Israeli tech helping farmers worldwide improve their crops 
17 March, 2019 
It began with four co-founders in “garage” mode in 2015. Less than four years later, Israeli ag-tech company Taranis has nearly 60 employees, five overseas offices, two acquired companies and $30 million in investments. About 19,000 farmers use the agriculture platform to make decisions about preventing disease and pest infestation in crops such as wheat, corn, soybeans, cotton and potatoes on a cumulative 20 million acres of fields in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Israel, Russia, United States and Ukraine. 
https://www.israel21c.org/the-israeli-tech-helping-farmers-worldwide-improve-their-crops/ 

Pollution destroys 21% wheat, 6% rice crop every year: IIT-M study 
10 March, 2019 
Surface ozone is destroying around 22 million tonnes (21%) of India’s wheat yield and 6.5 million tonnes (6%) rice crop every year, a multi-institute study led by the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) has revealed, with Punjab and Haryana states alone accounting for losses of 16% and 11% for wheat and rice respectively. 
https://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai-news/pollution-destroys-21-wheat-6-rice-crop-every-year-iit-m-study/story-FfsjiUstkx62FL7ALe5uxI.html 

AI to the Rescue: How phones are turning into plant doctors for thousands of farmers 
15 March, 2019 
Coming to the rescue of farmers from across the world, Plantix emerges as the perfect ‘plant doctor’ that is the need of the hour, especially in a time where scores of farmers in India are ending their lives owing to crop failures and insurmountable debts. 
https://www.thebetterindia.com/175044/india-farmer-earning-lakhs-plantix-app-crop-health/ 

[Top] 

[[ CLIMATE CHANGE ]] 







California wildfires 'can now happen in any year' 
4  March , 2019 
Wet winters are no longer a guide to the severity of wildfires in California, a new study suggests. Increased temperatures due to global warming and more effective efforts to contain fires mean there's now more dry wood to burn. This means that large wildfires of the kind seen in 2018 can now happen in any year, regardless of how wet the previous winter was. The researchers say huge blazes may be a sign of things to come. 
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-47444463 

Students around the world skip class to demand action on climate 
15 March, 2019 
Tens of thousands of students across the world skipped school to take to the streets in protest at their governments' failure to take sufficient action against global warming. The coordinated "school strikes", held from the South Pacific to the edge of the Arctic Circle, were inspired by 16-year-old Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, who began holding solitary demonstrations outside the Swedish parliament last year. 
https://www.france24.com/en/20190315-students-around-world-begin-climate-change-walkout-protest 

Evidence for man-made global warming hits 'gold standard': Scientists 
25 Feb, 2019 
Evidence for man-made global warming has reached a “gold standard” level of certainty, adding pressure for cuts in greenhouse gases to limit rising temperatures, scientists said. Human activities raising the heat at the Earth’s surface had reached a “five-sigma” level, a statistical gauge meaning there is only a one-in-a-million chance that the signal would appear if there was no warming. Mainstream scientists say the burning of fossil fuels is causing more floods, droughts, heat waves and rising sea levels. 
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-climatechange-temperatures/evidence-for-man-made-global-warming-hits-gold-standard-scientists-idUSKCN1QE1ZU 

[Top]

[[ DROUGHTS ]] 

California declared totally drought free for first time in seven years 
15 March, 2019 
California was declared totally drought free for the first time in more than seven years, following unusually abundant winter rains and snowfall statewide, according to the government’s weekly report on U.S. drought conditions. The U.S. Drought Monitor’s latest survey reflected an astonishing turnaround - at least for now - from a severe, prolonged dry spell that reduced irrigation supplies to farmers, forced strict household conservation measures and stoked a spate of deadly, devastating wildfires. 
https://in.reuters.com/article/us-california-drought/california-declared-totally-drought-free-for-first-time-in-seven-years-idINKCN1QW09A 

Drought subjects Central America to pests, loss of crops and lack of drinking water 
16 March, 2019 
El Salvador is still recovering from the drought of 2018, which, according to a study by the Agricultural Economics Department, ruined 20,303 hectares of land that produced 2.1 million quintals of corn, which represented 13.35 percent of the expected production in the first sowing. In Guatemala so far this year, there have been reports of losses of corn and beans “due to lack of rain” that have affected 894 families in six municipalities of the northern department of Petén, bordering Mexico and Belize. For its part, Honduras is suffering water shortages in some areas, including in the capital region, where there is only availability every four days. 
http://www.ticotimes.net/2019/03/16/drought-subjects-central-america-to-pests-loss-of-crops-and-lack-of-drinking-water 

[Top]    

[[ FLOODS ]] 






Historic flooding in parts of Nebraska, Iowa and South Dakota due to rare confluence of meteorological factors 
14 Mar, 2019 
Historic flooding is swamping parts of Nebraska, western Iowa and southeast South Dakota, shattering records in at least six locations, so far. Some flood protection systems have been compromised, bridges washed out and evacuations ordered in a number of locations in central and eastern Nebraska. Evacuations have also been ordered just across the border in western Iowa. 
https://weather.com/safety/floods/news/2019-03-14-record-historic-flooding-nebraska-south-dakota-iowa-why 

Flash floods triggered by rain, landslide kill 50 in Indonesia's Papua 
17 March, 2019 
At least 50 people have been killed by flash floods in Indonesia's eastern Papua province, an official said, as rescuers raced to find more victims of the disaster. The floods in Sentani, near the provincial capital of Jayapura, were triggered by torrential rain and subsequent landslides, and also left 59 people injured. 
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/flash-floods-triggered-by-rain-landslide-kill-50-in-indonesias-papua-2008785 

SANDF teams deployed to flood-ravaged Malawi and Mozambique 
16 Mar, 2019 
The South African National Defence Force has deployed humanitarian teams to flood-ravaged Malawi and Mozambique in the aftermath of the past week’s torrential rains and Tropical Cyclone Idai which made landfall along the east African seaboard. The SANDF said that it had been called on to assist in support of the humanitarian efforts in both Malawi and Mozambique currently facing serious floods. 
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/africa/2019-03-16-sandf-teams-deployed-to-flood-ravaged-malawi-and-mozambique/ 

[Top]   

[[ FOOD SECURITY ]] 







FAO, ICBA ink agreements to save plant genetic resources, boost food security in world’s marginal areas 
11 March, 2019 
The Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, Dr. José Graziano da Silva, and Director General of the International Center for Biosaline Agriculture (ICBA), Dr. Ismahane Elouafi, recently signed two landmark agreements, expanding existing cooperation between the two institutions on plant genetic resources, biosaline agriculture and climate change adaptation in the world’s marginal environments. 
https://reliefweb.int/report/world/fao-icba-ink-agreements-save-plant-genetic-resources-boost-food-security-world-s 

Dubai launches 14 new business activities to promote investment in local food production 
16 March, 2019 
The Department of Economic Development, DED, in Dubai in co-operation with the UAE Ministry of Food Security, has introduced 14 new business activities in the field of agricultural production and aquaculture in view of the growing interest in these activities and the importance being given to food security in the country. 
https://www.zawya.com/mena/en/business/story/Dubai_launches_14_new_business_activities_to_promote_investment_in_local_food_production-WAM20190316091607492/ 

[Top]      

[[ IRRIGATION ]] 






Israeli precision irrigation firm to deliver water to 60,000 rural Indian farmers 
12 March, 2019 
Netafim, an Israeli manufacturer of irrigation equipment, announced that it is implementing four large community irrigation projects that span 100 villages across India, delivering water to 135,000 acres and positively impacting nearly 60,000 rural farmers. Netafim is deploying its precision irrigation technologies in India’s Singataluru, Ananthapuramu District and Tarikere regions. 
https://worldisraelnews.com/israeli-precision-irrigation-firm-to-deliver-water-to-60000-rural-indian-farmers/ 

[Top]

[[ WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT ]] 









Delhi at epicentre of global groundwater crisis: Report 
24 Feb, 2019 
New research has shown that the largest groundwater depletion in the world is happening in northern India. Delhi is the epicentre of this fast-developing crisis, and it's getting worse by the day. Scientists say that groundwater being pumped out 70% faster than what was estimated earlier.  
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/delhi-at-epicentre-of-global-groundwater-crisis-report/articleshow/68131980.cms 

Nepal utilizes only 20 percent water available to it 
17 March, 2019 
Although Nepal is rich in water resources and has 7,000 cubic meter water available per person annually, only 20 percent of it is utilized properly. It is shared that although plenty of rainfall occur during the monsoon, Nepal lags behind in harvesting such rainwater. Of the total water utilized, majority of the usage is for irrigation, energy, drinking water and industrial purpose. 
https://setopati.net/social/142103 

[Top]

4th Water Sensitive Cities Conference 2019: Delivering the transition to water sensitive cities- approaches, activities and achievements, 26-28 March 2019, Brisbane 
Website: https://watersensitivecities.org.au/content/wsc-conference-2019/ 

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/explore-our-conferences 

2019 Floodplain Management Australia National Conference, 14-17 May 2019, Canberra, Australia 
Website:  https://floodplainconference.com/ 

ISMAR 10: International Symposium on Managed Aquifer Recharge, 20-24 May 2019, Madrid, Spain 
Website:  http://ismar10.net 

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, Marrakech, Morocco   
Theme: Sustainable Management of irrigation for improved resilience of agriculture in Africa 
Website:  http://5arcid.ma/ 

MinWat 2020: 3rd International Multidisciplinary Conference on Mineral Waters: Genesis, Exploitation, Protection, and Valorisation, 31 March-3
April 2020, Caserta, Italy 
Website:  https://iah.org/events/minwat-2020 

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

[Top]

FAO launches new handbook titled On-farm practices for safe use of wastewater in urban and peri-urban horticulture - A training handbook for Farmer Field Schools | Published: Second Edition, 2019 

Many farmers in developing countries grow crops, especially vegetables, in urban and peri-urban environments using this wastewater, raw or diluted, to irrigate their crops. Such wastewater is often heavily contaminated with disease-causing organisms and chemical agents that can seriously harm the health of the farmers, the traders who handle crops and the people who consume them. Safe irrigation methods are essential when using wastewater for irrigation, but they need to be complemented with other practices from farm to fork to ensure the safety of others involved in the value chain. The second edition of the handbook titled ''On-farm practices for the safe use of wastewater in urban and peri-urban horticulture'' by FAO focuses on low-cost and low-tech on-farm wastewater treatment and safe irrigation practices that farmers can adopt to grow safer products.  

+ Download the Handbook>> http://www.fao.org/3/CA1891EN/ca1891en.pdf