The agriculture sector has very real immigration needs
26 October 2019
Canada’s immigration discussions continue to be centred on numbers. How many refugees? How many economic immigrants? How many family members?
https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/koeslag-the-agriculture-sector-has-very-real-immigration-needs
 

China, U.S. Agree on Some Agriculture Product Regulatory Issues
26 October 2019
China says it’s reached a consensus on some agricultural product regulatory issues with the U.S., adding that technical consultations for some parts of the text for the trade agreement are basically completed.
https://news.yahoo.com/china-u-agree-agriculture-product-025736997.html

 
[Top] 

[[ CLIMATE CHANGE ]]








How does climate change work? It's like adding layers of blankets
28 October 2019
Imagine that as you lie in bed, layer upon layer of blankets are thrown over you, turning up the heat. That is how climate change works, said Mr David Fogarty, climate change editor of The Straits Times, explaining how mankind is causing the global phenomenon. "What we are doing is changing the natural cycles by adding heat to the atmosphere, by adding greenhouse gases that kind of act like a blanket," he said.
https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/how-does-climate-change-work-its-like-adding-layers-of-blankets
 

YouTubers band together to plant 20 million trees to fight climate change
26 October 2019
With a combined 650 million subscribers — nearly double the population of the United States — a coalition of YouTubers wants to tackle the climate crisis by raising $20 million to plant 20 million trees.
https://mashable.com/article/team-trees-mr-beast-mark-rober-20-million-youtube/
 

The Solution to Climate Change Is Just below Our Feet
26 October 2019
Adam Chappell was in the fight of his life. He and his brother were co-managing the 9,000-acre farm where they grew up in Cotton Plant, Arkansas. They’d each gone off to college to do something different, but couldn’t stay away. Now an invasion of pigweed was threatening to destroy everything.
https://regenerationinternational.org/2019/10/26/the-solution-to-climate-change-is-just-below-our-feet/ 

[Top] 

[[ DROUGHTS ]]





Big challenges like climate change, drought require flexible approach
27 October 2019
Of the many great challenges, we face, climate change and drought are certainly two of the biggest. They're also closely linked, as the Climate Council warned last year in a report that found climate change was likely to result in severe droughts becoming more frequent, increasing the risk of water shortages.
https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6454821/big-challenges-need-flexible-approach/
 

Climate Surprises
27 October 2019
The reality of climate change hits us harder with every passing extreme weather event — drought or flood, hurricane or heatwave. Severe water shortages are parching Cape Town and Chennai, forest fires are singeing California, storms batter the Caribbean and the threat of drowning looms over low-lying islands in the Pacific.
https://www.ozy.com/opinion/climate-surprises/222054/
 

Mexican Farmers Turn to Dragon Fruit as Drought Continues to Plague the South
26 October 2019
Regular droughts in Mexico’s southernmost state, Chiapas, make it hard for farmers to grow traditional staple crops. Many are turning to dragon fruit, which can adapt to the dry conditions, as a revenue alternative.
https://globalpressjournal.com/americas/mexico/mexican-farmers-turn-dragon-fruit-new-staple-crop-drought-continues-plague-south/


[Top] 

[[ FLOODS ]]






Flood control projects under way in Tomball
27 October 2019
Harris County voters approved $2.5 billion in bonds to pay for flood damage reduction projects in August 2018. Of that, more than $60 million is being devoted to the Willow Creek and Spring Creek Watersheds, the two which lie in Tomball’s city limits. A watershed is a land area in which all rainfall flows to a common location, like a stream or a creek.
https://www.chron.com/neighborhood/tomball/news/article/Flood-control-projects-under-way-in-Tomball-14555012.php
 

South Sudan floods affect 1 million people
25 October 2019
More than 60% of the population are already facing malnutrition. Now, the UN has estimated that almost 1 million people have been affected by severe flooding.
https://www.dw.com/en/south-sudan-floods-affect-1-million-people/a-50994854
 

Index-Based Flood Insurance: Helping Bihar’s Agricultural Communities
October 21, 2019
The state of Bihar is India’s most flood prone state. An IWMI led Index-linked flood insurance program supported by CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), Water, Land and Ecosystems (WLE) and Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), has delivered real benefits to help alleviate crop loss through floods and has strong potential for scalability.
http://www.iwmi.cgiar.org/2019/10/index-based-flood-insurance-helping-bihars-agricultural-communities/

[Top]

[[ FOOD SECURITY ]]
 





 

FAO Applauds King Mohammed VI’s Leadership in the Arab World
26 October 2019
Qu Dongyu, the Director General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), affirmed the FAO’s willingness to strengthen cooperation with Morocco.
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/10/285382/un-applauds-king-mohammeds-leadership/
 

Ireland Provides 10 Million Euros for Improved Food Security in Ethiopia
25 October 2019
The Government of Ireland has extended 10 million Euros to Ethiopia today to enhance and improve vulnerable and food insecure households’ livelihood.
https://reliefweb.int/report/ethiopia/ireland-provides-10-million-euros-improved-food-security-ethiopia

[Top]

[[ IRRIGATION ]]






Market incentives, direct income support for farmers are far more effective in increasing agricultural productivity
28 October 2019
India and China, the world’s most populous countries, have limited arable land — China has about 120 million hectares (mha) and India 156 mha. The challenge before the two countries is to produce enough food, fodder and fibre for their population.
https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/india-china-agriculture-output-demands-akis-6090647/
 

What about water quality in the Habitat Conservation Plan?
26 October 2019
Last June, Portland General Electric released a comprehensive, multiyear water quality study of Lake Billy Chinook, the rivers that supply it and the lower Deschutes River into which water is released.
https://www.bendbulletin.com/opinion/lettertotheeditor/7520637-151/guest-column-what-about-water-quality-in-the

 

Irrigators donate millions of litres of their own water to communities that have run out of water
23 October 2019
A group of southern New South Wales irrigators are willing to give millions of litres of their water to towns and farmers running dry, but they need help to deliver it.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2019-10-23/farmers-donate-water-to-dry-towns/11630400

[Top]

[[ WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT ]]






China is weaponizing water and worsening droughts in Asia
27 October 2019
Asia, the world's driest continent in per capita terms, remains the center of dam construction, with more than half of the 50,000 large dams across the globe. The hyperactivity on dams has only sharpened local and international disputes over the resources of shared rivers and aquifers.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/China-is-weaponizing-water-and-worsening-droughts-in-Asia
 

Precipitation in Iran grows 31% in 51 years
26 October 2019
The precipitation rate in Iran's main catchment areas reached 11.6 millimeters by October 25, registering a growth of 33 percent, i.e. 8.8 millimeters, compared to the average rainfall level in past 51 years.
https://en.mehrnews.com/news/151611/Precipitation-in-Iran-grows-31-in-51-years
 

Integrated solutions for the Indus Basin
25 October 2019
A new integrated modeling framework could help the Indus Basin region find solutions to water resource challenges and interconnected sustainable development goals.
https://phys.org/news/2019-10-solutions-indus-basin.html

 

[Top]

XIII World Aqua Congress 30th-31st October, 2019, India Habitat Centre New Delhi, India National Water Mission ( Ministry of Jal Shakti), Central Water Commission (Government of India), Central Board of Irrigation & Power, PHD Rural Development Foundation, ConstructionIndustry Development Council join hands with Aqua Foundation to present XIII World Aqua Congress 2019. The conference is being organized on October 30th and 31st, at India Habit Centre, New Delhi, having its main theme as ‘Water for all - Leaving No One Behind’. Details of various sub-themes can be seen here: https://www.worldaquacongress.org/

Association Fran'aise pour l'Etude des Irrigations et du Drainage (AFEID), is organizing a two-day Conference on “Water Savings in Irrigation” from 13-14 November 2019 at Montpellier, France.
The objectives of the Conference are : (a) Exchange around the levers of water-saving and efficiency improvements in irrigation; (b) Share the quantitative feedback on water savings achieved by a change of equipment or the adoption of piloting tools in the different EU countries; (c) Share the methodologies used in the various European countries for the ex-ante evaluation of potential water savings; present the French methodology established at the request of the Ministry of Agriculture; and (d) present technical innovations to save water in irrigation.
For further information on program, registration, submission of abstract etc., please visit the conference website: https://watersaving.sciencesconf.org

The International Conference on Food, Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture (FNSSA),
1-3 December 2019, Cairo, Egypt; Ms. Sara Youssef Conference Coordinator fnssa@food-conference.org,
Website: https://www.food-conference.org/events/food-nutrition-security-and-sustainable-agriculture-1st#objectiveoftheconferencehttps://www.food-conference.org/events/food-nutrition-security-and-sustainable-agriculture-1st#objectiveoftheconference

Water Pollution 2020: 15th International Conference on Monitoring, Modelling and Management of Water Pollution, 13-15 May 2020, Valencia, Spain. For more details, please visit: https://www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences/2020-conferences/water-pollution-2020; Email: wit@wessex.ac.uk

24th ICID International Congress & 71st IEC Meeting, 22-28 September 2020, Sydney, Australia
Website: http://www.icid2020.com.au

MinWat 2020: 3rd International Multidisciplinary Conference on Mineral Waters: Genesis, Exploitation, Protection and Valorisation, 31 March-3 April 2020, Caserta, Italy. For more details, please visit: https://iah.org/events/minwat-2020; Email: segratario@iahitaly.it

6th IWA International Symposium on Water, Wastewater and Environment in Ancient Civilizations: Traditions and Cultures
28-30 April 2020
the 6th IWA International Symposium which will be Co-organized by the Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey and the Hellenic Open University, Patra, Greece. It will take place at the Bogazici University (28 & 29 April) and in the Conference Hall of the Theological School of Halki in the island of Heybeliada, Istanbul, Turkey (30 April).
https://iwa-network.org/events/iwa-regional-symposium-on-water-wastewater-and-environment-traditions-and-cultures/
 

24th ICID International Congress & 71st IEC Meeting, 22-28 September 2020, Sydney, Australia. For more info contact: Mr. Bryan Ward, Chief Executive Officer, Irrigation’s Australia Limited (IAL) (Incorporating IACID); Email: bryan.ward@irrigation.org.au, info@irrigation.org.au; Website: http://www.icid2020.com.au

 [Top]

Water–energy–food nexus
With a view to drawing attention to the interrelated nature of global resource systems, FAO is exploring how the water–energy–food nexus can support food security and sustainable agriculture worldwide. Population growth, rapid urbanization, changing diets and economic development are just some of the factors driving increased demand for water, energy and food. Agriculture is the largest consumer of the world's freshwater resources, and more than one-quarter of the energy used globally is expended on food production and supply. Feeding a global population expected to reach 9 billion people by 2050 will require a 60 percent increase in food production.
http://www.fao.org/land-water/water/watergovernance/waterfoodenergynexus/en/