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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
March 30 - April 5, 2018
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What Can We Learn from Increasing Rice Production in Senegal?, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, April 2
There opportunities to increase the local production of staple crops all over Africa. This could provide employment prospects, especially for young people in rural areas, by creating businesses that add value to the processing of crop. Investments must be made in creating the markets for small and medium-sized local agribusinesses to thrive, as well as in skills development, training and education for young people.
The Power of Networks for Sustainable Women & Youth Employment, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, March 30
In order to feed a world of nine billion people by 2050, we need more people working in agriculture in all its forms. Being part of a formal network helps increase access to investment and mitigate risk, since networks multiply connections. This fact is particularly essential to youth and to first-time farmers, whose individual networks may not provide the resources they need to begin their careers in agriculture.
Eco-Farming Can Solve Hunger and Climate Crises, Experts Say, Reuters, April 4
Asian farmers are growing rice and rearing fish in the same fields to increase their income and reduce weeds, while Ghanaians are using crop residues as compost to boost yields. Such eco-farming techniques could deliver nutritious, environmentally friendly food for a growing world, increase farmers’ earnings, and make farms more resilient to climate change.
Will Trump Crash the Farm Economy?, Opinion, Robert Leonard, New York Times, April 1
Donald Trump won over 60 percent of the 2016 vote in rural Iowa, but people here are paying great attention to what President Trump is doing economically. With commodity prices down and the tariffs imposed, approximately 10 percent of Iowa farmers probably won’t make it this year, and 10 percent more will likely fail next year.
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GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES
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UN Gets $2B for Yemen amid Access Struggle, Devex, April 4
The United Nations has secured around $2 billion for humanitarian aid to Yemen this year at a pledging conference in Geneva, amid warnings that lack of adequate access to 22 million people in need remains a dangerous reality. The funding pledged at the high-level event fell short of the United Nations’ $2.96 billion goal.
Why a Routine Approach to Eliminating Malnutrition May Not Work, Economic Times, April 4
Maternal and child malnutrition is a huge problem in India. Malnutrition, anemia, and stunting are the underlying causes of mortality for children under five, and cause one-fifth of maternal mortality. Nutritional status is determined not only by food intake but by economic and social factors, in addition to sanitation, hygiene, drinking water, and management of infections.
Fire Breaks out at World Food Programme Warehouses in Yemen, AP, March 31
A massive fire engulfed storage facilities belonging to the World Food Programme in the Yemeni Red Sea port city of Hodeida, damaging humanitarian aid inside. It was not immediately clear how many facilities were damaged by the fire or what caused it. The civil war is now the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, with more than 22.2 million people in need of assistance.
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USAID to Unveil New Organizational Chart, Devex, April 4
USAID Administrator Mark Green plans to unveil a proposal for a revised organizational chart aimed at better supporting his overall vision of ending the need for foreign assistance. USAID’s leaders are adamant that the changes they are proposing are not aimed at cost savings. The White House has granted tentative approval of the plan.
China Cares a Whole Lot about Pigs in Iowa, Atlantic, April 3
As the largest exporter of pork and corn in the United States, and the second largest exporter of soybeans, Iowa’s economy is increasingly connected to China. Thanks to rising meat consumption and a dearth of arable land, China has a growing appetite for American agricultural products. Given Iowa’s dependence on global trade, its economy offers a test case for understanding the hypothetical impacts of a trade war.
SEE ALSO: China Retaliates against Trump Tariffs with Duties on American Meat and Fruit, Wall Street Journal, April 1
Will America Make Eradicating Global Hunger a Policy Priority?, Opinion, Kenneth Quinn, Hill, April 1
In a world with close to one billion people chronically food insecure and millions facing acute hunger and malnutrition, the United States and other high-income countries will face the political questions about whether we will see eradicating global hunger as an overriding obligation surpassing other internal policy objectives.
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BIG IDEAS AND EMERGING INNOVATIONS
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Why These Bumblebees are Wearing Itty-Bitty QR Codes, Wired, April 3
Researchers superglued QR codes to the backs of bumblebees to look at how worker bees know to jump in and collect food when a designated forager. The technique can also help researchers understand lots of other bee behaviors, including the abnormal kind that can result as populations are threatened by pesticide use.
The Next Big Thing in Agriculture: Smart Collars for Cows, Wall Street Journal, April 2
Several startups are betting that high-tech collars for livestock could render the fences obsolete, enabling farmers to round up animals more easily. Virtual-fencing startups on at least three continents are looking to sell the collars, which track an animal’s location and use audio signals and mild electric shocks to direct movement. Their products are supposed to make shifting a herd as easy as drawing a line on a smartphone app.
The USDA Says Crispr-Edited Foods Are Just as Safe as Ones Bred the Old-Fashioned Way, Quartz, April 2
The USDA announced that it would no longer regulate crops that have been genetically edited. The decision only applies to crops that have had some genes taken out, or which have had genes that are endemic to the species added to them. Transgenic crops, which are modified to include DNA from other species, will still be closely monitored by the regulatory agency.
SEE ALSO: Crispr’d Food, Coming Soon to a Supermarket Near You, Wired, March 30
Soup, Beer, and Soap from Food Waste? Dutch Shoppers Say Yes, Reuters, March 29
The Wageningen branch of Jumbo, one of the biggest Dutch supermarket chains, and 18 additional Dutch companies have launched the Verspilling is Verrukkelijk, or “Waste is Delicious,” initiative as part of a new national program, United Against Food Waste. The government is aiming to halve the amount of food thrown away by its 17 million people to become the first country in Europe to meet this global development goal by 2030.
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FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL ISSUES
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Argentine Drought Hits Farmers Hard, Undermining Economy, AP, April 3
The drought in Argentina, which began in November, has caused big losses, reduced expectations of economic growth, and raised concerns among farmers, government officials, and experts in the world’s third-largest exporter of soybean and corn. Argentina’s famed meat and dairy industries, which depend on corn and soymeal for animal feed, are facing more than $600 million in losses.
The Country with the World's Worst Inequality Is..., NPR, April 3
More than two decades after South Africa ousted a racist apartheid system that trapped the vast majority of South Africans in poverty, more than half the country still lives below the national poverty line and most of the nation's wealth remains in the hands of a small elite.
SEE REPORT: Overcoming Poverty and Inequality in South Africa: An Assessment of Drivers, Constraints, and Opportunities, World Bank, March 28
Tough Times, Tough Birds - Kenyan Farmers Swap Back to Hardy Chickens, Thomson Reuters Foundation, April 2
Faced with harsher weather as a result of climate change, farmers are turning to birds that need less food, water, and fuss. These chickens serve two main critical aspects. One, they provide good-quality protein to the families, and two, they provide livelihood security to the rural families, youth, and women, thus playing a key role in the rapidly growing economy while offering emergency cash income.
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Older Americans Are ‘Hooked’ on Vitamins, New York Times, April 3
More than half of Americans take vitamin supplements, including 68 percent of those age 65 and older. Often, preliminary studies fuel irrational exuberance about a promising dietary supplement, leading millions of people to buy in to the trend. They continue even though more rigorous studies never find that vitamins prevent disease, and in some cases cause harm.
You May Live Longer by Severely Restricting Calories, Scientists Say, NPR, April 2
Research has shown that sharp reductions in the amount of food consumed can help fish, rats, and monkeys live longer. A new study of human subjects did not directly prove that drastic calorie-cutting will actually help people live longer. But the study did find that blood pressure, cholesterol, and triglycerides were lower in the group on severe calorie restriction. When those numbers are high, they can lead to life-shortening diseases.
SEE REPORT: Metabolic Slowing and Reduced Oxidative Damage with Sustained Caloric Restriction Support the Rate of Living and Oxidative Damage Theories of Aging, Cell Metabolism, April 3
The Unstoppable Rise of Veganism: How a Fringe Movement Went Mainstream, Guardian, April 1
Veganism’s surging popularity has become a national phenomenon in the UK, with plant-based food festivals and businesses booming from Bristol to Inverness. People cite one or more of three key motives for going vegan: animal welfare, environmental concerns and personal health. The traditional food industry is desperately trying to catch up with the flourishing grassroots demand.
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ENVIRONMENT, WATER, AND CLIMATE
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Scientists Examine Threats to Food Security If We Meet the Paris Climate Targets, Guardian, April 3
A new study focuses on the impact of climate change on food security, and in particular, how changes to extreme weather will impact food production. In general, it is likely that areas that are currently wet will become wetter, and areas that are currently dry will become drier. The study is purposely limited to extreme weather, fresh water, and agriculture.
SEE REPORT: Changes in Climate Extremes, Fresh Water Availability, and Vulnerability to Food Insecurity, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, April 2
Faced with Drought, the Pharaohs Tried (and Failed) to Adapt, New York Times, March 30
In response to a drought crisis in their empire’s southeastern arid zones between 1250 and 1100 BC, ancient Egyptian leaders ordered increased grain production and crossbred local cattle with zebu to create a more heat-resistant plow animal. Even with preparation, however, the Egyptian empire ultimately collapsed. But the study shows how recognizing and preparing for climate disaster can make societies more resilient.
The Sahara is Growing, Thanks in Part to Climate Change, Washington Post, March 29
The Sahara Desert is advancing south into more tropical terrain in Sudan and Chad, turning green vegetation dry and soil once used for farming into barren ground in areas that can least afford to lose it. This change is happening during the African summer, when there is usually more rain. But the precipitation has dried up, allowing the boundaries of the desert to expand, which is expected to be worse with climate changes.
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GENDER AND GENERATIONAL INCLUSION
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This Social Enterprise Empowers Mothers of Special Needs Children, Forbes, April 3
Ubuntu Made, a social enterprise that serves marginalized communities in Kenya, creates meaningful jobs for women with special needs children through a shoes product line, a collaborative coffee business with Whole Foods Market, and a bottled water business. The profits of these ventures help sustain the Ubuntu Special Needs Centre, which serves to educate and provide healthcare for children with special needs.
Young Saint Lucians Set to Change the Agricultural Sector, Saint Lucia Star, April 1
The Climate Smart Greenhouse is going to change the reality of food production in Saint Lucia. The controlled environment allows farmers to manipulate the temperature, humidity, energy from sunlight, and atmospheric conditions. Researchers hope to create a database and consultancy program, which will inform local farmers when and how to change the conditions as well as soil nutrient content when needed.
How This LA Coffee Brand Is Ushering in More Organic Farmers, Especially Women, Forbes, March 31
Los Angeles-based Groundwork Coffee specializes in sourcing from certified organic farms. To encourage growers to produce great tasting organic coffee, Groundwork introduced the Quality Award for exemplary micro-lots. This year, it was given to two sisters, Argenis and Bertha Rosas, who are able to farm and operate their own micro-lots through AMUCC, a women’s cooperative located near the Cauca River in Colombia.
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MARKET ACCESS, TRADE, AND AGRIBUSINESS
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China Tariff Threat Prompts US Farmers to Weigh Changes, Wall Street Journal, April 4
China’s threatened tariffs on US soybeans and other agricultural goods this week are already forcing some American farmers to rethink planting and investment decisions. The prospect of China—one of the biggest purchasers of US farm products—scaling back imports is sharpening fears of diminished income from crops and livestock.
Thrive Market Gets into Perishables, Wants to Improve the Way Farmers and Fisherman Do Business, Forbes, April 3
An online membership-based grocery store, Thrive Market recently launched its meat and seafood bundle options. Thrive’s approach is to partner with small- and mid-size farmers and fisherman across the globe who echo their commitment to the environment, sustainable farming practices, regenerative farming that restores healthy soil and ocean waters, and animal welfare.
What Chinese Tariffs Targeting American Crops Will Mean for Farmers, NPR, April 2
At one time, one out of every four pistachios grown in California was destined for China. The new tariffs will definitely cost growers some money out of our pocket—anywhere from $5,000 to $25,000 per shipping container. The bottom line is that customers have other alternatives. They would prefer buying from California, but if the costs are too high or too restrictive, they can switch to another producing country.
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