Food & Agriculture

• [New] The Biden administration views the Commodity Credit Corp. as a tool to advance climate-smart agriculture in ways that will increase and improve commodity production and will create more value for agriculture on working lands. / the weekly ledger
• [New] A 3% growth in population in rural areas means that twice as much drinking water will be required in 25 years, and people who live in urban areas and rely on groundwater will become much more vulnerable due to rapid urbanisation. / wateraid
• [New] More than a half-million people are experiencing catastrophic levels of acute food insecurity and 41 million are at risk of famine. / Voice of America
• [New] Sediment from degraded land was flowing into the Yellow River, reducing water quality and increasing the risk of flooding downstream, while sandstorms affected increasingly larger areas of northern China. / World Bank
• [New] Agriculture Victoria said all pet meat fitting that description should be considered at risk of indospicine contamination, due to the blending of pet meats, including products described as beef and kangaroo pet meat. / ABC (Australia)
• [New] In southern Madagascar, which has been hit by the worst drought in the past 40 years, pests affecting staple crops, and rising food prices -14,000 people are expected to be pushed into catastrophic acute food insecurity marked by starvation and death by September. / phys.org
• [New] Increased exposures to Chinese-style fast food may reduce child BMI and the risk of overweight and obesity, indicating a positive health impact of Chinese fast food. / Frontiers
• [New] The African Development Bank has reiterated its commitment to closing the financing gap for women and warned of the impact of gender inequality on food systems in Africa. / African Development Bank - Building today, a better Africa tomorrow
• [New] In southern Madagascar the worst drought in 40 years - combined with rising food prices, sandstorms, and pests affecting staple crops - is expected to push 28,000 people into famine-like conditions by the end of the year. / World Food Programme
• [New] Carbon represents a major opportunity for farmers to increase their income while helping the UK meet its climate change targets. / Farmers Weekly
• [New] New targets have been set in the US, at state level, to raise the level of food waste biogas production which will bring huge benefits in the fight against climate change. / The Anaerobic Digestion Biofuels Blog
• [New] Getting global attention to food systems is hard to envision except as a sub-set of climate change, pandemic, and gender equity. / Impakter
• [New] Presence of major global food industries in the U.S. will support the demand for microalgae in the company years. / PR Newswire
• [New] By investing in new technologies like solar-powered irrigation pumps and smart water gauges that allow farmers to use water more efficiently, it is possible to increase crop yields while bringing down agricultural water use by 10% by 2030. / AFN
• [New] The city and county of San Francisco is requiring its roughly 35,000 workers to be vaccinated or risk disciplinary action after the Food and Drug Administration approves one of the vaccines now being distributed under an emergency order. / Time
• [New] Continued global temperature rises could cut crop yields by more than 25%, while more frequent extreme weather events will have devastating effects on farmers' land, livelihoods and food security. / DW.COM
• [New] Many small-scale producers live in climate vulnerability hotspots - if they are not supported to adapt to the impacts of climate change, it will have a devastating impact on rural communities and the global food systems of which they are the backbone. / DW.COM
• [New] Countries across southern Africa, including Zimbabwe, were suffering the worst drought in decades, while plagues of locusts in East Africa, the worst in 70 years, had devastated crops, exacerbating existing poverty and threatening food supplies. / DW.COM

Last updated: 03 August 2021