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food and agriculture > newsfile
Desert activists win UN prize
A community group in Mauritania and the leader of another, in Colombia, will be honoured next month with a UN prize for their achievements in combating desertification and land degradation ó a major local and global problem that threatens the lives and livelihoods of two billion people inhabiting the planetís dry and arid areas. ... more
Illegal GM rice found in European food
Food products illegally contaminated with genetically modified (GM) rice from China have been discovered in the UK, France and Germany, environmental agencies have revealed. ... more
World grain stocks fall to record low
by Lester R. Brown
This yearís world grain harvest is projected to fall short of consumption by 61 million tons, marking the sixth time in the last seven years that production has failed to satisfy demand. As a result of these shortfalls, world carryover stocks at the end of this crop year are projected to drop to 57 days of consumption, the shortest buffer since the 56-day-low in 1972 that triggered a doubling of grain prices. ... more
Indian farmers reap rich dividends by going organic
by C. Balaji
Organic husbandy is happening in the wetlands of Hollagaru village in Shimoga district of Karnataka. The high production of arecanut, paddy, vanilla and coffee has changed the fortunes of the local farming community. ... more
Can organic farming feed us all?
Two recent studies reveal that a global shift to organic farming would yield more food, not less, for the world's hungry, says Worldwatch Institute Senior Researcher Brian Halweil. ... more
EU Commission admits safety concerns over GM food
New documents reveal that the European Commission has been approving genetically modified (GM) foods and crops despite having serious doubts over their health and environmental impacts, say two major environmetnal organisations. ... more
Africa seeks solutions to degraded soil
Population pressure is forcing African farmers to grow crop after crop, depleting the soil of nutrients and lowering yields from the land, according to a study by the International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural Development (IFDC). Africa's population is projected to more than double from 885 million to 1.8 billion by 2050. The study was presented at the African Fertilizer Summit last week. The following report was provided by the Environment News Service. ... more
Hungry nations demand truth about GM food aid
The international biosafety meeting in Brazil has made a compromise deal on how to label GM food imports. But hunger-stricken East African countries are concerned that they still wonít be sure if food aid contains any Genetically Modified Organisms. Ebenezer T. Bifubyeka reports from Curitiba. ... more
Dryland crisis threatens planet's poor
by Zafar Adeel, Uriel Safriel and Gregoire de Kalbermatten
Growing desertification worldwide threatens to swell by millions the number of poor forced to seek new homes and livelihoods. And a rising number of large, intense dust storms plaguing many areas menace the health of people even continents away, international experts warn in a new report, published today. ... more
Bangladeshi farmers banish insecticides
Two thousand Bangladeshi rice farmers have taken on the role of agricultural scientists and have found that they can save both time and money by reducing the use of insectcides and nitrogen fertiliser without compromising their yields, according to a new study. ... more
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