least 18 people and sending rescuers scrambling to find survivors after some sent text messages pleading for help. The slide surged down on about 30 houses in two rural villages after daybreak in Naga city in Cebu province, city police chief said on telephone as he helped supervise the search and rescue. Seven injured villagers were rescued from the huge mound of earth and debris.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/18-killed-landslide-philippines-following-135902326.html
Hurricane Florence aftermath: Thousands brace for more flooding
24 Sept,
2018
Thousands of coastal residents remained on edge Sunday after being told they may need to leave their homes because rivers are still rising more than a week after Hurricane Florence slammed into the Carolinas. About 6,000 to 8,000 people in Georgetown County, South Carolina, were alerted to be prepared to evacuate ahead of a "record event" of up to 10 feet of flooding expected from heavy rains dumped by Florence.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/florence-aftermath-thousands-brace-more-flooding-n912386
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FOOD SECURITY
Conflicts and people displacement take toll on food security, says new FAO report
21 Sept, 2018
High levels of severe food insecurity, particularly in Southern African and Near East countries, is being driven by constant conflicts and climate-related shocks which continue to require humanitarian assistance, according to a new report published by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). And there are 39 countries, 31 of which are in Africa, seven in Asia and one in the Caribbean (Haiti), all in need of external food assistance.
https://www.foodingredientsfirst.com/news/conflicts-and-people-displacement-take-toll-on-food-security-says-new-fao-report.html
Japan contributes USD 1.58 million to WFP for food security in South Sudan
21 Sept, 2018
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed a US$1.8 million (JP¥ 200,000,000) contribution from Japan to help bolster food and nutrition security in South Sudan, where millions of people do not know where their next meal is coming from. Japan's new contribution, will enable WFP to reach 32,000 people in Western Bahr el Ghazal and Central Equatoria states with critical food assistance while they work on rehabilitating or constructing productive assets.
https://www.devdiscourse.com/Article/agency-wire/189278-japan-contributes-usd-158-million-to-wfp-for-food-security-in-south-sudan
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IRRIGATION
NABARD approves Rs. 65,635 cr loan for 93 irrigation projects: India
16 Sept,
2018
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) has approved Rs. 65,634.93 crore loan so far to 93 prioritized irrigation projects under the government's flagship scheme Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY). The completion of 99 pending projects across the country will develop new irrigation facilities in more than 80 lakh hectare area.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/agriculture/nabard-approves-rs-65635-cr-loan-for-93-irrigation-projects/articleshow/65827669.cms
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WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Scientists develop nano-filter that cleans water 100 times faster
21 Sept, 2018
Australian scientists said they have developed a nano-filter that can clean contaminated water 100 times faster than the current technology, pointing to better access to the crucial resource worldwide. The filter removes oils and heavy metals including lead from water via an alloy that combines gallium-based liquid metals with aluminium, helping to absorb the contaminants with aluminium oxide compounds.
https://gadgets.ndtv.com/science/news/scientists-develop-nano-filter-that-cleans-water-100-times-faster-1920187
World-first major desalination field study finds minimal marine impact
20 Sept, 2018
Highly saline flows from the Sydney Desalination Plant will not affect surrounding marine life as commonly believed, a major new study led by UNSW Sydney shows. The results of a world-first major study into the marine ecological impacts of a large-scale water desalination plant have been publicly released. The six-year study on the Sydney Desalination Plant looked at the effects on marine invertebrate recruitment of pumping and 'diffusing' of high concentration salt water back into the ocean.
https://phys.org/news/2018-09-world-first-major-desalination-field-minimal.html
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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/
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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 @ https://bit.ly/2Q6OUZg
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