Seven agriculture apps to support digital farming 
21 Jan, 2019 
India is going digital in every sector at a remarkable speed. The launch of ‘Digital India’ by the government has ensured that the process is accelerated. In 2015, India had about 320 million people residing in rural areas using mobile phones. This makes the phones the easiest mode of communication and the best platform for the exchange of information. Following are seven agriculture apps that can prove very beneficial to the farmers. 
https://thecsrjournal.in/csr-7-agriculture-apps-to-support-digital-farming/ 

Bioengineered rice delivers significant increases in grain yields 
14 Jan, 2019 
New research from China has demonstrated that a novel technique to enhance photosynthetic efficiency in rice crops can increase grain yields by up to 27 percent. The study follows other recent demonstrations of food bioengineering designed to enhance worldwide food productivity by improving the photosynthesis process in crops. 
https://newatlas.com/rice-engineered-photosynthesis-improvement-grain-yield/58018/ 

Organic farming in U.S. jumps 56 percent over 5-year period 
13 Jan, 2019 
The number of certified organic farms in the United States increased 11 percent in 2016 to 14,217 from the previous year, according to the latest available data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agriculture Statistics Service, and has gone up 56 percent since 2011. Vermont is the state with the highest percentage of its farmland being organic, at 11 percent. 
https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/organic-farming-produce/2019/01/13/id/898019/ 

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CLIMATE CHANGE 

World must slash waste and create 'circular economy' to reach climate change targets, report says 
22 Jan , 2019 
Just 9 percent of the billions of tonnes of materials which enter the world economy are recycled, a figure that must drastically increase to keep to climate change targets, according to a report. Climate change and material use are closely linked. Close to two-thirds of greenhouse gas emissions are released during the extraction, processing and manufacturing of goods to serve society’s needs, the report says. 
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/climate-change-reduse-reuse-recycle-circular-economy-report-davos-a8739511.html 

Climate change’s impact on groundwater could leave ‘environmental timebomb’ 
21 Jan, 2019 
Over the next 100 years, the full impact that climate change is having on groundwater resources will become apparent in half of the world’s aquifers, a study concludes. The findings come from the first assessment of how long it could take groundwater to react to the impacts of climate change in different parts of the world. 
https://www.carbonbrief.org/climate-change-impact-groundwater-environmental-timebomb 

10-year challenge shows devastating impact of climate change 
19 Jan, 2019 
The latest online trend has millions of social media users sharing their versions of what a decade of change looks like. While many are participating in the trend by using photos of themselves, some are pointing out the somber changes that have occurred in the last decade, specifically the lack of progress that was made to slow the devastating impacts of climate change. 
https://www.theweathernetwork.com/news/articles/viral-ten-year-challenge-shows-the-devastating-effects-of-climate-change/122825 

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DROUGHTS

Storms improve California drought situation 
17 Jan, 2019 
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor report shows improved conditions in California after a series of storms. The update released shows just over 92 percent of the state ranges from abnormally dry to some level of drought, mostly of moderate intensity. Extreme drought is now limited to a small area just south of the Oregon border. 
https://www.10news.com/weather/weather-news/storms-improve-california-drought-situation 

Drought, animal disease threatens South African farmers 
18 Jan, 2018 
South African grain and red meat farmers are bracing for hard times after dry weather conditions and an outbreak of the highly contagious foot and mouth disease suspended meat exports, officials said. Maize prices have climbed amid concerns that dry conditions in the main part of South Africa’s maize belt have delayed crop plantings outside the optimum planting window, threatening yields for the staple food that is also used in livestock feed. 
https://ewn.co.za/2019/01/18/drought-animal-disease-threatens-south-african-farmers 

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FLOODS 

Dam collapse in Brazil leaves 7 dead, 200 missing; floods city with mining waste 
25 Jan, 2019 
A dam that held back mining waste collapsed in Brazil, inundating a nearby community in reddish-brown sludge, killing at least seven people and leaving scores of others missing. Parts of the city of Brumadinho were evacuated, and firefighters rescued people by helicopter and ground vehicles. Local television channel TV Record showed a helicopter hovering inches off the ground as it pulled people covered in mud out of the waste. 
https://globalnews.ca/news/4889894/brazil-dam-collapse-vale/ 

Parts of southern Sarawak hit by flash floods: Malaysia 
19 Jan, 2019 
Flash floods brought by heavy rain and overflowing rivers have inundated several parts of Santubong and Bako housing areas near Kuchin. Kg Sungai Batu and Kg Sungai Lumut were among the badly hit areas where about 50 houses are inundated. The residents in the flooded kampung have been told to prepare for any eventualities if the rain persists. 
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/01/19/parts-of-southern-sarawak-hit-by-flash-floods/ 

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FOOD SECURITY 

Man-made soils could be key to global food security, say scientists 
21 Jan, 2019 
Man-made soil from recycling and waste could be the key to ensuring future global food production, scientists have revealed. British scientists are leading a ground-breaking project which could ultimately result in soils being ‘created’ as a way to ensure food security. 
https://www.thelondoneconomic.com/news/environment/man-made-soils-could-be-key-to-global-food-security/21/01/ 

FAO Early Warning Early Action report on food security and agriculture 
16 Jan, 2019 
The Early Warning Early Action (EWEA) report on food security and agriculture is produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). By providing specific early action recommendations for each country, the report aims to prompt FAO and partners to proactively mitigate and/or prevent disasters before they start to adversely impact food security. 
https://reliefweb.int/report/world/fao-early-warning-early-action-report-food-security-and-agriculture-january-march-2019 

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IRRIGATION 

Investment in irrigation is paying off for Ethiopia’s fast-growing economy 
22 Jan, 2019 
After rapid economic growth averaging 10% every year between 2004 and 2014, Ethiopia has emerged as an engine of development in Africa. And there are no signs that ambitions for further growth are fading. Ethiopia’s growth has been propelled by at least two factors: the prioritization of agriculture as a key contributor to the development and the fast-paced adoption of new technologies to boost the sector. 
https://qz.com/africa/1529668/ethiopias-irrigation-investment-has-boosted-economy/ 

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WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 

Karoo town asked to reduce water use to 50 litres a day amid drought: South Africa 
21 Jan, 2019 
Residents of the Karoo town of Zoar have been urged to drop water consumption to 50 litres a day as the region struggles with "unacceptably high" consumption during a drought, the Western Cape government has said. This mirrors the measures taken by the City of Cape Town during last year's drought. 
https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/karoo-town-asked-to-reduce-water-use-to-50-litres-a-day-amid-drought-20190121 

Drought in focus for new Australia-Israel cooperation on water management 
21 Jan, 2019 
Israel's former state water commissioner says better management of supply and changes in storage methods should be key to preparedness for more regular and longer lasting droughts in Australia. A founding director of the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Shimon Tal said Israel's success in developing so-called "new water" technology could be hard to replicate in Australian agriculture, but improved efficiency in water transport, reservoir management and groundwater use could take pressure off communities and businesses in future drought events. 
https://www.afr.com/news/politics/drought-in-focus-for-new-australiaisrael-cooperation-on-water-management-20190120-h1a9kc 

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FORTHCOMING EVENTS   

International Dam Safety Conference 2019, 13-14 February 2019, Bhubaneshwar, Odisha, India  
Website:  www.damsafety.in/idsc2019 

Water for Food Global Conference 2019,  29-30 April 2019, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA  
Theme: Water for a Hungry World: Innovation in Water and Food Security 
Website:  https://waterforfood.nebraska.edu/news-and-events 

3rd World Irrigation Forum (WIF3) and 70th International Executive Council Meeting, 1-7 September 2019, Bali, Indonesia   
Theme: Development for water, food and nutrition security in a competitive environment 
Website:  https://icid2019.com/ 

5th African Regional Conference on Irrigation and Drainage (ARCID), 16-19 March 2020, Rabat, Morocco   
Theme: Sustainable Management of Irrigation for Improved Resilience of Agriculture in Africa 
Website: http://www.anafide.net/ 

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

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       LATEST PUBLICATION(S) 
                               

Beyond Crop per Drop: Assessing Agricultural Water Productivity and Efficiency in a Maturing Water Economy 
Published: 2018-06-26; Author(s) Scheierling, Susanne M. and Tréguer, David O. 

With growing water scarcity in many parts of the world and projections that indicate the need to increase agricultural production and, concurrently, agricultural water use, it is increasingly advocated to focus efforts on improving agricultural water productivity and efficiency—and thus achieve more crop per drop. Many international organizations concerned with water management are also promoting these efforts, and significant public and private investments are being made in both developed and developing countries. Yet some serious problems are associated with this approach. The report aims to shed further light on these issues: first, by clarifying some of the underlying concepts in the discussion of agricultural water productivity and efficiency; second, by reviewing and analyzing the available methods for assessing water productivity and efficiency, including single-factor productivity measures, total factor productivity indices, frontier methods, and deductive methods; and, third, by discussing their application a relevance in different contexts. The book has been released as an Open Access and can be downloaded @  https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/29922