In 2008, global food price spikes and four successive hurricanes battered the Caribbean island of Haiti, causing an estimated US$220 million in damage to food crops. Tens of thousands of farmers were left without a means of earning an income and the country without enough food to eat. This short video looks at a special IFAD-funded programme designed to kick-start the country’s food production quickly and the support needed to make Haiti food secure.In 2008, global food price spikes and four successive hurricanes battered the... more
In 2008, global food price spikes and four successive hurricanes battered the Caribbean island of Haiti, causing an estimated US$220 million in damage to food crops. Tens of thousands of farmers were left without a means of earning an income and the country without enough food to eat. This short video looks at a special IFAD-funded programme designed to kick-start the country’s food production quickly and the support needed to make Haiti food secure.In 2008, global food price spikes and four successive hurricanes battered the... more
Monsanto’s money buys the “truth” even on public radio so that it too spreads Monsanto’s PR message “Produce more, Conserve More.” In reality, agriculture a la Monsanto is everything but conservation or sustainability. Read our analysis of Monsanto’s treatment by Marketplace.Monsanto’s money buys the “truth” even on public radio so that it too spreads... more
Industry bias, lax scientific standards, exemption of food crops containing pesticides from registration requirements, and failure to independently monitor GM crops after approval, are among the regulatory problems exhibited by the EPA when it comes to regulating GMOs.Industry bias, lax scientific standards, exemption of food crops containing pesticides... more
Human urine can help grow bumper tomato crops that can be eaten safely, says a new study.
Surendra Pradhan, an environmental biology researcher at the University of Kuopio, Finland, and colleagues gave potted tomato plants one of three treatments: mineral fertilizer, urine and wood ash, or urine only.
Yields for plants fertilized with urine, rich in nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, quadrupled and matched those of mineral-fertilized plants. The urine-fertilized tomatoes also contained more protein and were safe for human consumption.
"This is a very simple technology. Urine can be collected in a urine-diverting toilet or it can be collected in a separate jerry can [from] an ordinary, pre-existing toilet," said Pradhan.
"If wood ash is available, this can be use as a supplement of phosphorus, potassium and other nutrients," Pradhan added.Human urine can help grow bumper tomato crops that can be eaten safely, says a new... more
MEXICO CITY - Mexico is suffering from its driest year in 68 years, killing crops and cattle in the countryside and forcing the government to slow the flow of water to the crowded capital.
Below-average rainfall since last year has left about 80 of Mexico's 175 largest reservoirs less than half full, said Felipe Arreguin, a senior official at the Conagua commission, which manages the country's water supply.
"We have zones where the reservoirs are totally full but others that don't have even a drop of water," he said in an interview late on Tuesday.
More than 1,000 cattle have been lost due to lack of rainfall, and up to 20 million tons of crops managed by 3.5 million small farmers are at risk of being lost, agriculture groups say.
The arid northwest region of Mexico has been hardest hit, along with the central part of the country surrounding Mexico City where 20 million people live.
Mexico typically has a rainy season from around June to October, topping up lakes and reservoirs that supply much of the country's water during the rest of the year.
The El Nino weather phenomenon, a warming of the seas in the Pacific Ocean, has induced a dry spell in South America and is likely partly to blame for Mexico's lack of rain, experts say.
Authorities have reduced the flow from the Cutzamala series of dams and rivers more than 60 miles long that supplies a quarter of Mexico City's water to ensure enough is available until next year's rainy season.
Trucks are delivering water to some parts of the capital where cuts have made the flow of water intermittent.
"If all we have is a bucketful, we wash up with a cloth, but not well, not like you should," said Maria de la Luz, who has sold chicken at a neighborhood market for 48 years. "Now is the worst it's been since I was a girl."
Arreguin said the water situation in the capital was alarming but not yet a full emergency.
"If it were a traffic light it would be yellow," Arreguin said.
FARMERS HIT
In Mexican states like San Luis, Aguascalientes and Colima, some farmers have been unable to successfully plant their crops because of a lack of rain, while others watched their corn and beans plants wilt. Authorities are handing out cash to small farmers in hard-hit areas.
Four-fifths of Mexico's water resources are used to irrigate crops and the government is encouraging farmers to adopt more efficient methods over the long term.
In neighboring Guatemala, the government is distributing emergency food to 56,000 families whose crops have been damaged.
"This problem happens every year, but this year it seems particularly serious," said Guatemalan government official Juan Aguilar.
Mexico's sugar crop was harvested before the drought set in, and coffee farms are mostly in unaffected areas.
Already-taxed underground water accounts for most of the supply to Mexico City, an urban sprawl built over a drained lake bead, and will likely face more stress.
Mexico has had slightly less rainfall over the past decade but there is insufficient data to say how much global warming can be blamed, Arreguin said.
"How much of this phenomenon is from El Nino? How much is from climate change? The best thing is to hope for the best but prepare for the worst," Arreguin said.
Mexico City officials are urging residents to conserve water by installing efficient shower faucets and to use buckets instead of hoses to wash their cars. (Additional reporting by Mica Rosenberg and Sarah Grainger; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)MEXICO CITY - Mexico is suffering from its driest year in 68 years, killing crops and... more
"Going green" entails many things, including seeking out alternate sources of protein rather than fueling the factory farming industry. Veggie burgers can often be a somewhat comforting staple, but they may soon be of the buggy variety if scientists have their way."Going green" entails many things, including seeking out alternate sources of protein... more
Between escalating greenhouse gases, wild-n-wacky weather patterns and water being the new "oil", all I really want to do these days is drown my greenie sorrows with a six pack or two. But nooooo, now even THAT's off limits if I give a hoot about water footprints and being an upstanding eco-citizen!!Between escalating greenhouse gases, wild-n-wacky weather patterns and water being the... more
This is a video I made last year when corn prices were reaching a record high point influenced by the rise of ethanol and bio-diesels.
The response to this increase in crop prices was an explosion in crop dusting or "aerial application" in order to protect the valuable crops from fungus and insect damage.
Since last year, ethanol does not seem to have as promising of a future as once believed and as a result corn prices have leveled off at a much lower price per bushel.This is a video I made last year when corn prices were reaching a record high point... more
Many health conscience people are resorting to becoming vegans, vegetarians or just eating less meat. When in fact this is a very dangerous practice that causes many to become sick and some even to die.
The fact is that many of our crops come south of the boarder (Mexico). In Mexico pesticides are used that are illegal to use in our country. Its scary that the contaminated produce from Latin America is still shipped to and then consumed by millions of Americans.
Another reason would be that the level of sanitation isn't what it is here down there. Things aren't washed and care for properly causing dangerous types and/or levels of bacteria to tamper the crop (salmonella for example)
Not even to mention that most men who attempt vegan lifestyles end up very since from lack of protein. Most vegetarians have a pale plump complexion that isn't esthetically pleasing nor healthy.
MEAT on the other hand is always held under a microscope (literally) because ignorant people naturally assume its unhealthy. Since this is a reality people search through countless shipments to assure its of the highest quality. Most meat is harvested in this country and we don't' have to worry about the dangers of foreign unsanitary conditions. Not to mention all the tasty wild game citizens of this nation can enjoy which tends to be even more so lean and healthier than the excellent selection you can find at your local grocer.Many health conscience people are resorting to becoming vegans, vegetarians or just... more
A documentary/promotional video for a greenhouse run by Isaac Wiegmann. Isaac is working to establish a self-sustaining greenhouse and lifestyle. He essentially organically grows and lives off of all his crops, then sells the surplus to local customers.
Isaac details the story of how he got to this point in his life, and what he plans to do in the future.
This was used for my Senior Honors Project for my Media Production degree at the University of Akron.A documentary/promotional video for a greenhouse run by Isaac Wiegmann. Isaac is... more
This film highlights the tragedy of Hawaii's designation as a 'national and international sacrifice area for biotech and genetic modification research.' It features local farmers, teachers, legal and medical experts, and community activists.
This is Part one. Parts two and three can be accessed at the link.
They are destroying our biodiversity. We cannot allow them to get away with it.This film highlights the tragedy of Hawaii's designation as a 'national and... more
One reason why preserving biodiversity and not depending on monocrops is crucial to feeding the future world. Farmers in developing nations will now have to plan on diversifying crops and moving to crops that can be grown under these changing conditions.This is also another reason why bio-piracy of traits in crops that are drought resistant naturally which have been cultivated naturally by farmers for centuries must not be allowed to be patented by large agro-biotech companies for profit. They will doom farmers of developing nations to lives of servitude to their monoculture seeds which will only excaerbate this crisis.One reason why preserving biodiversity and not depending on monocrops is crucial to... more
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Staples such as cassava on which millions of people depend become more toxic and produce much smaller yields in a world with higher carbon dioxide levels and more drought, Australian scientists say.
The findings, presented on Monday at a conference in Glasgow, Scotland, underscored the need to develop climate-change-resistant cultivars to feed rapidly growing human populations, said Ros Gleadow of the Monash University in Melbourne.
Gleadow's team tested cassava and sorghum under a series of climate change scenarios, with particular focus on different CO2 levels, to study the effect on plant nutritional quality and yield.
Both species belong to a group of plants that produce chemicals called cyanogenic glycosides, which break down to release poisonous cyanide gas if the leaves are crushed or chewed.
Around 10 percent of all plants and 60 percent of crop species produce cyanogenic glycosides.
The team grew cassava and sorghum at three different levels of CO2; just below today's current levels at about 360 parts per million in the atmosphere, at about 550 ppm and about double at 710 pm.
Current levels in the air are just under 390 ppm, around the highest in at least 800,000 years and up by about a third since the start of the Industrial Revolution.
"What we found was the amount of cyanide relative to the amount of protein increases," Gleadow told Reuters from Glasgow, referring to cassava.
At double current CO2 levels, the level of toxin was much higher while protein levels fell.
The ability of people and herbivores, such as cattle, to break down the cyanide depends largely on eating sufficient protein.
Anyone largely reliant on cassava for food, particularly during drought, would be especially at risk of cyanide poisoning.
HARDY STAPLE
While it was possible to use processing techniques to reduce the level of toxin in the cassava leaves, it was the 50 percent or greater drop in the number of tubers that caused most concern, Gleadow said.
About 750 million people in Africa, Asia and Latin America rely on cassava as a staple. The starchy tubers are used to make flour and the plant is ideal in dry regions because of its hardy nature.
The good news was that the levels of toxin in the tuber didn't increase with CO2, unlike the edible leaves.SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Staples such as cassava on which millions of people depend... more
The wind can sure howl in north-central Kansas. And, the region's farmers are certainly not strangers to drought conditions that can choke life from just about any crop.
These are just a couple of the reasons Josh Lloyd tries to do "what Mother Nature does" on his farm near Clay Center, Kansas. That means a no-till system combined with the planting of a polyculture of cover crops -- turnips, radishes and canola -- in rotation with his sorghum and wheat acres.
"The reason we have residue is to create a mulch. It helps save moisture and protects the soil from erosion. The reason I went in and planted a cover crop is it's going to be 9 months until a crop is planted here again, and I want to build and maintain the soil and protect it from erosion while keeping the biology active," Lloyd says. "The reason I went with different things is to get some diversity. Mother Nature creates diversity, and I'm just trying to mimic, especially through no-till, what Mother Nature does."
When used in a no-till system like this one on Josh Lloyd's farm in Clay County, Kansas, cover crops can help preserve soil moisture and protect soil from erosion (photos by Jeff Caldwell).
Cover crop options
After his winter wheat comes off in June and July, Lloyd leaves the stubble until late summer and early fall, when he seeds the cover crop mixture of canola, radishes and turnips. The latter two have specific functions in the mixture in balancing witih the wheat and canola.
"I went with the turnip and radish because of how they might cycle nutrients and build soil differently compared to the wheat and canola," Lloyd says. "The radish and turnip are going to have a lot bigger root, go a lot deeper and leave a pocket in the soil."
These are all key benefits of any well-balanced cover crop system like Lloyd's, says Dan Towery, certified crop adviser (CCA) and conservation specialist with Ag Conservation Solutions in Lafayette, Indiana. In addition to maintaining a healthier soil structure, Towery says an effective system of cover crops will help trim fertilizer costs while still boosting yields.
"Cover crops offer many different benefits -- they break up compaction, they scavenge or fix nitrogen, reduce soil erosion and improve soil biology," Towery says. "These can lead to reduced fertilizer inputs and higher yields."The wind can sure howl in north-central Kansas. And, the region's farmers are... more
This is surely dire news for farmers, especially considering that California is the fifth largest economy in the world. Climate change will wind up changing the lives of many people. This is why adaptation is now required as over 90% of California is also in drought.This is surely dire news for farmers, especially considering that California is the... more
"In summer 2003, more than 52,000 Europeans died from heat-related ills, 30,000 in France alone, during an unrelenting heat wave that featured temperatures 6.5 degrees Fahrenheit (3.6 degrees Celsius) higher than normal. Crops also suffered, with corn production down by 30 percent and wheat by 21 percent, among other foodstuffs. And a similar hot spell in Ukraine in 1972 led to a wheat shortage that prompted that staple's prices to more than triple by 1974. But even without record-breaking heat, recent years have seen food riots from Bangladesh to Haiti as world agriculture was pushed to the breaking point by a combination of greater demand for food, biofuels and poor weather.
Such disruptions in the world's food supply may become even more the norm by the end of this century, according to a new analysis published today in Science. Climate modeler David Battisti of the University of Washington in Seattle and food security expert Rosamond Naylor of Stanford University used the results of 23 climate models to determine that there is a more than 90 percent chance—in other words, it is very likely—that the lowest growing season temperatures in the tropics and subtropics by the end of the century will be higher than the highest temperatures at present.
That area includes the southern U.S., Central America, southern Europe, central Asia, northern Australia and all of Africa, according to Battisti. "Although it had not been calculated before," he says, "it was not surprising to find that for most of the tropics and subtropics, the future summer temperatures would be out of bounds compared to what we have ever experienced.""In summer 2003, more than 52,000 Europeans died from heat-related ills, 30,000 in... more
There is a 90% chance that 3 billion people will have to choose between going hungry and moving their families to milder climes because of climate change within 100 years, says new research.
The study forecasts that temperatures at the close of this century are likely to be above those that crippled food supplies on at least three occasions since 1900.
David Battisti, a climatologist at the University of Washington, used 23 models vetted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to calculate how temperatures will vary with climate change.
Unlike previous studies, his team focused on temperatures during growing seasons around the world. This allowed them to determine the effect on food supplies.
Their results show there is a 90% chance that average temperatures in the tropics and subtropics will be higher than the hottest heat waves of the past century. With more than 3 billion people living in those areas, most of whom rely heavily on locally produced crops for both food and income, the effects could be catastrophic.There is a 90% chance that 3 billion people will have to choose between going hungry... more
BATHINDA: A day after heavy fog disrupted life and stranded air, rail and road passengers in the region, agitating farmers held up six trains when they lay siege to railway tracks here on Tuesday. Hundreds of agitating farmer organization members blocked all the four main rail routes in the region to lodge their protest against the "anti-farmer attitude" of Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) authorities.
The farmers, owing allegiance to various farmer organisations, had earlier given a call for 72-hour CCI office siege beginning Monday. However, when the stir failed to bring in expected results, the farmers converged on the tracks late on Tuesday afternoon and blocked all traffic movement on Ambala, Suratgarh, Delhi and Sirsa routes.
"We have been forced to resort to this (agitation) since the authorities continue to remain in a deep slumber despite our over 30-hour sit-in outside the CCI office in this biting cold," Sukhdev Singh Kokari Kalan, general secretary of BKU Ekta (Ugrahan), told TOI.BATHINDA: A day after heavy fog disrupted life and stranded air, rail and road... more
