Drought dries up reservoirs, rivers in SW China
GUIYANG - A severe drought in southwest China has dried up hundreds of reservoirs and rivers, devastated… [more]
Bunge sued over biotech corn ban
Syngenta AG (SYNN), the world’s largest maker of agricultural chemicals, sued a unit of Bunge Ltd.… [more]
Another 'Dust Bowl' era could be starting
This decade thus far has mirrored the 1930s weatherwise and otherwise. It's the 'Dust Bowl Days' and… [more]
Rain delays wheat harvest; damage worries grow
HAMBURG -- Repeated rain has delayed wheat harvesting in top European Union producers France and Germany,… [more]
Use Your Loaf: Why food prices were crucial in the Arab Spring
People in Arab countries have always relied on bread as a low-cost source of sustenance. In Yemen alone… [more]
Farming the Cities, Feeding an Urban Future
Washington, D.C.-As people move from rural to urban settings in search of economic opportunities, urban… [more]
Big red canvas to draw carbon farming on Henbury Station
The cattle station is set to become one of the world's largest carbon farms, drawing pollution from the… [more]
China's farmers see hope in effort to stem soil erosion caused by Three Gorges Dam
A project inserting terraces and drainage has boosted production where soil has been severely eroded… [more]
Europe
Polish ag-minister wants GMOs out of Europe
Poland’s minister of agriculture is confusing the country’s political opinion on genetically modified crops by demanding a European-wide ban on GMO. “We are now proposing to completely prohibit not only the cultivation of GM plants, but also imports of feed and food that is genetically modified,” Minister Marek Sawicki told TVP public television. “And not […]
Oceania
Quarantine inspectors stop New Zealand apple shipments
A NEW Zealand apple grower has been caught trying to send banned waste from apple trees to Australia days after the trans-Tasman market reopened. The load was stopped by Biosecurity Australia on a final inspection in New Zealand before being airfreighted to Australia. The incident has infuriated
Africa
Regional experts vow to transform agricultural sector
African agricultural experts meeting in Kigali have promised to promote the Integrated Agriculture Research for Development (IAR4D) strategy in transforming agriculture in the region. The forum that drew participants from Tanzania, Sudan, DRC, Uganda, Kenya, Madagascar, Ethiopia, Burundi, Eritrea and
Asia
Drought dries up reservoirs, rivers in SW China
GUIYANG – A severe drought in southwest China has dried up hundreds of reservoirs and rivers, devastated farm fields and made drinking water scarce, local authorities said. The drought, which has lasted since early July, has dried up 479 reservoirs and 349 rivers in Guizhou province, the provincial flood control and drought relief
The Markets
Disruptions to Food Supply to ‘Ratchet Up Prices,’ Olam’s Verghese Says
Global food costs will remain elevated because a potential slowdown in economic growth is unlikely to hurt demand and weather-related disruptions to supply could “ratchet up prices,” Olam International Ltd. (OLAM) said. Combined global inventories of wheat,
World News
FAO promotes the creation of micro-seed in Central America
Panama City. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) launched the project “Seeds for Development”, which aims to encourage the creation of rural enterprises in Central America. The plan expects to assist 12,000 families that are small producers of grains like corn, beans, sorghum and rice in Central America, the majority of these will […]
Bunge sued over biotech corn ban
Syngenta AG (SYNN), the world’s largest maker of agricultural chemicals, sued a unit of Bunge Ltd. (BG) over claims it’s illegally refusing to accept corn produced from the company’s bioengineered seeds. Bunge, which operates a network of grain elevators and receiving stations, posted a notice on its website and at several locations that it is […]
Most Feared Pest Found in shipment at O’Hare
Customs officials in Chicago have found what they call one of the “most feared” pests in the world in a shipment of rice that came from India, officials announced today. According to a release from the Chicago office of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Khapra beetle was found Aug. 16 at O’Hare International airport […]
Use Your Loaf: Why food prices were crucial in the Arab Spring
People in Arab countries have always relied on bread as a low-cost source of sustenance. In Yemen alone there are more than 20 different kinds of bread, each made and baked differently. In Egypt, bread is known as aish, meaning “life”. It is the inseparable companion of all dishes, even some desserts. The Fertile Crescent, […]
Cargill Defines Food Chain While Assailing Government Hoarding
Cargill Inc. Chief Executive Officer Greg Page, who runs the largest agricultural company in the U.S., has a good idea whom to blame for the global surge in food prices at the end of 2010: governments. Page urged 708 delegates and guests at the National Grain and Feed Association convention in San Diego in March […]