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Durian set to become Malaysia’s next major export: Report
27 Nov, 2018
The durian is set to become Malaysia's next major export as it rushes to develop thousands of acres to cash in on unprecedented demand for the fruit from China. Once planted in family orchards and small-scale farms, the durian is attracting investments like never before. Even property tycoons and companies in palm oil, Malaysia's biggest agricultural export, are making forays into the durian business.
https://www.tnp.sg/news/world/durian-set-become-malaysias-next-major-export-report
Artificial Intelligence can impact 70 mln farmers in 2020, adding $9 bln to farmer incomes: Report
14 Nov, 2018
Technology in agriculture can be viewed as an essential input that influences crop productivity. Many farmers rely on experiential knowledge or traditional wisdom, which is less effective in curbing farming challenges. Artificial intelligence (AI) with simulated algorithmic computer models that mimic human behaviour should be considered. Globally, AI has provided wider opportunities to farmers, organisations and governments. In Tanzania, using Google open-source disease data, AI discovered diseases with 98% accuracy and deployed robotics to uproot weeds.
https://www.financialexpress.com/opinion/artificial-intelligence-can-impact-70-million-farmers-in-2020-adding-9-billion-to-farmer-incomes-report/1380951/
Harvesting robot picks a peck of peppers and more
27 Oct, 2018
The world’s most advanced sweet pepper harvesting robot, developed by a consortium that includes Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers, was introduced at the Research Station for Vegetable Production at St. Katelijne Waver in Belgium. The robot is called 'Sweeper' and is designed to operate in a single-stem row cropping system, with non-clustered fruits and little leaf occlusion. Preliminary test results showed that by using a commercially available crop modified to mimic the required conditions, the robot currently harvests ripe fruit in 24 seconds with a success rate of 62%.
https://www.fwi.co.uk/machinery/technology/harvesting-robot-picks-a-peck-of-peppers-and-more
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CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change to make UK summers more than 5C hotter by 2070
27 Nov, 2018
Extreme heatwaves will scorch the UK as rising sea levels swallow large expanses of the coastline within just a few decades, experts have warned. In the first major analysis of the nation’s changing climate for nearly a decade, government and Met Office scientists concluded that summer temperatures could shoot up by 5.4C by 2070 if fossil fuel pollution is not slashed.
https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change-global-warming-uk-met-office-report-greenhouse-gas-temperatures-a8652556.html
End of an era as Ireland closes its peat bogs 'to fight climate change'
27 Nov, 2018
When the semi-state company that harvests Ireland’s peatlands recently announced the closure of 17 bogs, the news was greeted as the end of an era. Bord na Móna, the peat-harvesting company, announced it was closing 17 of its “active bogs” and would close the remaining 45 within seven years. Nostalgia but also acceptance, given the growing awareness that harvesting peat emits greenhouse gases that worsen climate change, requiring a shift to renewable energy.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/nov/27/ireland-closes-peat-bogs-climate-change
Venezuela's last glacier is about to disappear
26 Nov, 2018
The Humboldt Glacier in the Andes has been melting rapidly and will be gone before scientists even got a chance to study it fully. Once one of five major tropical glaciers in the country, the Humboldt is nestled within the Sierra Nevada de Mérida in the western part of the country. Thanks to climate change, Venezuela has found itself a frontrunner in a somber race, with others such as Tanzania and China, to see which country will lose its glaciers first.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/11/venezuela-humboldt-glacier-melting-disappearing-climate-change/
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DROUGHTS
UK pledges £35m to Afghanistan as food crisis worsens due to drought
27 Nov,
2018
The UK government has announced £35m of new funding to help the growing crisis in Afghanistan as a new report warns that almost half of the rural population – 10.6 million people – are likely to be affected by severe food insecurity. The report highlighted the spread of conflict and the ongoing drought which has displaced over 250,000 people, impacting Afghan incomes and leading to widespread malnutrition among children.
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2018/nov/27/uk-pledges-35m-to-afghanistan-as-food-crisis-worsens
Persistent dry spell in Europe is challenging river cruise lines
11 Nov, 2018
A record hot, dry European summer has persisted into fall, leaving river cruise lines scrambling to reroute ships and keep customers sailing. That is particularly true on the Rhine, which is so low that historical relics and a World War II bomb have been found along its dried-up riverbed.
https://www.travelweekly.com/River-Cruising/Persistent-dry-spell-challenging-river-cruise-lines#
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FLOODS
Flooding, traffic chaos as heavy rains lash Sydney
27 Nov,
2018
Swathes of coastal New South Wales will likely be deluged with more than a month’s worth of rainfall in less than a day, with the State Emergency Service preparing to mobilise thousands of volunteers and police warning commuters to stay off the roads. Severe thunderstorms and heavy rainfall lashed Australia’s largest city, with the local Bureau of Meteorology reporting more than 106 millimetres of rain fell in some places within a few hours.
http://vietnamnews.vn/world/480983/flooding-traffic-chaos-as-heavy-rains-lash-sydney.html#Z70V3LMIkh1hGwtp.99
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FOOD SECURITY
EU provides €12 million in support of global food security
23 Nov, 2018
The European Union (EU) and FAO along with its Rome-based UN partner agencies, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP), have signed an €12 million deal that will lend EU backing to three separate programs designed to tackle diverse aspects of food security and rural development.
https://reliefweb.int/report/world/european-union-provides-12-million-support-global-food-security
Penn State food safety experts to help make Ethiopian dairy food supply safer
14 Nov, 2018
Food safety specialists in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences will collaborate with scientists at Addis Ababa University in Ethiopia and Kansas State University on a project to improve the safety and quality of Ethiopian dairy foods. A nearly $1 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) will support the team in providing food-safety training to build the capacity of Ethiopian academic, government and industry institutions for monitoring the prevalence of foodborne microbiological hazards in the Ethiopian dairy food supply chain.
https://news.psu.edu/story/548005/2018/11/14/impact/penn-state-food-safety-experts-help-make-ethiopian-dairy-food-supply
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IRRIGATION
Drip irrigation startup NDrip gets investment from Bridges Israel impact fund
27 Nov,
2018
Impact investment fund Bridges Israel has invested a “few million dollars” in Israeli drip irrigation firm NDrip, which has developed a way to enable large agricultural areas to use drip irrigation, which saves water and boosts yields at lower costs. NDrip’s system is cheaper, because it uses gravitational force only, and thus does not need a source of energy. The system is also designed to work without filters and enables drip irrigation even when the water source is not clean.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/drip-irrigation-startup-ndrip-gets-investment-from-uk-israel-impact-fund/
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WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Heatwave could wipe out half of South Africa’s current water resources: Govt
14 Nov, 2018
The Department of Water and Sanitation has raised fears that the country may end up with half the water resources it has currently, as the heatwave continues to affect dam levels. The heatwave in most parts of South Africa is reducing dam levels at an alarming rate and there are fears that unless it starts raining heavily, the country may end up with half the water resources it has currently.
https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/284242/heatwave-could-wipe-out-half-of-south-africas-current-water-resources-govt/
Newly developed system allows handwashing water to be recycled
22 Oct, 2018
Even though the water we’ve used for washing hands is barely contaminated, it usually goes down the drain. A newly developed system allows handwashing water to be recycled, thus not only saving water, but also helping to prevent infectious diseases in developing countries.
https://bit.ly/2P2RBJF
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FORTHCOMING EVENTS
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
5th African Regional Conference on Irrigation and Drainage (ARCID), 16-19 March 2020, Rabat, Morocco on the theme: Sustainable Management of Irrigation for Improved Resilience of Agriculture in Africa.
Website: http://www.anafide.net/
Water for Food Global Conference 2019, 29-30 April 2019, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA on the theme: Water for a Hungry World: Innovation in Water and Food Security.
Website: https://waterforfood.nebraska.edu/news-and-events
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)
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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/2Q6O
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