A dream to rehsape agricultural landscape of world
Monday, 27 August 2012
China to check implementation of agriculture law
Sunday, 26 August 2012
Reducing agriculture's thirst for water
The relationship between water and food production is in focus at this year's World Water Week in Stockholm. Climate-related issues like droughts are just one factor putting pressure on the world's water resources.
"Water is life. It is the heart of a green economy. That's why we must talk about water efficiency," stressed Kenza Robinson, the secretary of UN-Water who also works at the United Nations Department of Economics and Social Affairs.
Water is used in nearly every undertaking. Within the energy sector, power culled from water is considered environmentally friendly. Industry needs enormous quantities of water to manufacture products. In creating a single computer microchip, manufacturers use around 32 liters of water. Building a car requires an average of 400,000 liters of the liquid.
One big cycle
But agriculture is the biggest water consumer, currently using around 70 percent of global water resources. The agriculture industry doesn't just provide people with food these days. It also uses water in raising crops for biofuels and for feeding livestock. The world's water resources are all part of an enormous water cycle. They are recycled, but new water resources are not added into the mix. The quantity always remains the same.
So the issue at stake is how well water is being used, said Benedikt Haerlin of the German environmental group Foundation for the Future of Agriculture.
"The decisive point is actually how we maintain the water in the ground and in plants throughout the ecosystem before it evaporates, and the cycle starts all over again," said the journalist and agriculture expert, who is also a member of the International Commission on the Future of Food.
The virtual dimension
Haerlin supports developing sustainable agriculture as a way of feeding the world's growing population in a healthy fashion. For him, sustainability means that so-called virtual water also enters into the equation. Virtual water is the amount of water behind any given product and which is an often invisible part of the export process in agriculture. For example, in a dry country like Somalia, it takes 18,000 liters of water to grow one kilogram of wheat. But in Slovakia, it takes just 465 liters for the same product. So Benedikt Haerlin argues that the entire food production process needs to be adapted to available water quantities.
"Germany imports water from regions in which water is much scarcer than it is here at home - for instance in the form of soy," said Haerlin, who noted that soy production requires immense quantities of water.
"Trade with virtual water would have to take into account where water is scarce rather than simply trading based on where the most money is," Haerlin added.
Changing agriculture
Haerlin believes that including virtual water in trade calculations would lead people away from the agricultural practice known as monoculture in which a single crop is grown year after year in the same place. Little water is preserved in the ground by farming in this way, Haerlin said, which has a negative effect on the global water cycle. Often, farms of this sort also use artificial watering systems. The key, Haerlin stresses, is for food producers around the world to account better for the amount of water available to them and adapt their practices accordingly.
Robinson adds that we must think much further in advance when it comes to water than with other resources, like fossil fuels.
"Water is a human right. It stands above all other resources," she said. "Because of its special significance, we must view it in a comprehensive way."
Original article here
Youths not ready for business, agriculture
Does our education system at primary and secondary school levels prepare the young citizens to be farmers or business people? The answer is a definite no.
Yet, facts on the ground indicate that more Tanzanians are in farming and non-formal businesses than in any other sector.
Naturally, one would expect agriculture and business education to be a must subjects at least from the upper primary level.
Instead of our primary and secondary education system preparing the young citizens to enter modern farming and businesses, we dream of white-collar jobs.
Those who fail and fall along the way are the wayward, and the lucky to go to vocational training centres. Those who are completely unlucky will not even finish primary school education- and resign mostly to peasant farming or petty trade.
Our education system, inherited from the-colonial and post independence years for churning out civil servants has failed to take the realities of today’s Tanzania.
Almost every one of us, after school- we expect to be employed and not to go into business. The reality is the government and the public sector can’t absorb all the young graduates as it was in the first ten years of independence.
The private sector is constrained as well, and due to unhealthy business environment, it is not growing at the speed that can absorb all school leavers.
No wonder some leaders have been saying unemployment is a time bomb. Millions of youth, restless and with nothing to do for a source of income, are dangerous lot.
The more the unemployment number goes up, the more the danger of social unrest.
The elite, the political class and even the development partners seem to be helpless in the wake of the rising number of the unemployed.
The elite, the political class and even the development partners seem to be helpless in the wake of the rising number of the unemployed.
Whatever is being done at the top and bottom levels is not enough to tame the growing menace. Even if the economy was to grow at 15 per cent per year, it can’t be enough to absorb all graduates in formal employment, leave alone those who finish their education at primary and secondary levels.
The number of youths entering the job market is big. I expect the upcoming census to get staggering figures on this.
The problem with the economic growth that we have been experiencing in the last 15 years or so, is that on the other hand, poverty levels among the sections of the people has been on the increase. That is the paradox of Tanzania.
The problem with the economic growth that we have been experiencing in the last 15 years or so, is that on the other hand, poverty levels among the sections of the people has been on the increase. That is the paradox of Tanzania.
Usually any economic growth that does not directly affect or improve lives of the majority populace creates huge gaps between the rich and the poor.
We don’t need this in Tanzania. Fair distribution of wealth that results from the available natural resources will make our country a better nation.
Policy makers know what the common people do for a living. The government is aware that the world today is private sector driven.
So it must take steps to prepare young citizens to enter the private sector world as business people and modern farmers.
The set up must begin in the primary and secondary school syllabi. We are living in a global village and the reality of East African integration is there for all to see.
Children in some neighbouring countries are being taught agriculture and business education. If we don’t act, history will judge us harshly and despite all our natural resources, we will remain poor people.
Saumu Jumanne is an Assistant Lecturer, Dar es Salaam University College of Education (DUCE).
Saumu Jumanne is an Assistant Lecturer, Dar es Salaam University College of Education (DUCE).
Original Article Here
Enhancing agriculture productivity: scientists urged to develop farmer-friendly packages
Fertilisers worth $1400.71 million are being dumped annually in cultivated lands of Punjab province due to in-efficient use, which could be minimised through newly designed and introduced precision of fertiliser prediction models by the scientists of UAF, said speakers at a stakeholders conference on "Potential and Prospects of Data Generation for Improving the Precision of Fertiliser Prediction Models" on Saturday at old senate hall University of Agriculture (UAF) Faisalabad.
The inaugural session was chaired by Professor Dr Iqrar Ahmad Khan, VC University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF) where as Dr Anjum Ali Buttur, Director General Agricultural Extension Punjab, Dr Muhammad Arshad, Director, Institute of Soil & Environmental Sciences UAF, Dr Muhammad Rasheed, ex-director general AARI Faisalabad, Dr Shahid Mehmood, Director Soil Fertility Punjab, Nadeem Tariq, Riaz Ahmad, Dr Muhammad Tariq, Dr Abdul Majeed and Dr Khuda Bukhsh also spoke on the occasion.
Dr Iqrar said that UAF has planned to establish state of the art forecasting and prediction mechanism through GPS via satellite in collaboration with SPARCO. He added that a soil testing laboratory equipped with modern technologies would also be opened for farming community which will also generate data regarding prediction models. Dr Khan urged the scientists to develop various farmers' friendly packages comprising solution their problems. He maintained that UAF was striving for transforming the knowledge into goods and services.
Dr Anjum Ali Buttur said in 2003-04 the cost of production of wheat was Rs 9,028 acre while share of fertiliser input was Rs 1,316 whereas in 2012-13 cost of production has jumped up to Rs 3,1490 acre in wheat with the fertiliser share of Rs 6,550. He said that due to inflation the prices of fertilisers' are touching the sky. Dr Muhammad Rasheed that said that we can save Rs 208 billion by ensuring balanced fertilisers input in Punjab province every year.
Dr Rasheed added that the soil fertility status of our soils was declining with the passage of time in general. He maintained that the Nitrogen was deficient in almost all the soils which were so alarming. Dr Rasheed said that more than 90 per cent soils had inadequate available Phosphorus level and in more than 40 per cent soils Potassium deficiency was also affecting the crop yields.
He added that among micro-nutrients Zinc and Boron were 50 per cent soils respectively. He revealed that a project, synthesis of available fertiliser trials data for site-specific recommendations and diagnostic survey for low-adoption of fertiliser use technology would be a milestone in the field of efficient use of fertilisers and enhancing agricultural productivity.
Dr Muhammad Arshad said that initially fertiliser prediction model was being exercised in 36 districts of Punjab province for recommendation to the farming community regarding expected production and this would be extended for other crops within short span of time. Ahsan Raza Sattar, Assistant professor, who developed this unique software conducted the conference.
Over 96,000 jobs to be created in Iran’s agriculture sector
TEHRAN - Iran will inaugurate 3,625 agricultural projects during August 23-30 to mark the Government Week, creating more than 96,000 direct and indirect jobs, the advisor to the agriculture minister stated.
Some 6.3 trillion rials (around $490 million) has been invested in the projects, Javad Hosseini added, the Fars News Agency reported.
The projects are in the fields of water and soil management, animal husbandry, natural resources, agricultural industries, research and development.
The value of exports of agricultural products was $64.1 billion more than imports in the past calendar year, which ended on March 19, the agriculture minister said on Friday.
Sadeq Khalilian did not mention to specific values of exports and imports, but said that the exports included 77 million tons of farming crops, 18.3 million tons of garden products, 720,000 tons of fishery products, and 14.3 million tons of anima products.
Iran’s agricultural output reached around 118 million tons in the previous calendar year, the deputy agriculture minister said.
The agricultural output includes animal, farm, fishery and garden products, Mohammad-Ali Nikbakht added, the IRNA News Agency reported.
The volume of Iran’s agricultural products stood at 108 million tons in the past Iranian year, the official noted.
Original Article Here
Saturday, 25 August 2012
Mapping out part of the food security puzzle: Agricultural policy
by Tara Garnett
The Food Climate Research Network and the Oxford Martin Programme on the Future of Food have jointly published a new report entitled: Sustainable intensification in agriculture. Navigating a course through competing food system priorities (PDF).
The report is based on discussions held at a two day workshop held in January 2012 which was coorganised by both organisations. The workshop brought together key thinkers from the academic and policy community, and from diverse disciplines, to consider the meanings, issues and challenges around sustainable intensification in general, and particularly in relation to three areas of concern: environmental sustainability; animal welfare and human wellbeing, specifically nutrition.
The report is aimed at policy-makers working in areas relevant to food security. While clearly ‘food security’ is about far more than agricultural policy alone, the purpose of this report is to take a small part of the food security puzzle – agricultural policy – and to consider how it intersects with environmental, animal welfare and health policies. Its argument is that agricultural policy, if it is to help rather than hinder the ultimate goal of food security, needs to operate in an integrated manner with these other policy areas.
Ultimately, this report argues the case for a more ‘systems’ oriented approach to decision making. While it does not go so far as to define a research agenda or make policy recommendations – this would require more work than has been possible in the time available – it urges the need for a substantial programme of future activity in order to:
(a) Deepen and extend understanding of systems interactions;
(b) Consider and define what specific goals societies wish agricultural production to achieve;
(c) Develop metrics that will enable societies to measure progress in achieving them; and
(d) Implement successful policies.
A few selected conclusions, as regards sustainable intensification, are as follows:
- Both words in the phrase sustainable intensification need to carry equal weight. Intensification, by reducing pressure on land and other resources, underpins sustainability. Equally, food production in the context of a growing population, must ultimately be sustainable if it is to continue to feed people in the future.
- Sustainable intensification is not a movement or a grand socio-political vision. It is not a strategy for the food system as a whole but just for one component within that strategy.
- Sustainable food security requires actions on multiple fronts. On the demand side actions are needed to reduce population growth rates and to curb high levels of per capita consumption, particularly for resource intensive foods. The food system needs to be more efficient by improving governance and reducing food losses and waste throughout the food chain, from farm to plate. On the supply side more food will need to be produced with much less impact on the environment through, we conclude, sustainable intensification. No one of these actions on its own is able to achieve sustainability and security in the food system. Sustainable Intensification should therefore be seen not as a substitute for, but as a complement to these other necessary measures.
- Sustainable intensification as a concept should be decoupled from specific production targets. Sustainable intensification is about optimising productivity and a range of environmental and possible other outcomes.
- Sustainability needs to be viewed over space and time in order to include the indirect effects and consequences of different policies that may impact on other regions and future generations. The indicators used to measure sustainability may also vary according to temporal and spatial scales.
Original Article Here
Agriculture - soon a key component in Nepal's climate change agenda?
By Chase Sova
Persistence and diversification. Oddly enough, these two themes prove common between successful climate change adaptation, as well as getting to meet the Prime Minister of Nepal, Mr. Baburam Bhattarai. At least, this is the light-hearted lesson that The Adaptation to progressive climate change- and Oxford University Research Teamdrew from their recent meeting with the Prime Minister in early August.
Researchers Chase Sova and Prajwal Baral got the exclusive opportunity to sit down with the Prime Minister at his home office in Baluwtar, Kathmandu to discuss the climate change agenda within his administration. The meeting came at the end of one month of nearly 100 in-depth-interviews across Nepal’s climate change and agricultural sectors, including many members of Bhattarai’s government.
The chance to meet the Prime Minister doesn’t come by very often, and therefore both researchers took the opportunity to brief him on the research activities carried out by the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). At present, this includes a team of Oxford PhD researchers moving between the Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, and the southern district of Rupandehi (near the border of India) piloting CCAFS climate analogue tool and Farms of the Future program.
Considered to be Nepal’s most highly educated leader to date, Bhattarai’s reputation is certainly merited. He recalled during the talk his recent trip to Rio de Janeiro for the Rio+20 sustainability conference, where he played an important role as spokesperson for developing nations, reflecting Nepal’s current position as chair of the least developed countries (LDCs) in that forum. He expressed that given Nepal’s minimal contributions to emissions, that the climate change “paradigm” in the country is very different when compared to industrialized nations. He referred to the commonly cited ‘pillars’ of sustainable development - economic, social and environmental - to suggest that Nepal will face the greatest challenge in navigating the social and economic pillars in the face of climate change.
The Prime Minister also spoke of the worrying indications of snowmelt in the high-mountains and deviations of rivers in the mid-hills region of Nepal, even going as for to inquire why the research team had chosen the Terai plains for their research given these pressing challenges. Chase Sova responded by indicating the potential ripple effects that a loss of agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods could have on Nepal’s largely agricultural based economy. He stressed the need for research in each of Nepal’s diverse ecological regions, including the Terai “breadbasket”, reinforcing the need to consider agriculture as a key component of the PM’s climate change agenda. Seeing as the researchers had the opportunity to direct these recommendations to the highest political level, CCAFS hopes the Prime Ministerwill take these considerations to heart for future climate change discussions.
Original Article Here
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