World Agriculture
Developments, trade, data, and topics in world agriculture
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Russia allocates huge sums of money to restore rural economic vitalityIn 2015, the Russian Federation will allocate about 9 billion rubles (1 U.S. dollar equals 52 rubles) for the development of rural areas, and various local governments and other institutions will also raise a total of 21 billion rubles. In 2015, while trying to cope with the economic crisis and stabilize the currency, Russia also continued to make great efforts to support the development of rural areas. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev recently signed an order to allocate about 9 billion rubles (about 52 rubles per US dollar) from the federal budget for the development of rural areas in 2015. This allocation is carried out in the framework of the national project "Sustainable development of rural areas in the Russian Federation 2013-2020. The project aims to revitalize rural areas over a seven-year period. In addition to the federal grant of 9 billion rubles, local governments and other institutions will also raise a total of 21 billion rubles. The main task of the project is to encourage young people to return to the countryside and to attract various professionals to settle in the countryside. Of the funds provided by the state and local governments, 4.5 billion rubles will be used to subsidize rural residents of 80 federal entities to help improve housing conditions. Professionals and their families who are willing to move to the countryside will also receive government-provided housing. Another 4.3 billion rubles will be used to unify the construction of water, electricity and natural gas supply networks in most villages and towns in 71 federal entities. Educational and medical conditions in rural areas will also be improved, including the construction of additional primary and secondary schools, kindergartens, hospitals, pharmacies, etc., and the renovation of existing educational and medical institutions. More sports and entertainment facilities will be built in the vast rural areas, and folk culture and traditional handicrafts will also receive financial support. The Russian government hopes to create new jobs and absorb the rural youth labor force in the process of improving rural infrastructure. In recent years, the Russian government has also adopted a series of policies to support agricultural production. In 2007, Russia's new "Agricultural Law" came into effect, and then the government promulgated the "2008-2012 Agricultural Development, Agricultural Product Market Regulation, and Rural Development Plan", which is Russia's first five-year agricultural development plan. The plan proposes: first, sustainable rural development; second, improving the competitiveness of Russia's productive agriculture, including increasing financial support, realizing modernization and accelerating the development of key areas to replace imports; third, protecting and restoring natural resources, including Soil protection. Agriculture has officially become one of the priority development directions of the national economy, and the state has once again played a leading role in agricultural development. After the promulgation of the plan, Russia worked hard to improve the outlets of the Agricultural Bank to facilitate the provision of preferential loans for farmers to update agricultural machinery during critical periods such as spring sowing and autumn harvest. State insurance for crops was raised from 26 per cent to 40 per cent. In order to stabilize grain market prices, increase producer income and promote grain exports, the Russian government established the United Grain Company in 2009. In order to help agricultural producers improve production efficiency, Russia will also create a "national agricultural information dissemination system". 2015/5/5 China News Network
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India's agricultural output shrinks for first time in five years~ ~ India's farm output falls for the first time in 5 years amid fears of drought Thursday, 4 June 2015 - 9:59am IST | Place: New Delhi | Agency: dna India's farm sector shrank for the first time in five years in the year ended March 31, Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh said on Wednesday, a day after the government forecast a likely drought this year that could hit output again. The Met office cut this year's monsoon forecast on an El Nino weather pattern that has raised fears of the first drought in six years. El Nino, an event marked by warmer surface waters in the Pacific Ocean, increases the chance of droughts in the Asia Pacific region, including Australia, Southeast Asia and India. The monsoon rains are vital for the rural economy as three-fifth of India's population of over 1.2 billion depend on farming for their livelihood. The agriculture sector accounts for around 15% of the country's economy. According to the government's estimate, total foodgrains production has declined to 251.12 million tonnes in the 2014-15 crop year (July-June) from a record production of 265.04 million tonnes in the previous year. Due to poor monsoon, agriculture growth stood at 0.2% in the 2014-15 fiscal. The farm sector grew 3.7% in 2013/14 following a protracted monsoon in 2013. Meanwhile, as the spectre of deficient monsoon looms large, the government on Wednesday announced a number of contingency measures to minimise the losses in agriculture and power sectors, safeguard farmers' interest and keep prices under check. The downward revision to the monsoon forecast -- from 'below normal' to 'deficient' -- has already sparked drought fears, pushing stock markets into a freefall and raising doubts about economic recovery. Besides, firms with significant exposure to agriculture and rural markets are fearing significant business losses. While the agriculture sector is already passing through a bad phase, the rainfall deficiency may have multiplier adverse impact on manufacturing and services sectors, a composite gauge for which today recorded a seven-month low figure. "In the agriculture sector, there would obviously be some losses if there are problems (of deficient rains). We have confidence and policies in place to ensure there is minimum damage to agriculture sector and overall economy," Union agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh said. Power minister Piyush Goyal also said that the contingency plans have been drawn up to meet any eventuality in case the deficient monsoon hits hydro power output. "It's a matter of concern that the monsoon is expected to be below normal, deficient. We are conscious that this will result in a fall in hydropower production and the demand will also increase... The ministry of power and the ministry of coal are seized of the situation," Goyal said. (With Agencies)
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Commercialization is key to improving food security~~'Commercialisation key to improving food security' Stakeholders in the agriculture sector have cited commercialisation of smallholder farming as the main key towards improving food security and reducing poverty in the country. Speaking at a USAID-Zimbabwe Agricultural Income and Employment Development (Zim AIDE) project closeout in Lupane last week, United States ambassador to Zimbabwe Bruce Wharton said helping smallholder farmers commercialise their activities would increase incomes and stamp out poverty. He noted that besides their significant contribution, smallholder farmers had not received as much support in terms of inputs and training on pertinent issues like market surveys and increasing their yields. However, partners like the USAID have initiated projects like the Tshongokwe Irrigation Scheme which has transformed the lives of the farmers who can now realise greater, quality yields and compete at the market with other farmers. The Tshongokwe project has been running since 2010 and local farmers have actively participated in the project, supplying quality produce like butternuts, cabbages and rearing livestock. Although the Zim-AIDE programme is ending, the US government has vowed to continue supporting the country and has promised to launch two more agricultural development programmes. Source: newsday.co.zw Publication date: 5/26/2015
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Global corn production forecast data remain unchanged~ ~ global corn production forecast data remain unchanged 2015-05-28 09:24 | source: China Grain Network | according to the forecast data released by MDA CropCast, an agricultural meteorological agency under the United States Earth Satellite Meteorology (EarthSat Weather), the global corn production forecast for 2015/16 remains unchanged at 0.9599 billion tons, 1.7 less than in 2014/15. This week MDA CropCast maintained the 2015/16 U.S. corn production forecast unchanged at 13.8 billion bushels, down 3.9 percent from the 2014/15 record. For comparison, the U.S. Department of Agriculture currently expects U.S. corn production to be 13.63 billion bushels in 2015. MDA CropCast predicts that China's corn production will reach 0.2241 billion tons in 2015, which is lower than the current forecast of 0.228 billion tons by the US Department of Agriculture. The forecast value of other countries also remains unchanged. In 2015/16, Brazil's corn production roller is 72.7 million tons, and Argentina's corn production is expected to be 25.1 million tons. Ukraine's corn production is expected to be 26.2 million tons, and Russia's corn production is expected to be 11.5 million tons.
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EU Raises Wheat Production Estimate, Downgrades Inventory Estimate~ ~ EU Raises Wheat Production Estimate, Downgrades Inventory Estimate 2015-05-07 15:11 | source: China Grain Network | the European Commission raised its forecast for soft wheat production this year to 0.1416 billion tons on the 6th, compared with 0.1411 billion tons last month, but still significantly lower than the record 0.1482 billion tons in 2014. In the monthly supply and demand forecast published on the website, the EU lowered its year-end inventory forecast for soft wheat in 2015/16 to 15 million tons, up from 16.2 million tons previously, mainly due to increased demand for animal feed. The EU lowered its barley production forecast for this year from 59.6 million tons to 58.6 million tons and its corn production forecast from 68 million tons to 66.3 million tons. The EU's year-end barley inventory forecast for 2015/16 was lowered by 1 million tons to 9 million tons. The forecast for corn stocks for the next year will be lowered by nearly 3 million tons to 16.3 million tons due to the decrease in production and the increase in feed demand by 1.5 million tons.
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Study shows organic farming makes farmers more profitable~ ~ Organic Agriculture Is More Profitable For Farmers, Study Finds The Huffington Post | By Joe Satran Posted: 06/03/2015 10:58 am EDT Updated: 06/03/2015 6:59 pm EDT Organic agriculture alone may or may not be able to feed the world, but a recent study suggests that it can provide a relatively healthy paycheck for its practitioners. David W. Crowder and John P. Reganold, two researchers at Washington State University, conducted a meta-analysis of studies on agricultural economics to learn whether organic farming is more profitable than conventional farming. And after reviewing 129 studies examining agriculture in 14 countries around the world, they published a paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences arguing that it is. Crowder and Reganold found that yields on organic farms were, as their critics often allege, lower than on conventional farms -- as much as 18 percent lower, in fact. And organic farms also have higher labor costs than conventional ones. Yet organic farmers also incur significantly lower costs than their conventional peers for inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides, which makes the overall cost of farming an acre of land nearly equal in the two systems. For those reasons, they found that the breakeven cost for organic farming is between 5 and 7 percent higher than for conventional farming. That sounds bad. But their meta-analysis also revealed that consumers are willing to pay a premium of about 30 percent for organic foods. Because that premium far exceeds the differential between the break-even points for the two methods, organic farms end up being significantly more profitable than conventional ones. A crank might respond that the premium for organic products will go down as organic farms become more numerous. According to Crowder and Reganold, just one percent of the world's cropland is currently farmed organically. It's conceivable that if organic acreage were to, say, double, increased supply would push the price down closer to the break-even point. Yet the researchers note that their study does not explicitly account for the long-term ecological benefits of using organic methods. Countless studies have shown that organic farms are better than conventional farms at reducing erosion, promoting natural pest control, supporting pollinator populations and preventing harmful runoff of agricultural chemicals, all of which have very real economic value for individual farms and society at large. If these externalities were accounted for, they argue, the organic side of the ledger would get a major boost. Even without taking stock of these other factors, though, it's clear that there's money to be made in organic agriculture. No wonder organic farm acreage is booming in America.
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U.S. Potato Farmers Focus on Southeast Asian Markets~ ~ Potato Logistics: U.S. Agriculture Producers Eye Southeast Asia As demand grows, so do the supply chain challenges, especially for perishables By Erica E. Phillips June 3, 2015 6:21 p.m. ET Oregon potato-promoter Jim Cramer recently returned from what he called a “potato mission trip” to Vietnam. He and a handful of Pacific Northwest producer-packers and government officials attended a food trade show in Ho Chi Minh City in April. They hired a local celebrity chef, Dieu Thao, to write a potato-based recipe book, and she prepared some of her dishes live for sampling at their booth. “In Asia, rice is king," Mr. Cramer said. “But they are familiar with potatoes ." More than just familiar, in fact. Last year, the U.S. exported $3.6 million-worth of frozen French-fry potatoes to Vietnam, up from less than $150,000-worth a decade ago. As the Southeast Asian economy expands and young people's tastes become more global, the market for American products has grown. But U.S. agriculture producers face unique logistical challenges in delivering those goods to consumers in those markets, especially with demand growing so quickly. Dwight Wilder, a senior representative of the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Ho Chi Minh City, said agriculture exports to Vietnam have grown every year but one since the U.S. and Vietnam normalized diplomatic relations in 1995. In 2014, they topped $2.3 billion, which was 100 times the $23 million in agricultural products the U.S. sent there in 1995. “If you look at a chart, it looks like a mountain going straight up," Mr. Wilder said. But that “mountain” of goods meets challenges when it reaches Vietnamese shores. Potato exports to Vietnam, especially frozen French-fry spuds, have been growing as local tastes have become more global. ENLARGE Potato exports to Vietnam, especially frozen French-fry spuds, have been growing as local tastes have become more global. . “In an emerging market like Vietnam, things don't work in a clean-cut fashion," said Barry Horowitz, an international trade and logistics consultant who works with the Port of Portland in Oregon. Products might inexplicably get lost or damaged as they go through customs, he said. Old roads and choked local traffic conditions mean goods can take longer than expected to get from one place to another. And available space in cold storage facilities-a necessity for perishable agricultural products like potatoes-isn't always easy to come. Emerging Southeast Asian markets-Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia, for example-are more challenging than domestic or established foreign markets because basic processes and infrastructure, which many producers take for granted elsewhere, just aren't there yet. Mr. Horowitz said producers need to have contacts on the ground whom they trust, and can communicate with easily. Foreign markets like Vietnam are “out of your sight, but they cannot be out of your mind," he said. It helps that local buyers and a growing group of logistics providers in Vietnam are enthusiastic about doing business with American producers, he said. The U.S. has something of an advantage over other large competitors there because American products have a sound reputation. U.S. potatoes, for one, are seen by many as safer than those coming from China, Vietnam's main trading partner. Recent Chinese food scares, from contaminated baby formula to tainted dumplings and expired meats, have made customers wary of that nation's exports. That opinion is shared by some Chinese. A 2013 Pew Research survey conducted in China found that 38% of the Chinese public believed food safety was a “very big problem," up from 12% in 2008. Amanda Welker, a marketing manager with the Oregon Department of Agriculture, says agriculture producers (of potatoes, blueberries, Christmas trees, among other things) in her state are trying to get into Southeast Asia's markets early. “The buyers who are able to import are a pretty small group," Ms. Welker said. “So if you can get to know those people in the beginning, before the market grows, it puts you in nice position ." In some cases, they're laying the foundation for those relationships before the markets have even opened up. In Vietnam, for example, there's growing demand for blueberries from the Pacific Northwest. Officials there have yet to allow fresh blueberries in to the country (they currently allow only dried and frozen blueberries), but that's expected to change very soon. And with the help of people such as Mr. Wilder, U.S. growers' representatives have been able to connect with potential buyers and gather information on the needs, opportunities and constraints in the market. Ms. Welker said some growers she works with have been hesitant to enter emerging markets at first, but they've had good success. Once they try it out, she said, “they become raging fans ." Write to Erica E. Phillips at erica.phillips@wsj.com
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ASEAN agriculture faces climate change threatWith the completion of ASEAN economic integration, goods, labor and capital will flow freely, and the economic prospects of ASEAN member countries will be better. However, countries in the region are also facing the impact of declining agricultural production and increasing poverty caused by climate change such as drought, heavy rain and sea rise. The experts recommended that ASEAN governments promote climate-smart agriculture and adopt sustainable agricultural production models such as "rice intensification techniques. In 2010, agricultural output accounted for 1/3 of the GDP of Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia; 60% of the labor force in Cambodia was engaged in agriculture, 50% in Vietnam, and 33% in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines. Agriculture occupies a major position in their economies. Since 2009, rainfall in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam has been below average, causing drought, production reduction and various diseases and insect pests; at the end of 2013, Typhoon Haiyan destroyed large tracts of Philippine coconut forests, and coconut and its products are the Philippines' No. 1 export agricultural products; sea level rise is also threatening rice production in Indonesia, Vietnam and Myanmar. 2015/6/1 People's Daily Online
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Enhancing food security for the poor: what can China learn from the failure of the G7?~~What China Can Learn from G7' s Failures to Improve Food Security of Poor Chinese investors should consider land rights, the involvement of rural communities and transparency issues when setting up agricultural programs abroad By Kevin May Leaders of the G7 will soon meet in Germany to discuss issues of common interest in economic and foreign policy. This year, as in 2009 and 2012, agriculture and food security will be a significant item on the agenda. This is thus an opportune moment to look back at previous G7-led initiatives in this area and see how China can learn from these lessons. Investment in foreign farmland is growing. A large amount of this finance still flows between richer, industrialized countries, but investment in land for agriculture in Africa, Asia, Oceania, Latin America, the Caribbean and Southeast Europe is becoming a trend. China is an increasingly important part of this mix. In 2013, its foreign investment in agriculture reached US$ 7.2 billion, about 20 times more than a decade ago. So what can China learn from the G7 when designing its own investment plans? Unfortunately, the G7 is littered with failed examples of agricultural development programs. The New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition, launched in 2012, is a case in point. The New Alliance, and other public-private partnerships that use public money to support private sector actors, aims to increase food production in African countries. Through the use of policy incentives and by clustering agri-business in arable areas, New Alliance members hope to improve productivity and create jobs through new plantations and smallholder outgrower schemes. However, schemes of this type are fraught with risks for local communities. Land transfers to large investors, which are a core part of the New Alliance's agenda, raise a number of concerns. In target countries such as Mozambique, Tanzania, Malawi and Burkina Faso, governments are offering to lease "idle" or "underutilized" land to large investors. State control over land means that investors' interests might override those of local communities. Weak tenure rights leave rural communities vulnerable to dispossession, while compensation for removal from land is often inadequate or opaque. Moreover, the opportunity for small-scale farmers to partake in and benefit from the creation of plantation-style agriculture is likely to bypass the poorest, which will only worsen inequality. In Burkina Faso, some local companies have noted difficulties in gaining funding from the New Alliance due to the relatively small investment plans and amount of capital required. In addition, farmers often take on large debts to enter outgrower schemes, leading to increased risk and uncertainty. Women, who make up the majority of small-scale producers in Africa, are also unlikely to benefit because they prioritize local food crops - such as fruit and vegetables - rather than the stable commodity crops that are attractive to investors. The New Alliance has been strongly criticized by civil society groups as being wasteful, not involving the people it purports to support and ineffective in improving food security. So, what does this mean for China and Chinese investors? How can they avoid these pitfalls and create a win-win situation? First, land rights matter. Chinese investors should clearly understand existing land use rights before undertaking an investment. In addition, land investments should not take place unless investors and the government have gained explicit free, prior and informed consent from local communities. This will remove the potential risks involved for both investors and communities, and build trust between both parties. Also, the involvement of local communities and small-scale producers in setting the vision and design of the investment remains vital. Experience from the New Alliance shows that any program designed by governments and investors with little participation from those that it claims to support can result in active opposition. Involving small-scale producers and other rural communities during the planning stages is likely to lead to greater benefit for all involved. Finally, the Chinese government should also proactively support poor countries with which it forms food security partnerships to promote transparency and accountability. This will ensure that the partnerships benefit the poor, especially for those in countries with weak governance and institutional capacities. While there is growing enthusiasm for investing overseas in China, it is abundantly clear that such investments do not have to end up in win-lose - or ultimately lose-lose - situations. By taking more proactive steps that are inclusive and well-informed, the Chinese government and investors can avoid the mistakes the G7 made, and make their cooperation with other countries truly welcome and mutually beneficial for all involved. Kevin May is the manager of Oxfam's China and the Developing World Program
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Food security will not be achieved without ensuring universal access to water~ ~ Without ensuring universal access to water, there can be no food security A new report on water for food security and nutrition shows how land, food and water issues are inextricably linked. This must be reflected in policymaking Friday 15 May 2015 09.00 BST Last modified on Saturday 16 May 2015 00.03 BST Ensuring universal access to water is vital in order to address food security and improve nutrition, yet recognition of the links between water and food are too often missed. A major report on water for food security and nutrition, launched on Friday by the high-level panel of experts on food security and nutrition (HLPE), is the first comprehensive effort to bring together access to water, food security and nutrition. This report goes far beyond the usual focus on water for agriculture. Safe drinking water and sanitation are fundamental to human development and wellbeing. Yet inadequate access to clean water undermines people's nutrition and health through water-borne diseases and chronic intestinal infections. The landmark report, commissioned by the committee on world food security (CFS), not only focuses on the need for access, it also makes important links between land, water and productivity. It underlines the message that water is integral to human food security and nutrition, as well as the conservation of forests, wetlands and lakes upon which all humans depend. Policies and governance issues on land, water and food are usually developed in isolation. Against a backdrop of future uncertainties, including climate change, changing diets and water-demand patterns, there has to be a joined-up approach to addressing these challenges. There are competing demands over water from different sectors such as agriculture, energy and industry. With this in mind, policymakers have to prioritise the rights and interests of the most marginalised and vulnerable groups, with a particular focus on women, when it comes to water access. Global development podcast/ Water and sanitation in health centres in Mali - podcast A recent World Health Organisation report has highlighted an alarming lack of clean water and sanitation in health centres in Mali, one of the poorest performers among low and middle income countries. Lucy Lamble investigates Listen There is vast inequality in access to water, which is determined by socio-economic, political, gender and power relations. Securing access can be particularly challenging for smallholders, vulnerable and marginalised populations and women. Advertisement All around the world, water reform processes as well as large-scale land acquisitions often overlook and threaten the customary and informal rights of poor and marginalised women and men. Moreover, women's entitlements are often recorded as belonging to the male “head of the household”. Removing this gender bias in farming and water and providing equal access to resources for both male and female farmers would have a big impact on food security and nutrition. Smallholder farmers produce more than 70% of the world's food but often lack recognition of their land and water rights in formal legal systems. Women and girls frequently spend several hours a day collecting water but lack decision-making power when it comes to water management. Indigenous people are often displaced from their lands and rivers as a result of large infrastructure projects, and the interests of fisherfolk and pastoralists are rarely advanced in national policies. Mechanisms to allocate water need to give adequate priority to water for food production as well as for the basic needs of poorest populations and those pushed to the edges of society. There is increasing corporate interest in water, and states should ensure that investments respect basic rights to water and sanitation as well as food. Taking these complexities into account, the report proposes ways to enhance the capacity of poor farmers to manage water and land and to increase water and agricultural productivity in a range of food production systems, improve governance and invest in metrics and knowledge. The human right to safe drinking water and sanitation as well as the right to food are globally recognised. States should ensure the full implementation of these rights and explore how they can be meaningfully joined up. The right to water largely focuses on safe drinking water and sanitation and rarely considers the productive uses of water. In Kenya, Colombia and Senegal, 71-75% of households use domestic water supplies for productive activities such as food gardening. Water is integral for sustainable livelihoods. There is no doubt that land, food and water issues are linked. The barriers to joined-up national and global policies do not derive from a lack of technology or resources. Rather they are rooted in the absence of human rights, and the failure to recognise that water and food are intertwined. The HLPE report argues for coherence on these issues at all levels of policymaking and management, from local to global. We are calling for a human rights approach to water governance to enhance food security and nutrition. Only this will ensure healthy and productive lives for all. Lyla Mehta is leader of the project team for the HLPE report, and professorial fellow at the UK's Institute of Development Studies
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US accuses EU of endangering global food security~~High quality global journalism requires investment. Please share this article with others using the link below, do not cut & paste the article. See our Ts&Cs and Copyright Policy for more detail. Email ftsales.support@ft.com to buy additional rights. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/bdf3f582-f487-11e4-9a58-00144feab7de.html#ixzz3bIzWsqLB May 7, 2015 9:42 am US accuses EU of undermining global food security Shawn Donnan in Washington The US has accused the EU of undermining efforts to improve global food security by proposing new rules that would allow any of its 28 member states to opt out of decisions by Brussels to open the door to genetically modified crops. In an interview with the Financial Times, Tom Vilsack, the US agriculture secretary, said the move also raised “serious issues” about the future of transatlantic trade talks. FirstFT is our new essential daily email briefing of the best stories from across the web “If we are serious about global food security then we have to be very serious about the science that will allow us to be as productive as possible in the most sustainable way possible," Mr Vilsack said on the eve of a meeting of G20 agriculture ministers to discuss efforts to improve global food security. “The EU's decision potentially . . . creates a serious obstacle to meeting the challenge of global food security," he told the FT. “It is, in our view, inconsistent with the notion that we would have a science-based, rules-based [global] system ." The world has made progress in tackling malnourishment and the issue of food security in recent years, he said. Yet 850m people in the world are still malnourished and, with the global population growing and the effects of climate change looming, more needs to be done. The answers would have to come in large part from increasing agricultural productivity through technological innovation, Mr Vilsack said, with experts projecting that production would have to increase 60-70 per cent by 2050 to feed the 9bn people expected to be living on the planet by then. To do that would require a level of innovation in food production over the next 35 years equivalent to that seen over the past 10,000 years, Mr Vilsack said. The EU has long had a much more sceptical view of genetically modified organisms than the US and has heavily restricted their trade. The European Commission last month proposed giving individual member states the ability to opt out of any decisions it made to expand the heavily restricted list of genetically modified grains allowed into the EU. The move, which was accompanied by a decision to authorise 19 more GM products for distribution in the EU, was widely seen as a political fudge meant to accommodate public opposition to GMOs in countries such as France and Germany. Opponents of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership present a petition with 1m signatures outside the European Commission in Brussels this month ©AFP Opponents of the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership present a petition with 1m signatures outside the European Commission in Brussels in December But it immediately drew an angry reaction from the US. Officials in Washington have since not only expressed anger about the impact on efforts to secure a Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) but also have raised the possibility of bringing the EU to the World Trade Organisation if the proposal becomes law. In Washington on Monday, Cecilia Malmström, the EU's trade commissioner, defended the decision and said the EU was confident it complied with both WTO rules and the union's internal market regulations. Mr Vilsack, a former governor of the agricultural state of Iowa, said he accepted that there were different view points on GM crops in both the EU and the US, where a growing number of states are considering GMO labelling laws. The point is if you're going to establish a trade relationship and you are committed to open trade . . . you can't inject the culture or the politics or consumer choice into the discussions -Tom Vilsack, US agriculture secretary But “that's not the point”, he said. “The point is if you're going to establish a trade relationship and you are committed to open trade, you are committed to a science-based system . . . you can't inject the culture or the politics or consumer choice into the discussions ." He added: “The consumer can make the choices in the context of an open market . . . The problem is you are basically constraining the market in order to avoid having consumer choice. And that's inconsistent with the notion that you want a trade relationship with the EU that creates less friction in the system as opposed to more friction. “This creates more friction. This creates a lot more friction. It creates serious issues as to whether we will even get a TTIP. I'm not sure why the Europeans aren't willing to let the market decide ."
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EU-US trade deal will be a big threat to Irish agriculture~ ~ EU-US trade pact poses major threat to Irish agriculture, IFA warns Proposed deal will open up EU market to cheaper US beef imports, association says Wed, May 27, 2015, 01:00 First published: Wed, May 27, 2015, 01:00 The opening up of the EU import market to large volumes of US beef poses one of the greatest threats to Irish agriculture in decades, the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) has warned. The association's deputy president Tim O'Leary says the reduction in trade barriers envisaged by the proposed EU-US trade deal “without regulatory convergence” on both sides would put producers here at a competitive disadvantage. This is because of the extra costs European farmers would incur in complying with EU regulations, which include tighter controls on the use of GMOs, hormones and non-hormonal growth promoters, he said. The Department of Agriculture said it was working with meat processors to gain re-entry into the US. Photograph: Paul McErlane/Bloomberg Dawn Meats wins US beef export licence “The IFA is clear that, as a fundamental principle, EU negotiators must insist on equivalence of standards," said Mr O'Leary, noting that “mutual recognition of standards” was simply not enough. Seminar He was speaking at a seminar on the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Agreement (TTIP) hosted at the European Parliament's Dublin office, organised by Fine Gael MEP for Ireland South, Sean Kelly. Ireland exports 90 per cent of the beef it produces, which equates to about half a million tonnes, worth about €2 billion to the economy. It is the single biggest component of the State's €10 billion food and drink exports. A recent report by research group Copenhagen Economics predicted the beef industry here stood to lose up to €50 million a year from increased competition if TTIP goes ahead. Mr O'Leary said beef production costs in the US are significantly lower than in Ireland or the EU due to a number of factors, including the relatively larger scale of production and the use of hormones and non-hormonal growth enhancers, which are banned in the EU. These factors are estimated to reduce production costs by up to €100 per head, he said. “While the TTIP offers opportunities for Ireland overall, IFA is clear that the interests of European and Irish agriculture must not be sacrificed by EU negotiators in pursuit of an overall trade deal," he said. Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton and Mr Kelly, meanwhile, told the seminar that TTIP offered “massive opportunities” for the Irish economy. Mr Bruton said the Copenhagen Economics report indicated comprehensive trade agreement with the US would add 1.1 per cent to gross domestic product here and create up to 10,000 extra jobs. Mr Kelly said businesses that currently trade with the US find the compliance requirements “very off-putting ”. Trade barriers “An ambitious but calculated EU trade agreement with the US will tear down trade barriers, open up investment opportunities, boost EU exports and particularly benefit SMEs," he said, noting the deal could lead to a €250 billion or 2 per cent increase in EU GDP. This equated to an annual extra €500 per European family and the creation of over two million jobs across Europe, he added. http://www.irishtimes.com/business/agribusiness-and-food/eu-us-trade-pact-poses-major-threat-to-irish-agriculture-ifa-warns-1.2226999
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Why 2015 will be the take-off year for agricultural drones~ ~ Why 2015 is the year agriculture drones take off May 18, 2015, 5:02 PM EDT U.S. drones are expected to change how we cultivate and grow food across the country. For years now, drone advocates have cited precision agriculture-crop management that uses GPS and big data-as a way to boost crop yields and profits while resolving water and food crises. Unfortunately, for all the hype surrounding the concept drones haven't had a significant impact on the agriculture business, at least, until now. With the debut of the Federal Aviation Administration's Section 333 exemption (which permits companies to fly drones commercially on a case-by-case basis) in November that's poised to change, particularly in the United States. For the first time agriculture drones will legally be able to gather widespread data across an entire growing season, allowing companies to test their business models and technologies together for the first time-and ideally make a profit in the process. “This is the first year we'll actually be able to see, by the time the growing season is over, the impact on the farmer and the impact of the quality of the grapes," says David Baeza, whose precision agriculture startup Vine Rangers uses drones and ground robots to gather data on vineyard crops.We're really excited about that ." Before the F.A.A. began offering permits for commercial drones, companies like Vine Rangers couldn't charge farming operations for their services, which meant they were often relegated to working with farms (often smaller independent ones) on exploratory pilot programs. The shift in regulatory policy will now allow Vine Rangers and other certified firms-many of which are in the startup phase-to assist both large and small farming operations with water and disease management, and charge for the services. They'll also be able to use drones to help with better planting and crop rotation strategies, and provide a higher degree of all-around knowledge of how crops are progressing day-to-day in different parts of a given field. This boost in crop intelligence should make farms more efficient and help smaller operations compete with their more well-heeled Big Agriculture competitors. More importantly, companies can now test their business models and develop new revenue streams, as well as attract new investment. “We can actually move companies from pilot program to paid," Baeza says about revenue possibilities that now exist for companies like his. The startup currently has two clients-both vineyards-in California's Central Valley and working to expand its operations to other wine growing regions. “The biggest part about getting paid is obviously bringing in revenue," he says. “But now we can test the parameters of the business model as well ." Revenue will be key for drone agriculture startups-most of which currently focus on smaller specialty crops like grapes and avocados over row crops like corn or other grains-as they prepare their businesses as and aim to grab market share in a space analysts expect to grow exponentially in the years ahead. A widely-cited drone report released by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International predicts that the legalization of commercial drones will create more than $80 billion in economic impact (such as revenue, job creation) between 2015 and 2025, and that precision agriculture will provide the biggest piece of that growth. Startups like Vine Rangers are honing their drone technologies on specialty crops for now, but eventually will move into large-scale farms, which are bigger and require more resources to cover, Baeza says. As such, the advent of all these technologies will impact both small and international companies, though exactly how that will unfold remains to be seen. “The biggest thing to watch is what's going to happen to giants like Monsanto," Baeza says. “How you define this market is changing, and the incumbents are in for a battle ." http://fortune.com/2015/05/18/drone-agriculture/
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Europe faces rapid loss of biodiversity and wildlife~ ~ Europe is rapidly losing its biodiversity and wildlife habitats 15:50 18 May 2015 by Andy Coghlan Wildlife is rapidly dying out across Europe, as biodiverse habitats are invaded by urban sprawl, intensive agriculture, alien species and commercial forestry. This is according to the European Commission's forthcoming report assessing Europe's biodiversity, expected to be published later this week. The report is a mid-term review of progress towards the EU's Biodiversity Strategy, launched in 2012. The strategy has the overall target of halting the loss of biodiversity by 2020, and where possible restoring biodiversity that's already been lost. It seems that, at the moment, biodiversity is still in decline. "We're losing and fragmenting natural areas," says Frank Wugt Larsen of the European Environment Agency. Larsen revealed that 77 per cent of Europe's most biodiverse habitats were judged to be in an "unfavourable conservation status" between 2007 and 2013. The position was equally bleak for species diversity, with 60 per cent of assessed species not in a favourable position. Pollination threat Butterflies, bees and birds are all in decline. The report reveals, for example, that populations of grassland butterflies halved between 1990 and 2011 and 24 per cent of European bumblebee species are now threatened by extinction. The report also warns that the decline in pollinator insects could affect agriculture, seeing as 84 per cent of Europe's crops have at least some dependence on insect pollination. Between 2000 and 2010, the capacity of insects to pollinate crops decreased by around 5 per cent because of their dwindling numbers. "The value of insect pollination is estimated at €14 billion per year, but we get it for free," says Larsen. "We depend on nature to deliver these goods and services ." Small success The same bleak picture is painted for Europe's fish stocks and marine habitats. Only 7 per cent of species and 9 per cent of habitats in the marine environment were rated as "in favourable conservation status ". Larsen says that many fish stocks are still fished above their maximum sustainable yield. Europe's common bird populations are doing no better. Numbers have declined by 12 per cent since 1990. The declines have affected the 39 species of farmland birds most severely, their populations collectively declining by 20 per cent. On a more positive front, large carnivores, including the brown bear, the lynx and the wolf, are recovering. Also, the Europe-wide Natura 2000 network of protected areas has been growing and now covers 18 per cent of the EU. "It's an area twice the size of Spain," says Larsen.
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California's Drought-Zone Farmers Agree to Drought Reduction in Agricultural Water Use~ ~ Farmers in drought-stricken California agree to drastically cut back on water use Associated Press May 23, 2015 | 3:09 a.m. EDT By ELLEN KNICKMEYER and SCOTT SMITH, Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California farmers who hold some of the state's strongest water rights avoided the threat of deep mandatory cuts when the state accepted their proposal to voluntarily reduce consumption by 25 percent amid one of the worst droughts on record. Officials hope the deal agreed upon on Friday will serve as a model for more such agreements with growers in the nation's top-producing farm state, where agriculture accounts for 80 percent of all water drawn from rivers, streams and the ground. "We're in a drought unprecedented in our time. That's calling upon us to take unprecedented action," Felicia Marcus, chairwoman of the state Water Resources Control Board, said in announcing the agreement. The rare concession from the farmers is the latest indication of the severity of the water shortage in California, which is suffering through its driest four years on record. California water law is built around preserving the rights of so-called senior rights holders - farmers and others whose acreage abuts rivers and streams, or whose claims to water date back a century or more, as far back as Gold Rush days. The offer potentially could cover hundreds of farmers in the delta of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, the heart of California's water system. About 25 percent of all California river water runs through the delta, according to the state's Department of Water Resources. Some of the farmers made the offer after state officials warned they were days away from ordering the first cuts in more than 30 years to the senior water rights holders' allotments. The state already has ordered cities and towns to cut their water use by 25 percent, and it has curtailed water deliveries to many other farmers. But in recent weeks, many city dwellers and others have complained that agriculture should be made to share more of the sacrifice. Rudy Mussi, whose family farms about 4,000 acres in the delta southwest of Stockton, reacted with mixed emotions about state approval of the deal. "The 25 percent savings, that gives us certainty," Mussi said. "But at the same time I'm being asked to give up 25 percent of my paycheck ." By itself, the delta farmers' offer would not go far enough to save shrinking waterways statewide. But if more farmers sign on across the state, California could save significant amounts of water, since the nearly 4,000 senior water rights holders alone consume trillions of gallons a year. The agreement "is an illustration of creative practical approaches that water managers in the state of California are taking to help get us all through this devastating drought," said Michael George, state water master for the delta. California produces nearly half of the fruits, nuts and vegetables grown in the U.S., but agriculture experts say they would expect only modest immediate effects on food prices from any reduction in water for the senior water rights holders. Other regions would be able to make up the difference, economists say. Under the deal, delta farmers have until June 1 to lay out how they will use 25 percent less water during the summer. That could include irrigating their crops less or leaving some of their land fallow. In exchange, the state gave assurances to the farmers it will not cut the remaining 75 percent of the water to which they are entitled. "When your back is up against the wall, I guess you'll do anything," said Paul Wenger, president of the California Farm Bureau Federation and an almond grower in the Modesto area, outside of the delta. He said he is skeptical the deal will protect the farmers if the drought worsens. Senior water rights holders last saw their water cut in 1977, but that move applied only to dozens of people along a stretch of the Sacramento River. http://www.usnews.com/news/business/articles/2015/05/23/california-farmers-agree-to-drastically-cut-water-use
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Spain and Italy hit by "olive Ebola"Spain and Italy hit by devastating 'olive ebola' outbreak ~ ~ ~ Monday 25 May 2015 Spanish olive groves are at risk of being wiped out by a strain of “olive ebola” which has ravaged the crop in Italy. The bacteria Xylella fastidiosa, believed to have originally come from the United States, has torn through southern Italy since it first appeared in late 2013. Dubbed “olive ebola” by a Blanca Landa, a researcher at the Institute of Sustainable Agriculture, is threatening to wipe out decimate entire groves across southern Spain. Landa told Spanish daily newspaper ABC: “The Italian outbreak is very virulent. The bacteria's virulence in olive trees is unprecedented. "It is unforgiving. The Italian farmers we met told us they had taken better care of their olive groves than their children and now they are irrevocably damaged. In barely a year it can wipe out an entire plantation ." It is causing serious concern for Spanish officials as Spain is the biggest olive oil producer in the European Union. There is no cure for the disease, which causes "olive quick decline syndrome", and all affected trees must be felled. At the end of April when the EU's agriculture body, Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed (Paff) asked Italy to cut down its affected trees to stop the disease spreading further. Italian authorities will now be required to test all olive trees in a 20km zone adjacent to affected areas, Brindisi and Taranto. If any places test positive, all olive crops within a 100m radius must be destroyed. But these harsh measures have been criticised by Roberto Moncalvo, the president of Italian agricultural group Coldiretti. He told The Local website in Italy: the destruction of Italian olive groves could “cause unacceptable economic and environmental damage” and wipe out “hundreds of years of history ”.
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Is Europe facing a land crisis?~Is Europe running out of land? Amy Forde ? May 21, 2015 ? 0 Comment Is Europe running out of land? That is the question Teagasc Director Professor Gerry Boyle posed at the recent launch of a new research project for sustainable land management. “Last autumn, the UN revised its projections for population growth. The world's population is no longer expected to stabilise after 2050, instead it is now expected to continue to grow and approach 11 billion people by 2100. “These new figures will certainly fuel the debate whether the world, including Europe, is 'running out of land'," he said. " The number of mouths to feed from each parcel of land continues to rise. But the ecological footprint that we can afford ourselves continues to shrink. The new research project entitled 'Landmark' is a consortium of European researchers and advisors that will seek to unearth practices and policy pathways that make the most of Europe's rich and diverse heritage of soils, which are key to so many ecosystem services, Teagasc says. The aim of Landmark is to open up the soils of Europe and assess farm practices and policies that optimise the delivery of food and other ecosystem services, it says. Teagasc says that since both the European food system and ecosystems do not recognise borders, Landmark has taken an international approach. It will bring together all the knowledge on land management from European farmers, advisors, scientists and policy makers, it says. By 2020, Landmark aims to produce three outcomes: •For farmers: a soil navigator that provides advice on the sustainable management of soils on 'my farm '. •For legislators: a framework for monitoring of soil quality and soil functions that is applicable across Europe. •For policy makers: an assessment of policies that can ensure that we 'make the most of our land', from both an agronomic and environmental point of view. Landmark Co-ordinator Dr. Rachel Creamer from Teagasc said that not only do we expect Europe's agricultural land to provide a nutritious diet for all; we also expect it to provide clean water, to store carbon, recycle our waste and provide a home for biodiversity. “These competing demands have now brought soil science sharply back into focus. If we are to make the most of our land, we need to understand the 'engine room' of agriculture in all its diversity," she said. The Pan-European project was launched recently in Castledockrell, Co. Wexford by Minister of State for Skills, Research and Innovation Damien English. Landmark receives €5m in European funding from the European Commission as part of its Horizon 2020 Research Programme. Read More From EU?
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Agriculture is key to the success of ASEAN market integration~~Agriculture key to success of ASEAN single market: Oxfam The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | World | Tue, May 26 2015 Oxfam has warned that ASEAN economic integration, which will create a single market where goods, workforce and capital can flow freely, could slow down if it failed to calculate the impact of climate change on agriculture in the region.It says in its new “Harmless Harvest” report that sustainable agriculture will help ASEAN nations cope in a changing climate. Sustainable agriculture will boost farmers' incomes and ensure food security without racking up huge quantities of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which are behind global warming.“Sustainable agriculture is a key ingredient for ASEAN economic integration to succeed," Oxfam's Grow campaign policy coordinator, Riza Bernabe, said on Tuesday.He said as countries worked together as one economic entity, so must they act together to boldly face the impact of climate change on a region that engaged in food production and agricultural trade.“Sustainable agriculture will help beef up Southeast Asia's resilience in a changing climate," Bernabe said.The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports many economies in ASEAN rely on the agriculture sector, and the effect of climate change on the sector is expected to result in a mean drop of 2.2 percent in the gross domestic product of several countries in Southeast Asia by 2100.Oxfam says poor food producers in different parts of the region have had a front seat view to the consequences of extreme weather events or slow-onset impacts, which are becoming more and more ordinary because of climate change.Oxfam's report found that in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam, rainfall has been below average since 2009, resulting in droughts, which are associated with lower yields and increased pest and disease infestation. (ebf)( ) - See more at: http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2015/05/26/agriculture-key-success-asean-single-market-oxfam.html#sthash.l44C3ovE.dpuf