Contaminated water used to dilute pesticides could be responsible for viruses entering the food chain, warn scientists.
Tuesday 31 December 2013
What an 'organic' food label should mean
Many Americans would like to know more about what they eat, including whether the food they purchase contains genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. That desire has sparked ballot initiatives and bitter fights in states across the country. But what a lot of concerned consumers don't realize is that there is already a way to ensure that the foods they purchase are free of GMOs.
Monday 30 December 2013
FAO, IFAD, WFP and UN Women launch a five-year multi-agency programme to empower rural wome
In this collaborative programme, entitled “Accelerating progress towards the economic empowerment of rural women”, FAO is joining forces with IFAD, WFP and UN Women. The programme is aligned with FAO’s mandate and priorities emerging from FAO’s strategic thinking process. It builds on FAO’s ongoing work to improve the livelihoods of rural people, especially women and youth, through enhanced employment opportunities and better access to productive resources and services.
Extensive Use of Antibiotics in Agriculture Creating Public Health Crisis, Study Shows
Citing an overabundance in the use of antibiotics by the agriculture and aquaculture industries that poses a threat to public health, economics professor Aidan Hollis has proposed a solution in the form of user fees on the non-human use of antibiotics.
Sunday 29 December 2013
Saturday 28 December 2013
Friday 27 December 2013
Productive farms can be 'greener than organic': study.
Farms that aim for high food production using environmentally-friendly practices could be better for the environment than both organic and conventional farms.
A study, led by Oxford University scientists, compared the environmental impact of different farming systems.
A study, led by Oxford University scientists, compared the environmental impact of different farming systems.
Thursday 26 December 2013
Wednesday 25 December 2013
Tuesday 24 December 2013
Monday 23 December 2013
If the climate is changing, what challenges can be expected in crop and livestock production?
Is the climate changing? Have weather events of the past several years been precursors of challenging weather in years to come? There seem to be two issues that intertwine, one is whether the climate is changing, and the other is the cause of any change, if there is change at all. If change is not occurring, we can write off the aberrant weather as the result of Mother Nature being fickle. If change is occurring, what can we expect in the way of temperature and moisture in years to come where crop production will be important for global survival?
Stubble burning to control blackgrass.
Many growers are seeing their profit going up in smoke from an increasing blackgrass burden, but could a return to controlled stubble burning help turn up the heat on the industry's most pernicious weed? Adam Clarke reports
The familiar violent crackle of burning cereal crop residue fell silent in the English and Welsh countryside after the practice was restricted in 1993.
However, it could return in the not-so-distant future as momentum gathers to bring back a cultural weed control measure that could help to slash blackgrass levels.
The familiar violent crackle of burning cereal crop residue fell silent in the English and Welsh countryside after the practice was restricted in 1993.
However, it could return in the not-so-distant future as momentum gathers to bring back a cultural weed control measure that could help to slash blackgrass levels.
Is Income Set to Become Dominant Driver of Global Food System?
Per capita income is set to eclipse population growth as the dominant driver of change in the global food system, says a Purdue researcher noted for his work on the economic impacts of global trade and environmental policies.
Thomas Hertel said that while population and income will remain the two most influential factors in determining global food demand and cropland expansion, their relative importance will be altered.
"For the first time in human history, income will have a greater influence than population growth on food security," said Hertel, distinguished professor of agricultural economics.
Thomas Hertel said that while population and income will remain the two most influential factors in determining global food demand and cropland expansion, their relative importance will be altered.
"For the first time in human history, income will have a greater influence than population growth on food security," said Hertel, distinguished professor of agricultural economics.
Saturday 21 December 2013
Friday 20 December 2013
Microbes Facilitate the Persistence, Spread of Invasive Plant Species by Changing Soil Chemistry.
Invasive species are among the world's greatest threats to native species and biodiversity. Once invasive plants become established, they can alter soil chemistry and shift nutrient cycling in an ecosystem. This can have important impacts not only on plant composition, diversity, and succession within a community, but also in the cycling of critical elements like carbon and nitrogen on a larger, potentially even global, scale. Clearly, both native and exotic plants form intimate relationships with bacteria in the soil that facilitate the extraction and conversion of elements to biologically usable forms. Yet an unanswered question with regard to plant invasions remains: could the changes in soil biogeochemistry be due to an advantage that invasive plants get from interacting with their microbiome?
Increasing Potato Production: Using Soil Structure and Chemistry to Define Yield Influences.
Despite sophisticated nutrient management of potato crops, quality and yield still see wide variability. Although nutrients are already well understood, the influence of other environmental factors remains under studied.
Why Crop Rotation Works: Change in Crop Species Causes Shift in Soil Microbes.
Crop rotation has been used since Roman times to improve plant nutrition and to control the spread of disease. A new study to be published in Nature'sThe ISME Journalreveals the profound effect it has on enriching soil with bacteria, fungi and protozoa.
Organic and Conventional Farming Methods Compete to Eliminate Weed Seeds in Soil.
Weeds are hard to kill; they seem to come back no matter what steps people take to eradicate them. One reason is because of the persistence of weed seeds in the soil. Organic farming and conventional farming systems both have their methods of taking on weed seeds, but does one show better results than the other?
UK Scientists Devise Worldwide Food Alert System.
Countries producing food containing harmful bacteria and toxins could be named and shamed more quickly using a worldwide alert system devised by a team of scientists from Kingston University in South West London. The team, led by Professor Declan Naughton, says the easy to use computer tool can be used to monitor contaminated products; helping to prevent them reaching shop shelves and ensuring that food is safe to eat.
Maize Research Reduces Poverty In West And Central Africa.
An analysis of three and half decades of maize research in African farming communities finds big benefits. A multi-country study, in Agricultural Economics, reports the significant role international maize research plays in reducing poverty. It finds that since the mid-1990s, more than one million people per year have escaped poverty through the adoption of new maize varieties.
Thursday 19 December 2013
Climate Experts Aim to Build Food Security in the Face of Climate Change.
Climate and agricultural researchers, policy makers, donors, and development agencies, both governmental and non-governmental, from all over the world have just met in Nairobi for a one-day conference, 'Building Food Security in the Face of Climate Change'. The conference was an important part of a big international Mega Programme on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS). The programme's secretariat is based at LIFE- Faculty of Life Sciences at University of Copenhagen.
Scientists Map Food Security, Self-Provision of Major Cities.
Wealthy capital cities vary greatly in their dependence on the global food market. The Australian capital Canberra produces the majority of its most common food in its regional hinterland, while Tokyo primarily ensures its food security through import. The Copenhagen hinterland produces less than half of the consumption of the most common foods. For the first time, researchers have mapped the food systems of capital cities, an essential insight for future food security if population growth, climate change and political instability will affect the open market. Several partners in the International Alliance of Research Universities (IARU) are behind the study.
A Twenty-First Century Approach To Monitoring Food Security In The Changing Global Food Market.
The growth in world population along with the urbanisation of developing countries is placing undue demands on global food supplies. Key challenges include production, transportation and also maintaining food safety and security.
Availability of Food Increases as Countries' Dependence On Food Trade Grows.
Sufficient food is available for increasing numbers of people, but at the same time, the dependence of countries on international trade in foodstuffs has increased considerably in 40 years. The proportion of the population who get enough food (more than 2,500 calories a day) has nearly doubled to 61 per cent. Those living on a critically low food supply (less than 2,000 calories a day) have shrunk from 51 to three per cent.
Six Stocking Stuffers That Will Ultimately Reduce Food Waste.
From a waste perspective, the best stocking stuffer is probably no stocking stuffer. But if you are looking for that trinket that might be a little less wasteful, why not give something that will ultimately help your loved ones waste less food? Here are a few ideas:
Tuesday 17 December 2013
The science of youth engagement in sustainable development and green economy.
Monday 16 December 2013
Plant breeding academy to improve nutrition Has been Established.
The African Plant Breeding Academy has been established in Nairobi, Kenya, by the African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC)* to improve the livelihoods of Africa's smallholder farmers, reduce hunger and boost Africa's food supply.
Sunday 15 December 2013
Is it true that Animal Agriculture uses 80% of all Antibiotics?
Animal agriculture is often accused of misusing and overusing antibiotics. Is it true?
Earlier this week,BEEF Dailypublished an editorialin which I discussed several points I thought were worth considering when addressing antibiotic-resistant pathogens, and just who is responsible for creating them. One commenter quoted the oft-used figure that animal agriculture uses 80% of all antibiotics, and suggested we should cut back on our antibiotic use, particularly in growth promotion.
Earlier this week,BEEF Dailypublished an editorialin which I discussed several points I thought were worth considering when addressing antibiotic-resistant pathogens, and just who is responsible for creating them. One commenter quoted the oft-used figure that animal agriculture uses 80% of all antibiotics, and suggested we should cut back on our antibiotic use, particularly in growth promotion.
Saturday 14 December 2013
Zebrafish Help Decode Link Between Calcium Deficiency, Colon Cancer
A tiny, transparent fish embryo and a string of surprises led scientists to a deeper understanding of the perplexing link between low calcium and colon cancer.
Friday 13 December 2013
Crop Residue May Be Too Valuable To Harvest For Biofuels
In the rush to develop renewable fuels from plants,
converting crop residues into cellulosic ethanol would seem to be a slam
dunk.
Thursday 12 December 2013
Drought-Related Shrinking Processes Detected in Living Roots in the Soil for the First .
Plant roots can shrink as a result of water deficit and lose contact with the surrounding soil. This effect has been suspected for a long time, but has only now been demonstrated for a fact with the help of x-ray tomography. The formation of an air gap could initially help plants prevent impending water losses when the soil dries out, say scientists from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) writing in the Vadose Zone Journal.
Eight Species of Wild Fish Have Been Detected in Aquaculture Feed
Researchers from the University of Oviedo have for the first time analysed a DNA fragment from commercial feed for aquarium cichlids, aquaculture of salmon and marine fish in aquariums. The results show that in order to manufacture this feed, eight species of high trophic level fish have been used, some of them coming directly from extractive fisheries.
Tuesday 10 December 2013
System Developed for Assessing How Effective Species Are at Pollinating Crops
From tomatoes to pumpkins, most fruit and vegetable crops rely on pollination by bees and other insect species -- and the future of many of those species is uncertain. Now researchers from North Carolina State University are proposing a set of guidelines for assessing the performance of pollinator species in order to determine which species are most important and should be prioritized for protection.
Farming in Russia
What are the key crops grown in Russia?
Wheat, barley, corn, rice, sugar beet, soya beans, sunflower, potatoes and vegetables.
Effects of Drought to Agriculture.
"Although the drought is far from over and its final toll on U.S. agriculture is still uncertain, the 2012 drought will undoubtedly be etched into farmers' memories for years to come." That is the prognosis of the Kansas City Fed, and it is very true. I remember the drought of1956 when Dad put a dollar bill and some coins on the kitchen table and said that was all the money we had because of the drought had burned up the corn. Young farmers and veteran farmers alike will remember the 2012 drought, and each for a different reason. The impact will be widespread across the US economy.
Soybean Exports Raised to 1.475 Billion Bushels.
OILSEEDS: Total U.S. oilseed production for 2013/14 is projected at 96.44 million tons, down slightly due to a small reduction in cottonseed. Although soybean production remains unchanged, 2013/14 supplies are raised 10 million bushels on stronger-than-expected early season soybean imports.
Total Red Meat, Poultry Production Increased.
LIVESTOCK, POULTRY, AND DAIRY: The forecasts for total red meat and poultry production for both 2013 and 2014 are raised from November. For 2013, small changes are made to the fourth quarter for the major species, based on slaughter data to date. The forecast for 2014 is raised based on higher expected cattle and hog carcass weights and higher cattle slaughter.
The fate of the cost of corn next year.
WHILE THE OVERALL SENTIMENT SEEMS TO HAVE BECOME VERY NEGATIVE FOR PRICE PROSPECTS, THE FUTURES MARKET IS OFFERING HIGHER PRICES FOR THE 2014 AND 2015 CROPS.
Much of the discussion in the corn market, and in crop markets in general, has become focused on the potential for a protracted period of low prices and the likely impact on farm incomes and land values. There even appears to be some competition relative to who can forecast the lowest corn prices for next year and beyond. This is just opposite the situation of a year ago when the drought-reduced U.S. crop invoked forecasts of extreme prices on the high side.
Much of the discussion in the corn market, and in crop markets in general, has become focused on the potential for a protracted period of low prices and the likely impact on farm incomes and land values. There even appears to be some competition relative to who can forecast the lowest corn prices for next year and beyond. This is just opposite the situation of a year ago when the drought-reduced U.S. crop invoked forecasts of extreme prices on the high side.
While the corn market sentiment seems to have become very negative for price prospects for an extended period, the futures market is actually offering higher prices for the 2014 crop than for the 2013 crop and even higher prices for the 2015 crop. At this writing, December 2015 corn futures were trading $0.52 higher than December 2013 futures. Prices for the 2016 crop are also higher than prices for the 2013 and 2014 crops. The premium for 2014 and 2015 crops seemingly reflects the "carry" in the market stemming from the large 2013 crop and prospects for large stocks at the end of the current marketing year. The premium of deferred futures within the current marketing year is consistent with the expected price pattern when production is large. This price structure reflects the cost of storage and encourages consumption sooner rather than later. However, theory suggests that the price structure should reset beginning with prices for delivery of the 2014 crop and again with prices for deferred crop years. That is, if supplies are expected to be abundant again next year, December 2014 futures should be near the price of December 2013 futures with deferred prices within the 2014-15 marketing year reflecting a carry. That pattern should be repeated for the 2015-16 marketing year. The reason, then, that prices do not reset in the manner described is that the market expects the price level to be different next year than during the current year. In the current case, the market is anticipating prices to move higher next year and to remain higher than current prices for the next three years. The price structure seems to be at odds with general market sentiment.
Higher corn prices next year and beyond would have to come from some combination of reduced foreign production, smaller U.S. crops, or increased demand for corn. Increased demand is not synonymous with an increase in consumption associated with lower prices. Instead, increased demand is defined as the willingness of end users (domestic, foreign, or both) to consume more corn at a given price, or conversely, to pay higher prices for a given level of consumption. The question then, is it realistic to expect any of these conditions to unfold?
The generally high corn prices since 2006 have stimulated an increase in foreign corn production. The USDA estimates 2013-14 foreign production to be 46 percent larger than production in 2005-06. Based on historical production responses, corn acreage outside the U.S. may stabilize following the recent decline in prices, but a substantial reduction in acreage would not be expected. If that is the case, reduced production would have to be the result of poor weather and lower yields. It is likely premature for the market to expect widespread poor yields in 2014, particularly with generally favorable weather conditions in South America. Some increase in corn demand outside the United States, associated with population and income growth, seems to be a reasonable expectation. Potential corn demand by China is of the most interest. A small increase in domestic demand for corn could also be generated by an expansion in broiler and hog production. There will be much interest in the USDA's Hogs and Pigs report to be released on December 27. The potential increase in foreign and/or domestic demand may explain a portion of the higher prices for the 2014 crop.
The most commonly cited reason for higher corn prices next year, however, is the expectation that U.S. producers will trim acreage and production in response to the decline in corn prices. It is difficult to imagine that total crop acreage will decline in 2014 given the 8.3 million acres of prevented plantings in 2013 and the 1.6 million acres (net) released from the Conservation Reserve Program this year. Smaller corn acreage would have to be the result of a substantial shift to other crops. Current price relationships do not point to a large shift. That leaves 2014 yield as the major factor that could support higher corn prices next year. Not much can be said about yield potential at this point, but expecting yields below trend is less reasonable than expecting yields at or above trend value.
As always, corn producers are presented with a challenge in making pricing decisions for next year's crop. Current conditions suggest that corn prices next year will be lower than currently reflected in the futures market, but it is early and a lot can change. For those who use crop revenue insurance, the challenge is to assess price risk between now and the end of February when insurance prices are established. If the real threat to prices is the size of next year's U.S. crop, downside price risk may be limited until after February.
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Sunday 8 December 2013
Greater focus on soil health needed to feed a hungry planet.
The Good News and Bad News on Agriculture and Climate Change.
The bad news is that delegates opted to delay again discussions of agriculture. This decision, given agriculture's substantial and well-documented contribution to greenhouse gas emissions, reveals the discomfort negotiators still feel around the science and priorities of what we consider "climate-smart agriculture".
The decision to postpone is short-sighted when we consider the potential agriculture has to become part of the global solution. Agriculture is the only sector that can not only mitigate, but also take carbon out of the atmosphere. It has the potential to substantially sequester global carbon dioxide emissions in the soils of croplands, grazing lands and rangelands.
The good news is that there are steps we can take to make agriculture part of the solution. Importantly the discussions with farmers on how to improve incomes and yields, to serve the nutritional content of the food we grow, are our key focus. But we can at the same time improve resilience of food systems and achieve emissions reductions.
At the World Bank Group, we are deeply committed to supporting climate-smart agriculture, which is an approach with three core goals that together point the way towards a "triple win": increasing productivity and incomes, building resilience while reducing vulnerability, and reducing emissions – potentially capturing carbon as well.
To have real impact, we must apply these principles and act across landscapes – that means crops, livestock, forests, and fisheries. Otherwise progress on farms will come at the expense of forests, streams and biodiversity – the loss of which will impact farmers' productivity and resilience down the line.
The potential is enormous.
When I visited Kenya last month, I met a farmer who embodies the triple win promised by climate smart solutions. John Obuom and Poline Achieng' Omondi plant trees that sequester carbon and transfer nitrogen to the soil. They grow improved crops that are more resistant to drought and disease. And they keep livestock breeds that are better adapted to a changing climate. This model works for John and Poline: they have improved soil fertility, restored degraded land, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions – while providing more food and income for their family.
John and Poline are beneficiaries of a CGIAR Research Program that is working with communities to develop Climate-Smart Villages. The idea is to test agricultural interventions to gain a full understanding of the benefits and effects they might have.
Clearly, some of these models show great promise. But John and Poline's farm is one hectare. We now need to replicate successful approaches on a much larger scale.
In Costa Rica, farmers have benefited from more than a decade of payments for ecosystem services. Those payments, nationwide, have shifted behaviors toward better livestock and crop management practices that protect natural water sources and take advantage of trees on farms to fix nitrogen in the soil, provide shade for cows and coffee and sequester carbon. These practices are good for the environment; the reason they stick is because they're also good for the farmers' wallets.
Part of what makes Costa Rica so unique is the strong multi-stakeholder approach and commitment. In Costa Rica's agroforestry program, for instance, the country's National Forestry Financing Fund is working together with farmers and farmer organizations like CoopeAgri and the BioCarbon Fund to achieve the successful results we've seen. Innovative partnerships will be critical moving forward, as many different skills are needed to achieve systemic change in how countries address the challenge of providing food security in the face of climate change.
Support is growing. This week, innovative farmers, scientists, government officials and representatives from private sector and civil society – are coming together at the International Conference on Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Security and Climate Change in Johannesburg, South Africa, to launch the Alliance on Climate-Smart Agriculture. The conference will provide a platform to discuss and share experiences on successes, as well as lessons learned, to deliberate the challenges and threats to food and nutrition security under the impact of climate change and to start identifying and advancing solutions for action.
This alliance could become a key forum for collaboration. Working together, I believe we can move climate-smart agriculture to the next level, identifying common goals and fostering new working partnerships that deliver systemic change on the ground.
Pursuing climate-smart agriculture is not a luxury – it's an imperative. Let's make this a groundbreaking move towards real advances in sustainable agriculture. We need to act now.
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Wildfire and Water: Post-Fire Assessments Provide Quick Answers.
The fire is out, but the damage is still ongoing. When wildfires burn an area, the exposed land that has lost most of its vegetation is very susceptible to soil loss.
In a short amount of time rain can cause severe erosion affecting structures, hillsides, roads, trails, and especially the health of streams, rivers, and wetlands. Channels filled with sediment can quickly become a new flood hazard; aquatic life can be severely impaired; and streambanks can become vulnerable to accelerated erosion and sloughing.
Although wildfires occur naturally, several human-caused factors make wildfires increasingly catastrophic. Stream dewatering is a massive problem in the West. Streams that used to persist during dry spells, now dwindle to a trickle or completely dry up. And once-saturated riparian areas burn instead of protecting streams and providing natural firebreaks. Human-manipulated fire regimes cause some areas to be overloaded with understory fuels, or attempts at controlled burns get out of control. We also can't ignore that weather patterns are changing, and droughts may occur more frequently and last longer. With these environmental events likely becoming more severe in the coming decades, the impact of wildfires is expected to steadily increase.
Trout Headwaters' post-fire assessments can provide a clear view of what type of repair is needed to help your property quickly recover from wildfire. Our full-service company can then apply the appropriate natural treatments that will help nature help herself in the recovery process. Healthy riparian areas and floodplains can provide a wonderful, natural buffer against the effects of wildfire on your property and from the future effects of unmitigated damage on surrounding properties.
At THI we provide:
*.Prompt, post-fire assessments, including impacts and potential hazards;
*.Repair to stop immediate soil loss, including natural soil-stabilizing mats, mulches, quick seeding techniques, and more;
*.Restoration, including long-term soil stabilization, reseeding, transplanting;
*.Monitoring to insure your property is recovering to its fullest potential.
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In a short amount of time rain can cause severe erosion affecting structures, hillsides, roads, trails, and especially the health of streams, rivers, and wetlands. Channels filled with sediment can quickly become a new flood hazard; aquatic life can be severely impaired; and streambanks can become vulnerable to accelerated erosion and sloughing.
Although wildfires occur naturally, several human-caused factors make wildfires increasingly catastrophic. Stream dewatering is a massive problem in the West. Streams that used to persist during dry spells, now dwindle to a trickle or completely dry up. And once-saturated riparian areas burn instead of protecting streams and providing natural firebreaks. Human-manipulated fire regimes cause some areas to be overloaded with understory fuels, or attempts at controlled burns get out of control. We also can't ignore that weather patterns are changing, and droughts may occur more frequently and last longer. With these environmental events likely becoming more severe in the coming decades, the impact of wildfires is expected to steadily increase.
Trout Headwaters' post-fire assessments can provide a clear view of what type of repair is needed to help your property quickly recover from wildfire. Our full-service company can then apply the appropriate natural treatments that will help nature help herself in the recovery process. Healthy riparian areas and floodplains can provide a wonderful, natural buffer against the effects of wildfire on your property and from the future effects of unmitigated damage on surrounding properties.
At THI we provide:
*.Prompt, post-fire assessments, including impacts and potential hazards;
*.Repair to stop immediate soil loss, including natural soil-stabilizing mats, mulches, quick seeding techniques, and more;
*.Restoration, including long-term soil stabilization, reseeding, transplanting;
*.Monitoring to insure your property is recovering to its fullest potential.
....
Implementing the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries.
Following the recommendation of the 29th Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI), FAO engaged in a consultative process to support the development of an international instrument for small-scale fisheries. The text of this instrument, the Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines), is now being negotiated by FAO member states with the intention to present a final document to COFI in 2014 for approval.
While the official endorsement of the SSF Guidelines of course is of critical importance, the real challenge lies in their implementation: the SSF Guidelines will only become effective if their provisions are put into practice. Accordingly, the 30th Session of COFI'agreed on the need to develop implementation strategies for the SSF Guidelines at various levels'. The SSF Guidelines implementation will be a collaborative undertaking that requires concerted efforts by all to be successful.
The FAO SSF Guidelines Secretariat is committed to continue the promotion of collaboration and engagement by all stakeholders. We would hence like to invite you to this e-consultation to share your experiences and views on how the SSF Guidelines could be implemented effectively following their adoption by the FAO Committee on Fisheries in June 2014. The outcome of the e-consultation will provide inputs for the FAO Secretariat to draft a holistic and inclusive global assistance programme taking your lessons learnt, best practices, plans and expectations into account. The e-consultation will also allow for a broad based sharing of knowledge and experiences among partners and stakeholders to support effective implementation of the SSF Guidelines.
....
While the official endorsement of the SSF Guidelines of course is of critical importance, the real challenge lies in their implementation: the SSF Guidelines will only become effective if their provisions are put into practice. Accordingly, the 30th Session of COFI'agreed on the need to develop implementation strategies for the SSF Guidelines at various levels'. The SSF Guidelines implementation will be a collaborative undertaking that requires concerted efforts by all to be successful.
The FAO SSF Guidelines Secretariat is committed to continue the promotion of collaboration and engagement by all stakeholders. We would hence like to invite you to this e-consultation to share your experiences and views on how the SSF Guidelines could be implemented effectively following their adoption by the FAO Committee on Fisheries in June 2014. The outcome of the e-consultation will provide inputs for the FAO Secretariat to draft a holistic and inclusive global assistance programme taking your lessons learnt, best practices, plans and expectations into account. The e-consultation will also allow for a broad based sharing of knowledge and experiences among partners and stakeholders to support effective implementation of the SSF Guidelines.
....
The Role of Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture for Food Security and Nutrition.
In November 2012, the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS) requested the High Level Panel of Experts on Food Security and Nutrition (HLPE) to conduct a study on The Role of Sustainable Fisheries and Aquaculture for food security and nutrition. Taking into account the results of the scoping consultation, the HLPE intends to assess the importance and relevance of Fisheries and
Saturday 7 December 2013
Potential Bioenergy Feedstock Miscanthus Has a Fighting Chance Against Weeds.
University of Illinois research reports that several herbicides used on corn also have good selectivity to Miscanthus x giganteus (Giant Miscanthus), a potential bioenergy feedstock.
The First Decade: Team Reports On US Trials of Bioenergy Grasses
The first long-term U.S. field trials of Miscanthus x giganteus,
a towering perennial grass used in bioenergy production, reveal that
its exceptional yields, though reduced somewhat after five years of
growth, are still more than twice those of switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), another perennial grass used as a bioenergy feedstock. Miscanthus grown in Illinois also outperforms even the high yields found in earlier studies of the crop in Europe, the researchers found.
New Species of Fish Pathogenic Bacterium Edwardsiella
Takele Abayneh Tefera's doctoral research project has uncovered a genetic divergence between the fish pathogen Edwardsiella tarda and Edwardsiella tarda type strain. He has also identified phenotypic markers that distinguish one from the other. The fish pathogenic strain is now classified as a separate species: Edwardsiella piscicida.
Crop-Infecting Virus Forces Aphids to Spread Disease
University of Cambridge researchers have shown that viruses use aphids as pawns, discouraging the insects from permanently settling on already-infected crops and using this forced migration to spread infection to healthy vegetation.
Friday 6 December 2013
Soil Disease Management.
"Managing diseases starts with knowing what is present in the fields," says Purdue University Extension plant pathologist Kiersten Wise. "Growers need to know what diseases have shown up in their fields in the past, and they need to plan for those diseases even if they haven't seen them in a few years."
Environmental conditions, planting date and seed variety planted all go into the prospects a disease returns at harmful levels in the future. So, keeping track of those variables and managing them in the future is crucial to keeping soil-bourne disease pressures are kept at bay.
"Soil diseases don't go away, so growers need to plan to manage them," Wise says. "Knowing the field history can help growers choose varieties that are resistant to previous disease pressures."
If you're planting corn into soils where soil diseases have been present in the past, consider planting later on in the season if possible. And, consider adding at least one disease treatment during the growing season.
"Foliar disease organisms won't be as affected by the mild winter. Instead, they will depend more on the weather during the reproductive stages, probably in July," Wise says. "At that point, if growers are seeing foliar diseases, they can consider fungicide treatments."
And, don't forget to take into account your production system and its influence on disease management. Namely, if you're planting into a no-till field, you may need to pay closer attention to crop residue than you normally would to prevent soil disease from flaring up.
"If farmers are planting into fields with a lot of residue, if they're planting susceptible varieties and if their fields are continuous corn, they could possibly benefit from a fungicide later in the season if the environment is favorable for disease development," Wise says.
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Bioversity International announces changes to Board of Trustees leadership.
Bioversity International, a global research for development organization focusing on the use and conservation of agricultural and forest biodiversity, announces changes in its Board of Trustees, as of 1 January 2014.
Cristián Samperwill become Chair of the Bioversity International Board of Trustees.
Samper is President and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in New York. Samper previously was the Director of the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. Prior to joining the Smithsonian, he was the founder and first director of the Alexander von Humboldt Institute, the national biodiversity research institute of Colombia.
Samper succeeds current Board Chair Paul Zuckerman, who has led Bioversity's Board since March 2010. Zuckerman will join the Board of the CGIAR Consortium in January 2014.
The incoming Vice Chair of the Bioversity International Board of Trustees is Carl Hausmann. Hausmann has more than 35 years of experience in the agribusiness and food industries and has successfully led a publicly-held company in Europe, as well as businesses in North America, South America, and Africa. Hausmann served as Managing Director of Global Government and Corporate Affairs of Bunge Limited, a leading global agribusiness and food company, from 2010 until his retirement in 2012. He served as Vice Chair of the CGIAR Consortium Board through December 2013.
Please find a list of the members of Bioversity's Board of Trustees online
....
Cristián Samperwill become Chair of the Bioversity International Board of Trustees.
Samper is President and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) in New York. Samper previously was the Director of the National Museum of Natural History of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC. Prior to joining the Smithsonian, he was the founder and first director of the Alexander von Humboldt Institute, the national biodiversity research institute of Colombia.
Samper succeeds current Board Chair Paul Zuckerman, who has led Bioversity's Board since March 2010. Zuckerman will join the Board of the CGIAR Consortium in January 2014.
The incoming Vice Chair of the Bioversity International Board of Trustees is Carl Hausmann. Hausmann has more than 35 years of experience in the agribusiness and food industries and has successfully led a publicly-held company in Europe, as well as businesses in North America, South America, and Africa. Hausmann served as Managing Director of Global Government and Corporate Affairs of Bunge Limited, a leading global agribusiness and food company, from 2010 until his retirement in 2012. He served as Vice Chair of the CGIAR Consortium Board through December 2013.
Please find a list of the members of Bioversity's Board of Trustees online
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Creative promotions and new markets make bivalve molluscs attractive to consumers.
Mussels
Europe
Mussel imports into the European Union dropped from 52 900 tonnes to 49 900 tonnes or 6% between January and March 2013 compared with last year. This is the lowest value since 2009 when imports reached just 45 900 tonnes. The drop is mainly explained by lower demand in Germany, where imports decreased from 7 000 tonnes to 2 700 tonnes during Q1 2013. France continued to be the country with the highest demand for mussels in the EU with 13 700 tonnes, followed by Italy (11 800 tonnes), Holland (8 400 tonnes) and Spain (5 000 tonnes), although imports by France and the Netherlands dropped slightly, imports by Italy and Spain were positive. Both Spain and Italy's imports of mussels reached record highsfor the first quarter.
At the 21st European Seafood Exhibitionin Brussels in April, ready-to-eat products based on molluscs were prominent, especially in the pavilions of Ireland and Holland. Organically produced mussels distinguish the products of both these countries.
Russia – a new market for mussels
During the first semester of 2013 Russian imports of mussels went up by 110% to 331 400 tonnes, according to Russian federal fisheries agency Rosrybolovstvo. This led to a corresponding drop in prices of 22% to USD 3.25 per kilogram.
According to Rosrybolovstvo, it is estimated that Russian people consume about 21 kg per capita of seafood products in a year. As a result of increased travel and awareness of alternative food choices, Russian consumers are prepared to try new products, which could be one of the reasons why mussels have grown so much in popularity in recent years.
At the end of 2010, Chilean producers initiated a campaign to sell Patagonian mussels to Russia. According to the Russian Agama Group import volume has been increasing since then. Prior to that the company had imported mussels from China but became aware that the quality of the product from Chile was much better for much the same price. The company was the first to introduce mussels in shell to the retail market in Russia.
Chile
Chilean mussel production has been struggling with the lack of seeds for some time and some companies have had to declare bankruptcy or change their line of business in order to keep afloat. However, figures are positive for bigger companies and, according to InfoTrade, during the first quarter of 2013 Chilean mussel exports were valued at USD 48 million, 37% higher than USD 35 million in the same period the year before. In terms of volume exports reached 16 800 tonnes up to March, 23% higher than the 13 608 tonnes registered in the same month in 2012.
Average prices reached USD 2.90/kg, while in March 2012 it was USD 2.59/kg.
Regarding the markets, shipments to the EU amounted to USD 33 million in value, while to the USA they were worth USD 5 million, to Latin America USD 3.3 million, to Asia USD 2.9 million and to other countries USD 4.2 million. Mussel imports by specific EU countries from Chile were up for France, Italy and Spain, at 2 000 tonnes, 1.7 tonnes and 3.6 tonnes respectively.
Novel approaches to marketing mussels and mussel products
Some innovative market promotion campaigns for mussel products have been developed in Spain, Brazil and Canada.
In Spain in 2012 because of the economic crisis the consumption of mussels in Galicia decreased 14% from the total 279 000 tonnes produced. It is concerning that, according to a report by Kantar Worldpanel, fish and seafood demand in Spain is more or less static and has increased by just 1.1% in the last 10 years. Therefore producers were happy to learn that theGalician mussel will be the official image of the next edition of the cycling Tour of Spain (La Vuelta a España´13). This will enable the mussel's healthy image to be promoted at this important cycling and sporting event. The certificate of origin of Galicia's farmed mussel will also receive good advertising as it is the only marine product with this certification in Spain. Mussels represent 80% of all aquatic production in Spain. It is farmed on over 3 000 rafts belonging to 2 400 owners, generating about 11 500 direct jobs and annual incomes between EUR 90 and 120 million for Galicia.
According to a report published in May 2013 by Prochile that looks at the market potential for the Chilean mussel in Brazil, imports in 2012 were valued at USD 1.2 million, somewhat down on the previous year. However, live and canned mussels coming from Chile and Spain are preferred by Brazil, as well as Greenshell mussels from New Zealand but these are in smaller quantities. Spain and New Zealand have to pay a fee of 10% in taxes for their exports but Chile has zero taxes for mussel products. However, Prochile also notes the growth in demand in Brazil for certified products that are safe and of high quality. Consumption of seafood has increased remarkably in the last few years and projections are that this will increase further in future. As current local production does not meet present demand, seafood products will have to be imported to satisfy this demand, providing a good opportunity for Chile to capitalise on this situation with mussel exports.
In June this year the mussel industry in Newfoundland and Labrador announced that it was ready to launch a campaign to promote the sale of mussels both locally in Canada and in the USA and China. Funding of CAD 86 000 will be available and will be used to coordinate marketing plans. Promotional material will also be developed, emphasising that the mussels are organically and sustainably produced with full traceability. Tastings will be organised and international seafood trade shows targeted.
The government has already invested CAD 1 million in the mussel industry, which produced its highest production volume in 2012 (source: FIS.com).
Future possibilities in Asia
In Asia, mussels are just being introduced to the Republic of Korea, where there is considerable interest in importing them. It has been reported that in 2011 annual consumption per capita of sea products increased to 53.5 kg.
India is another country that is attractive for the bivalve mollusc market. Prochile's Commercial attaché in India said that the first shipment of about 700 kg of mussels was sent to India in May. Problems of high tariffs and distribution systems, particularly with the cold chain, have made India a difficult destination up to now. However big supermarkets and chains such as Walmart are now allowed to enter the market and the government expects them to contribute substantially to upgrading infrastructure to facilitate the transport and distribution of frozen products.
Mussels and other bivalve products could be beneficiaries of improved storage and refrigeration.
Scallops
Although the scallop fishing season in the USA started in March, NOAA only announced the final quota in May.
For 2013 this will be just more than 42 million pounds, an amount 35% lower than last year. A number of other measures were announced at the same time that, while giving more flexibility to some management measures, will lead to more precautionary catch limits being set for 2014 (source: Seafood.com).
During the first semester of 2013 scallop imports reached 12 500 tonnes in the EU, with France leading with 4 500 tonnes, Spain at 2 300 tonnes and Italy at 1 500 tonnes.
In France the volume of scallop imports decreased from 4 800 to 4 500 tonnes during the first quarter of 2013. However, the drop is more significant when compared with the same period in 2010, when the import volume of scallops reached 6 500 tonnes.
While the increased demand from China is not a new phenomenon, Peruvian scallop producers have seen exports of scallops to China increase more than 300% in 2012 compared with 2011. In the first quarter of 2013 scallop exports from Peru to China were 6 228 tonnes. This is equal to almost 60% of the total exported to China in 2012. China has also increased imports of scallops from Viet Nam. Imports rose 180% in value in 2012, an increase of 600% since 2008, according to the Viet Nam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers.
The scallop harvest in the USA has been low so far this year and this is having the effect of pushing prices up for Peruvian scallops. It is likely to keep prices in the US high as well. In Peru the price of roe-off scallops (30/40) is about USD 17.70 per pound. At present Peru is exporting mainly to the USA as exports to Europe have been brought to a standstill since October last year because buyers from Europe's main markets of Italy, France and Spain have not been prepared to commit themselves to contracts because of Europe's economic difficulties. In Europe, scallop prices are 40%-50% lower with the price of 30/40 roe-on scallops
(preferred in Europe) at USD 12.
Oysters
Oyster production in the Netherlands received a boost earlier this year with the award of MSC certification for two fisheries belonging to the Dutch Oyster Association. The 30 companies and individuals involved in the fisheries control nearly all of the supply of Dutch oysters, catching about 700 000 native oysters and 35 million Pacific oyster each year. They are mostly sold to other EU countries, where there is a growing demand for certified seafood products.
The Centro Tecnológico del Mar (CETMAR) in Galicia recently issued a report on progress in the European project aimed at the recovery of the flat oyster (Ostrea edulis). One of the main focal points is directed at the disease bonamiosis, caused by the parasite Bonamia. If the initiative is successful, it could increase the competiveness of the European shellfish industry though the introduction of greater diversification, according to supporters of the initiative.
Outlook
At the beginning of April 42 out of 53 mussel platform polygons were closed because of toxicity from red tides exceeding levels for safe harvesting. This is an annual occurrence off the Galician coast and is monitored and controlled to ensure consumer safety.
In spite of hopes raised towards the end of last year that the problem of sufficient mussel seed in Chile would be resolved by this year, the problem is continuing and will give rise to greatly increased costs of production, which could have negative effects on Chilean companies. However, exports have increased this year and prices are improving
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Thursday 5 December 2013
How the Internet can improve supply chain efficiency for farmers in India.
With annual revenues of $7bn and 29,000 employees, ITC is one of India's leading private companies. It is active in fast moving consumer goods, hotels, paper and packaging, agribusiness, and information technology.
ITC's e-Choupal program – run by ITC's Agri Business division – has set up Internet access kiosks in rural India to enable farmers to retrieve marketing and agricultural information. This in turn helps them make more informed decisions and potentially increase their income by better aligning farm output to market demands.
The program builds on three elements: an Internet-enabled computer located at a "focal point farmer," an Internet connection via phone lines or a very-small aperture terminal (VSAT), and dedicated services through the echoupal.com portal. Each Internet connection serves 10 villages, reaching 600 farmers on average.
The portal provides farmers with information on farming best practices, market prices, weather forecasts, news and a Q&A section which enables interaction with ITC's agricultural experts.
In addition, the portal helps them to better manage risks such as soil contamination or salinity, through access to technical information. Finally, it provides the link to integrated rural service centers serving 40 e-Choupals each, where farmers can sell their produce and buy seeds, fertilizer, supplies and consumer goods.
Each e-Choupal requires between USD 3,000 and 6,000 to be set up and approximately USD 100 per year to be maintained. The system is free for farmers to use but the "focal point farmer" incurs operating costs and has an obligation to serve the entire community. In turn, the host farmer receives a commission for each transaction.
Over the last 12 years, ITC has set up about 6,500 access points, benefitting 4 million Indian farmers. The e-Choupal program is currently exploring how to integrate mobile phones to offer farmers more personalised services, potentially reaching out to more than 10 million farmers.
ITC is also partnering with banks to offer farmers access to credit, insurance and other services.
Watch this video to see how ITC's e-Choupal program works in practice.
The ITC case study is part of a forthcoming issue brief by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). The report, Information and Communication Technology – An enabler for inclusive business solutions, looks at the opportunities for ICT to facilitate and scale the private sector's contribution to development.
ITC's e-Choupal program – run by ITC's Agri Business division – has set up Internet access kiosks in rural India to enable farmers to retrieve marketing and agricultural information. This in turn helps them make more informed decisions and potentially increase their income by better aligning farm output to market demands.
The program builds on three elements: an Internet-enabled computer located at a "focal point farmer," an Internet connection via phone lines or a very-small aperture terminal (VSAT), and dedicated services through the echoupal.com portal. Each Internet connection serves 10 villages, reaching 600 farmers on average.
The portal provides farmers with information on farming best practices, market prices, weather forecasts, news and a Q&A section which enables interaction with ITC's agricultural experts.
In addition, the portal helps them to better manage risks such as soil contamination or salinity, through access to technical information. Finally, it provides the link to integrated rural service centers serving 40 e-Choupals each, where farmers can sell their produce and buy seeds, fertilizer, supplies and consumer goods.
Each e-Choupal requires between USD 3,000 and 6,000 to be set up and approximately USD 100 per year to be maintained. The system is free for farmers to use but the "focal point farmer" incurs operating costs and has an obligation to serve the entire community. In turn, the host farmer receives a commission for each transaction.
Over the last 12 years, ITC has set up about 6,500 access points, benefitting 4 million Indian farmers. The e-Choupal program is currently exploring how to integrate mobile phones to offer farmers more personalised services, potentially reaching out to more than 10 million farmers.
ITC is also partnering with banks to offer farmers access to credit, insurance and other services.
Watch this video to see how ITC's e-Choupal program works in practice.
The ITC case study is part of a forthcoming issue brief by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). The report, Information and Communication Technology – An enabler for inclusive business solutions, looks at the opportunities for ICT to facilitate and scale the private sector's contribution to development.
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To combat Rice Scarcity.... Use Irrigation method of Farming.
During this year's August break, rice farmers across the country harvested rice and there was an upward surge in local rice supply with the usual corresponding supply from legally imported and smuggled rice. But as the Yuletide approaches, demand for rice has gone up as expected and local rice is in very short supply, and this has sparked off heated debate by the various stakeholders.
The debate centres around the fact that in January this year, the Federal Government increased tariff on imported rice to 110 percent to encourage local production. This has reduced legal importation, but rice is no doubt being smuggled into the country through the porous borders with the Nigeria Customs Service officials still manning the borders. Benin Republic has increased its rice import by about 400 percent, making money at Nigeria's expense as most the rice imported into that country gets smuggled into Nigeria.
So, some stakeholders want the tariff reviewed downwards. Farmers in Nigeria of course do not want that. With the backing of the able minister of agriculture, local producers and processors are doing their best to step up domestic rice production, adjudged to be healthier.
But majority of rice farmers, even commercial ones still depend on rain-fed rice farming. The climate change resulting in lack of rainfall when expected has been causing massive losses to rice farmers. Also, many rice farmers can only plant once a year.
Therefore, irrigation, which can provide all-year-round supply of water to crop, is the only solution. Thailand and other countries that export rice do mainly irrigation farming with the infrastructure provided by the government. Can rice farming in Nigeria be developed with irrigation?
Abdulghaniyy Alabi-Ojolowo, producer and processor of Oryza rice, says though more irrigation infrastructure needs to be established, even most of the massive ones already established by the government in different parts of the country are not functioning due to lack of proper maintenance. Ojolowo further says: "Hardly can private farm afford to set up the infrastructure for irrigation. No bank currently is ready to finance that for any private business. It is only the government that can set them up. There are also issues of land ownership and usage. If the farmer does not own the land or cannot guarantee its long-term available for farming, he would hesitate to invest in irrigation infrastructure even if he has the money. We have more irrigation facilities in the Northern part of the country than the Southern part. Also, the facilities would best be set up on government land used by large clusters of farmers."
On cost estimates, he says "an irrigation project for 200 hectares of land would cost about N500 million to establish, as the one recently established by the Lagos State government in Itoga. Another major challenge is that irrigation facilities run by the River Basin Development Authorities are under the ministry of water resources and not the ministry of agriculture." Nigeria has about 11 River Basin Development Authorities established in 1976 by the Federal Government to harness the country's water resources and optimise Nigeria's agricultural resources for food self sufficiency.
But this year, in one of such facilities set up by the Federal Government in Ogun State with billions of naira, farmers lost huge amount of their yields because there was no meaningful rainfall between July and August. The irrigation facilities were functional but there was disagreement between two departments in the ministry of water resources as to which department should control the usage of the facilities.
These River Basins were set up with the plan of handling over their operations to the network of farmers using the land. This has not been implemented even 30 years after establishment. This may not be unrelated to the fact that allocations are provided by the Federal Government for the running of these River Basin Development Authorities. The information given to the ministers are no doubt different from the actuality. Some stakeholders even called for the control or regulation of the River Basins to be brought under the ministry of agriculture.
Due to erratic power supply in the country, the irrigation facilities are run with diesel. On many occasions, the officials claim there is no fund for diesel.
But if such facilities are handed over to farmers' co-operatives to operate, the farmers can factor in the cost of diesel as part of their cost of production. Ojolowo says, even at that it is still more profitable for the farmer to have access to irrigation and regulate the water supply. He explains: "Regulating the water supply can also help farmers suppress the growth of weeds and reduce the use of chemicals such as herbicides and therefore costs."
Under the SURE-P programme, the Middle Ogun River Basin infrastructure was established but approval has delayed commencement of operations.
Afioluwa Mogaji of X-ray Farm Consulting believes that the optimum utilisation of these facilities everywhere can solve the problem. "Every River Basin Development facilities established for commercial farming would provide additional opportunity for smallholder farming called FADAMA (smallholder farming in swampy areas) to thrive. For instance, if irrigation facilities are established, which involves the building of a dam for about 1,000 hectares of land to be irrigated for commercial farming, another 1,000 hectares of farmland can be cultivated in that area without additional infrastructure being built for the smallholder farmers."
....
The debate centres around the fact that in January this year, the Federal Government increased tariff on imported rice to 110 percent to encourage local production. This has reduced legal importation, but rice is no doubt being smuggled into the country through the porous borders with the Nigeria Customs Service officials still manning the borders. Benin Republic has increased its rice import by about 400 percent, making money at Nigeria's expense as most the rice imported into that country gets smuggled into Nigeria.
So, some stakeholders want the tariff reviewed downwards. Farmers in Nigeria of course do not want that. With the backing of the able minister of agriculture, local producers and processors are doing their best to step up domestic rice production, adjudged to be healthier.
But majority of rice farmers, even commercial ones still depend on rain-fed rice farming. The climate change resulting in lack of rainfall when expected has been causing massive losses to rice farmers. Also, many rice farmers can only plant once a year.
Therefore, irrigation, which can provide all-year-round supply of water to crop, is the only solution. Thailand and other countries that export rice do mainly irrigation farming with the infrastructure provided by the government. Can rice farming in Nigeria be developed with irrigation?
Abdulghaniyy Alabi-Ojolowo, producer and processor of Oryza rice, says though more irrigation infrastructure needs to be established, even most of the massive ones already established by the government in different parts of the country are not functioning due to lack of proper maintenance. Ojolowo further says: "Hardly can private farm afford to set up the infrastructure for irrigation. No bank currently is ready to finance that for any private business. It is only the government that can set them up. There are also issues of land ownership and usage. If the farmer does not own the land or cannot guarantee its long-term available for farming, he would hesitate to invest in irrigation infrastructure even if he has the money. We have more irrigation facilities in the Northern part of the country than the Southern part. Also, the facilities would best be set up on government land used by large clusters of farmers."
On cost estimates, he says "an irrigation project for 200 hectares of land would cost about N500 million to establish, as the one recently established by the Lagos State government in Itoga. Another major challenge is that irrigation facilities run by the River Basin Development Authorities are under the ministry of water resources and not the ministry of agriculture." Nigeria has about 11 River Basin Development Authorities established in 1976 by the Federal Government to harness the country's water resources and optimise Nigeria's agricultural resources for food self sufficiency.
But this year, in one of such facilities set up by the Federal Government in Ogun State with billions of naira, farmers lost huge amount of their yields because there was no meaningful rainfall between July and August. The irrigation facilities were functional but there was disagreement between two departments in the ministry of water resources as to which department should control the usage of the facilities.
These River Basins were set up with the plan of handling over their operations to the network of farmers using the land. This has not been implemented even 30 years after establishment. This may not be unrelated to the fact that allocations are provided by the Federal Government for the running of these River Basin Development Authorities. The information given to the ministers are no doubt different from the actuality. Some stakeholders even called for the control or regulation of the River Basins to be brought under the ministry of agriculture.
Due to erratic power supply in the country, the irrigation facilities are run with diesel. On many occasions, the officials claim there is no fund for diesel.
But if such facilities are handed over to farmers' co-operatives to operate, the farmers can factor in the cost of diesel as part of their cost of production. Ojolowo says, even at that it is still more profitable for the farmer to have access to irrigation and regulate the water supply. He explains: "Regulating the water supply can also help farmers suppress the growth of weeds and reduce the use of chemicals such as herbicides and therefore costs."
Under the SURE-P programme, the Middle Ogun River Basin infrastructure was established but approval has delayed commencement of operations.
Afioluwa Mogaji of X-ray Farm Consulting believes that the optimum utilisation of these facilities everywhere can solve the problem. "Every River Basin Development facilities established for commercial farming would provide additional opportunity for smallholder farming called FADAMA (smallholder farming in swampy areas) to thrive. For instance, if irrigation facilities are established, which involves the building of a dam for about 1,000 hectares of land to be irrigated for commercial farming, another 1,000 hectares of farmland can be cultivated in that area without additional infrastructure being built for the smallholder farmers."
....
Genomic research targets fruit pest
(Phys.org) —The spotted wing drosophila, a major pest that targets berries and cherries and other fruits in the United States, Canada and Europe, is itself being targeted, thanks to groundbreaking genome sequencing at the University of California, Davis, and a public-access Web portal hosted at Oregon State University.
The work is expected to accelerate basic and applied research, leading to better monitoring and control strategies for the pest.
The work is expected to accelerate basic and applied research, leading to better monitoring and control strategies for the pest.
Officially published Dec. 1 in the journal G3 (Genes, Genomics, Genetics), the open-access research has been available online for several weeks and drawing global attention.
"To enable basic and applied research of this important pest, Drosophila suzukii, we sequenced the genome to obtain a high-quality reference sequence," said molecular geneticist Joanna Chiu of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology. Chiu and Professor David Begun of the UC Davis Department of Evolution and Ecology led the genomics team of collaborative researchers from four institutions.
The posting of the genome and comparative sequence analysis on the publicly accessible SpottedWingFlyBase Web portal could lead to more species-specific weapons to combat the destructive pest, Chiu said. Scientists are looking at its biology, behavior, food and odor preferences, and pesticide resistance.
"Many researchers are working hard to study the biology of this insect through basic and applied projects, and we hope our efforts in presenting our genomic data in a user-friendly Web portal will democratize the sequence data and help facilitate everyone's research, especially those who do not have expertise in genome and sequence analysis," she said.
The spotted wing drosophila, a native of Asia that was first detected in the United States in 2008, is wreaking economic havoc on crops such as blueberries, cherries, blackberries and raspberries. This fly lays its eggs inside the ripe or ripening fruit, and the developing larvae feed on the soft fruit, crippling crop yields.
The spotted wing drosophila is a vinegar fly about 1/16 to 1/8 inch long with red eyes, pale brown thorax, and a black-striped abdomen. The males have a distinguishing black spot toward the tip of each wing. Females have no spots but have a prominent, saw-like ovipositor for drilling fruit to lay their eggs.
Chiu teamed with scientists at UC Davis, Oregon State University, the China National Gene Bank and the American Museum of Natural History as part of a $5.8 million project on the biology and management of spotted wing drosophila, funded by a U.S. Department of Agriculture Specialty Crops Research Initiative grant to OSU entomologist Vaughn Walton and a team of investigators including Professor Frank Zalom of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, who is the lead UC Davis investigator.
Zalom, recently inducted as president of the nearly 7,000-member Entomological Society of America, said that the G3 article "presents a high-quality reference sequence of Drosophila suzukii, examination of the basic properties of its genome and transcriptome, and description of patterns of genome evolution in relation to its close relatives."
The SpottedWingFlybase Web portal has drawn more than 3,000 page views from 20 countries, including the United States, France, Italy, Belgium, China, Spain, Japan, Germany and Great Britain.
"Given this impressive response and the worldwide importance of Drosophila suzukii, I expect that the G3 article will become very highly cited and cast Joanna Chiu as a central figure in future Drosophila suzukii genomic studies related to topics such as insecticide detoxification, odorant reception and regulatory entomology," Zalom said.
OSU entomologist Vaughn Walton, lead investigator of the USDA grant, said: "Scientists from all over the world are interested in knowledge locked inside the fly's genetic material." He also pointed out that the genome work may relieve the fears of countries wishing to import American fruit, but not the pest. By finding the fly's unique genetic signature, scientists hope that DNA testing will quickly determine if ready-to-be-shipped fruit contains spotted wing drosophila larvae.
The UC Davis team included the Joanna Chiu lab and the Frank Zalom lab, both in Department of Entomology and Nematology, and David Begun's drosophila evolutionary genetics lab in the Department of Evolution and Ecology. They collaborated with Walton and spotted wing drosophila project leader Linda Brewer of OSU; Ernest Lee from the American Museum of Natural History; and Xuanting Jiang and Guojie Zhang of the China National Genebank, BGI-Shenzhen.
Other UC Davis scientists involved in the research included doctoral candidates Kelly Hamby of the Zalom lab, Rosanna Kwok of the Chiu lab, as well as postdoctoral researchers Li Zhao, Christopher Hamm, Julie M. Cridland and research technician Perot Saelao of the Begun lab.
The SpottedWingFlyBase is a dedicated online resource for Drosophila suzukii genomics but also includes comparative genomic analysis of Drosophila suzukii with other closely related Drosophila species.
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Africa and EU team up on food and farming research.
[BRUSSELS] African and European officials have agreed to work together on food, nutritionand agriculturalresearch, with the first round of calls for research grants in this area expected next week.
Senior representatives from the European Commission, the African Union Commission and science ministries from both continents agreed at the second meeting of the European Union-Africa High Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD) on Science, Technology and Innovation, held in Belgium last week (28-29 November), to set up a research partnership to tackle key issues in this area.
"We recognise that there is a need for the EU-Africa HLPD to focus on a reduced number of common challenges for the cooperation to be effective," the senior officials wrote in the meeting's conclusions.
"Enhancing food and nutrition security as well as sustainable agriculture is a challenge common to the EU and Africa, albeit with different dimensions," Robert-Jan Smits, the European Commission's director-general for research and innovation, said in a statement.
"Enhancing food and nutrition security ... is a challenge common to the EU and Africa."Jan Smits, European CommissionIncreasing cooperation in this area could not only improve access to food products, but also boost evidence-based solutions and policymaking, he added.
There is no dedicated budget to support the agreement. Instead, both sides will draw on existing fundingtools, says an annex document to the meeting conclusions, titled 'The Way Forward'. This will include the European Commission's European Development Fund and new Horizon 2020 research programme; funds from the African Union Commission; national research budgets; and loans from international banks.
Following the Brussels meeting, the European Commission announced that the first call for research proposals for Horizon 2020, which is due to be made on 11 December, will encourage collaboration between the European Union and Africa on food and agriculture research.
Focus areas for these grants are set to include: sustainably enhancing the agricultural and food chain in Africa; the role of small and family farms in food and nutrition security; and water management for sustainable agriculture and food security, the Commission said.
Europe and Africa also intend to set up a "framework of enhanced coordination" by the end of 2017 to align their efforts in food and agriculture research, according to the plan laid out in 'The Way Forward' document. This could be based on the ERAfrica model, where 16 countries from both continents fund joint research activities.
In the longer term, both sides aim to develop a broader "research and innovation partnership". This could be inspired by the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership, which was created to speed up the development of drugs against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosisand malaria, with a focus on clinical trials in Sub-Saharan Africa. It brings together governments from Europe and Africa, industry, international organisations and non-profits.
To translate all these intentions into practice, an expert working group is due to be set by March 2014. The group will include ten people from both continents, drawing from universities, civil society, government and industry. It will be asked to deliver a detailed action plan by September.
The agreements made at the HLPD meeting will be presented at the Africa-European Union summit, to be held in Brussels in April 2014, where heads of state and government are expected to endorse this new priority area for research collaboration.
....
Senior representatives from the European Commission, the African Union Commission and science ministries from both continents agreed at the second meeting of the European Union-Africa High Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD) on Science, Technology and Innovation, held in Belgium last week (28-29 November), to set up a research partnership to tackle key issues in this area.
"We recognise that there is a need for the EU-Africa HLPD to focus on a reduced number of common challenges for the cooperation to be effective," the senior officials wrote in the meeting's conclusions.
"Enhancing food and nutrition security as well as sustainable agriculture is a challenge common to the EU and Africa, albeit with different dimensions," Robert-Jan Smits, the European Commission's director-general for research and innovation, said in a statement.
"Enhancing food and nutrition security ... is a challenge common to the EU and Africa."Jan Smits, European CommissionIncreasing cooperation in this area could not only improve access to food products, but also boost evidence-based solutions and policymaking, he added.
There is no dedicated budget to support the agreement. Instead, both sides will draw on existing fundingtools, says an annex document to the meeting conclusions, titled 'The Way Forward'. This will include the European Commission's European Development Fund and new Horizon 2020 research programme; funds from the African Union Commission; national research budgets; and loans from international banks.
Following the Brussels meeting, the European Commission announced that the first call for research proposals for Horizon 2020, which is due to be made on 11 December, will encourage collaboration between the European Union and Africa on food and agriculture research.
Focus areas for these grants are set to include: sustainably enhancing the agricultural and food chain in Africa; the role of small and family farms in food and nutrition security; and water management for sustainable agriculture and food security, the Commission said.
Europe and Africa also intend to set up a "framework of enhanced coordination" by the end of 2017 to align their efforts in food and agriculture research, according to the plan laid out in 'The Way Forward' document. This could be based on the ERAfrica model, where 16 countries from both continents fund joint research activities.
In the longer term, both sides aim to develop a broader "research and innovation partnership". This could be inspired by the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership, which was created to speed up the development of drugs against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosisand malaria, with a focus on clinical trials in Sub-Saharan Africa. It brings together governments from Europe and Africa, industry, international organisations and non-profits.
To translate all these intentions into practice, an expert working group is due to be set by March 2014. The group will include ten people from both continents, drawing from universities, civil society, government and industry. It will be asked to deliver a detailed action plan by September.
The agreements made at the HLPD meeting will be presented at the Africa-European Union summit, to be held in Brussels in April 2014, where heads of state and government are expected to endorse this new priority area for research collaboration.
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Bee book opens a window on key part of agriculture
For the past decade, U.S. media have carried reports of declining honeybee populations and the impending doom it could mean for food production.
I'd seen depressing stories about "colony collapse disorder," where whole hives of bees inexplicably disappear, so it was with some trepidation that I picked up "Beekeeper's Lament" by Hannah Nordhaus from the library. However, I wanted to know exactly was happening with our fuzzy little friends.
The book opened a window on a whole aspect of agriculture I had no idea existed. It also helped sort out facts from myths, and left me feeling more hopeful than I expected.
For example, popular opinion says "wild" honeybees have gone extinct in North America, for reasons largely unknown. The reality is far more complicated.
For starters, honeybees are not native to North America. Europeans brought domesticated bees to the East Coast around 1620 and they reached the West Coast in the mid-1800s. Arguably, there never has been a wild species.
Bees periodically swarm and leave their hives (most commonly because of overcrowding; some leave to form a new colony). If a beekeeper is present, they lure the bees into a new man-made hive, but sometimes a swarm finds a natural home, such as a hole in a tree, and then may be called "wild" because no beekeeper is actively caring for them. Genetically, though, they are the same strain as domesticated bees.
That's not to say honeybees are not distressed. All genetically related honeybees, whether wild or domestic, are vulnerable to the same diseases, parasites and predators, and there are lots of them. If so-called wild bees have died off and bees with keepers have not, it may be because their human caretakers are intervening to protect them.
For me, the most stunning revelation was how utterly dependent much of U.S. farming is on mobile bee herds. As monoculture farms have evolved (farm areas where huge acreage is devoted to single crops), beekeeping has evolved, too.
Did you know that hundred of thousands of hives are shipped from all over the country every year to central California to pollinate almond orchards? Other crops receive similar treatment.
Beekeepers are willing to move their fragile cargoes around because natural food supplies for honeybees have dwindled. Honeybees need a steady supply of summer pollen to be healthy. Wild meadows are a good source, with mixed plants blooming at different times, but satisfactory wild places have become rare.
Commercial monoculture makes moving bees to food economically viable, since growers will pay for pollination services. If bees stayed in one place, many fewer bees could be sustained, which would result in a lot less food available for humans.
Keeping honeybees alive and healthy is difficult, even under the best conditions. They are subject to viruses, mites, predators and unseasonable weather. Humans have added destruction of habitat, pesticides and herbicides to the list of fatal hazards.
I spoke with local beekeeper Rob Rienstra, of Backyard Bees, to learn about the status of Whatcom County bees. Rob sells his honey at Bellingham Farmers Market. His business focus is honey production, and he does his own honey extraction (removing and purifying the honey from the waxy honeycomb). Most of his bees are in urban backyards around Bellingham, but he also provides pollination services for a local apple orchard and a raspberry farm.
Rob says he's very selective about the kind of commercial crops he lets his bees pollinate. "Some pollen is not as good for bees," he says. Reasons range from the chemicals used, to the quality of nutrients available.
"It's like people combining rice and beans to get all their necessary amino acids," he says. "Some pollens have better combinations of nutrients."
Rob sends some of his strongest hives to California for the almond orchards. There, his bees get better spring weather and more bountiful pollen, and come back stronger and healthier for summer honey production locally.
Rob says he hasn't personally seen a colony collapse event in this area, and doesn't think a Skagit beekeeper friend has seen one, either. The greatest bee loss happens during winter, when bees are dormant. Last summer was cool and wet, not good weather for honeybees, so most of Rob's winter loss was due to Nosema, a bee virus that thrives in cool, damp years.
Overall, Rob says he doesn't think county farmers have problems getting enough bees for adequate pollination, though many bees are shipped from other parts of the state and beyond for local raspberry production.
If you want to support honeybee health, Rob recommends using "serious caution" before using pesticides or herbicides, especially those intended for ants or wasps. Many have unintended consequences for honeybees. Also, Rob wants people to know that honeybees are gentle.
"Honeybees are really, really safe to be around unless you are known to be allergic," he says. "Unless you step on a bee or kick its hive, you're very unlikely to be stung by a bee."
To ensure quality honey, Rob says "Buying closer to home is a better bet."
I couldn't agree more. The Los Angeles Times reported last November that "A torrent of illegal Chinese honey labeled in India (to skirt American trade restrictions) is slipping into the U.S. potentially laden with untraceable antibiotics and heavy metals."
Not on my family's table, thank you
....
I'd seen depressing stories about "colony collapse disorder," where whole hives of bees inexplicably disappear, so it was with some trepidation that I picked up "Beekeeper's Lament" by Hannah Nordhaus from the library. However, I wanted to know exactly was happening with our fuzzy little friends.
The book opened a window on a whole aspect of agriculture I had no idea existed. It also helped sort out facts from myths, and left me feeling more hopeful than I expected.
For example, popular opinion says "wild" honeybees have gone extinct in North America, for reasons largely unknown. The reality is far more complicated.
For starters, honeybees are not native to North America. Europeans brought domesticated bees to the East Coast around 1620 and they reached the West Coast in the mid-1800s. Arguably, there never has been a wild species.
Bees periodically swarm and leave their hives (most commonly because of overcrowding; some leave to form a new colony). If a beekeeper is present, they lure the bees into a new man-made hive, but sometimes a swarm finds a natural home, such as a hole in a tree, and then may be called "wild" because no beekeeper is actively caring for them. Genetically, though, they are the same strain as domesticated bees.
That's not to say honeybees are not distressed. All genetically related honeybees, whether wild or domestic, are vulnerable to the same diseases, parasites and predators, and there are lots of them. If so-called wild bees have died off and bees with keepers have not, it may be because their human caretakers are intervening to protect them.
For me, the most stunning revelation was how utterly dependent much of U.S. farming is on mobile bee herds. As monoculture farms have evolved (farm areas where huge acreage is devoted to single crops), beekeeping has evolved, too.
Did you know that hundred of thousands of hives are shipped from all over the country every year to central California to pollinate almond orchards? Other crops receive similar treatment.
Beekeepers are willing to move their fragile cargoes around because natural food supplies for honeybees have dwindled. Honeybees need a steady supply of summer pollen to be healthy. Wild meadows are a good source, with mixed plants blooming at different times, but satisfactory wild places have become rare.
Commercial monoculture makes moving bees to food economically viable, since growers will pay for pollination services. If bees stayed in one place, many fewer bees could be sustained, which would result in a lot less food available for humans.
Keeping honeybees alive and healthy is difficult, even under the best conditions. They are subject to viruses, mites, predators and unseasonable weather. Humans have added destruction of habitat, pesticides and herbicides to the list of fatal hazards.
I spoke with local beekeeper Rob Rienstra, of Backyard Bees, to learn about the status of Whatcom County bees. Rob sells his honey at Bellingham Farmers Market. His business focus is honey production, and he does his own honey extraction (removing and purifying the honey from the waxy honeycomb). Most of his bees are in urban backyards around Bellingham, but he also provides pollination services for a local apple orchard and a raspberry farm.
Rob says he's very selective about the kind of commercial crops he lets his bees pollinate. "Some pollen is not as good for bees," he says. Reasons range from the chemicals used, to the quality of nutrients available.
"It's like people combining rice and beans to get all their necessary amino acids," he says. "Some pollens have better combinations of nutrients."
Rob sends some of his strongest hives to California for the almond orchards. There, his bees get better spring weather and more bountiful pollen, and come back stronger and healthier for summer honey production locally.
Rob says he hasn't personally seen a colony collapse event in this area, and doesn't think a Skagit beekeeper friend has seen one, either. The greatest bee loss happens during winter, when bees are dormant. Last summer was cool and wet, not good weather for honeybees, so most of Rob's winter loss was due to Nosema, a bee virus that thrives in cool, damp years.
Overall, Rob says he doesn't think county farmers have problems getting enough bees for adequate pollination, though many bees are shipped from other parts of the state and beyond for local raspberry production.
If you want to support honeybee health, Rob recommends using "serious caution" before using pesticides or herbicides, especially those intended for ants or wasps. Many have unintended consequences for honeybees. Also, Rob wants people to know that honeybees are gentle.
"Honeybees are really, really safe to be around unless you are known to be allergic," he says. "Unless you step on a bee or kick its hive, you're very unlikely to be stung by a bee."
To ensure quality honey, Rob says "Buying closer to home is a better bet."
I couldn't agree more. The Los Angeles Times reported last November that "A torrent of illegal Chinese honey labeled in India (to skirt American trade restrictions) is slipping into the U.S. potentially laden with untraceable antibiotics and heavy metals."
Not on my family's table, thank you
....
Wednesday 4 December 2013
Nitrogen in the Soil Cleans the Air: Nitrogen-Containing Soil Is a Source of Hydroxyl Radicals That Remove Pollutants from the Atmosphere
Eutrophication harms the environment in many ways. Unexpectedly, nitrogen fertilizer may also be positive for the environment. And even acidic soils, promoting the destruction of forests, can have a positive effect. Researchers from the Biogeochemistry Department at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz found out that nitrogen fertilizer indirectly strengthens the self-cleaning capacity of the atmosphere.
How to Clean Up Soil Using The Plants
Raising soil acidity to a pH level of 5.8 to 6 to help alpine pennycress absorb heavy metals from soil doesn't harm beneficial soil microbes, according to a recent study by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists and cooperators.
Specific Information on Climate For Farmers.
A 2011 study, by researchers from the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center ( CIMMYT), found that this is not always the case. Surabhi Mittal and Mamta Mehar found a number of crucial gaps and limitations in current advisory services being delivered by mobile phone to farmers in the Indo-Gangetic Plain.
For instance, content in messages was often not tailored to the local needs of farmers.The study found that farmers are keen to get very specific information, such as how to manage pest attacks or specific crop varieties that are more climate-resilient, rather than general advisories on the weather or pesticide use.
Following up on this CIMMYT study, the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS)and CIMMYT are implementing a pilot project aimed at improving delivery of climate-related information to farmers in Karnal in Haryanaand Vaishali in Bihar, ' climate- smart villages' that are baseline sites for CCAFS research in the region.
Crucially, the project will measure therealimpact of the service it provides and assess whether it will be sustainable once external funding ends.
The project is sending voice and text (SMS) messages in Hindi to farmers' mobile phones. These are aimed at encouraging farmers to adopt technologies that can mitigate climate risks. Messages include weather forecasts and recommended actions that farmers should take, and information about pests and remedies, seed varieties and climate-smart technologies such as conservation agriculture.
....
For instance, content in messages was often not tailored to the local needs of farmers.The study found that farmers are keen to get very specific information, such as how to manage pest attacks or specific crop varieties that are more climate-resilient, rather than general advisories on the weather or pesticide use.
Following up on this CIMMYT study, the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS)and CIMMYT are implementing a pilot project aimed at improving delivery of climate-related information to farmers in Karnal in Haryanaand Vaishali in Bihar, ' climate- smart villages' that are baseline sites for CCAFS research in the region.
Crucially, the project will measure therealimpact of the service it provides and assess whether it will be sustainable once external funding ends.
The project is sending voice and text (SMS) messages in Hindi to farmers' mobile phones. These are aimed at encouraging farmers to adopt technologies that can mitigate climate risks. Messages include weather forecasts and recommended actions that farmers should take, and information about pests and remedies, seed varieties and climate-smart technologies such as conservation agriculture.
....
Tuesday 3 December 2013
Biology Professor Finds 'Goldilocks' Effect in Snail Populations
A University of Iowa researcher has discovered that a "Goldilocks" effect applies to the reproductive output of a tiny New Zealand snail -- considered a troublesome species in many countries -- that may one day help environmentalists control their spread.
Women IN Agriculture.
Monday 2 December 2013
Growth of Water-Stressed Maize and Sorghum Plants.
Reference
Allen Jr., L.H., Kakani, V.G., Vu, J.C.V. and Boote, K.J. 2011. Elevated CO2 increases water use efficiency by sustaining photosynthesis of water-limited maize and sorghum. Journal of Plant Physiology 168: 1909-1918.
Background
The authors write that "plants of the C4 photosynthetic pathway have a CO2-concentrating mechanism that overcomes limitations of low atmospheric CO2"and which thereby provides them with "a near-saturating photosynthetic capability at current atmospheric CO2." In this circumstance, as they continue, "a rise in atmospheric CO2 will theoretically have a limited direct impact on C4 photosynthesis." Nevertheless, they note that "a number of C4 crop plants express a positive response to elevated growth CO2, although to a smaller extent compared to C3 plants," citing the analyses of Kimball (1993) and Poorter et al. (1996).
Allen Jr., L.H., Kakani, V.G., Vu, J.C.V. and Boote, K.J. 2011. Elevated CO2 increases water use efficiency by sustaining photosynthesis of water-limited maize and sorghum. Journal of Plant Physiology 168: 1909-1918.
Background
The authors write that "plants of the C4 photosynthetic pathway have a CO2-concentrating mechanism that overcomes limitations of low atmospheric CO2"and which thereby provides them with "a near-saturating photosynthetic capability at current atmospheric CO2." In this circumstance, as they continue, "a rise in atmospheric CO2 will theoretically have a limited direct impact on C4 photosynthesis." Nevertheless, they note that "a number of C4 crop plants express a positive response to elevated growth CO2, although to a smaller extent compared to C3 plants," citing the analyses of Kimball (1993) and Poorter et al. (1996).
New world map for overcoming climate change.
L.A. Unified's local food push is healthy for area economy too
The savory smell of nutmeg and cinnamon wafts through the Azusa bakery, where dozens of workers in blue gloves and hairnets cook up L.A. Unified's newest star product. The "Glorious Morning" muffin is chewy and moist, packed with whole wheat, raisins and carrots — along with flaxseed for heart health and brain development.
The muffin is good for children but also for the bakery's business. The Los Angeles Unified School District's order with Buena Vista Food Products Inc. to bake 4 million servings of muffins, coffeecake and corn bread every month has doubled the firm's business and created 100 jobs this year. To keep up with the district's orders, the bakery has invested $1 million in four new ovens and other equipment.
"We haven't sold this much in the history of our company," said Buena Vista President Laura Trujillo. "Working with L.A. [schools] has completely changed the way we purchase and produce."
In a groundbreaking effort, the nation's second-largest school district is using its enormous purchasing clout to support local farmers and businesses. In just two years, the district has boosted its local purchases of fruit and vegetables from 9% of its $20-million annual produce budget to 75% today. L.A. Unified now buys locally for at least 50% of its overall $125-million food budget, about double the proportion of two years ago, according to David Binkle, the district's food services director.
L.A. Unified has bailed out struggling orange growers in Riverside County, buying their produce over Florida citrus. Sustainably grown whole wheat comes from Fresno farmers rather than the Midwest. Beef from Chino, distributed by an Inglewood company, largely has replaced a Cincinnati producer.
"It's fresher food from farmers we know," Binkle said.
The preference for products that originate within about 200 miles of Los Angeles was formalized last year by the Board of Education, which also directed the district to purchase 5% of its produce from small-to-medium-sized farmers. The district became Los Angeles' second institution — city government being the first — to pledge to support local purchasing, workers' rights, animal welfare, environmental sustainability and nutrition in a "good food" program developed by the Los Angeles Food Policy Council.
"The leadership LAUSD has shown in this area has resonated not only locally but also nationally," said Paula Daniels, the food policy council's founder and chairwoman. "By expressing support for these values through their purchases, the impact all along the food chain is profound."
The local purchasing program is the latest advance in the district's move toward more healthful foods, which began a decade ago when the school board banned junk food from campus vending machines, then eliminated flavored milk. The momentum accelerated when the district awarded two contracts in 2011 and 2012 worth $35 million for bread, produce and other items to Gold Star Foods Inc., a school food distributor based in Ontario.
Sean Leer, Gold Star's vice president of sales, said the contract was an opportunity to "do business and do good at the same time." The school system previously purchased items based on the lowest bid, usually from more distant suppliers. But Gold Star was able to use the district's enormous volume as leverage to negotiate lower prices from local vendors and also save money through cheaper transportation costs.
"With L.A.'s volume, we were immediately in business in a big way," Leer said. "We think with school meals, we can prop up the food economy of California."
One key partner in the district's effort is Field Fresh Foods Inc., a produce processor in Gardena.
On a recent production day, dozens of workers in rubber boots were operating high-speed machines that cut and washed lettuce heads in chilled chlorinated water, then dried and packaged them. The firm processes 240 kinds of fruit and vegetables for L.A. Unified and other customers; it also has developed, specifically for the school district, individual servings of fruit and vegetables packaged in colorful "Fresh Snacks" bags.
At any given time, the firm obtains 70% or more of its produce from local growers: broccoli and celery from Santa Barbara; tomatoes, romaine lettuce and strawberries from Oxnard. But onions currently are being purchased from the Pacific Northwest until they are ready for spring harvest in the Imperial Valley. And some products, such as bananas, aren't grown locally.
Emelio Castaneda, Field Fresh president, said his firm has worked with L.A. Unified for years, but the district's push for more local produce has doubled its orders from $4 million to $8 million annually and created 25 new jobs. These include entry-level vegetable cutters, skilled machine operators and administrative support staff.
Over at Integrated Food Service in Gardena, a venture to make waffles for L.A. Unified has created 31 jobs. Binkle ordered a potato-and-chive "savory waffle," with no added sugar, to be placed on the district's menu after he sampled one during a trip to Washington, D.C. The firm also makes quesadillas and French toast from whole grain cinnamon swirl bread developed specifically for L.A., which is now being purchased by Texas schools as well.
But Buena Vista is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the local effort.
Under instructions from Binkle — a certified executive chef — the firm has developed three types of muffins, served every Monday. The bakery also produces the district's famous coffeecake for Tuesday breakfasts, although Trujillo revamped the recipe into a more healthful version with whole wheat flour and less sugar and fat. The company's corn bread is on the menu once a month.
To meet the enormous new demand, Trujillo switched to around-the-clock shifts and hired workers. They include Edgar Hernandez, 25, who landed a job as a mixer after having looked for work for a year at fast food restaurants, furniture stores and clothing outlets. With a $13-an-hour wage and health benefits, Hernandez has been able to move out of his brother's apartment into his own place in Rialto.
"I applied for all the jobs you can think of but didn't even get a call back," he said. "Now I'm so happy."
After developing blueberry oatmeal and sweet potato muffins last year, Trujillo and others went to work on Binkle's request for the "Glorious Morning" muffin. They produced several versions, experimenting with pineapple, blueberries and different sizes of apple pieces to make sure they didn't sink to the bottom. They learned to throw in the raisins at the end to keep them from being crushed. They pureed the carrots to give the muffin moisture but also added shreds so students would know what they were eating.
The result: a muffin with no fat; local vegetables, fruit and flour; and omega-3 fatty acids.
"We want students to know that healthy foodcan also taste good," Trujillo said.
The big test came when the muffins, made and frozen that day, were served to students at Eagle Rock Elementary and other schools participating in the classroom breakfast program. Buying local is important, Binkle said, but the ultimate goal is to please the customer.
As students in Kathleen Wittick's sixth-grade class bit into the muffins, they rendered a range of verdicts. Jacob Hancock said he didn't like the fruit chunks and preferred a smooth texture. Elise Rehder called it "really good and squishy," moister than the drier blueberry oatmeal muffin.
Ally Lopez gave the muffin a big thumbs up. "It tastes like pumpkin pie," she said with a grin. "I just need whipped cream."
....
The muffin is good for children but also for the bakery's business. The Los Angeles Unified School District's order with Buena Vista Food Products Inc. to bake 4 million servings of muffins, coffeecake and corn bread every month has doubled the firm's business and created 100 jobs this year. To keep up with the district's orders, the bakery has invested $1 million in four new ovens and other equipment.
"We haven't sold this much in the history of our company," said Buena Vista President Laura Trujillo. "Working with L.A. [schools] has completely changed the way we purchase and produce."
In a groundbreaking effort, the nation's second-largest school district is using its enormous purchasing clout to support local farmers and businesses. In just two years, the district has boosted its local purchases of fruit and vegetables from 9% of its $20-million annual produce budget to 75% today. L.A. Unified now buys locally for at least 50% of its overall $125-million food budget, about double the proportion of two years ago, according to David Binkle, the district's food services director.
L.A. Unified has bailed out struggling orange growers in Riverside County, buying their produce over Florida citrus. Sustainably grown whole wheat comes from Fresno farmers rather than the Midwest. Beef from Chino, distributed by an Inglewood company, largely has replaced a Cincinnati producer.
"It's fresher food from farmers we know," Binkle said.
The preference for products that originate within about 200 miles of Los Angeles was formalized last year by the Board of Education, which also directed the district to purchase 5% of its produce from small-to-medium-sized farmers. The district became Los Angeles' second institution — city government being the first — to pledge to support local purchasing, workers' rights, animal welfare, environmental sustainability and nutrition in a "good food" program developed by the Los Angeles Food Policy Council.
"The leadership LAUSD has shown in this area has resonated not only locally but also nationally," said Paula Daniels, the food policy council's founder and chairwoman. "By expressing support for these values through their purchases, the impact all along the food chain is profound."
The local purchasing program is the latest advance in the district's move toward more healthful foods, which began a decade ago when the school board banned junk food from campus vending machines, then eliminated flavored milk. The momentum accelerated when the district awarded two contracts in 2011 and 2012 worth $35 million for bread, produce and other items to Gold Star Foods Inc., a school food distributor based in Ontario.
Sean Leer, Gold Star's vice president of sales, said the contract was an opportunity to "do business and do good at the same time." The school system previously purchased items based on the lowest bid, usually from more distant suppliers. But Gold Star was able to use the district's enormous volume as leverage to negotiate lower prices from local vendors and also save money through cheaper transportation costs.
"With L.A.'s volume, we were immediately in business in a big way," Leer said. "We think with school meals, we can prop up the food economy of California."
One key partner in the district's effort is Field Fresh Foods Inc., a produce processor in Gardena.
On a recent production day, dozens of workers in rubber boots were operating high-speed machines that cut and washed lettuce heads in chilled chlorinated water, then dried and packaged them. The firm processes 240 kinds of fruit and vegetables for L.A. Unified and other customers; it also has developed, specifically for the school district, individual servings of fruit and vegetables packaged in colorful "Fresh Snacks" bags.
At any given time, the firm obtains 70% or more of its produce from local growers: broccoli and celery from Santa Barbara; tomatoes, romaine lettuce and strawberries from Oxnard. But onions currently are being purchased from the Pacific Northwest until they are ready for spring harvest in the Imperial Valley. And some products, such as bananas, aren't grown locally.
Emelio Castaneda, Field Fresh president, said his firm has worked with L.A. Unified for years, but the district's push for more local produce has doubled its orders from $4 million to $8 million annually and created 25 new jobs. These include entry-level vegetable cutters, skilled machine operators and administrative support staff.
Over at Integrated Food Service in Gardena, a venture to make waffles for L.A. Unified has created 31 jobs. Binkle ordered a potato-and-chive "savory waffle," with no added sugar, to be placed on the district's menu after he sampled one during a trip to Washington, D.C. The firm also makes quesadillas and French toast from whole grain cinnamon swirl bread developed specifically for L.A., which is now being purchased by Texas schools as well.
But Buena Vista is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the local effort.
Under instructions from Binkle — a certified executive chef — the firm has developed three types of muffins, served every Monday. The bakery also produces the district's famous coffeecake for Tuesday breakfasts, although Trujillo revamped the recipe into a more healthful version with whole wheat flour and less sugar and fat. The company's corn bread is on the menu once a month.
To meet the enormous new demand, Trujillo switched to around-the-clock shifts and hired workers. They include Edgar Hernandez, 25, who landed a job as a mixer after having looked for work for a year at fast food restaurants, furniture stores and clothing outlets. With a $13-an-hour wage and health benefits, Hernandez has been able to move out of his brother's apartment into his own place in Rialto.
"I applied for all the jobs you can think of but didn't even get a call back," he said. "Now I'm so happy."
After developing blueberry oatmeal and sweet potato muffins last year, Trujillo and others went to work on Binkle's request for the "Glorious Morning" muffin. They produced several versions, experimenting with pineapple, blueberries and different sizes of apple pieces to make sure they didn't sink to the bottom. They learned to throw in the raisins at the end to keep them from being crushed. They pureed the carrots to give the muffin moisture but also added shreds so students would know what they were eating.
The result: a muffin with no fat; local vegetables, fruit and flour; and omega-3 fatty acids.
"We want students to know that healthy foodcan also taste good," Trujillo said.
The big test came when the muffins, made and frozen that day, were served to students at Eagle Rock Elementary and other schools participating in the classroom breakfast program. Buying local is important, Binkle said, but the ultimate goal is to please the customer.
As students in Kathleen Wittick's sixth-grade class bit into the muffins, they rendered a range of verdicts. Jacob Hancock said he didn't like the fruit chunks and preferred a smooth texture. Elise Rehder called it "really good and squishy," moister than the drier blueberry oatmeal muffin.
Ally Lopez gave the muffin a big thumbs up. "It tastes like pumpkin pie," she said with a grin. "I just need whipped cream."
....
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