GFA - FY18 - GFFT

CONTENT
April 6-12, 2018

Key Articles
Global Development Activities
US Government Activities
Big Ideas and Emerging Innovations
Food and Agricultural Issues
Nutrition and Health
Environment, Water, and Climate
Gender and Generational Inclusion
Market Access, Trade, and Agribusiness
Upcoming Events

KEY ARTICLES

India’s Emerging Agrarian Crisis, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, April 10

Today a sense of crisis not seen in decades is enveloping Indian agriculture. In the first post in a new blog series, Marshall Bouton says that India needs once again to put agriculture at the top of its national agenda and implement policies as bold as those of the Green Revolution some fifty years ago.

Gene Editing for Good: How CRISPR Could Transform Global Development, Opinion, Bill Gates, Foreign Affairs, April 10

Gene editing technology like CRISPR is making it much easier for scientists to discover better diagnostics, treatments, and other tools to fight diseases that still kill and disable millions of people every year. It farmers in the developing world to grow crops and raise livestock that are more productive, more nutritious, and hardier.

SEE ALSO: US Gene-Editing Ruling Delights Plant Scientists, Guardian, April 7

Africa: Global Hunger is Rising, Artificial Intelligence Can Help, Opinion, Elizabeth Lee, All Africa, April 9

Humanitarian organizations are turning to new technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), to fight global food insecurity. AI can analyze data to locate areas affected by conflict and natural disasters and assist farmers in developing countries. Such advances are expected to ultimately trickle-down to farmers in food-insecure regions.

Climate Change Will Disrupt the Way Big Agriculture is Done, Bloomberg, April 10

Regulations for agriculture are likely to become stricter and farmers will demand more environmentally friendly equipment and farming techniques. Agriculture will shift from being labor-intensive to being capital-intensive, with farmers relying on technology to get bigger yields from their crops, spur profits, and reduce waste.

GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES

World Bank Supports Bangladesh in Climate-Smart Agriculture, World Bank, April 11

The World Bank launched the Climate-Smart Agriculture Country Profile and the Climate Smart Investment Plan for Bangladesh. The Plan will identify investment and policy opportunities by further developing the agriculture actions on climate change as outlined in the Bangladesh’s Nationally Determined Contribution.

Despite Millions of Displaced People, Congo Rejects UN Aid Effort, New York Times, April 7

Denying that it faces a humanitarian crisis, the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo will boycott a UN donor conference next week seeking to raise $1.7 billion in aid. It shows increasing isolation of the government, who has faced internal rebellion and international criticism for holding on to power in defiance of constitutional term limits.

IRC's Miliband Warns Yemen Crisis Could Worsen as Access Woes Deepen, Devex, April 6

David Miliband, president of the International Rescue Committee, has warned that the Yemen crisis could get worse as humanitarian groups continue to be stymied by access issues. Some of the most dire civilian consequences from the war in Yemen aren’t coming from air strikes and direct armed conflict, but from lack of access to necessary food and health services.

Guest Commentary: Disability and Agriculture, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, April 5

The world’s population will exceed 9 billion in 2050. Research suggests that the overall food production will need to increase by 25-70 percent between now and 2050. In many African countries, where hunger is already a serious problem, disabled people are barred from involvement in economic activities. We cannot afford to leave anyone behind during the next evolution of agricultural pursuits.

US GOVERNMENT ACTIVITIES

Trump Proposes Rejoining Trans-Pacific Partnership, New York Times, April 12

Trump, in a surprising reversal, told a gathering of farm state lawmakers and governors that he was looking into rejoining the multicountry trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership. The risk of an escalating trade war with China has panicked American farmers and ranchers, who send many of their products abroad.

Exclusive: USAID Chief Unveils Major Organizational Shakeup, Devex, April 9

USAID leaders are presenting the realignment of USAID’s humanitarian, crisis, and conflict-related work under a new associate administrator for relief, resilience, and response, who would oversee the work of three different bureaus. One of those would be a Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance, which would combine the offices of Food for Peace and US Foreign Disaster Assistance.

US Ranchers Want to Use the Federal Government as a Proxy to Fight High-Tech Meat Companies, Quartz, April 11

The US Cattlemen’s Association asked federal government regulators to adopt a definition for meat that would exclude cell-cultured products (often called “clean meat”) while the more-powerful National Cattlemen’s Beef Association asked the same regulatory agency to rule the opposite.

US Will Protect Its Farmers amid Trade Tensions, Reuters, April 9

US farmers will be protected by the Trump administration during rising trade tensions between the United States and China, Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said. He said the department was looking to find ways to shield farmers from the growing trade conflict between the United States and China, without providing details of options under review.

BIG IDEAS AND EMERGING INNOVATIONS

Farms Could Turn to Robots to Cope with Climate Change, Bloomberg, April 10

Agribusiness companies may be on the cusp of a buying spree in technology as climate change emerges as the biggest disrupting element for the business. Technological improvements from boosting crop yields to data-tracking systems will be required in coming decades as companies adapt to shifts in weather patterns. That may increasingly push agribusiness companies, especially grain handlers and input firms, into acquiring agritech startups.

Guest Commentary: Blockchain and the Future of Agricultural Markets, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, April 9

Experts are increasingly interested in uses that improve value chains in agricultural food systems in low and middle-income countries. Because more people in these areas earn a living from agriculture, blockchain stands to alleviate poverty while improving food security prospects for everyone.

‘Cow Fitbits’ and Artificial Intelligence are Coming to the Dairy Farm. But Some Farmers aren’t so Impressed., Washington Post, April 8

The "Intelligent Dairy Farmer’s Assistant,” called IDA, uses artificial intelligence to track cows’ tiniest movements through their collars in order to assess diet and movement and predict health issues. The farmers showed interest in IDA as they’re in a labor crunch from years of too few young people getting into farming and need all the help they can get.

Precision-Ag Project is Game Changer for Ag, Capital Journal, April 8

South Dakota State University as the only school in the nation that offers a 4-year precision-ag degree will build a precision-ag facility that will be the only one of its kind. This will provide an opportunity for the university to build upon what it is already doing and lead the nation—and likely the world—in precision-ag research, development, and training, sparking advancements in technology and equipment.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL ISSUES

A Grass-Roots Movement for Healthy Soil Spreads among Farmers, NPR, April 9

In American farm country, a grass-roots movement is spreading: a movement to keep more roots in the soil. Big food companies are discussing a new eco-label for food, alongside "organic" and "fair trade," that would reward farmers for adopting practices the build healthy soil—what many are calling "regenerative agriculture."

When Robots Milk Cows, Farm Families Taste Freedom, NPR, April 7

The Shuler family has invested in robotic technology that milks their cows without human labor or intervention. The family can monitor the process on surveillance video from their smartphones and fix errors via text message. This will help workers stay on the farm by providing them with more freedom and time away from the demands of the industry.

Ethiopia: All-Rounded Intervention for Agricultural Transformation, Ethiopian Herald, April 6

All rounded intervention and coordination play an important role in agricultural development including investing in mechanized farming to scaling up smallholder framers. To bring the goal of agricultural transformation in to reality, it calls for a renewed look into the understanding of agricultural technology adoption and application.

Zimbabwe Urged to Take Action against Child Labor on Tobacco Farms, Guardian, April 6

The global watchdog Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged Zimbabwe to take urgent steps to stem child labor and other rights abuses on the country’s tobacco farms. The HRW revealed in a report that children as young as 11 were working on tobacco farms, often in hazardous conditions, to earn school fees or supplement the family income.

SEE REPORT: A Bitter Harvest: Child Labor and Human Rights Abuses on Tobacco Farms in Zimbabwe, Human Rights Watch, April 5

NUTRITION AND HEALTH

Air-Pollution Trackers Seek to Fill Africa’s Data Gap, Nature, April 11

Globally, air pollution causes more deaths than any other environmental hazard.

But there are little data on its health effects in sub-Saharan Africa. Low-income sub-Saharan countries bear a high burden of air pollution, but are nearly unrepresented in the research on its health impacts. Additionally, lack of access to health care, and low nutrition leave the region's population more susceptible to the effects of environmental pollutants.

Could You Fight off Worms? Depends on Your Gut Microbes, NPR, April 7

Nearly 25 percent of the world's population is currently infected with parasitic worms. The worms are a disease of the developing world, for the most part. In cases of severe infection, people can experience anemia, nutritional deficiencies, and impaired growth. New research from Washington University in St. Louis suggests that the gut microbiome can be altered to protect people from becoming infected with parasitic worms.

Proper Nutrition Holds Key to Better Health for Children, Women in Africa, Daily Nation, April 7

The 2017 WHO nutrition report has proposed an inclusive and gender equitable framework for peace and stability, to create an enabling environment to fight against malnutrition. While this is necessary, there is also needs to be a transformation in the agricultural sector.

ENVIRONMENT, WATER, AND CLIMATE

How a Small Start-Up Firm Wants to Revitalize Climate Change Research, Washington Post, April 9

The Silicon Valley climate services firm Jupiter Intel announced it is launching a community science program to invest in academic climate research. It offers tools to help customers manage the risks of climate change. Jupiter, which offers tools to help customers manage the risks of climate change, is funding several projects at Columbia’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, whose research evaluates many of these same risks.

For Every $1 the US Put into Adding Renewable Energy Last Year, China Put in $3, Quartz, April 9

Last year nearly half of the world’s new renewable energy investment of $279.8 billion came from China. China’s investment in renewable energy (excluding large hydro projects) rose 30 percent compared with 2016, and was more than three times of that of the United States, whose investment in the sector dropped 6 percent from 2016 to $40.5 billion last year.

How to Defeat Drought, Foreign Policy, April 9

Israel had routinized the aggregation and purification of the country’s wastewater and built a parallel water infrastructure system to transport treated water to farms. Adopting desalination initiatives and drip irrigation, as Israel has, could also reduce the largely inefficient use of water for food growth worldwide. Drip irrigation uses about half of the water that traditional irrigation does and can also produce larger yields.

There’s Still Hope on Global Warming — If the World Gets to Work, Editorial, Washington Post, April 8

The world does not have the time to wait for gradual change. To avoid the risk of very negative climate shifts, “global emissions need to peak soon and decline steeply to 2020,” a new report by the International Energy Agency warns. Every country in the world must put in more effort. Even if stringent global emissions goals seem too difficult to reach, it is still worth cutting the risk of truly catastrophic warming as much as possible.

SEE REPORT: Global Energy and CO2 Status Report, International Energy Agency, 2017

GENDER AND GENERATIONAL INCLUSION

Women Agriculturists May Be the Answer for Dwindling Farm Industry, Daily Cardinal, April 11

The number of farmers in the United States fell just under 3.2 million in 2012, a 4 percent decrease in the industry from five years prior—and only 14 percent of those farms are run by women. But as that number shrinks around the nation, woman-lead organizations are searching for women to push agricultural innovation and tackle leadership positions.

Cane Farmer Draws on Basque Heritage to Encourage Female Farm Succession, ABC Rural, April 11

Frank Mugica dreams that his daughters to inherit the farm, an uncommon feat in Australian faming families—an estimated 90 percent of farm successors are sons. Mugica's traditional Spanish culture, though, incorporates a higher level of gender equality in farm succession planning.

Guest Commentary: Unlocking Women’s Business Creativity, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, April 11

Bendu makes two dollars a day selling at an open-air market in Liberia’s capital, Monrovia. Why? Because Bendu and her peers don’t have the opportunity to be creative with their businesses. What would it take to build a food system that truly serves Bendu the mom, Bendu the entrepreneur, and the community at large in an environment where nothing comes easy?

Gender Equity and Male Engagement, Relief Web, April 7

Meaningful engagement with men and boys is increasingly recognized as critical to advancing gender equality and equity. The primary challenge embedded in this work is how to engage men and boys effectively without instrumentalizing them as a pathway to women’s empowerment or marginalizing women and girls in the process.

SEE REPORT: Gender Equity and Male Engagement: It Only Works When Everyone Plays, International Center for Research on Women, April 7

MARKET ACCESS, TRADE, AND AGRIBUSINESS

How GV's Andy Wheeler Invests in the Food Companies of the Future, Forbes, April 9

Highly profiled food and agriculture companies like Impossible Foods, Momentum Machines, Soylent, Abundant Robotics, Ripple Foods, Bowery Farming, and Farmers Business Network have all received investments led by Andy Wheeler, a general partner with GV (formerly Google Ventures). While the calculus of food and agriculture investments naturally varies from company to company, the thirst of the food and agriculture industry investors remains unquenched.

Livestock and Grain Traders Navigate Murkier Market, Wall Street Journal, April 8

A new way to trade agricultural futures in bulk is raising concerns that markets for the crops and livestock are becoming less transparent. Some grain companies and traders who rely on prices set at CME, the world’s largest exchange operator, believe that data will be less accurate if more trades move out of public view, allowing bulk traders to bypass the open market.

As Vermont's Milk Industry Continues to Free-Fall, Canadian Dairies Are Thriving, NPR, April 6

While Vermont dairy farmers are experiencing some of the hardest times in recent memory, their counterparts in Quebec are thriving. In Canada, a complex system balances milk supply with consumer demand through production quotas. Quebecois farmers are getting the equivalent of $24 for 100 pounds of milk, while a few miles over the border, Vermont farmers are being paid $14 for 100 pounds of milk.

Retailers Worry Food-Stamp Overhaul Will Hit Them Hard, Wall Street Journal, April 6

The Trump administration is pushing to rein in spending for the food-stamp program by nearly $130 billion over a decade, representing a 20 percent reduction of its current annual budget of $63 billion. The move could constitute one of the biggest yearly reductions in program-sponsored purchases for retailers since the recession.

SEE ALSO: Tariffs Making Buzz, but Farm Bill May Also Have Big Impact on Retailers, Forbes, April 9