Morocco signs MoU with French Development Agency for agriculture plans 
18 April, 2019 
The Credit Agricole du Maroc Group (GCAM) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the French Development Agency (AFD) to set up a €50 million credit line to finance agricultural projects. The credit line will be used to finance agricultural and agri-food projects with a dimension of sustainable development and the protection of natural resources. 
https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/04/270959/morocco-french-development-agency-agriculture/ 

African farmers look to genetic engineering in fight against plant diseases and pests 
29 April, 2019 
In many ways, you could argue that Africa is not in a position to view agricultural genetic engineering as a luxury. Indeed, it is a necessity in order to expand crop production to feed its growing population, bolster farm income, deal with the ravages of climate change and eliminate the scourge of diseases plaguing its crops. 
https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2019/04/29/african-farmers-look-to-genetic-engineering-in-fight-against-plant-diseases-and-pests/ 

Robotic agriculture will provide sustainable assistance to farmers in feeding the mouths 
22 April, 2019 
The fast-paced world is moving ahead with evolving basic humanitarian needs. Various industries and businesses have adapted to the tech-world shifting to the plethora of digital transformation. Due to a shortage of labor and accelerating need to feed the large population around the globe, Agriculture Robots have jumped into the picture. They are becoming a common yet useful assistant of farmers in various works. 
https://www.analyticsinsight.net/robotic-agriculture-will-provide-sustainable-assistance-to-farmers-in-feeding-the-mouths/

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[[ CLIMATE CHANGE ]] 






Greenland is melting even faster than experts thought, study finds 
23 April, 2019 
Climate change is eliminating giant chunks of ice from Greenland at such a speed that the melt has already made a significant contribution to sea level rise, according to a new study. With global warming, the island will lose much more, threatening coastal cities around the world. 
https://edition.cnn.com/2019/04/22/world/greenland-sea-level-rise-scn/index.html 

NASA predicts lower ice melt and sea level rise in Antarctica 
28 April, 2019 
Climate change forecasts for the next 500 years have overestimated the contribution of melting Antarctic ice to rising sea levels, a new NASA study has astonishingly claimed. Climate experts at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California believe natural processes will offset rising sea levels by the year 2250.  
https://www.express.co.uk/news/science/1119690/Climate-change-NASA-global-warming-study-melting-ice-sea-level-Antarctica-ice-shelf 

Climate change has contributed to droughts since 1900—and may get worse 
1 May, 2019 
Using studies of tree rings going back centuries, scientists have unearthed clear evidence that the rise of human-generated greenhouse gases was having an effect on global drought conditions as early as 1900. A new, first-of-its-kind study by scientists at Columbia University’s Earth Institute, largely confirms what climate models have shown. In the absence of strong historic data on precipitation, those computer models forecast not only future scenarios, but shed light on historical trends. 
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2019/05/climate-change-linked-drought-past-century-via-tree-rings/ 

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[[ DROUGHTS ]] 

Water restrictions loom for Sydney as drought continues to impact on dam levels 
5 May, 2019 
Water restrictions will be introduced in Sydney if drought conditions don't ease in the next three months, according to a report on dwindling dam levels in New South Wales. The latest research from Sydney Water reveals levels across 11 dams in Greater Sydney are dropping faster than they have in decades. 
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-05-05/water-restrictions-loom-sydney-dam-levels-drop-in-drought/11081008 

Panama Canal drought, linked to El Niño, highlights climate fears 
1 May, 2019 
An intense drought related to this year’s El Niño phenomenon has precipitously lowered the level of Panama’s Gatun Lake, forcing the country’s Canal Authority to impose draft limits this week on ships moving through the waterway’s recently expanded locks. 
https://www.thehindu.com/sci-tech/energy-and-environment/panama-canal-drought-linked-to-el-nio-highlights-climate-fears/article26990704.ece 

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[[ FLOODS ]] 






Uttarakhand could see catastrophic floods if global warming targets are not met 
1 May, 2019 
The odds of a 2013-like deluge in Uttarakhand will be over four times higher every year if the world is allowed to warm 2°C over pre-industrial levels this century, a study has warned. The study adds to a growing pool of scientific evidence that rising temperatures, due to increasing greenhouse gas (such as carbon dioxide and methane) emissions, are making extreme weather events like heatwaves, droughts and floods more likely and more intense all around the world. 
https://theprint.in/india/uttarakhand-could-see-catastrophic-floods-if-global-warming-targets-are-not-met/229310/ 

Mississippi River crests to challenge historic floods even as rain departs 
3 May, 2019 
Major flooding is forecast to continue through this weekend and beyond along portions of the Mississippi and James rivers. Many rivers throughout the central United States remain above flood stage or just below flood stage. Much of the high water has been set into motion from heavy snowfall this past winter that melted and combined with heavy rain more than a month ago. 
https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/long-term-flooding-problems-to-persist-in-part-of-central-us-after-rain-departs/70008155 

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[[ FOOD SECURITY ]] 







Haiti: 3.6 million people affected by food insecurity 
24 April, 2019 
Some 3.6 million Haitians or 700,000 families are affected by food insecurity, including 1.5 million who are in a serious situation, according to a report. The study, carried out every year by the National Food Security Coordinator (CNSA), noted that the most vulnerable households are using negative survival strategies. 
https://haitiantimes.com/2019/04/24/haiti-3-6-million-people-affected-by-food-insecurity/ 

Ethiopia: Fish farming promotes youth entrepreneurship and food security 
2 May, 2019 
The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus (EECMY) Development and Social Services Commission (DASSC) has opened a training center in Bishoftu town, Oromia regional state, Ethiopia, aimed at helping young people to make a sustainable living, even with limited means. 
https://www.lutheranworld.org/news/ethiopia-fish-farming-promotes-youth-entrepreneurship-and-food-security 

[Top]

[[ IRRIGATION ]] 





Growstream – world’s first and only plant-responsive irrigation system 
26 March, 2019 
A disruptive new irrigation technology, based upon organic chemistry, is poised to rock the irrigation industry, forever changing the way the world irrigates. After more than a decade of research and development, Responsive Drip Irrigation commercially released GrowstreamTM, the world’s first “smart” irrigation tubing that communicates directly with plants to regulate irrigation delivery. This plant-responsive technology is the most innovative approach to hit the market, since drip irrigation was released over a half-century ago. 
https://gulfagriculture.com/5855-2/ 

[Top]

[[ WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT ]] 






43 villages in Pune district show severe groundwater depletion: India 
5 May, 2019 
The groundwater table in 43 villages in Pune district has fallen by at least three metres, according to the annual report of the state’s groundwater surveys and development agency (GSDA). The GSDA report identifies a fall by three metres or more in the groundwater level as a “severe” water situation. 
https://www.hindustantimes.com/pune-news/43-villages-in-pune-district-show-severe-ground-water-depletion/story-blc25I0RRb37NYbMCDpmPK.html 

Asteroids delivered half of Earth’s water, new sample suggests 
1 May, 2019 
In 2010, a Japanese mission called Hayabusa returned to Earth from a seven-year space journey. It brought back not only images and data from its adventure, but also actual samples, small grains of rock from its target, the asteroid Itokawa. Now, researchers from Arizona State University have analyzed a tiny subset of Hayabusa’s collection, and they’ve uncovered a surprising amount of water contained within the rock grains. 
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2019/05/01/asteroids-delivered-half-of-earths-water-sample/ 

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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 

Workshop on Latest Trends in Inspection & Investigations of Dams, 30-31 May 2019, New Delhi, India 
Website:  https://damsafety.co/ 

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]

India is vulnerable, in varying degrees, to a large number of disasters- both natural and manmade. the drought management system that has been practiced in India since independence is largely a continuation of the systems and schemes instituted during the colonial period. It emphasizes a relief-based approach and provides certain other small concessions, which do little to alleviate the distress caused by widespread crop failure. It did not integrate new technologies for early warning, nor did it emphasize mitigation as an essential element of drought management. Thus, there is a strong need to introduce and institutionalize a new drought management system, which is based on technological advances and new innovations in crop and water management. Further, while acknowledging complexities of drought and it varied manifestations across different agro-climatic regions, the new manual prescribes five categories of indices for declaration of drought across six climatic zones, which include rainfall, agriculture, soil moisture, hydrology, and remote sensing (health of crops), are expected to help the state governments make scientific assessment of drought rather than rely on the traditional practices. 

+Download the book>>  https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/report-on-good-practices-document-on-drought-in-india_2018_eficor-sphere....pdf