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This week's round up of the latest news, research, and policy developments from across global agriculture.
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CONTENT
November 24-30, 2017
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American Farm Towns, With Changing Priorities, Reject Industrial Agriculture, Wall Street Journal, November 29
Rural Americans are turning their backs on the industry that made the United States the biggest meat-exporting country in the world. Communities from California to North Carolina have turned away processing facilities as locals raise concerns about smells and the potential environmental burden. Some farmers said the modern meat industry looks nothing like the local or family-run operations they were familiar with growing up.
Malaria is Back on the Rise as Lack of Funds Stalls Push to Wipe Out Disease, Guardian, November 29
Progress in driving down infections and deaths from malaria has stalled and even reversed in some countries, according to the WHO. There is a real chance malaria could be eliminated but only if funding increases. Since 2014, investments in malaria control have, on average, declined in many high-burden countries.
SEE REPORT: World Malaria Report 2017, World Health Organization, November 29
ITC Starts Sustainability Map, Invites Seafood Sector to Connect, Undercurrent News, November 28
The International Trade Center, a unit of the WTO and the United Nations, has created an online map whereby companies can profile their sustainability credentials on a global map. The site allows companies to create an online profile and pinpointing production facilities on the map. Companies can upload voluntary sustainability certificates and endorse all trading partners in their supply chain.
Puerto Rico's Hurricane Recovery Hinders Farm Businesses' Seed Research, NPR, November 29
Fields in Puerto Rico are used for research and development of up to 85 percent of the commercial corn, soybean, and other hybrid seeds grown in the United States. So, the devastation wrought on the US territory by Hurricane Maria in September stretches to the croplands of the Midwest and Great Plains.
EU Extends Approval for Weed Killer Claimed to Harm Health, Associated Press, November 27
The European Union approved an extension to the use of the weed killer glyphosate, in a move that failed to satisfy either environmentalists or farmers and pitted Germany against France. Banning glyphosate outright would have shaken Europe's agriculture sector, since it is so widely used. The WHO's cancer agency said in 2015 that the weed killer is probably carcinogenic to humans.
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GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES
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Can the Singapore Model Save Zimbabwe?, Opinion, Steve Hanke, New York Times, November 30
Zimbabwe used to export maize; now it is an importer. Since the land reforms of 2000, the value of farm production has shrunk by 45 percent. The new president should establish a cabinet task force that would be responsible for making it easier to do business in Zimbabwe. By adopting such a strategy, confidence and the economy would both soar.
Conflict and Climate Change are Driving Hunger Crisis, FoodTank, November 29
According to a new report by the FAO, the number of chronically undernourished people in Sub-Saharan Africa has increased by 24 million between 2015 and 2016. Adverse climatic conditions, conflict, and increasingly challenging global economic conditions are key factors driving the recent increase in food insecurity.
SEE REPORT: Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition, FAO, 2017
Cash Is Best When Tackling Hunger Caused by Drought: Study, Reuters, November 27
Cash handouts are the best way to support smallholder farmers struggling due to drought, but for farmers experiencing wetter weather, agricultural inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides help most. If a farm is lacking rainfall, it doesn’t matter if there are a variety of agricultural inputs or practices. Likewise, when there is abundant rainfall, agricultural inputs ensure farmers can salvage their harvest.
SEE REPORT: A Multi-County Assessment of Factors Related to Smallholder Food Security in Varying Rainfall Conditions, Scientific Reports, November 24
Inflection Point Reached in the Campaign to End Hunger, FAO, November 27
The fight against hunger is at an inflection point and supporting family farmers is critical to its success. Investments to help farmers improve their own productivity and use of natural resources are essential. Social protection programs for vulnerable rural family farmers are also necessary and offer a chance to reap systemic gains.
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USAID Announces a New Development Impact Bond, Devex, November 30
The administrator of USAID will announce a new development impact bond aimed at reducing maternal and newborn deaths in India. The Utkrisht Impact Bond, named for the Hindi expression for excellence, will fund maternal and newborn health in the Indian state of Rajasthan. USAID and its partners are calling this the world’s first health impact bond, although these innovative finance tools are also being applied to eye care.
SEE ALSO: USAID Launches Bond to Reduce Maternal, Neo-Natal Deaths in Rajasthan, Hindu, November 30
US Support for Ending Tuberculosis Epidemic in India, USAID, November 29
USAID announced further action to help India in its fight against Tuberculosis (TB). India has the world's highest incidence of TB, with 2.8 million cases annually, and accounts for more than a quarter of the global TB burden. USAID will also announce a new $1 million effort to bring greater awareness to TB's stigma, which disproportionately affects women.
ND Could Be One of the Most Affected States if the US Withdraws From NAFTA, AgWeek, November 27
The US Chamber of Commerce released a list of the states most likely to be negatively impacted in the event the United States withdraws from the North American Free Trade Agreement, placing North Dakota at third, behind only Michigan and Wisconsin. The chamber report explains North Dakota leads the nation in terms of the share of its exports going to Canada and Mexico, at 84 percent, with $3.5 billion in exports sent to the two countries.
SEE ALSO: Nebraska’s Farmers Really Need NAFTA, Kearney Hub, November 28
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BIG IDEAS AND EMERGING INNOVATIONS
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The Facilities Where Scientists Breed Plants to Survive the Future, Wired, November 28
Someday, greenhouses may be our last defense against large-scale crop loss. One such greenhouse, funded by the USDA, scans plant genomes to identify beneficial genes and uses tissue culture analysis to capture the desirable traits of one plant to introduce into another.
Knowledge Is the New Paradigm for the Future of Food and Agriculture, FAO, November 27
Agriculture is poised for another major transformation as gains from the Green Revolution come up against natural resource limits. The future of agriculture is not input-intensive, but knowledge-intensive. To provide people with healthier food, there must be action in each step of the food system.
Africa—Nurturing Young Entrepreneurs as the Next Generation of Hunger Fighters, AllAfrica, November 24
The Electronic Wallet (E-Wallet) platform was introduced to Nigeria's food production and distribution chain. Through the E-Wallet, the Nigerian Government delivers subsidized farm inputs to local farmers through private agro-dealers. The farmers, in turn, get to redeem these subsidized inputs from the agro-dealers using e-vouchers, which they can access through their mobile phones.
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FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL ISSUES
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“Thousands of Young People Ready to Build New Farms”, FoodTank, November 28
According to the 2017 National Young Farmer Survey, young farmers are operating smaller farms and are capitalizing on the demand for local food by selling directly to consumers. The main concerns for young farmers are access to land, student loan debt, availability of skilled labor, and access to health insurance.
Rise of ‘Hobby Farms’ Means More Growers get Maimed, Killed, Washington Post, November 28
But small farms are on the rise, buoyed by the popularity of locally grown produce and meats, farmers’ markets, organic foods and farm-to-table production. The risk of serious injury or death has always been a part of farming. But the nation’s growing embrace of small-scale production of local and organic crops is drawing more amateurs into the field, and inexperienced growers are increasingly getting maimed and even killed, often by old, unsafe machinery.
Prickly Pear Cactus Is 'Miracle' Crop for Dry Regions: Experts, Reuters, November 24
The spiky, alien-looking prickly pear cactus could help alleviate hunger in arid regions due to its ability to thrive in harsh conditions and its multiple uses. As climate change brings erratic rainfall and prolonged droughts, countries should look to the cactus pear, which can grow in desert-like conditions. Cactus pear plantations can function as a water reserve can absorb carbon dioxide in arid and semi-arid regions.
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Organic Foods’ Premium Prices and Uncertain Benefits: QuickTake, Opinion, Leslie Patton, Washington Post, November 29
Organic consumers say they help the environment by supporting farms that send less toxic runoff into water and soil. Yet just because food is organic doesn’t mean that it won’t make people sick — fertilizing crops with improperly composted manure can result in E. coli contamination. Then there’s the fact that plenty of foods labeled organic aren’t inherently healthy.
Brazil and Italy Top Country of Origin for Food Recalls, Food Quality News, November 28
Brazil was the top country of origin for recalls and notifications for the second quarter in a row, with 85 notices in Europe. Italy was second with 84, followed by Spain (49), India (48), and the United States (45). Brazilian meat imports were put under the spotlight following an investigation in the sector earlier this year.
The Ancient Andean Tradition of Eating Clay May Have Helped To Protect Health, NPR, November 28
While there are many theories about the origins of clay eating, scientists now think this unusual culinary tradition may have served a protective purpose. There is preliminary evidence that clays from Andean highlands can detoxify wild potatoes, which naturally contain higher levels of toxins called glycoalkaloids, by absorbing their toxic chemicals. Modern day breeding has led to many non-toxic potato varieties.
Healthy Diets for All: A Key to Meeting the SDGs, Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition, November 20
A new report calls for policymakers, at all levels, to recognize the central role of high-quality, healthy diets in achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Invisible in terms of SDG language and not mentioned among the many targets, healthy diets are a foundation underpinning successful progress toward targets in health, agriculture, inequality, poverty, and sustainable consumption.
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ENVIRONMENT, WATER, AND CLIMATE
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'It Takes Our Purpose': With No Salmon, Yurok Tribe Struggles With Identity, NPR, November 29
The Yurok tribe has fished for salmon in the Klamath River for centuries. Salmon is essential to Yurok ceremonies, for food, and for income. But this fall, the number of Chinook swimming up the Klamath, in the Pacific Northwest, was the lowest on record, threatening the tribe's entire culture and way of life.
In Peru’s Deserts, Melting Glaciers are a Godsend (Until They’re Gone), New York Times, November 26
Accelerating glacial melt in the Andes caused by climate change has set off a gold rush downstream
letting the desert bloom. But as the ice vanishes, the vast farms below may do the same. The flow of water is already declining as the glacier vanishes, and scientists estimate that by 2050 much of the icecap will be gone.
Africa: Combating Climate Change? Combat Land Degradation, Says UNCCD Chief, AllAfrica, November 24
According to Monique Barbut, the Executive Secretary of United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, we will need millions of hectares of new lands to grow 75 percent more food by 2050. Among 2 billion hectares of degraded land, 500 million are abandoned agricultural land. If we restored 300 million of these degraded land, we can ensure food security for all by 2050.
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GENDER AND GENERATIONAL INCLUSION
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Future of Africa's Youth Dominates Agenda at EU-Africa Business Forum, AllAfrica, November 27
Investing in the youth in agriculture as a business is the way to go, especially given that the average age of African farmers is currently 65 years in a continent which spends $35 billion annually on food imports despite having 600 million hectares of uncultivated arable land, according to the African Development Bank Group president Akinwumi Adesina.
One Woman’s Quest to Tell ‘The African Story Through Chocolate', NPR, November 28
Ghanaian chocolatier Selassie Atadika realized that Africans themselves weren't necessarily familiar with flavors from other parts of the continent, so she seeks to inject those flavors into her chocolates. Using savory in sweets is unusual in Ghana, and Atadika attributes her willingness to break the chocolate mold to her American upbringing. Ghana is the world's second largest producer of cacao, after neighboring Côte D'Ivoire.
African Women are Starting to Take a Lead in Agricultural Research, Quartz, November 28
Using data collated from 40 African countries, research shows that the gender gap in African agricultural research has continued to close since 2008. The total number of women researchers increased from less than 9,000 in the year 2000 to more than 15,000 in 2014—an average of 24 percent. Hiring and promoting more African women improves the quality and competitiveness of research and innovation.
SEE REPORT: An Assessment of the Gender Gap in African Agricultural Research Capacities, Journal of Gender, Agriculture, and Food Security, November 2017
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MARKET ACCESS, TRADE, AND AGRIBUSINESS
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Nova Scotia Seafood Industry Among Most Reliant on NAFTA, Undercurrent News, November 29
Nova Scotia’s seafood industry is one of the Canadian employers most vulnerable should the United States blow up the North American Free Trade Agreement, according to Robert Kavcic, an economist with the Bank of Montreal. Nova Scotia’s seafood exports to the United States are valued at $1 billion.
Sacré Beurre: France Faces a Butter Shortage, NPR, November 27
The land of creamy sauces and croissants is experiencing a butter shortage not seen in recent times. The current crisis is the result of increased worldwide demand for butter, with producers struggling to keep up. But much of the crisis in France is self-inflicted. Analysts say it is due to the country's rigid pricing and distribution system. However, after emergency negotiations, retailers have accepted an increase in prices.
Organic? Fair-trade? The Truth about Coffee Labels, Washington Post, November 25
If you rely on labels for information about a product’s environmental impact and fair-trade policies, you should know that certain claims on coffee packaging labels are essentially meaningless. In fact, terms such as “ethically/sustainably farmed,” “shade grown,” and “direct trade” lack any legal definition or industry standards. But you can rely on certain seals to indicate the conditions under which coffee was grown.
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