As Rural Girls Rise, so Do the World’s Economic Markets, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, June 21

The richest countries in the world have already undergone a process of educational expansion and now have the advanced economies to show for it. Yet millions of rural girls, who overwhelmingly live in low- and middle-income countries, have yet to receive the education, financial resources, and public health investments that they need in order to rise beyond poverty. Before economic gains can be realized, global leaders must invest in girls.

1,000 Days and Migrant Stress, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, June 20

The latest post from Roger Thurow details the lasting impact that the Trump administration’s practice of separating families crossing the southern US boarder will have on the young children affected. Pediatricians, psychologists, and child development researchers have been accumulating evidence that stress and trauma can be major contributors to stunted child development, along with poor nutrition and sanitation.

Guest Commentary – The Future of Work Depends on Electrification for Rural Girls, Chicago Council on Global Affairs, June 19

While those with unlimited access to the digital world are gradually adapting to the new job market reality, those without exposure are falling behind in the technical skills necessary to stay competitive and relevant. Rural girls in particular are at a disadvantage, both because of their gender and location. One of the largest barriers to internet access is the need for electricity, and many rural communities across the globe lack electrification.

India Faces 'Worst-Ever' Water Crisis: Report, Al Jazeera, June 17

About 600 million Indians are facing high to extreme stress over water. There is now a threat of conflict and other related dangers, including food security risks, unless actions are taken to restore water bodies. More than 20 cities, including New Delhi, Bengaluru, and Chennai, will run out of groundwater by 2020, affecting 100 million people.

SEE REPORT: Composite Water Resources Management, Niti Aayog, June 12

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Northeast Nigeria Threatened by Critical Food Insecurity, Al Jazeera, June 20

With an increase in Boko Haram attacks and the displacement of nearly two million Nigerians, agricultural production has plummeted and staple food prices have sky-rocketed. Northeast Nigeria now faces one of the world's worst food security crises, with around 3.8 million people who will face critical food insecurity and around 7.7 million in need of life saving humanitarian assistance this year.

The Food Insecurity of North Korea, NPR, June 19

Today, North Korean domestic grain production hovers around 5 million tons per year, roughly double what it was in the famine-stricken 1990s. But agricultural scientists and aid experts familiar with the situation believe that the country is still unable to feed its population. According to the FAO, two out of every five North Koreans are undernourished.

SEE REPORT: The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World, FAO, September 15

Could Open Data Help Solve World Hunger?, Forbes, June 19

Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition (a UK based nonprofit) supports the proactive sharing of open data to make information about agriculture and nutrition available, accessible, and usable to deal with the challenge of ensuring world food security. The organization argues that open access and open data increase transparency, as well as citations and recognition, which are essential for reaching lofty goals like beating world hunger.

Congo’s Ebola Outbreak Poses Challenges for Bush Meat, AP, June 17

Congo’s latest Ebola outbreak has 38 confirmed cases, including 14 deaths. The discovery of a handful of Ebola cases among Mbandaka’s more than 1 million residents also has hurt the economy, especially among traders of meat from wild animals. The virus, which spreads through bodily fluids of those infected, has been known to jump from animals such as monkeys and bats to humans.

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Administration Working on Measures to Protect Farmers in Trade Fight with China, Wall Street Journal, June 19

The Trump administration is working on measures that protect agriculture and other critical industries from retaliatory tariffs being threatened by China amid an escalating trade dispute between the two countries. A White House spokesperson shared that Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and others are taking into account the potential impact of retaliatory tariffs on those industries and are making provisions.

SEE ALSO: EU Pursues Trade Talks with Australia in Wake of US Tariffs, Wall Street Journal, June 18

The US FDA Says It’s Taking the Lead on the Regulation of Cell-Cultured Meat, Quartz, June 18

A USDA top official said increased interest by consumers and companies in so-called clean meat merits a public hearing to further discuss how such products will be regulated for food safety. The agency meeting is designed to give cell-cultured meat companies the opportunity to publicly share with FDA officials their cases for why their products should have a place in American grocery stores and restaurants.

SEE ALSO: Request for Public Meeting: Foods Produced Using Animal Cell Culture Technology, FDA, June 18

SEE ALSO: Meat 2.0? Clean Meat? Spat Shows the Power of Food Wording, AP, June 19

Africa’s Journey to Self-Reliance Through Improved Food Security Policy, Relief Web, June 15

Africa’s total undernourished population now represents a quarter of the world’s entire population who are undernourished. The African Union Commission and the AU’s New Partnership for Africa's Development agency are working with the regional economic communities to support AU member states to domesticate the commitments in their national agriculture investment plans. Supported by programs like Feed the Future and USAID’s Africa Lead, African agriculture can ensure a food secure continent.

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Compost Makes an Internet Community Grow, Thanks to an App, Wired, June 19

Using food waste to enrich your soil benefits the earth in a number of ways, including reducing the use of chemical fertilizers and decreasing methane emissions in landfills. Launched in 2016, the ShareWaste app uses a digital map to connect individuals with food scraps to nearby neighbors who have a compost system like a heap or a bin. Users accepting compost scraps can mark their compost site on the map for other users to find.

Edible Coating Allows Avocados to Stay Ripe for Twice as Long, Guardian, June 19

A tasteless coating developed by Santa Barbara company Apeel Sciences controls the two main factors that cause fresh produce to go bad: the rate at which water escapes the surface of fruit and vegetables, and the rate at which oxygen enters. Apeel hopes its technology can also reduce the amount of fruit and vegetables that are thrown out by retailers and consumers because of spoilage.

This Agriculture Giant Is Bringing in the Drones to Modernize Farming from Cornfields to Vineyards, Fortune, June 19

ChemChina is substantially raising spending on research and development, with the biggest increases going to groundbreaking digital technology. FarmShots is a software that they developed that uses satellites and drones to pinpoint sick crops in the field. The advantage of satellite images is that they spotlight problem areas that could take a farmer a week or more to pinpoint scouting the spread.

See How Algae Could Change Our World, Forbes, June 15

Algae grows 10 times more rapidly than terrestrial plants and needs less than a tenth of the land for production. It grows on non-productive and non-arable land, doesn't compete with other crops for land, can use a variety of water sources, and produces no fertilizer runoff or downstream eutrophication. Some experts believe that algae could soon be used as biomass for carbon-neutral fuels, animal and marine feed, and high-quality protein supplements for humans.

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Meat, Dairy and Fish Firms at Risk from Failing to Tackle Climate and Antibiotics, Forbes, June 19

Climate change’s risks to the food sector include threats to the meat, fish, and dairy sector, where intensive farming methods are increasingly coming under scrutiny not just for their contribution to climate change but also overuse of antibiotics, water, and fertilizer. A new index shows that every single company reviewed is exposed to megatrends such as climate change, increasing biodiversity loss, land use change, and the growth in antibiotic resistance.

SEE REPORT: The Coller FAIRR Protein Producer Index, FAIRR, June 14

This Scrappy Startup Wants to Save Family Farms. But Big Ag Is Fighting Back, Forbes, June 19

Since its founding, the Farmers Business Network has built a network of more than 6,500 farms to which it offers information, an online store, and marketing help—all with the goal of making farmers more profitable. Collectively, farmers produce nearly $200 billion worth of crops a year, but individually they have little bargaining power. By bringing them together, FBN’s sprawling operation helps farmers get better prices on both the goods they buy and the crops they sell.

Now, Even the World Bank Thinks Land Reform Is a Priority for South Africa, Quartz, June 18

The latest World Bank report on South Africa’s land redistribution debate argues for strengthening the administrative capacity for land reform, including restitution, redistribution, and tenure reform. Experts believe tenure reform in the former homelands is particularly important for reducing poverty. Many poor South Africans live in their former homelands where land is still communal.

SEE REPORT: An Incomplete Transition: Overcoming the Legacy of Exclusion in South Africa, World Bank, April 30

The EU Says a New Law Will Expel Palm Oil from Europe. The Evidence Suggests Otherwise., Forbes, June 15

Ten years after the European Union set a requirement for countries to source 10 percent of all transport fuel from renewable sources by 2020, environmentalists say it is doing more harm than good. That’s because the target has driven the increased consumption of biofuels in Europe, and much of it has come from crop-based fuels in developing countries. Farmers have switched from growing food to growing crops for biofuel, which has had an effect on global food supply and prices.

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As Carbon Dioxide Levels Rise, Major Crops Are Losing Nutrients, NPR, June 19

As the level of carbon dioxide in the air continues to rise because of human activity, scientists are trying to pin down how the plants we eat are being affected. Mounting evidence suggests that many key plants lose nutritional value at higher CO₂ levels, and scientists are running experiments all over the world to try to tease out the effects.

The Rise of Supermarket Shopping in Kenya Is Increasing the Risk of Poor Nutrition, Quartz, June 19

A rise in supermarket shopping—an offshoot of rapid urbanization—has resulted in Kenyans eating higher amounts of processed food than fresh food typically found at traditional markets. But it’s a habit that could prove costly on the long-term. Shopping in supermarkets significantly increases body mass index and a higher consumption of highly processed foods.

SEE REPORT: Supermarket Shopping and Nutritional Outcomes: A Panel Data Analysis for Urban Kenya, World Development, February 1

Artificial Trans Fats, Widely Linked to Heart Disease, Are Officially Banned, Washington Post, June 18

Once ubiquitous, artificial trans fats are officially banished from US restaurants and grocery stores. Food-makers have had three years to phase out the ingredient, which the FDA ruled unsafe to eat in 2015. Nutrition researchers and public health advocates long ago found artificial trans fats, a modified form of vegetable oil, raised cholesterol and contributed to heart disease.

Fiber Optics? Range of Ingredients Bulk up Food Fiber Counts, AP, June 15

Companies add ingredients to boost the fiber, a practice they say helps people enjoy treats with less guilt, but that critics say distorts ideas about what's healthy. The FDA is giving its nod for many of the ingredients that companies already use to pump up fiber to be counted as such on the new Nutrition Facts panel, which will be required in two years. The agency's decision comes after a 2016 rule that said added fibers need to provide a health benefit, rather than just being a non-digestible carbohydrate.

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The Refugees the World Barely Pays Attention To, NPR, June 20

There's an emerging category of migrant that seems to be overlooked: "climate refugees," who currently lack any formal definition, recognition, or protection under international law even as the scope of their predicament becomes clearer. Since 2008, an average of 24 million people have been displaced by catastrophic weather disasters each year. As climate change worsens storms and droughts, that number is expected to rise.

Fish Billed as Local Isn’t Always Local, AP, June 15

In a global industry plagued by fraud and deceit, conscientious consumers are increasingly paying top dollar for what they believe is local, sustainably caught seafood. But even in this fast-growing niche market, companies can hide behind murky supply chains that make it difficult to determine where any given fish comes from. One company in particular, Sea to Table, practiced the same practices it vowed to fight.

For a More Sustainable Food Future, Mollusks and Small Fish May Be the Answer, Anthropocene, June 15

A new study ranked common animal-based foods according to their planetary impact. Across factors like greenhouse gas emissions, energy-use, and eutrophication, it showed that beef had the highest environmental footprint.  Farmed mollusks and small pelagic fish like anchovies and sardines captured out at sea were the most sustainable dietary options.

SEE ALSO: The Environmental Cost of Animal Source Foods, Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, June 12

In the Philippines, Dynamite Fishing Decimates Entire Ocean Food Chains, New York Times, June 15

Stopping dynamite and other illegal fishing has taken on a new urgency on the 10,500 square miles of coral reef in the Philippines. Dynamite fishing destroys both the food chain and the corals where the fish nest and grow. Blast fishing kills the entire food chain, including plankton, fish both large and small, and the juveniles that do not grow old enough to spawn. Without healthy corals, the ecosystem and the fish that live within it begin to die off.

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World Refugee Day: Meet the Entrepreneur Employing Women Refugees through the Joy of Healthy Food, Forbes, June 20

Determined to prove that the private sector can provide solutions for refugee employment, Lina Zdruli launched Dafero, a consumer food startup that employs refugee women to make healthy, organic snacks. Working out of a commercial kitchen, the women choose the best variety of dates to produce Dafero’s naturally gluten-free date spread. In addition to employment, Dafero plans to offer leadership skills to its employees and connect them to English classes.

Why the US Desperately Needs More Millennial Farmers, Mic, June 18

In the United States, the average farmer is older than 50. This is a problem: As these farmers retire, younger farmers are less likely to take their place, compared to those in previous generations. The decline of farming will lead to fewer food choices and an increased risk of a degradation of quality in the food supply system.

Climate Change a 'Man-Made Problem with a Feminist Solution' Says Robinson, Reuters, June 18

Women must be at the heart of climate action if the world is to limit the deadly impact of disasters such as floods, former Irish president and UN rights commissioner Mary Robinson said. In many developing countries, women are involved in food production, but are not allowed to manage the cash earned by selling their crops. The international community needs to do is talk to women, learn from them, and support them.

Men Teaching Men to Be Better Husbands and Dads, NPR, June 15

In rural Rwanda, patriarchal structures assign specific duties to husbands and wives. In many cases, the husband works primarily as a farmer, while his wife also farms in addition to gathering firewood and water, cooking, cleaning, and caring for the children. A program called MenCare taught expectant and young fathers in rural Rwanda about parenting, reproductive and maternal health, and more to improve spousal communication and balance gendered power dynamics.

SEE REPORT: Gender-Transformative Couples’ Intervention to Promote Male Engagement, PLOS One, April 4

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Meet the Former Livestock Agent Who Started an International Vegan Food Business, Forbes, June 20

Wally Fry, a South African entrepreneur, began experimenting with protein alternatives in his home kitchen in the 1990s and realized the potential business opportunity. When The Fry Family Food Company was registered, there was virtually no market for vegan products in South Africa. Now, business is booming with vegan products selling in stores in more than 30 countries.

Soybean Prices Hit Lowest Point in Two Years as Trade Threats Mount, Wall Street Journal, June 19

Soybean prices fell more than 5 percent to the lowest point in two years, as escalating trade tension between the United States and China dimmed hopes that US farmers might win a reprieve from duties on the crop set to take effect next month. Prices for grain and livestock also declined as traders bet Chinese tariffs would jeopardize demand for US exports. Commodities from crude oil to copper to lumber also fell.

SEE ALSO: China's Retaliatory Tariffs to Hit Us Lobsters, Soybeans, Al Jazeera, June 16

SEE ALSO: Trade Fears Threaten Best Year in Commodities since 2002, Wall Street Journal, June 15

Dreaming of Farming Empire, Kazakhs Seek Management Tips from Genghis Khan, Reuters, June 19

Kazakhstan is taking management lessons from warrior-emperor Genghis Khan as it seeks to conquer neighboring countries’ food markets. The nation wants to more than double exports of foodstuffs and other processes agricultural products over the next five years. He said meat production was a particularly promising area that could generate up to $2.6 billion in annual export revenue.

French Rail Strike Leaves Grain Market Grappling with Stocks, Reuters, June 18

A prolonged rail strike in France has led to spiraling transport costs for grain firms and raised the risk that the European Union’s biggest crop producer will be saddled with more stocks than expected when the summer harvest arrives. One freight train in France typically carries as much grain as at least 40 trucks. River transport has been hit by heavy rain as well as lock outages, and the rolling rail strikes since April have accentuated reliance on increasingly expensive and scarce trucks.

Commodities Trader Cargill Aims to Cut Shipping Emissions 15 Percent by 2020, Reuters, June 18

Food manufacturers are not only looking at how ingredients are produced at the farm level, but also beginning to examine every step along the agricultural supply chain. Cargill Inc. aims to cut carbon emissions from its international shipping unit by as much as 15 percent by 2020 to meet UN regulations to reduce pollution and demands from some of its food manufacturer customers for more environmentally-friendly operations.

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Plant A 2018 International Agriculture Forum

Date: June 28-29

Location: Chalons-en-Champagne, France

International Agricultural and Food Exhibition Farmer Expo

Date: August 17-20

Location: Debrecen, Hungary

The International Civil Society Conference on the Sustainable Development Goals

Date: September 11-13

Location: Yaoundé, Cameroon

2018 SCRA Nuts and Bolts Workshop

Date: October 3-5

Location: Riverdale, Maryland

International Phytobiomes Conference 2018

Date: December 4-6

Location: Montpellier, France

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