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| August 11, 2022 08:31 AM The number of new applications for unemployment benefits increased by 14,000 last week to 262,000, the highest level in months. The news bolsters fear the economy is nearing or has already tumbled into a recession. Rising jobless claims, a proxy for layoffs, are a sign that the labor market may be facing some turbulence, although the figures are still low by historical standards. INFLATION TICKS DOWN TO 8.5%, BOLSTERING HOPES IT MIGHT BE CRESTING Around this time in August 2021, new claims were averaging over 400,000 per week. The number of jobless claims bottomed out at 166,000, tallied in mid-March, the lowest figure since 1968. While the number of jobless claims isn’t anywhere near where it was during most of the pandemic, it has trended upward in recent weeks. A counterbalance to the argument that the economy is in a recession, though, is that the economy is adding jobs in huge numbers and the unemployment rate is low. The economy added 528,000 jobs in July. The unemployment rate, which is taken from a different data source and a different report than Thursday's jobless claims numbers, also unexpectedly fell to 3.5%, matching the ultralow level it was at prior to the pandemic. Still, rising jobless claims could be a clue that the tight labor market may be slowing in response to the Federal Reserve aggressively jacking up interest rates. Driving up interest rates naturally slows demand and can result in recessionary conditions. In June, following a two-day meeting, central bank officials announced that the Fed would increase its interest rate target by a whopping three-quarters of a percentage point. The Fed then conducted another hike of 75 basis points last month in response to towering inflation. There are some signs the economy has entered or is headed toward a recession. In addition to the growing number of jobless claims, GDP growth fell at a 0.9% annualized rate in the second quarter, a preliminary estimate from the Bureau of Economic Analysis recently showed. The report marks the second straight quarter of declining inflation-adjusted GDP — a situation commonly used to define a recession. Government officials and economists use recession designations provided by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a private academic group. The bureau doesn’t provide a narrow statutory definition to declare a recession. Rather, it relies on the judgment of a group of economists. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER The group broadly defines a recession as “a significant decline in economic activity that is spread across the economy and that lasts more than a few months.” “As the rest of 2022 unfolds, I think we’re going to realize that we are in a recession. It’s just a very different sort of recession than we’ve ever been in before, much like the stagflation of the 1970s and early 80s was a recession like we’ve never seen before,” Victor Claar, an economics professor at Florida Gulf Coast University, told the Washington Examiner.

Unemployment

A man uses his phone to record a job add posted on a notice board at a backpacker hostel in Sydney, Australia, May 9, 2016. Picture taken May 9, 2016. REUTERS/Steven SaphoreRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSYDNEY, Sept 2 (Reuters) - Australia will increase its permanent immigration numbers by 35,000 to 195,000 in the current financial year as it looks to shift its focus toward long-term migrants, bringing some relief for businesses battling widespread staff shortages.Australia closed its borders for about two years during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic but those strict rules and an exodus of holiday workers and foreign students left businesses struggling to find staff and keep their businesses afloat."COVID is presenting us, on a platter, with a chance to reform our immigration system that we will never get back again. I want us to take that chance," Home Affairs Minister Clare O'Neil told a government jobs summit on Friday.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com"Based on projections, this could mean thousands more nurses settling in the country this year, thousands more engineers."Australia's unemployment rate is now at a near 50-year-low of 3.4% but soaring inflation means real wages are down.Businesses have been urging the government to raise the cap on annual immigration from 160,000, prompting it to make temporary changes to fill the labour gap.The recently elected centre-left Labor government convened the two-day summit in Canberra, the national capital, inviting business groups and unions to help find solutions to key economic challenges. read more Australia has been competing with other developed economies to lure more skilled employees from overseas with many countries looking to ease immigration rules.But a blowout in visa processing times in Australia has left about a million prospective workers stuck in limbo, worsening the staff shortage crisis. read more "We understand that when people wait and wait, the uncertainty can become unmanageable," Immigration Minister Andrew Giles told the summit. "This is not good enough, and reflects a visa system that has been in crisis."In a bid to speed up visa processing, Giles said the government will spend A$36.1 million ($25 million) to beef up its staff capacity by 500 people for the next nine months.($1 = 1.4725 Australian dollars)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Renju Jose; editing by Richard PullinOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Unemployment

The US added 528,000 jobs in July as the unemployment rate edged down to 3.5%. The stronger than expected report comes a month after the labor department announced the economy added 372,000 jobs in June.While the US economy has slowed this year, reporting two quarters of negative growth in the first six months, the jobs market has remained buoyant. But there have been signs that it too is losing steam.Friday’s jobs report comes days after the government reported that the number of job vacancies across the US had dropped by 605,000 to 10.7m by the end of June, a decline of 5.4%. Job openings hit a record high of 11.5m on the last day of March. But even with the latest fall, there are still 1.8 jobs open for every available worker.There are other signs that the jobs market is weakening. On Thursday the labor department said the number of people filing for unemployment benefits rose to 260,000 last week, up from 254,000 the previous week.The figure, known as initial jobless claims, is seen as a proxy for layoffs, is now close to its 2022 peak and higher than the weekly average of 218,000 experienced before the pandemic. Employers including Walmart, Robinhood, Twitter and Ford have all recently announced layoff plans as economic conditions have tightened.

Unemployment

| August 05, 2022 10:17 AM President Joe Biden released a short statement Friday acknowledging the positive jobs report published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which showed the unemployment rate at a half-century low. The July report showed unemployment falling to 3.5% in July, matching a pre-pandemic low set back in 1969. Hispanic unemployment also hit an all-time low of 3.9%. BIDEN IS SELLING A COMEBACK STORY, BUT IS AMERICA BUYING? "Today, the unemployment rate matches the lowest it’s been in more than 50 years: 3.5%. More people are working than at any point in American history," Biden wrote. "That’s millions of families with the dignity and peace of mind that a paycheck provides. And, it’s the result of my economic plan to build the economy from the bottom up and middle out." Biden, reiterating claims that he "ran for president to rebuild the middle class," cautioned that "there’s more work to do" but cited Friday's report as evidence his economic policies "are making significant progress for working families." Friday's report comes as a potential recession remains at the front of the public conversation. Biden and his top administration officials have argued that though the United States posted negative economic growth in the first two quarters of 2022, the strength of the labor market and various other factors were keeping the country out of a recession. CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER "Both Chairman Powell and many of the significant banking personnel and economists say we're not in a recession," Biden told reporters following national remarks delivered in late July. "That doesn't sound like a recession to me."

Unemployment

Applications for US unemployment insurance last week rose slightly, suggesting that labor market conditions are moderating.Initial unemployment claims increased by 4,000 to 235,000 in the week ended July 2, Labor Department data showed Thursday. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for 230,000 applications.Continuing claims for state benefits rose to 1.38 million in the week ended June 25.The rise in claims underscores some moderation in what’s been an extremely tight labor market, as applications hold near the highest level since January. Interest-rate hikes by the Federal Reserve are expected to cool demand for workers, which could lead to more layoffs beyond select job-cut announcements at companies like Netflix Inc. and Tesla Inc.The data precede Friday’s employment report from the government, which is expected to show the US added the fewest jobs in over a year in June and the unemployment rate held near the lowest in more than five decades. A separate release Wednesday showed US job openings fell slightly in May but remained near a record, while layoffs stayed historically low.©2022 Bloomberg L.P.

Unemployment

The Bay Area job market powered to robust gains in June that produced nearly three-fourths of all the jobs added in California, whose employment sector remains wobbly, reports released Friday show. Fueled by big gains in the East Bay and Santa Clara County, the Bay Area added 14,800 jobs in June,  according to a new government report. Santa Clara County added 5,200 jobs, the East Bay gained 5,300 jobs and the San Francisco-San Mateo region added 3,000 positions in June, a post by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows. All of the numbers were adjusted for seasonal volatility. California added 19,900 jobs during June. That means the Bay Area accounted for 74.4% of all the jobs added in California last month, this news organization’s analysis of the government figures shows. One small bright spot for California: The statewide unemployment rate improved to 4.2% in June, compared with 4.3% in June. California’s jobless level in June represented the lowest unemployment rate for California since February 2020, the month before the government launched wide-ranging business shutdowns to combat the spread of the deadly coronavirus. Still, the California employment sector is showing a weakening trend. Over four consecutive months, California has produced job gains that were smaller than the prior month, a disquieting pattern that first emerged in March.

Unemployment

Queenslanders under the age of 25 will be able to access free TAFE courses and apprenticeships in sectors including health, community services, hospitality, building and construction and education support until midway through 2023.Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has announced young Queenslanders will continue to have access to free TAFE and apprenticeships until midway through 2023.The extension will see Queenslanders under the age of 25 will be able to apply for 26 free TAFE courses and 139 free apprenticeship programs until June 30, 2023.Ms Palaszczuk said the extension of the program – which was due to end in September – would help employers fill the valuable jobs that required training and TAFE education.“Queensland’s unemployment rate is at 3.8 per cent and we know that means employers need workers to fill the good jobs that are still there,” the Premier said.“For many people, that may mean upgrading skills and training which is why free TAFE is so important.Stream the news you want, when you want with Flash. 25+ news channels in 1 place. New to Flash? Try 1 month free. Offer ends 31 October, 2022 >“We want to make sure employers have access to the skilled workforce they need.“We also want to make sure Queenslanders have the skills they need to take up the opportunities that are there for those good jobs.”The program has so far helped 56,000 young residents complete courses and apprenticeships in sectors including health, community services, hospitality, building and construction and education support with TAFE Queensland and other providers delivering their training free of charge.The initiative from the Government comes ahead of a National Cabinet meeting and the Jobs and Skills Summit where discussions about how to deal with the current acute skills shortages affecting the workforce which has been brought on by a lack of migrant arrivals throughout the pandemic.Minister for Training and Skills Development Di Farmer urged those eligible to access the benefits to enroll in courses and apprenticeships to help employers fill the roles requiring skilled workers.“At a time when our employers need more skilled workers, my message to young Queenslanders is find out about these free courses and change your life by training for a career they are passionate about,” Ms Farmer said.“On offer is great training, delivered by great training providers ready to prepare you for a great job, in industries with the greatest demand – you just need to take the first step.”Ms Farmer added the Queensland government’s investment into skills and training had already seen results with a steep increase in apprenticeship and trainee commencement helping to address the shortages in skilled workers.“Our significant investment is already delivering, including our free TAFE initiative, with an increase of 85.5 per cent in new apprenticeships and trainee commencement over the last two financial years, which is critical with the current labour shortages,” she said.“With 83.9 per cent of TAFE graduates going on to employment or further study after completing their training it’s further proof of the Palaszczuk Government’s commitment to delivering good jobs, better services and a great lifestyle for Queenslanders.”

Unemployment

People line up outside a newly reopened career center for in-person appointments in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S., April 15, 2021. REUTERS/Amira Karaoud/File photoRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comWASHINGTON, Aug 24 (Reuters) - The U.S. economy likely created 462,000 more jobs in the 12 months through March than previously estimated, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics said on Wednesday.The reading is a preliminary estimate of the BLS' annual "benchmark" revision to the closely watched payrolls data.The private sector will likely account for all the upward revision, with an estimated additional 571,000 jobs. Government payrolls are likely to be cut by 109,000 jobs.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com"While an 'extra' 462,000 jobs is notable to some degree, it boosts employment growth by only 39,000 jobs per month on average over the year through March 2022," said Daniel Silver, an economist at JPMorgan in New York.The economy recouped all the jobs lost during the COVID-19 pandemic recession in July, but Silver said "there is a chance that this moves somewhat earlier as a result of the benchmark revision."Professional and business services will likely lead the upward revision, with an expected 270,000 additional jobs. Transportation and warehousing employment is set be raised by 151,600 jobs, while leisure and hospitality could see 140,000 positions added to payrolls.Notable upward revisions are expected for construction, information, finiancial activities and wholesale trade. But retail trade payrolls could be slashed by 323,300 jobs.Once a year, the BLS compares its nonfarm payrolls data, based on monthly surveys of a sample of employers, with a much more complete database of unemployment insurance tax records.A final benchmark revision will be released in February along with the BLS' report on employment for January. Government statisticians will use the final benchmark count to revise payroll data for months both prior to and after March.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Lucia Mutikani; Editing by Chizu NomiyamaOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Unemployment

SHANGHAI/PARIS, Aug 18 (Reuters) - From $300 bucket hats to $900 sneakers and $700 t-shirts, the high-flying luxury sector is fretting over the appetite among financially stretched Gen Z consumers for such "aspirational" purchases.Executives are troubled in particular by a hit to young Chinese shoppers, not only because mainland China has been a major driver of the industry's growth in recent years, but also because high end consumers in the world's second-largest economy are a decade younger than the global average of 38.Young adults around the world have been "a very strong factor of luxury growth over the past decade," said Gregory Boutte, chief client and digital officer at Gucci-owner Kering.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comData this week showed China's economy slowed unexpectedly, prompting a central bank rate cut, while macroeconomic trends are disproportionately impacting the extra funds that those born between 1996 and 2012 might use to enter the world of luxury.Whereas in North America and Europe, inflation and a rising cost-of-living are hitting discretionary incomes of young consumers especially hard, China's problem is different."In the U.S., inflation is a huge issue, the major focus of a lot of luxury companies ... In China, it's the youth unemployment rate that's alarming right now," Kenneth Chow, principal at consultancy Oliver Wyman said.Government data for July registers the unemployment rate of China's urban population aged 16 to 24 at a record 19.9%, exacerbated by the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns and a crackdown on big tech firms that traditionally hired droves of graduates."This might be the first time that a lot of young adults (in China) are facing (such an) economic impact, so it will be a testing ground on how these consumers are going to spend on luxury items going forward," Chow said."If a recession happens, then I will 100% buy less or maybe even stop buying altogether," said U.S.-based luxury lifestyle and travel TikToker Jeffrey Huang, 28, who shares his Louis Vuitton shopping trips and hauls with his 150,000 followers.A recent Oliver Wyman study showed that some luxury brands are significantly lowering their sales expectations for the Chinese market in response to current conditions, with 80% of executives questioned not expecting a "v-shaped" recovery this year. Oliver Wyman declined to name the brands it surveyed.Nevertheless, earnings last month from firms including LVMH (LVMH.PA) and Kering (PRTP.PA) painted a picture of resilience in the face of economic headwinds, with luxury players riding a wave of post-COVID spending by their wealthiest clients.And big brands have signaled their intention to grow top end sales of $10,000 handbags and $5,000 coats rather than focus on attracting new entrants onto the bottom rung of the ladder.Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Dior have raised prices on high-margin leather goods several times over the past year, with Chanel planning stores dedicated to VIP consumers. nL5N2XG3VO"As the prices are rising, I'm becoming more and more cautious because I feel like I did do a good amount of spending in the last year," said Sara Yogi, a 26-year-old San Francisco, California resident, adding that she may hold off buying a $2,900 Prada bag and one costing $3,200 from Bottega Veneta which are both on her wish list.This shift to focus on core luxury consumers also encompasses a cohort of wealthy Gen Z consumers less likely to be impacted by inflation or unemployment.But the concern is over would-be buyers who were meant to help Gen Z account for a fifth of all spending in the luxury goods sector globally by 2025.And brands such as Burberry have already noted weakness in sales of sneakers and slides, products Gen Z and millennial consumers have traditionally used as their entrée into the world of luxury brands. read more PLAN B FOR GEN Z?One way for luxury players to continue to attract Gen Z consumers may be to offer aspirational options at entry-level price points that can be worn often, said Yi Kejie, a 26-year-old marketing content manager.Luxury branded mobile phone cases, earrings, hair clips and perfumes are all popular among her Gen Z peers in China, Yi said, adding: "These are items with the lowest threshold for (them) to have that logo, that icon".Some luxury labels, including Balenciaga and Dior, are embracing the metaverse to seed interest with teens and young adults, offering affordable ways for them to kit out their virtual identities on gaming platforms such as Roblox.Virtual sneakers from brands like Gucci have already proved wildly popular, with a price point of $17.99.Whether in the real or virtual world, entry-level products call for high levels of creative investment."There is this young crowd of consumers that are entering into the market that requires a lot of creativity at more affordable price points," said Bain partner Claudia D'Arpizio, adding that not all brands are equipped for this.There is good news for brands, however.If they do find the right offering of entry-level products, or if the economic situation of Gen Z consumers improves, the desire for luxury products remains undimmed."Young people in China are enthusiastic about luxury products," Yi said. "Lockdowns, or the temporary unemployment rate won't change their long-term preferences."Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Casey Hall, Doyinsola Oladipo and Mimosa Spencer; Editing by Alexander SmithOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Unemployment

The U.S. economy added a surprisingly strong number of jobs in July, buoyed by hiring at restaurants and bars, which have been eager to onboard new workers amid a persistent labor shortage.  Employers added 528,000 jobs in July, the Labor Department said in its monthly payroll report released Friday, blowing past the 250,000 jobs forecast by Refinitiv economists. The unemployment rate, meanwhile, edged down to 3.5%, the lowest level since the COVID-19 pandemic began more than two years ago.  The U.S. has now replaced all jobs lost during the pandemic. "The job market is pushing onwards despite a rising tide of recession fears," said Daniel Zhao, senior economist at Glassdoor. US ECONOMY ADDS 528,000 JOBS IN JULY, BLOWING PAST EXPECTATIONS"Even as the broader economy shows signs of slowing, the labor market remains a pillar of strength, holding up the economy. As tighter monetary policy bites, the labor market is likely to slow in the coming months. But, for now, the labor market remains red hot, hopefully assuaging recession fears."Although job gains were broad based last month, the leisure and hospitality industry – one of the hardest-hit sectors during the pandemic – saw the biggest increase with 96,000 jobs added in July. Restaurants and bars saw an increase of 74,100, while arts, entertainment and other recreation-based industries added 21,600 new jobs.  A man hands his resume to an employer at the 25th annual Central Florida Employment Council Job Fair at the Central Florida Fairgrounds May 12, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images / Getty Images)Employment in the industry remains about 7.1% below where it was in February 2020.IS THE UNITED STATES ENTERING A RECESSION?Professional and business services accounted for the second-largest job growth in May, with payrolls climbing by 89,000. The increases were widespread across the industry. Architectural and engineering services rose by 12,500, management and technical consulting services was up 11,800 and scientific research and development services increased by 9,600.Employment in the industry is actually about 1 million higher than it was in February 2020.Another source of job creation in May was the health care and social assistance sector, up 96,600. Hospitals hired 12,900 new employees, while individual and family services saw payrolls grow by 18,800. Ambulatory health care services, including the offices of physicians, dentists and other health care practitioners, was up 47,300. A "We Want You!" sign is posted at an Ike's Love and Sandwiches store July 26, 2022, in Los Angeles. (Mario Tama/Getty Images / Getty Images)Transportation and warehousing also saw a solid jump in hiring last month, onboarding 20,900 new employees. Air transportation added 7,000 new employees, while truck transportation saw an increase of 3,500. Transit and ground passenger transportation rose by 4,500.The government also hired many new employees last month, with payrolls climbing by about 57,000. Nearly half of those gains stemmed from increases in local government education (27,400).GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HEREEmployment in other industries, including construction (32,000), manufacturing (30,000), retail trade (21,600) and wholesale trade (10,500) also increased last month.

Unemployment

An employee checks out a customer at Paulina Meat Market in the Lakeview neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois, June 28, 2022.Bianca Flowers | ReutersEmployers likely added fewer jobs in July, but the monthly employment report is still expected to show a robust pace of hiring that should edge lower in coming months. Economists expect 258,000 jobs were added, down from 372,000 in June, according to Dow Jones. Unemployment is expected to hold at 3.6%, and wages are expected to rise by 0.3%. The jobs report is released Friday at 8:30 a.m. ET. "I think it should be a right down the strike zone kind of report ," said Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics. "You've got more layoffs, initial claims are up and you have fewer hires because unfilled positions have come down...We were close to 400,000 [new jobs] last month, 500,000 the month before. The models say 225,000."The labor market is in a state of flux. Hiring is expected to slow as the Federal Reserve raises interest rates to cool inflation — and the economy. But companies are still looking to hire as they struggle with worker shortages.That and a shift by consumers to spend on services, such as travel, rather than goods means some industries see strong growth while others potentially decline. For instance, more jobs are expected in health care and leisure and entertainment but fewer in manufacturing. Construction jobs could show a loss."As long as you're above 200,000, you're still doing better than pre-pandemic and it's still strong, "said Diane Swonk, chief economist at KPMG. "It doesn't feel very good because it's being accompanied by inflation."Companies including Walmart, Amazon and Tesla have already planned layoffs, and economists expect to see more job losses from companies in construction, technology, retail and finance, among others.As the Fed continues to raise interest rates, economists expect more and more steam to come out of the labor market. By the end of the year, some say the huge gains in monthly job growth could turn into actual declines. By then, the Fed's target interest rate, at zero before its March rate hike, could stand at 3.25% to 3.5%, according to the central bank's latest forecast.Equal opportunity scourge "At the moment, inflation is hurting everyone. It's an equal opportunity scourge at this point," said Michael Gapen, chief U.S. economist at Bank of America. "What policy makers are faced with is pushing the unemployment rate higher."Inflation continued to soar in June, with the consumer price index jumping 9.1%. But economists expect inflation has peaked, and job growth now seems to have as well."Somewhere in here, there's going to be an inflection point," said Gapen. "The trend in unemployment claims suggests that's in front of us. Jobless claims have been moving higher since April, but they're still super low by historical trends." Weekly unemployment claims rose by 6,000 to 260,000 for the week ended July 30, near the highest level since last November.Gapen expects by the end of the year, job growth could turn negative, and there could then be several monthly reports with job losses as high as 150,000. He expects a shallow recession to take hold by then.Swonk said she also expects payrolls to turn negative, with monthly job losses between 100,000 and 200,000.Zandi said he is not currently expecting a recession, and thinks the Fed is trying to engineer a soft landing without big job losses. He said the payroll numbers could get to around zero."If the Fed could draw a line, the line they would draw is you go right up to negative numbers and you have unemployment notch higher. You take the steam out of any wage growth. You get it consistent with any productivity growth. That's what they have in mind," Zandi said.Zandi said job growth in a healthy economy can be more like 100,000 than the huge monthly numbers that came as the economy rebuilt after the Covid shutdowns. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, private sector payrolls have surpassed the number of workers in February 2020 by 140,000 employees.Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell has pointed to the strong labor market as one reason he does not believe the economy is actually in a recession now, despite two quarters of negative gross domestic product. Typically two quarters of contraction could indicate a recession, along with other factors, such as rising unemployment but, for now, the economy is seen as being in just a technical recession.This employment report is one of two the Fed will see before it decides how much to raise interest rates at its September meeting. Some economists expect the Fed will slow down its rate hikes and raise by just a half percentage point instead of the three-quarter point hikes it made in both June and July.Keying on wage growthMarkets will be keying on the strength of the number of workers added, and on wage growth, which is expected to slow slightly. Wages are expected to rise by 4.9% from a year ago, slower than June's 5.1% pace."Given the fact we've rallied pretty well into the number, there's more opportunity for disappointment than there is for markets to be positively surprised," said Sameer Samana, senior global market strategist at Wells Fargo Investment Institute. "If you do get positive information that the labor market is cooling down and cooling quickly that could spur an additional rally from here."Samana said if wages are hotter than expected, investors would be disappointed. "That could trigger a little bit of a sell-off because people are leaning toward this expectation that inflation is coming down and the Fed could pivot soon. That, to us, is misguided."Wells Fargo Investment Institute expects unemployment to tick up to 4.3% by the end of the year. "It could be that much of that happens in the fourth quarter as a lot of the layoff announcements start to feed into the claims and employment data," said Samana."You could see companies becoming much more hesitant to hire," he said. Samana added that there could be some labor hoarding. "We're hearing from companies that it's so difficult to hire that they'll hold onto employees through the recession." Gapen said if the job number is as expected or stronger, it would reinforce the hawkish stance of the Fed."What does that bring from the Fed? It brings more tightening," said Gapen. "Stronger data right now means more Fed tightening. It's not a world where the Fed is going to lean against a slowdown in the labor market. It actively wants that."

Unemployment

The Texas Squeeze: A series examining the high cost of high growth in North Texas.In the Texas oil patch, average pay has always been higher than in most industries, and it’s apparently rising fast, according to a June energy survey by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.“Wages in oil and gas support services firms increased 25% in 2021 and another 10% so far in 2022,” one executive told the Dallas Fed. “Rig hands are starting at about $85,000, with no experience and [they] work half the year.”That’s just one anecdote, a single data point. But it was striking enough to be included in the Federal Reserve’s recent Beige Book, a periodic summary of economic conditions around the country based on anecdotal information from key business contacts and other sources.More than 130 oil and gas firms responded to the Dallas Fed’s energy survey from June 8-16. They reported a robust increase in oil and gas activity in the second quarter, sending the survey’s business activity index to a record high.Over the same time, the index of input costs also reached a record high in the survey’s six-year history. Costs have been rising for six straight quarters, which isn’t surprising when pay increases are surging by double digits.“It’s a high rate, but the oil and gas industry will generally pay what it has to,” said Bruce Bullock, director of the Maguire Energy Institute at Southern Methodist University.The oil and gas business has not recovered all the jobs lost during the pandemic, although it has added over 26,000 employees in Texas in the 12 months ended in May. And the industry’s unemployment rate has fallen sharply — from 15% in March 2021 to 1.6% last month, not seasonally adjusted.The comparable U.S. unemployment rate fell from 6.2% to 3.8% over the same period. That means oil and gas firms face a tougher labor market than most, and nearly two-thirds told the Dallas Fed they had a shortage of workers.The oil patch is known for its boom-and-bust cycles, and it’s often vulnerable to disruptions from global events, such as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Employers have always had to pony up to recruit people, and that’s happening again.“When you have an industry that is [this] cyclical, it makes it difficult at times to meet the workforce demands,” said Todd Staples, president of the Texas Oil and Gas Association. “But that’s why the pay is very lucrative — to attract individuals to this industry.”In the fourth quarter of 2021, the average pay was nearly $2,100 a week for Texans in support roles for oil and gas. The category includes many field workers, such as roustabouts and derrick and drill operators.They earn nearly 50% more than the average for all industries in Texas, $1,405 a week, according to the quarterly census of wages by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.Another job category, known as oil and gas extraction, includes petroleum engineers, geoscientists and operators of pump systems and refineries. The average pay for those Texas workers was nearly $4,000 a week, among the highest in the state.Several industries have struggled to lure back employees since the pandemic. Staples said rising commodity prices, which are driving up the cost of gasoline and electricity for consumers, are helping oil and gas companies ramp up employment and production.“Higher prices are enabling companies to pay more to get more workers,” Staples said, and that’s important when people work outside in triple-digit heat and often commute long distances to the job site. “Companies are working hard to reward them for their efforts.”Oil and gas firms often compete against construction companies and manufacturers, which are also bidding for those who can handle physical workloads. In the past year, unemployment rates declined significantly in construction and manufacturing — further evidence of a tight labor market.Oil and gas still has a lower unemployment rate. But SMU’s Bullock said technology and automation have greatly improved productivity at the well site, enabling crews to do more with less.“They can afford to pay more because it’s for fewer people,” Bullock said.One analyst said the industry may never recover all of its lost jobs, in part because it’s been through so many booms and busts that workers are turning away for good.“The pattern is similar to what happened in the 1980s,” said Trey Cowan, an oil and gas analyst at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, a nonprofit research firm that focuses on renewable energy.Over 40 years ago, oil companies ramped up hiring and production to new heights before the industry went bust. Midway through the 1980s, after some improvement, the business crashed again.In the past decade, there were deep job cuts in 2015 and 2016 before the industry started to recover. Then it got walloped around the pandemic, and firms have struggled to win back workers, Cowan said.He recently published a report suggesting that oil and gas employment may have plateaued.“The industry has got a negative shadow on it,” Cowan said. “I think the attitude has shifted quite a bit.”People who land oilfield jobs want to keep them, he said, because they pay so well: “It’s just that attrition happens with these cycles.”Veterans of the oil and gas business realize it’s cyclical and take steps to cope, Bullock said. That may include having to work in a warehouse when the industry goes south — with the intention of returning later.“They’re gonna get the money while the gettin’s good,” Bullock said. “They recognize this won’t be a 20-year job.”Related:An upside to high energy prices? Texas racks up record tax revenue from the oil patch Related:Why Texas frackers won’t be riding to the rescue: It’s profit-taking time

Unemployment

ST. LOUIS– Josh Payne counts back six generations and beyond when he thinks about how long his family have been farmers. But after years of unpredictable weather, including droughts, record-breaking rainfall and flooding in the Show Me State, he’s had to adapt his approach to cultivating the land to accommodate the changing climate. Managing 300 acres outside of Kansas City, Payne converted his farm more than a decade ago from raising traditional commodity crops like soybeans and corn to a direct-to-farmers’ market model where he raises sheep, cattle and grows specialty crops like chestnut trees. But recent cycles of heavy rains followed by drought can make it difficult for Payne to grow the grazing crops he needs to support his livestock. “We’re seeing more intense rainfall events, we’re seeing more intense drought situations, which of course then affects everything that we grow because it’s all biologically driven,” Payne says. Shifting their methods and trying new things has helped Payne adjust in recent years due to the drastic changes in climate, but rising temperatures and uneven precipitation shorten his growing season, forcing him to buy feed he could have grown himself. The losses can be as high as $250 per acre or about $75,000 dollars a year, he says. In 2022, climate change came home for thousands of people across Missouri, like Payne. Record-breaking rainfall coupled with severe flash flooding destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses in July. Drought grew so severe in October, the Mississippi and Missouri rivers could only support limited, crucial barge traffic and long-submerged wrecks reappeared in the river bottoms. This year of weather extremes has exacted an enormous toll on the state, part of a longer-term trend driven by the changing climate according to scientists. Climate change is a crisis of increasing urgency in the state as Missourians head the polls to elect local and national leaders, yet Missouri has a history of pushing against actions that could mitigate the worst effects. A piece of driftwood sits along the drought-stricken bed of the Mississippi River near Portageville, Mo. Photo by Brady Dennis/The Washington Post via Getty Images Missouri’s two candidates for U.S. Senate differ widely on climate change policy, during an election year when most voters are focused on other pressing issues ranging from inflation to abortion to the war in Ukraine. Republican candidate Eric Schmitt, in his current role as state Attorney General has actively targeted advances in climate change policy by filing or joining a number of lawsuits against climate measures. One lawsuit challenged President Biden’s reinstatement of the EPA’s California Waiver, which allows California to set its own greenhouse gas emissions standards for vehicles – a move that effectively forces automakers to adhere to more strict standards nationwide. The waiver had been removed by President Trump’s administration. Schmitt has argued that California’s push for emission-free vehicles puts an expensive burden on people in Missouri – who would be forced to buy more expensive cars. A couple months later Schmitt called President Biden’s efforts to direct finance managers to consider climate change in their investment management efforts a “radical climate agenda” in a tweet. In an email to the NewsHour, Schmitt’s opponent, Democratic candidate Trudy Busch Valentine, criticized Schmitt for spending “so much time and taxpayer dollars pushing frivolous lawsuits … instead of focusing on solving Missouri’s most urgent issues.” READ MORE: Months after historic floods, St. Louis picks up the pieces In a debate in September that Schmitt did not attend, Busch Valentine called climate change the greatest threat facing the country. In a statement to the NewsHour, her campaign said “Trudy believes that climate change is a scientific fact and there is an urgent need to both curb climate change by investing in renewable energy, but also prepare our infrastructure to withstand the impact.” Investing in infrastructure to prepare for events like this past summer’s floods, the statement said, is also an opportunity to bring new jobs and industries to Missouri. The Busch Valentine campaign also told the NewsHour that if she is voted to the U.S. Senate she would support “robust funding for the Disaster Assistance Programs and Emergency Conservation Program under the USDA which assist farmers affected by droughts and other natural disasters,” adding that farmers should be partners in the fight against climate change. “We must support farmers in updating their production and land use practices to lower carbon emissions,” her campaign noted via email. “We should also be incentivizing farmers to transition to renewable energy sources like solar power which Trudy’s own family farm uses.” Trudy Busch Valentine (left) differs substantially with her opponent, Attorney General Eric Schmitt (right) over climate change in their race to represent Missouri in the U.S. Senate. Photo by Getty Schmitt argues that regulations designed to combat climate change will hurt Missouri’s economy. He recently joined a group of 14 Republican attorneys general to investigate major banks to determine if they had denied loans to oil companies in an effort to create climate-friendly portfolios. Schmitt claims the self-imposed banking regulations, inspired by a United Nations initiative, mean farmers and businesses in Missouri might not have access to loans. Schmitt’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment on his positions on climate change. READ MORE: As ‘flash floods are getting flashier,’ communities worry about aging infrastructure Yet studies show that not taking action on climate is costly. The EPA estimates that a severe 2012 drought that slowed barge traffic cost the Missouri region more than $275 million. The 2018 national climate assessment, produced by 13 federal agencies predicted that climate change will cost the Midwest region $10 billion in lost productivity alone due to heat related illness and death by 2050. Increased electricity costs and other climate issues will cost billions more, the report estimates. Still, Missouri has a history of pushing back against climate and environmental action, joining lawsuits challenging EPA policies. In 2016, Missouri and 20 other states challenged the EPA’s Clean Power Plan, which set firm limits on carbon emissions for each state. The state also joined efforts to push back on the EPA’s 2015 Waters of the United States Rule, which sought to clarify what bodies of water fell under federal jurisdiction, and its policy addressing mercury and air toxin standards. But as Missouri has resisted addressing climate, the rest of the world has felt its effects in 2022 with parts of Europe and China experiencing major droughts and terrifying floods killing at least 1,500 people in Pakistan. “Increases in extreme precipitation is completely consistent with what we expect to see in a warming world,” the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Tom Di Liberto told the NewsHour. The most recent example in Missouri being the historic rain that slammed into parts of St. Louis City and St. Louis County on July 26. That week the excessive amounts of precipitation drenched the area in flash floods, leaving two dead, breaking records and ruining homes. Families across the St. Louis Metro opened their front doors on July 26 as their family cars sat overcome by water after the area experienced excessive rain for hours, breaking a more than 100-year-old record. Photo by Andrew Schaefer Some St. Louis residents awoke that morning to their cars floating down the street, while others were startled when their hands splashed in water as they turned over in their beds. Months later, entire neighborhoods and apartment buildings are now considered condemned, and hundreds of communities are down thousands of dollars in repairs or total losses. The impact of several days of flooding reignited calls for not only updated infrastructure but also one that would be able to withstand the effects of climate change. What happened in July is something that could be a part of our country’s future, according to Di Liberto, a climate scientist for NOAA’s Climate.gov. “These sorts of increasing risks of there being heavy rainfall extremes is a risk that is likely to increase as we continue to warm our planet,” he said. In one six hour period alone, nearly eight inches of rain hit the area, which according to the National Weather Service, statistically has a 1 in 1000 chance of occurring in a given year. READ MORE: Historic rainfall in St. Louis raises questions about flooding and climate change But excessive rain in Missouri is not the state’s sole concern as it relates to the climate. “We know that increasing temperatures increases the amount of water that can be evaporated from the soil. So by increasing the temperatures, you can lead to a drying out. So there’s an increased drought risk as well, and that holds true for the plains and also the Midwest,” he explained. July was concurrently a month of dramatic increases in rain and extreme heat with hotter temperatures Missouri has not seen in a decade. It was also the third month of the year the state experienced warmer than usual temperatures, according to data from the Missouri Climate Center. Drought, Di Liberto notes, is of particular concern to farmers. How climate change is affecting Missouri’s farmers Climate uncertainty is a growing issue in Missouri, but it manifests differently depending on the season and the year, says Rob Myers, director of the University of Missouri Center for Regenerative Agriculture . “In 2019 we had over a million acres that were not able to be planted in Missouri that year at all because it was too wet that spring. For several weeks in a row this summer, it’s been the opposite. It’s been too dry,” Myers said. To help with some of those extremes, the United States Department of Agriculture awarded the University of Missouri $25 million in September to enable farmers to adopt practices that will help them navigate the effects of an ever changing climate. The project, set to span five years, aims to help growers by supporting them in raising more resilient crops. That work will include incentive funds, education programs and aiding them in identifying “markets where they can receive either a higher value for their crop or livestock because they’re using what’s called a climate smart practice,” Myers explained. Myers, who was raised on a farm himself, said the program officially starts this winter with sign-up for incentives next spring and summer. The university works with hundreds of farmers in a typical year, but with the added resources from the USDA, he said they will likely work with even more in hopes that they can help sustain their businesses and lives. “We have a lot of families in Missouri that have had their family connected to that given farm for over 100 years and you know, that’s emotional for a family if they have to give up that connection to the family farm,” he said. Most of Missouri is currently abnormally dry, with a sizable portion of the state under extreme drought. No one knows this better than Josh Payne, as he reflects on the severe drought affecting large swaths of Missouri, including his 300 acres. “Everything we planted this summer didn’t grow and we thought, ‘okay, well, in the fall we’ll have some more and we can kind of make up for that.’ And because we move our animals, it’s very efficient. We were able to make it through the summer,” Payne said. But then the fall came, and “it didn’t rain at all either,” which meant no new crops grew, leaving them out the seed for a summer and fall crop. It also meant they lost money, would need to buy hay to feed their livestock and they needed to plan for the colder months. “We had to almost triple our production so that we can just make it through this winter because nothing grew,” Payne said. Federal crop insurance protects commodities farmers and pays them a base rate per acre even if their harvest is wiped out, but specialty farmers are currently left without those protections, Payne explains. And crop insurance itself, a product of the 1930s dust bowl era, is threatened by increasing pressure from larger, climate-related crop losses. These barriers are why Payne believes incentives for farmers are critical as they work to navigate unforeseen changes in weather. Payne wants to see aid available for all types of farmers, and for aid programs to encourage planet friendly farming climate practices. Though he acknowledged that there are some grants through the USDA that can help farmers like him, he said the overall system can perpetuate “harmful climate practices.” However, Payne believes that there is some hope for the future of agriculture and its role in saving the planet. “Farming and general crops, grazing and other things has a really high potential to really play a positive role in global warming,” he said. “Simply planting a cover crop behind corn and soy can really go a long way in cleaning water and sequestering carbon.” Farmers, Payne told the NewsHour, can be a part of the solution. “Farmers are really smart people and can if there is reason and incentive to change practices to support for climate change….farmers are totally capable of doing that,” he said.

Agriculture

Fast-growing, drought-tolerant trees are slowly spreading across grasslands on every continent except Antarctica. Given how desperate we are to reduce carbon in the atmosphere, millions of new saplings sprouting each year might seem like a good thing. But in reality, their spread across vulnerable grasslands and shrublands is upending ecosystems and livelihoods. As these areas transform into woodland, wildlife disappears, water supplies dwindle, and soil health suffers. The risk of catastrophic wildfire also skyrockets.In a new study published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, researchers have shown how woodland expansion also takes an economic toll. American ranchers often depend on tree-free rangelands to raise their livestock. Between 1990 and 2019, landowners in the Western US lost out on nearly $5 billion worth of forage—the plants that cattle or sheep eat—because of the growth of new trees. The amount of forage lost over those three decades equates to 332 million tons, or enough hay bales to circle the globe 22 times.“Grasslands are the most imperiled and least protected terrestrial ecosystem,” says Rheinhardt Scholtz, a global change biologist and affiliate researcher with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Also called steppes, pampas, or plains, our planet’s grasslands have dwindled drastically. According to Scholtz, less than 10 percent are still intact, as most have been plowed under for crops or bulldozed for human development. One of the most dire threats facing the grasslands that remain is woody encroachment. “It’s a slow and silent killer,” Scholtz says. Historically, tree expansion onto grasslands was checked by regular fires, which relegated woody species to wet or rocky places. But as European settlers suppressed fires and planted thousands of trees to provide windbreaks for their homes and livestock, trees proliferated. When trees invade grasslands, they outcompete native grasses and wildflowers by stealing the lion’s share of sunlight and water. Birds, often used as a bellwether for ecosystem health, are sounding the alarm: North America’s grassland bird populations have declined more than 50 percent since 1970, a 2019 study in Science found. According to University of Montana researcher Scott Morford, who led the study on rangeland forage loss, tree cover has increased by 50 percent across the western half of the US over the past 30 years, with tree cover expanding steadily year on year. In total, close to 150,000 km2 of once tree-free grasslands have been converted into woodland. “That means we’ve already lost an area the size of Iowa to trees,” says Morford, who emphasizes that an additional 200,000 km2 of tree-free rangelands—an area larger than the state of Nebraska—are “under immediate threat” because they are close to seed sources.To figure out the amount of lost forage production due to woodland expansion, Morford and his team used satellite images in combination with meteorological data, topography, and information about soils and on-the-ground vegetation to estimate the change in herbaceous biomass (that is, non-woody plants, like grasses) in relation to tree cover over time. “Our computer models allow us to turn up or turn down the tree cover like a knob on your stereo to see how production is impacted,” explains Morford. After quantifying the change in herbaceous plants annually, researchers then determined the “yield gap” each year for every county in the 17 states that contain shrubland or grassland habitat. This gap is the difference between the actual herbaceous production (after trees had moved in) and potential herbaceous production (as if the trees had never moved in). Using pasture rental rates collected by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the researchers then converted that lost material into dollars and found that the value of the yield gap has ratcheted up and up. In 2000, close to $100 million worth of forage was being lost each year; by 2010, that figure had surpassed $200 million a year; and by 2019 it was over $300 million. This puts the total losses for the 1990–2019 period at close to $5 billion, with the cumulative loss accelerating upward. Farmers often use yield gaps to estimate crop productivity, but this is the first time such figures have been determined for ranchers raising livestock on rangelands. “If there’s one thing we can all agree on, it’s that financial losses are something we don’t like. Linking the loss in rangeland productivity to financial losses—to me, that’s the silver bullet for conserving grasslands,” says Scholtz, who was not involved in the study. Barb Cooksley, a rancher in the Sand Hills of Nebraska, sets a personal goal to lop at least 1,000 trees each year to keep her family’s patch of prairie thriving. Most are small seedlings that are invading her pastures. A study released earlier this year, coauthored by Scholtz, identifies the Sand Hills as the most intact prairie left on Earth, and one of just seven remaining large grassland ecosystems. “This place is not supposed to have trees,” says Cooksley, who has a master’s degree in range ecology.In the past, if a rancher like Cooksley wanted to know how much grass her land produced, she would have to go out with scissors to clip all of the plants growing in a plot, dry them, weigh them, and then extrapolate that across hundreds or thousands of acres. But now the new yield gap data is available online for anyone to use. Cooksley checked out the gap in Custer County, Nebraska, where her family ranches and says the numbers are “truly scary.” Landowners in her county have lost out on $6.2 million worth of forage since 1990, with the graph showing steep declines in rangeland production beginning in 2007—a signal that grasslands are in trouble. “From a producer’s perspective, you want to tackle woodland expansion before you start seeing herbaceous production drop off. If you wait until you have 10, 20, or 30 percent tree cover, you’re seeing big impacts on forage production, and tree removal becomes very expensive,” says Morford.Cooksley says online mapping apps and historical aerial imagery are great outreach tools so “landowners can see what’s happening to their ground” and take action to halt woody encroachment. These tools make it more efficient and cost-effective for ranchers or land managers to pinpoint where to cut trees, use prescribed fire, or spray pesticide on seedlings to combat woody expansion on their grasslands. Doug Spencer, the Kansas state grazing specialist for the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, says yield gap information will help “tell the story” of how trees are impacting rangelands that are home to livestock. For instance, Kansas lost nearly the same amount of forage to woody encroachment in 2019 as the state’s entire annual alfalfa supply—the most important type of hay harvested to feed cattle, grown on about 2,630 km2 of fields in the state. This fact was met with “shock and awe,” says Spencer, when he shared the numbers at a recent presentation. He hopes the data will provide support for why and where the USDA and its partners invest conservation funding. “This yield gap data can better inform us what’s at risk and where we can defend our core grasslands.”Woody encroachment is also threatening the viability of ranchers further west in the sagebrush biome, an arid landscape dominated by shrubs, grasses, and wildflowers that covers an area larger than Ukraine across 11 Western states. According to a preprint released earlier this year, tree coverage has increased sixfold in sagebrush country over the past 150 years. “Wherever we have thick juniper, we’ve got very little grass. There’s nothing underneath but bare soil,” says Bruce Peterson, a rancher near Sheridan, Montana. Peterson has worked with a collaborative group called the Southwest Montana Sagebrush Partnership that has used historical satellite imagery and remote sensing technology to target tree-removal efforts. The partnership has restored nearly 40,000 acres of grazing land in Montana.Similar technology is also being used to evaluate the effectiveness of projects that tackle woodland expansion. A recent study in the Journal of Environmental Management measured the change in herbaceous plants after tree-removal efforts on pastures in Oregon, Nebraska, and Kansas, showing mostly positive results. “These next-generation technologies unify neighbors around dealing with shared problems,” says Caleb Roberts, a research ecologist with the United States Geological Survey in Arkansas who led the study.Back in the Sand Hills, Cooksley and her husband are making a succession plan to pass on the ranch to their family. Part of that plan includes continuing her legacy of controlling woody encroachment. If she sees a seedling sprouting on her daily drives around the ranch, Cooksley always stops to cut it down, and she makes sure her children and husband keep a pair of loppers handy in their trucks too. She also hires contractors with machines to cut bigger trees each year and sees the value in using prescribed burns or herbicide treatments to keep trees at bay. “We have a continuous battle ahead of us,” she says.

Agriculture

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — When drastic increases in food costs spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic left Andrew Caplinger struggling to find fresh catfish for his restaurants, he decided to try “an experimental” solution — growing his own.In the coming months, the Indianapolis restaurant chain Caplinger’s Fresh Catch Seafood will begin sourcing its second most popular menu item from fish ponds at his 28-acre farm in southern Indiana. The goal is to produce up to half of the 800 to 1,000 pounds of catfish fillets served at the restaurants each week. “I’ve never done anything like this — I’ve sold dead fish my whole entire life,” he said. “It’s tough, and it might be risky. But assuming things go well and these fish grow like they should, we won’t have to look at raising our store prices again for some time.”It’s a move that could increase local appetite for fish, Caplinger said. But even with fish and seafood consumption on the rise in the U.S., the number of Midwest aquaculture farms is declining, and many fish producers say they face challenges getting their produce to consumers in the region.Midwestern states compose a fifth of the country’s land but contain about a third of all U.S. farms, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Although experts maintain the region could be a strong aquaculture producer, the number of aquaculture farms in the Midwest has fallen to roughly 271 from 336 a decade ago.This could be because the region has historically relied on wild-caught seafood, said Amy Shambach, an aquaculture marketing outreach associate with the Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant. Seafood produced in the Midwest also must compete with cheaper, imported seafood. “Our input costs are a little bit higher than other places, and (that) contributes to some of the slow growth,” Shambach said.Stagnant fish farming in the Midwest aquaculture industry has national implications, Shambach said. With global seafood consumption expected to increase by 100-170 billion pounds by 2030, the growing seafood trade deficit means more fish will need to be farm-raised, opening the door for Midwestern farmers to meet demand.Joseph Morris, former director of the North Central Regional Aquaculture Center at Iowa State University, said growing the industry is a challenge, noting problems with marketing, fish processing and high labor costs.“The big hurdle to tackle — how can they produce a product, economically, to meet the consumer needs and still stay in business?” he said. “How do you reach the growing market of people wanting to eat fish?”Mike Searcy, who owns a trout farm in Seymour, Indiana, said the Hoosier state — one of only two in the Midwest to report an uptick in farms in the last decade — lacks a central processing facility for gutting and filleting harvested fish. He sends most of his fish to Kentucky for processing and distribution. “We have demand from our local customers, but the biggest hindrance is the lack of processing, filling that gap between the farmer and the restaurant owner. That holds us back,” said Searcy, who is exploring having a processing facility at his own farm. “When we’re competing with foreign markets and much cheaper labor, they can supply a fillet to the grocery stores a heck of a lot cheaper than what I can.”Shambach said the lack of processing available in Indiana allows only a handful of Indiana aquaculture farms to produce for food businesses. Instead, most fish raised in the state is sold live to Asian food markets in Indianapolis, Chicago, New York City and Toronto.Still, Morris said, fish farmers are vying to grow their businesses and increase profits — which could succeed if producers can better market their fish.“A new generation of folks are eating more fish, and they’re asking more often, ‘Where’s my food coming from?’ That’s where the Midwest comes in,” Morris said. One solution for farmers could be recirculating aquaculture systems, which allow fish and shrimp to be grown in tank-based systems. The method gives producers control over water quality — often preventing fish disease and the need for antibiotics — and allows various species to be raised year-round in land-locked areas.The method is costly, though, precluding many small- and mid-size farmers. Searcy, whose farm runs entirely on the technology, cautioned that the operation is also completely dependent on electricity. Environmental activists argue that recirculating aquaculture systems require abundant water resources, and they voice concerns about the disposal of waste.Tyler Isaac, aquaculture program manager for Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch, said that with sustainably sourced fish feed and proper precautions, the recirculating systems could lead to more fish farms in the Midwest.“It’s always a game of tradeoffs, but I think at the end of the day, recirculating systems are a really good step forward,” Isaac said, adding that renewable energy sources would also make such operations more environmentally friendly. “The development of an aquaculture industry in a place like the Midwest is a good thing. It just needs to be done with appropriate safeguards.”Morris said other emerging technologies — such as AquaBounty’s genetically modified Atlantic salmon being grown in Indiana that grow faster and are less susceptible to disease — could also be “very attractive for producers,” although it could be “several years” before similar genetically altered fish become mainstream.“In terms of Midwest aquaculture overall, the growth has got to be with the food-fish operation. That’s where your market is — a consumer basis,” Morris said. “There are only so many ponds to stock out in the Midwest, only so many anglers. But there are consumers wanting to eat more and more fish in Midwest. We have to focus on that.”___Casey Smith is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues. Follow Smith on Twitter.

Agriculture

BRENTWOOD, Long Island (WABC) -- The Island Harvest Food Bank and Stop & Shop are partnering on a community supported agriculture program to combat food insecurity on Long Island.Thanks to a $60,000 grant from the supermarket chain, Island Harvest is introducing an innovative program to support the distribution of healthy produce to those in need while at the same time assisting local farmers who have been impacted by rising costs, supply chain issues and labor shortages."We've heard from a number of them, literally with tears in their eyes, had it not been for the funds Island Harvest was using to purchase food this year, some of those farmers feel that they would've been out of business," Island Harvest President and CEO Randi Shubin Dresner said.Through the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program, Island Harvest will purchase locally grown produce and, in turn, distribute it to families struggling to put food on their tables through "CSA Shares.""There is a definitive link between health and food insecurity," Shubin Dresner said. "Food insecure people often face chronic health issues that include diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, and other conditions, and the newly created CSA program, thanks to our longtime partner Stop & Shop, allows us to expand our distribution of healthier food options, while providing some relief for our local farmers."Needy families and individuals will receive four to six rotating produce items based on seasonal availability and would pick up their produce at a location in their community every other week for 20 weeks.At the end of the program, recipients will receive a $50 Stop & Shop gift card.In addition, Island Harvest's registered dietician will provide guidance on how to prepare fresh vegetables, interpreting nutrition labels, and shopping for healthy food on a budget."Stop & Shop is honored to work with Island Harvest Food Bank to create the Community Supported Agriculture program, which will provide Long Island families with fresh fruits and vegetables," company spokesperson Stefanie Shuman said. "Stop & Shop customers turn to us for high-quality, local produce to feed their families, and we're proud to enable Island Harvest to provide the same nutritious items to Long Island families in need of assistance."The CSA program will support approximately 180 families in Brentwood and Central Islip.Information about the initiative can be obtained at the Brentwood Public Library at 631-273-7883, the Central Islip Library at 631-234-9333, and Island Harvest at 631-873-4775.ADORABLE MOMENT: New Jersey dad shocked when newborn returns kiss in viral video----------* More Long Island news* Send us a news tip* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts * Follow us on YouTube Submit a tip or story idea to Eyewitness News Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply. Copyright © 2022 WABC-TV. All Rights Reserved.

Agriculture

People gather around a rice milling machine beside the Wuruku rice mill market after a flood displaced millers from the market in Makurdi, Nigeria, October 1, 2022. REUTERS/Afolabi SotundeMAKURDI, Nigeria, Oct 5 (Reuters) - Victoria Okonkwo sits in a canoe as neighbours paddle her away from her house in Nigeria's food basket, Benue state, which is now under water – along with more than 100,000 hectares (247,100 acres) of farmland."It was last week that it started, so I left thinking that the water will not be this much," Okonkwo, 45, told Reuters. "Now I am displaced with my children."Okonkwo is among at least half a million Nigerians affected by flooding in 29 of Nigeria's 36 states this year. Farmers say the rising waters will push food bills higher in a nation where millions have fallen into food poverty in the past two years.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comFarming was constrained by flooding and food shortages and COVID-19 restrictions in 2020. Prices shot higher due to this year's war in Ukraine and nationwide insecurity that has pushed thousands of farmers off their land."This is a catastrophe indeed," said Dimieari Von Kemedi, chief executive of Alluvial Agriculture, a farm collective. "All of these wrong things are happening at the same time."Farmer Tersoo Deei, 39, said 2 hectares (5 acres) of her rice and nearly all her soybeans in Benue were underwater. What she had harvested she has to sell now, before it has dried, because her house washed away."I do not have any option but to sell my rice paddy because there is nowhere to keep it," the mother of four told Reuters.Nigeria-based commodities exchange AFEX estimates flooding and other factors will cut maize output by 12% year on year, and rice by 21%. That is a serious problem for a nation where inflation hit a 17-year high in August, led by food inflation at 23.12%."What we are seeing currently is the worst case... at least in the last decade," David Ibidapo, AFEX's head of market data and research, said of the flooding. "This is a very big challenge to food security."Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting By Abraham Achirga in Benue state and Libby George in Lagos; editing by Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Agriculture

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Workers aren't so sure Tesla Hunger Strike Now playing These Tesla owners are going to great lengths to get Elon Musk's attention CNN / Getty Images Now playing 'Both a warning and a threat': Economics professor decodes Fed chair's comments London CNN Business  —  For years, King Charles was preparing to step into the role of monarch following Queen Elizabeth’s history-making reign. In the meantime, he was holding down another job: Owner of a profitable business. Charles — long a passionate advocate of environmental causes — founded Duchy Originals in 1990 when he was the Prince of Wales to market produce from his farm. It’s since grown into the largest organic food and drink brand in the United Kingdom, according to the company. In the year through March 2021, Duchy Originals earned nearly £3.6 million ($4.1 million) before taxes. The brand has had its ups and downs. But it’s thrived since entering into a partnership with Waitrose in 2009. The upmarket grocery chain now has the exclusive right to sell products under the Duchy name, and shoppers can find salmon, sausages, milk, carrots and blueberries bearing the “Waitrose Duchy Organic” name at its stores. “It’s turned into a very successful business,” said Andrew Bloch, a London-based public relations expert. “You can sense with this brand, it has heart and soul behind it.” The future is uncertain, though. Control of the Duchy Originals brand is up in the air during a period of national mourning culminating in the Queen’s state funeral on Monday. “We will liaise with the Royal Household on future arrangements when the time is right to do so,” a spokesperson for Waitrose said. Ownership of Duchy Originals will most likely pass to Charles’ eldest son Prince William, who also inherits the separate Duchy of Cornwall estate — worth about £1 billion ($1.2 billion). And while the prince has studied organic farming, he’s likely to be less hands-on than his father. “He’ll be interested, but he’ll entrust others to run it,” said Sally Bedell Smith, a biographer and author of the book “Charles: The Misunderstood Prince.” Charles spent decades preaching the benefits of organic farming and protecting the environment, even before such issues became mainstream causes. In 1985, he converted Home Farm, near his Highgrove estate in Gloucestershire, into a fully organic system. The Duchy Originals venture emerged five years later. “Since the beginning of the 1980s, when I first had responsibility for managing some land in my own right at Highgrove, I have wanted to focus on an approach to food production that avoids the impact of the predominant, conventional system of industrialized agriculture, which, it is increasingly clear to see, is having a disastrous effect on soil fertility, biodiversity and animal and human health,” Charles told Country Life magazine in 2021. The first Duchy Originals product was an oaten biscuit sold in 1992. Initially, items bearing the brand were only found in high-end shops such as Harrods and Fortnum & Mason, though they later expanded into outlets like Waitrose, which caters to wealthier shoppers but has many more locations. The business was on rocky ground in its early days, Smith wrote in her book. It took on too much debt, and Duchy Originals had to look for new producers and manufacturers once it became too big to rely solely on Highgrove. Its fortunes later improved, according to Smith. She reported that when Charles visited the British embassy in Spain in 2004, he burst in with gift-wrapped products, announcing, “I’m a self-made millionaire, you know!” An ill-fated attempt to expand into the United States, however, combined with the onset of the global financial crisis, pushed the business to the brink of collapse. Facing millions of pounds in losses in 2009, Charles turned to Waitrose, which threw him a lifeline by agreeing to serve as exclusive distributor. It marked the end of the prince’s ambitions for a large presence in the US market, but the start of a robust turnaround in the outlook of the business. “The Waitrose rescue during the financial crisis in September 2009 was absolutely vital,” Smith said. By 2017, 25 years after the oat biscuit’s debut, the line had expanded to 300 products, including fruits, vegetables, meat and beer, and annual sales reached £200 million ($231 million). More than 30 countries around the world, including the United States, Germany, Japan and Australia, have received exports of select products. Charles has access to vast personal wealth through his portfolio of land and property, but he has never directly profited from the Duchy Originals business. All royalties collected from Waitrose have been donated to charitable causes. In its annual report for 2019, the firm said it had raised more than £30 million ($35 million) since striking the licensing deal with Waitrose. “It has provided a very substantial income stream into his foundation and has helped to fund his charitable work as well as to promote organic products,” Smith said. Still, the venture hasn’t been without controversy. A range of herbal remedies, including the “Herbals Detox Tincture” blend of artichoke and dandelion, was accused by an expert on alternative medicine as based on “outright quackery.” A regulatory agency later said online advertisements for two of the line’s herbal medicines were misleading and instructed Duchy Originals to change the wording. Changes have been underway in recent years as Charles prepared to take the throne. In 2020, his team said he wouldn’t renew the lease on the sprawling Home Farm, but would continue to farm organically at the late Queen’s Sandringham Estate in Norfolk that he had started managing in 2017. Observers now believe William will take the reins of Duchy Originals and its partnership with Waitrose, part of his new responsibilities as the Duke of Cornwall. “I think there will be a tension between his new role as King Charles III and what he can and can’t do,” said Bloch, who also has worked on a voluntary basis with Charles’ Prince’s Trust charity. “It’s likely that Prince William will take over.” In his first address to the nation as king, Charles acknowledged that his responsibilities will change. “It will no longer be possible for me to give so much of my time and energies to the charities and issues for which I care so deeply,” he said. “But I know this important work will go on in the trusted hands of others.” William spent lots of time on the Highgrove estate growing up and enrolled in an agricultural management course at the University of Cambridge in 2014. Still, Smith doesn’t think he’ll be as involved in the details of the business. “I wouldn’t imagine he’ll get into the minutiae of it that Charles did,” she said.

Agriculture

Uma Valeti, CEO and founder, UPSIDE Foods speaks at the 2021 Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California, October 18, 2021.David Swanson | ReutersThe Food and Drug Administration for the first time cleared a lab-grown meat product developed by a California start-up as safe for human consumption, marking a key milestone for cell-cultivated meats to eventually become available in U.S. supermarkets and restaurants.The FDA cleared Upside Foods, formerly known as Memphis Meats, to use animal cell culture technology to take living cells from chickens and grow the cells in a controlled environment to produce cultured animal cell food.The agency said it evaluated Upside Food's production and cultured cell material and has "no further questions" about the safety of its cultivated chicken filet. The company will be able to bring its products to market once it's been inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture."The world is experiencing a food revolution and the U.S. FDA is committed to supporting innovation in the food supply," FDA Commissioner Robert Califf and Susan Mayne, director of the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, said in a statement. The global cultivated meat industry, which is backed by more than $2 billion in investments, would play a major role in making the food system more sustainable and mitigating climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from animal-based food production.While the FDA's safety sign-off only applies to Upside products, the agency said it's ready to work with additional firms developing cultured animal cell food and production processes. The agency said it's engaged in discussions with multiple firms about different types of products made from cultured animal cells, including those made from seafood cells."This is a watershed moment in the history of food," Uma Valeti, CEO and founder of Upside Foods, said in a statement. "This milestone marks a major step towards a new era in meat production, and I'm thrilled that U.S. consumers will soon have the chance to eat delicious meat that's grown directly from animal cells."

Agriculture

[1/12] A man stands in front of mounds of red chili pepper, at the Mirch Mandi wholesale market, in Kunri, Umerkot, Pakistan, October 15, 2022. "Last year, at this time, there used to be around 8,000 to 10,000 bags of chillies in the market," said trader Raja Daim. "This year, now you can see that there are barely 2,000 bags here, and it is the first day of the week. By tomorrow, and the day after, it will become even less." REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro KUNRI, Pakistan, Nov 3 (Reuters) - Near Kunri, a southern Pakistani town known as Asia's chilli capital, 40-year old farmer Leman Raj rustles through dried plants looking for any of the bright red chillis in his largely destroyed crop which may have survived."My crops suffered heavily from the heat, then the rains started, and the weather changed completely. Now, because of the heavy rains we have suffered heavy losses in our crops, and this is what has happened to the chillies," he said, holding up desiccated, rotten plants. "All the chillies have rotted away."Floods that wrecked havoc across Pakistan in August and September, on the back of several years of high temperatures, have left chilli farmers struggling to cope. In a country heavily dependent on agriculture, the more extreme climate conditions are hitting rural economies hard, farmers and experts say, underscoring the vulnerability of swathes of South Asia's population to changing weather patterns.Officials have already estimated damages from the floods at over $40 billion.Pakistan is ranked fourth in the world for chilli production, with 150,000 acres (60,700 hectares) of farms producing 143,000 tonnes annually. Agriculture forms the backbone of Pakistan's economy, leaving it vulnerable to climate change.Before the floods, hot temperatures made it harder to grow chilli, which needs more moderate conditions."When I was a child ... the heat was never so intense. We used to have a plentiful crop, now it has become so hot, and the rains are so scarce that our yields have dwindled," Raj said.Dr Attaullah Khan, director of the Arid Zone Research Centre at Pakistan's Agricultural Research Council, told Reuters that heatwaves over the past three years had affected the growth of chilli crops in the area, causing diseases that curled their leaves and stunted their growth.Now the floods pose a whole new set of challenges."Coming to climate change: how do we overcome that?” he said. "Planning has to be done on a very large scale. Four waterways that used to carry (excess) water to the ocean have to be revived. For that we will have to take some very hard decisions ... but we don't have any other choice."Many farmers say they have already faced tough decisions.As flooding inundated his farm a few months ago, Kunri farmer Faisal Gill decided to sacrifice his cotton crops to try to save chilli."We constructed dikes around cotton fields and installed pumps, and dug up tranches in the chilli crop to accumulate water and pump it out into the cotton crop fields, as both crops are planted side by side," Gill said.Destroying his cotton enabled him to save just 30% of his chilli crop, he said, but that was better than nothing.In Kunri's bustling wholesale chilli market, Mirch Mandi, the effect is also being felt. Though mounds of bright red chilli dot the market, traders said there is a huge drop on previous years."Last year, at this time, there used to be around 8,000 to 10,000 bags of chillies in the market," trader Raja Daim said."This year, now you can see that there are barely 2,000 bags here, and it is the first day of the week. By tomorrow, and the day after, it will become even less,” he said.Reporting by Syed Raza Hassan; writing by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Stephen CoatesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Agriculture

(WATCH VIDEO HERE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D8lStiUBeY&feature=emb_title) The promise for American agriculture is tantalizing: healthier soil, more carbon kept in the ground, less fertilizer runoff, and less need for chemicals. The reality of planting cover crops during the off-season – a much-touted and subsidized approach to climate change mitigation – is more complicated, according to new Stanford University-led research. The study, published Nov. 8 in Global Change Biology, reveals that cover cropping as currently done in a major U.S. crop-growing region reduces corn and soybean yields, and could lead to indirect environmental impacts from expanded cultivation to make up for the losses. “Use of cover crops is rapidly spreading. We wanted to see how these new practices affect crop yields in the real world, outside of small-scale research plots,” said Jillian Deines, lead author of the study and a postdoctoral scholar in Stanford’s Center on Food Security and the Environment (FSE) at the time of the research. “Agriculture is a very tricky business to get right, and things typically don’t work out as planned” added senior author David Lobell, the Gloria and Richard Kushel Director of FSE and professor in Earth System Science. “Our view is that constant monitoring, evaluation, and learning is a key part of making agriculture truly sustainable.” Maintaining vegetation cover on agricultural fields in the off-season can lead to large reductions in runoff and leakage of nitrogen into streams and groundwater, reduced soil erosion, and reduced need for weed control chemicals. The practice can also be a cost-competitive strategy for keeping carbon dioxide out of the air. Because of cover cropping’s potential as a climate change solution and other landscape benefits, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has subsidized the practice with more than $100 million per year since 2016. The Inflation Reduction Act, passed in August, earmarks $20 billion for practices that “directly improve soil carbon, reduce nitrogen losses, or reduce, capture, avoid, or sequester carbon dioxide, methane, or nitrous oxide emissions, associated with agricultural production.” Without these supports, farmers would likely be slower to take on the cost of sowing and digging up cover crops. As it is, cover crops are used on only about 5% of fields in the primary corn-growing region of the U.S. Looking at fields from space In the first large-scale, field-level analysis of yield impacts from cover cropping across the U.S. Corn Belt, the researchers used satellite imagery to look over about 20 million acres of farmland in Iowa, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Illinois, and Michigan. They analyzed every field that had grown cover crops for at least three years, comparing them to similar fields that had not been planted with cover crops. On average, fields with cover crops saw yield declines of 5.5% for corn and 3.5% for soybeans. The greater maize yield losses likely reflect the crop’s greater need for nitrogen fertilizer, a chemical that common cover crops also use, and water, which cover crops can deplete ahead of dry growing seasons. The yield declines equate with a loss of about $40 per acre for corn and $20 per acre for soybeans. That loss, combined with the cost of implementing cover crops – about $40 per acre – makes long-term adoption of the practice challenging, the researchers write. Despite the sobering findings, the researchers emphasize that cover crops could still prove beneficial to farmers and the rest of society. It could be that the benefits take a while to kick in, and it’s likely that farmers will become better at implementation. More research can help guide that implementation by showing, among other things, how alternatives to rye – the most commonly used cover crop in the U.S. Corn Belt – might result in higher primary crop yields in some regions. Ensuring that the cover crop is removed with enough lead time before planting primary crops could reduce the likelihood of significant yield penalties. Policymakers could encourage adoption of cover cropping more strongly in areas that are least likely to experience significant yield penalties, such as those with less susceptibility to water stress. “Learning by doing is really important, and adjustments are almost always needed both in the sense of farmer practice and government policy,” Lobell said. “The combination of satellite data and powerful machine learning methods can help us be more nimble in making these adjustments.” Lobell is also a professor of Earth system science in the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability, the William Wrigley Senior Fellow at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment, and a senior fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies and the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research. Deines is currently a scientist with the Earth Systems Predictability and Resiliency Group at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. Other coauthors of the study include Cambria White, an undergraduate researcher in Stanford’s Sustainability Undergraduate Research in Geoscience and Engineering Program at the time of the research; Bruno Lopez, a research data analyst at Stanford’s Center on Food Security and the Environment at the time of the research; and researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. This research was funded by NASA, the Stanford Undergraduate Research in Geoscience and Engineering Program, and the United States Department of Agriculture. Journal Global Change Biology Article Title Recent cover crop adoption is associated with small maize and soybean yield losses in the United States Article Publication Date 8-Nov-2022 Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

Agriculture

Story at a glanceIn a clinical trial, the vaccine resulted in an up to 50 percent increase in disease resistance among offspring.Dalan Animal Health hopes to make the vaccine available for purchase this year.Honeybees’ work as crop pollinators plays a crucial role in the global food supply.The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved its first-ever vaccine for honeybees. The vaccine, developed by Dalan Animal Health, Inc., aims to protect the species from American foulbrood disease, also know as Paenibacillus larvae.Bees play a crucial role in agriculture thanks to their important work as crop pollinators. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates bee pollination accounts for around $15 billion in added crop value.However, the species is susceptible to disease, and American foulbrood has already destroyed entire colonies. The FDA classifies it as “one of the most widespread diseases affecting honey bee brood, and the most destructive.”Previously, beekeepers relied on antibiotics to control the disease, but these had limited efficacy. Once a hive begins to show signs of the disease, the only way to prevent its spread is by burning the hive, equipment and colony.America is changing faster than ever! Add Changing America to your Facebook or Twitter feed to stay on top of the news.“This is an exciting step forward for beekeepers, as we rely on antibiotic treatment that has limited effectiveness and requires lots of time and energy to apply to our hives,” said Trevor Tauzer, owner of Tauzer Apiaries and board member of the California State Beekeepers Association in a release.“If we can prevent an infection in our hives, we can avoid costly treatments and focus our energy on other important elements of keeping our bees healthy.”Challenges with global population growth and changing climates underscore the importance of maintaining honeybee pollination to secure food supply, added Annette Kleiser, CEO of Dalan Animal Health.In North America alone, honeybees pollinate 95 different crops, including avocados, almonds, apples and soy.The company plans to administer the vaccine on a limited basis to commercial beekeepers and hopes to make it available for purchase in the United States this year.The approval follows positive results of a randomized clinical trial published in October 2022, which showed the vaccine protects against American foulbrood through a process called transgenerational immune priming. In this process, maternal organisms transfer pathogen immunity to the next generation.The vaccine contains killed whole-cell Paenibacillus larvae bacteria. To vaccinate the bees, the vaccine is mixed into queen feed, which is consumed by worker bees. These worker bees then incorporate the vaccine into royal jelly and feed it to the queen.Once ingested, fragments of the vaccine are deposited in the queen’s ovaries, meaning developing larvae have immunity when they hatch, researchers explained. In the laboratory tests, researchers saw an up to 50 percent increase in disease resistance among offspring.Apart from enhancing colony health and protecting commercial pollinators from the disease, the study suggests the vaccine can help reduce financial and material losses for beekeepers, without adversely affecting the queen bee’s health.Data also indicate a similar process could be used to manage diseases for organisms with the same immune mechanisms, like shrimp and mealworms. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.

Agriculture

The hunt for solutions is pressing, and growing evidence suggests there's a role to be played by the humble bund -- a simple structure that's been used by farmers for thousands of years.Bunds are barriers designed either to keep a liquid in or keep a liquid out. They can be made of materials either natural or artificial, and pop up in many contexts -- for example, a wall surrounding a chemical storage facility in case of a leak, or a sloped embankment around a road or railway to control water flow.Related article: Bamboo could help solve construction's sustainability problemThe most basic consist of mounded earth. In terms of geoengineering, they're about as low-tech as it comes, but when built strategically, their impact on the environment can be profound. Separate programs in as disparate climates as Tanzania and Northern Ireland are demonstrating bunding's regenerative power -- and the results could benefit both humans and nature.Putting techniques in the hands of Tanzanian farmersIn Tanzania, a collaboration between non-profits Justdiggit and the LEAD Foundation is working with local communities to dig tens of thousands of bunds on arid land to harvest rainwater, as part of a massive regreening effort backed by the UN. Angelina Tarimo, a coordinator at the LEAD Foundation, has been working with local communities in places such as Pembamoto, a village in the Dodoma region, where desertification is a growing threat."When you ask the elders what was happening in the past, they'll tell you that the rains were there; it was much greener than what we're seeing right now," she says. "You know completely that something went wrong somewhere."Agriculture has had a negative impact on land in Tanzania, Tarimo says, with farmers clearing trees and native plants in order to grow crops, or allowing grassland to become overgrazed. This damages the soil structure and makes it more prone to erosion. As the ground is drier, when rain falls it is more likely water will run off the surface instead of infiltrating the ground, washing away fertile soil and perpetuating a drying cycle.In 2018, Justdiggit and the LEAD Foundation worked with the village to transform a barren 50-acre test site, digging a network of semi-circular bunds with a raised perimeter around a shallow trench, into which seeds were sown. The bunds, roughly five meters by two meters large, were laid in an overlapping fish scale pattern with their depression facing uphill to capture rainwater flowing off the land, slowing its movement and allowing it to penetrate the earth. As part of the program, Pembamoto's community agreed to leave the land untouched for two years. "They were really skeptical about seeing any sort of results, because they'd never seen any grass growing in the area for years," says Tarimo. But after two years, such was its success they decided to extend the fallow period. Not only did the grass seed grow, but other dormant seeds germinated, and small mammals returned. The greenery spread far beyond the perimeters of the bunds, blanketing the previously degraded landscape. "After three years, the grass was taller than me!" says Tarimo.In August 2021, the community began to sustainably harvest grass for fodder and sold the surplus to neighboring villages, with the money going towards community development, says the LEAD coordinator. Justdiggit has other projects in Central Tanzania, where it says hundreds of villages are working to restore over 750,000 acres through a variety of methods. Between sites in Tanzania and southern Kenya, over 200,000 bunds have been dug to date. Justdiggit global director of communications Wessel van Eeden says getting regreening techniques into farmers' hands is vital. Alongside its partners' outreach programs, which include roadshows, brochures and radio slots, Justdiggit has collaborated with other non-profits to create digital platform Greener.land, which details 20 geoengineering interventions to restore degraded areas."There are potentially 350 million smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa," says van Eeden. "The techniques ... are super low tech, low investment, so they're scalable. All we need to do is to tell the right story to the right farmer through the right platform."Restoring peatland in Northern IrelandCell bunding -- creating an enclosed space with bunds -- has been used around the world for thousands of years to create watertight pockets of land ideal for growing crops such as rice. In recent years, trials have taken place to see if it can restore peatland in Northern Ireland.As part of the €4.9 million ($4.9 million) Source To Tap project, Northern Ireland Water and its partners set out to establish if restoring peatland could be a sustainable, cost-effective method of improving drinking water quality.Nearly 70% of drinking water in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland comes from peatland, which acts as a natural filter, explains project manager Diane Foster. If the peatland is degraded, "that can cause challenges," she adds.Trees planted on peatland intercept rainfall and lower the water table, reducing the available moisture for sphagnum moss, the essential building block for new peat. As a result, it can cause fluctuations in water color and cloudiness, Foster explains.On land belonging to Forest Service Northern Ireland in Tullychurry, County Fermanagh, peatland had been used for a plantation of lodge pole pine. Trees were harvested on a trial site in 2019, and in late 2020 two diggers worked for 11 weeks to create 145 rectangular cell bunds on just over six hectares (15 acres).The bunding method appeared to work "very, very quickly," says Foster, recalling some cells overflowing. A team from Ulster University collected water samples between February and December 2021. "We don't have masses of data," Foster admits, adding she would like to secure funding for future study. Results are expected to be published later this year."That area is now left to restore further," she adds. "We've put the mechanism in place to hopefully hold the water level up high ... We are seeing it's getting greener. We've seen sphagnum mosses come back."While the trial was established with humans in mind, the benefits of restoring peatland are manifold. "It'd be supporting lots of different ecosystem services," says Foster, including "biodiversity, water supply, flood storage and especially carbon storage."Northern Ireland Water is already implementing the technique elsewhere. At Lough Bradan, a lake that's a source of drinking water, between eight to 10 hectares (20-25 acres) of trees planted on peatland have been felled along the reservoir's western shore and cell bunding installed, creating a peat bog to slowly filter water flowing into the lake."(It's) really exciting to see it there in this drinking water catchment," says Foster. "It's going to take a bit of time for the sphagnum mosses and everything to colonize, but the process is now underway."

Agriculture

Bowery Farming's Chief Commercial Officer Katie Seawell holds up two different varieties of strawberries grown by the vertical farming company in its Kearny, NJ farm. The company is debuting berries as part of a limited release, as it pushes beyond leafy greens.Melissa Repko | CNBCKEARNY, New Jersey — Inside of a warehouse in this factory town neighboring Newark, thousands of strawberries grow in rows beneath bright lights.This is one of Bowery Farming's research and development centers, and these berries are destined for a second life in the big city.Starting Tuesday, customers will be able to buy the fruit less than a dozen miles away at a few gourmet grocers in New York City. They will star in dishes at some of the city's top restaurants crafted by celebrity chefs.Bowery will sell the strawberries for the first time as part of a limited release. But the berries, which taste the same during the peak of summer and depths of winter, are part of an ambitious effort to change how fruits and vegetables are grown and how Americans eat. Crops grown in vertical farms are typically stacked in rows from floor to ceiling in buildings near urban centers. That results in larger yields of fresher, higher-quality produce delivered to city grocery stores a few days after it is picked.Vertical farming companies have used the tech-based approach to produce lettuce and herbs. Now, they are looking to strawberries and other crops to win a larger share of grocers' shelves and consumers' stomachs. At first, the berries will be pricier than the average supermarket offering. But indoor-farming companies hope to expand their output and use automation to harvest the berries, which could bring prices down.One of Bowery's competitors, Plenty, said Tuesday that it plans to build an indoor strawberry farm to serve customers and retailers in the Northeast with major berry grower Driscoll's. Their rivals include venture-backed start-ups AeroFarms, PlantLab and BrightFarms.Christine Zimmermann-Loessl, chair of the Association for Vertical Farming, said companies must prove they can grow a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to become a more meaningful part of the food supply."With salad, you cannot feed the world," said Zimmermann, who runs the Munich, Germany-based nonprofit and advocacy group. "Nobody can eat that much salad."Bowery wants to make food more delicious, too."Imagine having a beautiful, fresh-tasting flavorful strawberry in February," said Susan MacIsaac, Bowery's senior vice president of agscience. "It really opens up a whole new way, a whole new world of eating. I think we all know we need to eat more fruits and vegetables, but often they're less than palatable."At Bowery's indoor farms, arugula, baby butter and other leafy green varieties grow in stacked rows from floor to ceiling. The company also sells rotating offerings, called Farmer's Selection, based on the season.Melissa Repko | CNBCA new spin on farmingInvestors are pouring money into agriculture technology companies at a time when food's price and availability are on the minds of more retailers and consumers.Inflation has pushed up food prices by 7.9% over the past 12 months, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data reported this month. The pandemic left some grocery shelves bare and underscored the complexities of the supply chain. In recent weeks, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has illustrated the risks of relying on other countries to produce energy or grow food."Look at the last two years, the number of disruptions that we are all having to deal with in our daily lives," said Soren Bjorn, president of Driscoll's of the Americas. "In the fresh produce industry, we are very, very dependent on the climate and the free movement of goods around the world. It turns out that some of those supply chains may have been a little bit more vulnerable than anybody thought, and it's not that difficult to imagine that these things could get worse."With vertical farming, produce is grown without pesticides, with less water and in farms that are only a short drive from consumers. That means fewer hours on a truck, which decreases the fuel used and increases odds of consumers eating fresher food and throwing less away.Advocates see vertical farming as a more sustainable way to expand food supply for growing global population, particularly as climate change transforms weather patterns.The farms account for a tiny percentage of the produce that Americans buy and eat, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That definition includes tomatoes and vegetables seen in grocery stores such as broccoli, lettuce, sweet corn and carrots, but does not include corn that is fed to animals or becomes a food ingredient in items such as tortilla chips.The total value of vegetables grown and sold in 2019 was about $18.9 billion. Within that, the total value of vegetables grown under protection and sold — a category that includes greenhouses and areas grown under temporary covers — was roughly $702.5 million in 2019, the most recent agriculture census available. Vertical farming is just a portion of that, and the federal government doesn't specifically track it.Yet the young industry has already gotten buy-in from some of the biggest names in food. Walmart, the country's largest grocer by revenue, recently invested in Plenty, and it carries some of Bowery's leafy greens in its stores.Bowery counts famous chefs Jose Andres, Tom Colicchio and David Barber among its investors.On Singapore Airlines, passengers this spring in first and business classes departing Newark and New York City can find baby bok choy and arugula that accompany their meals from AeroFarms, which grows them about 5 miles from Newark Liberty International Airport. The airline began buying produce from AeroFarms in 2019.A spokesperson for Singapore Airlines said the carrier plans to announce deals with other vertical farms later this year for flights from other major U.S. airports. The airline, which operates some of the world's longest flights, is trying to find ways to reduce its carbon footprint, including sourcing local food. Bowery Farming will sell strawberries at a few gourmet grocery stores in New York City. They will also star in desserts at some celebrity chefs' restaurants.Courtesy: Bowery FarmingBreaking into berriesBowery grows its strawberries in buildings that resemble a blend of a science lab and large indoor garden. Agriculture specialists dressed in lab coats, booties and hair nets check on their crops. Bright lights, intricate watering systems and whirring ventilation help create a stable growing environment that doesn't change — even when sleet and snow fall or summer temperatures blaze outside.Its New Jersey research and development farm is located in Kearny, about 11 miles west of New York City. It has another farm in Nottingham, Maryland, near Baltimore. It also has three new commercial farms underway in Atlanta, Dallas and Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.The berries are more complex to grow than leafy greens. With lettuces, leaves can be grown and picked. Strawberries must go through more steps: developing leaves, flowering and turning into a fruit that is harvested. That takes more time — and the help of bees, which are used to pollinate flowers.MacIsaac said Bowery narrowed the field of varietals to choose ones would thrive indoors and have a pleasing texture and taste.It landed on two types: wild and garden berries, which will be sold side-by-side in a package that's designed as an experience. Each pack includes a description of tasting notes similar to what a consumer might read at a wine tasting or a gourmet coffee shop.Garden berries are classic, with a "balance of sweetness and tartness," MacIsaac said. Wild berries are more distinct, with floral and tropical notes, she said.They will be available at Eataly locations and Mercado Little Spain in New York City and featured in desserts at Colicchio's Craft New York and Andres' restaurants, Lena and Spanish Diner. The strawberries will appear at other retailers and restaurants later in the spring, the company said.Each pack comes at a lofty price — $14.99 for 8 ounces.Yet Bowery said it wants to scale its strawberry business, so they are sold not only to foodies — but also to shoppers at mainstream grocery stores. Its lettuces are carried by retailers such as Walmart, Amazon-owned Whole Foods and Albertsons.The company said the pack is the first phase of its commercial rollout. "As we move on to our scale phase, our goal is to offer strawberries at a price and value that unlocks scale without compromising on flavor," it said in a statement.Last month, Bowery acquired Traptic. The company uses artificial intelligence and high-powered cameras to identify crops at peak ripeness and has robotic arms that can harvest even fragile fruits like tomatoes and strawberries.Plenty's first dedicated strawberry farm will be operating by the end of 2023, CEO Arama Kukutai said. The company, which is working with Driscoll's, hopes to sell its berries at grocers in early 2024, he said. It has not shared the specific location.The two companies kicked off a joint venture to develop and grow the berries in 2020. It will mark a geographic expansion for Plenty, which only has commercial farms in California. So far, Plenty and Driscoll's have grown strawberries in an indoor plant science research facility in Laramie, Wyoming — but have not sold them.Bjorn of Driscoll's said the Northeast is one of the largest berry markets for the company, so it was a natural place to start. Yet he said the approach would work well in other major markets, such as Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore and Hong Kong, where consumers have a big appetite for berries — but rely on pricey shipments from far away.Strawberries are an ideal puzzle for the vertical farming industry to solve, he said. The delicate fruits thrive in few places, such as the coasts of California and Chile and the foothills of the French Alps. They rely on fluctuating temperatures, such as cool nights and warmer days, to get the right flavor and texture. If it's too hot or humid, the fruit gets mushy and loses its taste."In the indoor environment, every day would be a perfect day," he said. "So that is one of the opportunities."–CNBC's Leslie Josephs contributed to this story.

Agriculture

The United Nations World Food Programme has called 2022 a “year of unprecedented hunger.” The war in Ukraine, climate disaster, and Covid-19 have destroyed crops, disrupted supply chains, and increased fuel and fertilizer costs. That’s left 50 million people “teetering on the edge of famine.”Alarming headlines may lead some to believe that we’re experiencing an acute scarcity of food, but the problem is less about the total amount of consumable food produced worldwide. Instead, the leading cause of hunger for over 800 million people today is affordability and access. As the world faces its third global food crisis in 15 years, some experts warn that policymakers have failed to learn from past troubles and may be making conditions worse in the long run.Food systems researchers and human rights advocates argue that the industrial agricultural system has left developing nations and the world’s poor vulnerable to localized disruptions that erupt into global price shocks. Those fighting for justice in the food system say it’s time for wealthy nations to eliminate financial burdens like sovereign debt and corporate subsidies, with the ultimate aim of transitioning to sustainable farming practices that prioritize feeding people over turning a profit.“The food system exists out of a long history of colonialism and exploitation, and now a modern political ecology of debt, extreme weather, and dependency on imports caused precisely by the world’s richest countries,” said Raj Patel, a University of Texas at Austin research professor and author of Stuffed and Starved: The Hidden Battle for the World Food System.The worst-case scenario, Patel notes, is already playing out in the Horn of Africa, where severe droughts have left 22 million people at risk of starvation. In September, the U.N. warned that “famine is at the door” in Somalia, where half of the country’s population needs food assistance. Prior to the war, Somalia relied on Russia and Ukraine for all of its wheat imports. While three-quarters of the country’s gross domestic product comes from the agricultural sector, 80 percent of exports are livestock and the majority of farmland is reserved for pasture.Humanitarian aid won’t be enough to stop the poorest from suffering. Patel is joined by a growing number of international figures and organizations advocating for debt relief to low-income nations struggling with inflation and climate catastrophe. The list includes U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres, Amnesty International, Oxfam International, and the president of the Rockefeller Foundation.Since the pandemic, inflation has gone up across the world, making it harder for developing nations to afford imports. At the same time, corporations saw record-setting profits as this economic turmoil provided a convenient excuse to jack prices up even further. Oxfam International calculated that food and energy billionaires saw their wealth grow by a billion dollars every two days, and the organization has called on the G7 to levy a windfall tax on the world’s largest corporations.Agriculture’s integration into the global market has left import-dependent nations particularly vulnerable to market disruptions as nations in the global south turned more of their attention to industrial-scale cash crops for export. In a few decades, Africa went from being a net exporter of food to relying on imports for the majority of its calories.At the same time, acute consolidation in the industry has seen just four companies take control of the global grain and agrochemical markets, which has meant increased fragility to external shocks, including conflict, Covid, climate change, and greater risk of commodity speculation and profiteering.Putin’s weaponization of grain and fertilizer production has underscored the vulnerabilities of the industrial agriculture system. With Russia and Ukraine representing more than a quarter of the world’s wheat supply and 12 percent of globally traded calories, import-dependent nations face the dual threats of mass starvation and political destabilization. Ukrainian grain exports have only recently approached prewar levels after plummeting to 15 to 20 percent this summer. An escalation in Russian aggression could very well see another crash.“The paradox of the situation is that the big farmers stopped immediately,” says Szocs-Boruss Miklos Attila, a small farmer in Romania and president of Eco Ruralis, a grassroots peasant association. “They suffered a huge shock because of their concentration, because of the lack of inputs” like chemicals and fertilizers. Szocs-Boruss says the small farmers in Ukraine, for whom leaving wasn’t an option, were faced with either joining the resistance or demining the fields and continuing to harvest. “When you’re a farmer [who] is not producing food for yourself first and then for the global market, it’s easy to ditch.”Mainstream policymaking circles have focused on technology, trade, and higher crop yields. Price shocks, the thinking goes, are not the result of an inherently volatile global supply chain so much as standalone disruptions to trade. When a crisis hits, the response has been to keep trade and food aid flowing while leaving the system intact.Emily Mattheisen, a program director at FIAN International, a nonprofit that advocates for the right to adequate food and nutrition, says it’s impossible to satisfy these rights under a food system where both production and public policymaking are dominated by corporate monopolies. “Just feeding people as the solution to hunger and malnutrition is not a long-term solution,” says Mattheisen. “It’s looking at the structures of the food system which are causing inequities in the first place, which is not happening to a large extent.”In May, FIAN International and the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems both released exhaustive reports on the systemic issues such as corporate consolidation, commodity speculation, and grain hoarding that turn disruptions in one part of the supply chain into full-scale price shocks. Both urge the international community to take the lead from those most impacted by hunger and point to the U.N.’s Committee on World Food Security as an inclusive platform to hear from both civil society and Indigenous peoples.Climate change is high on the list of concerns, and industrial agriculture, which is energy-intensive and relies heavily on fossil fuel-based fertilizers, appears only to be making things worse. Each year, about 30 percent of global emissions come from food production and roughly one-third of all food produced goes to waste (in high-income nations, waste is more common among consumers, and in low-income nations waste often occurs during or after harvest). Despite this abundance, there are sustained calls to expand access to fertilizers to increase crop yields—not to boost growth of food that would feed local residents but rather to reinforce monocropping for export markets.In light of Russia’s assault on Ukraine, small and medium-scale farmers in Europe have underscored the importance of rebuilding food systems from the bottom up to prioritize local supply chains, biodiversity, and sustainability for the long-term—reforms that they say are more resilient against external shocks.Mattheisen says too much focus has been placed on “food security” over the “right to food.” Patel sums up the difference between the two by saying, “You can be food secure in prison. You can have access to food, but have no power over the system that produces it.” He adds that “there are ways countries can and should move away from the colonial supply chains that exist.… There’s a reckoning to be had here.”Under British colonial rule, millions of people were systematically starved in Bengal as inflationary wartime policies became devastating famines. In Late Victorian Holocausts, Mike Davis concluded that somewhere between 30 to 60 million people were killed by famine as a result of colonial policies. Decades later, Western nations would again play a central role in reshaping food in the global south through structural adjustment programs. As a condition of borrowing money from international financial institutions like the IMF and World Bank, recipient nations eliminated domestic subsidies, opened agricultural markets to global trade, and displaced small farmers to make room for export crops.In Barbados, Prime Minister Mia Mottley has led the charge in targeting the global financial system as a means of fighting natural disasters and resource inequities between the northern and southern hemispheres. Others have called on wealthy nations to redirect billions of dollars in agricultural subsidies, which overwhelmingly benefit corporate meat and dairy monopolies, to rebuild a diverse food system that is more attuned to local diets. These subsidies have also made it nearly impossible for small farmers to compete in a “free-market system” that has been rigged against them. “There are hardly any policies set up at the European level and the global level that, right now, support small farmers,” says Szocs-Boruss. “Most of its being done by either international donors like USAID or charity organizations.”While the war’s ripple effects are still being felt in the food system throughout the world, Szocs-Boruss believes it’s more important than ever for people to demand a fairer and more localized food system, starting with the small farmers in Ukraine who are holding the front line. “The small farmers became the backbone of food autonomy in Ukraine in times of crisis,” says Szocs-Boruss. “That’s where more of the attention should have gone, but it didn’t. It went to support this global food system.”

Agriculture

Processing tomatoes dried up by heat and drought hang on vines on a farm belonging to farmer Aaron Barcellos in Los Banos, California, U.S. September 6, 2022. REUTERS/Nathan FrandinoFIREBAUGH, Calif., Oct 10 (Reuters) - A lack of rain and snow in central California and restricted water supplies from the Colorado River in the southernmost part of the state have withered summer crops like tomatoes and onions and threatened leafy greens grown in the winter.That has added pressure to grocery prices, putting a squeeze on wallets with no end in sight.The rise in food prices this year has helped drive U.S. inflation to its highest levels in 40 years. California's drought conditions, on top of Hurricane Ian ravaging citrus and tomato crops in Florida, are likely to push food costs even higher. Drought in an area known as the U.S. salad bowl has not only impacted fresh produce, but also pantry staples like pasta sauce and premade dinners.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com"There's just not enough water to grow everything that we normally grow," said Don Cameron, President of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture. Cameron also grows processing tomatoes, onions, garlic and more than a dozen other crops near Fresno, California.The most recent drought in California began in 2020, worsening when California's Central Valley faced its driest January and February in recorded history. Snowpack, supplying surface water for much of the Central Valley, reached just 38% of its historic average by April, according to the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, a state agency focused on conservation efforts.Near Firebaugh, California, Aaron Barcellos planted just a quarter of the 2,000 acres of his family's fourth generation farm. This summer, he harvested tomatoes two weeks early to prevent further drought damage."I don't think farming in California has ever been more complex and more challenging, and the drought is a large part of that," said Barcellos.California produces about 30% of the world's processing tomatoes, but in August the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut its 2022 forecast to 10.5 million tonnes, down 10% from its 12.2 million tonne estimate earlier in the year.Because of the shortfall, farmers this year negotiated higher prices for tomatoes, as well as onions and garlic used for spices in countless boxed meals and other grocery store staples, Cameron said."What you're seeing harvested this summer, that really hasn't even hit the grocery shelf, is a 25% increase in the cost of the product to the processors – the canners, the buyers downstream," he said. "The onions and garlic have already been negotiated for 2023, with another 25% increase in price."Cameron said tomato prices face a similar hike, resulting in a 50% increase in cost to canners and processors from 2021 to 2023.Ketchup and other tomato-based pasta sauce maker Kraft Heinz Co (KHC.O) said it's sourcing tomatoes from other regions to make up for California's shortfall.A company spokesperson said Kraft could guarantee tomato supplies in grocery stores, but did not rule out price increases.In southern California, Imperial Valley farmers are planting hundreds of acres of leafy greens to harvest this winter. The region faces water restrictions due to record low levels on the Colorado River, the source of water for both Imperial and Coachella Valley, the largest producer of dates in the U.S.Jack Vessey grows lettuce, cabbage and leafy greens on more than 500 acres near Holtville, California, along the Mexico and Arizona borders. He currently has enough water for his crops, but worries that further cuts could leave his crops withering in the field.Vessey normally plants alfalfa for livestock feed or durum wheat for pasta in January, but said he may fallow the land to save his Colorado River water allotment for higher value crops."That's our only water source. It's not just about agriculture," said Vessey. "You'd be killing a community."Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Nathan Frandino, Aude Guerrucci and Christopher Walljasper; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.Christopher WalljasperThomson ReutersChicago-based reporter covering U.S. food production, supply chain, U.S. hunger and farm labor. Born in a farming community in Southeast Iowa, he graduated from Monmouth College in Illinois and received his master’s degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

Agriculture

Corn kernels are seen inside a storage at a farm in the village of Yerkivtski, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in Kyiv region, Ukraine June 10, 2022. REUTERS/Anna VoitenkoRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comKYIV, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Ukrainian farms have started the 2022 corn harvest, threshing 92,200 tonnes of the commodity from 0.5% of the sown area, the agriculture ministry said on Friday.The ministry said in a statement that the corn yield stood at 4.41 tonnes per hectare.The ministry has said Ukraine could harvest 25 to 27 million tonnes of corn this year versus 42.1 million tonnes in 2021 and the Russian invasion was the main reason for the decrease in the harvest.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comUkraine is a major global grain producer and exporter but is likely to register a significant drop in output this year, falling to about 50 million tonnes from a record 86 million tonnes in 2021 because of the invasion.The ministry said farmers had harvested a total of 26.1 million tonnes of grain from 61% of the sown area in 2022 as of Sept. 23. and the average grain yield stood at 3.84 tonnes per hectare.It said the country had completed its 2022 wheat harvest with output at 19.2 million tonnes in bunker weight and the yield at 4.1 tones per hectare.Farms also harvested 5.5 million tonnes of the barley from 100% of the area and 250,700 tonnes of peas from 98% of the sown area.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Pavel Polityuk Editing by Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Agriculture

FIREBAUGH, Calif., Oct 10 (Reuters) - A lack of rain and snow in central California and restricted water supplies from the Colorado River in the southernmost part of the state have withered summer crops like tomatoes and onions and threatened leafy greens grown in the winter.That has added pressure to grocery prices, putting a squeeze on wallets with no end in sight.The rise in food prices this year has helped drive U.S. inflation to its highest levels in 40 years. California's drought conditions, on top of Hurricane Ian ravaging citrus and tomato crops in Florida, are likely to push food costs even higher. Drought in an area known as the U.S. salad bowl has not only impacted fresh produce, but also pantry staples like pasta sauce and premade dinners.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com"There's just not enough water to grow everything that we normally grow," said Don Cameron, President of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture. Cameron also grows processing tomatoes, onions, garlic and more than a dozen other crops near Fresno, California.The most recent drought in California began in 2020, worsening when California's Central Valley faced its driest January and February in recorded history. Snowpack, supplying surface water for much of the Central Valley, reached just 38% of its historic average by April, according to the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, a state agency focused on conservation efforts.Near Firebaugh, California, Aaron Barcellos planted just a quarter of the 2,000 acres of his family's fourth generation farm. This summer, he harvested tomatoes two weeks early to prevent further drought damage."I don't think farming in California has ever been more complex and more challenging, and the drought is a large part of that," said Barcellos.California produces about 30% of the world's processing tomatoes, but in August the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut its 2022 forecast to 10.5 million tonnes, down 10% from its 12.2 million tonne estimate earlier in the year.Processing tomatoes dried up by heat and drought hang on vines on a farm belonging to farmer Aaron Barcellos in Los Banos, California, U.S. September 6, 2022. REUTERS/Nathan FrandinoBecause of the shortfall, farmers this year negotiated higher prices for tomatoes, as well as onions and garlic used for spices in countless boxed meals and other grocery store staples, Cameron said."What you're seeing harvested this summer, that really hasn't even hit the grocery shelf, is a 25% increase in the cost of the product to the processors – the canners, the buyers downstream," he said. "The onions and garlic have already been negotiated for 2023, with another 25% increase in price."Cameron said tomato prices face a similar hike, resulting in a 50% increase in cost to canners and processors from 2021 to 2023.Ketchup and other tomato-based pasta sauce maker Kraft Heinz Co (KHC.O) said it's sourcing tomatoes from other regions to make up for California's shortfall.A company spokesperson said Kraft could guarantee tomato supplies in grocery stores, but did not rule out price increases.In southern California, Imperial Valley farmers are planting hundreds of acres of leafy greens to harvest this winter. The region faces water restrictions due to record low levels on the Colorado River, the source of water for both Imperial and Coachella Valley, the largest producer of dates in the U.S.Jack Vessey grows lettuce, cabbage and leafy greens on more than 500 acres near Holtville, California, along the Mexico and Arizona borders. He currently has enough water for his crops, but worries that further cuts could leave his crops withering in the field.Vessey normally plants alfalfa for livestock feed or durum wheat for pasta in January, but said he may fallow the land to save his Colorado River water allotment for higher value crops."That's our only water source. It's not just about agriculture," said Vessey. "You'd be killing a community."Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Nathan Frandino, Aude Guerrucci and Christopher Walljasper; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.Christopher WalljasperThomson ReutersChicago-based reporter covering U.S. food production, supply chain, U.S. hunger and farm labor. Born in a farming community in Southeast Iowa, he graduated from Monmouth College in Illinois and received his master’s degree from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

Agriculture

The combined methane emissions of 15 of the world’s largest meat and dairy companies are higher than those of several of the world’s largest countries, including Russia, Canada and Australia, according to a new study.The analysis from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy and Changing Markets Foundation found that emissions by the companies – five meat and 10 dairy corporations – equate to more than 80% of the European Union’s entire methane footprint and account for 11.1% of the world’s livestock-related methane emissions.“That just blew my mind,” said Shefali Sharma, director of the IATP’s European office. “We can’t continue to have this handful of companies controlling this many animals.”Methane, expelled by cows and their manure, is far more potent than carbon dioxide, trapping heat 80 times more effectively and emissions are accelerating rapidly, according to the UN.Researchers admit in the report that a lack of transparency from the companies makes it difficult to accurately measure greenhouse gas emissions. Results were estimated based on publicly available data on meat and milk production and regional livestock practices.The report comes as the Cop27 climate conference unfolds in Egypt, where politicians and corporate leaders are discussing the role of agriculture and face accusations they are failing to consider meaningful solutions.If the 15 companies were treated as a country, the report noted, it would be the 10th-largest greenhouse gas-emitting jurisdiction in the world. Their combined emissions outpace those of oil companies such as ExxonMobil, BP and Shell, researchers found.Researchers singled out individual livestock companies such as JBS, the world’s largest meat company, and the French dairy giant Danone.JBS’s methane emissions “far outpace all other companies”, according to the report, exceeding the combined livestock emissions of France, Germany, Canada and New Zealand.The world’s second-largest meat company, Tyson, produces approximately as much livestock methane as Russia, researchers said, and Dairy Farmers of America produces as much as the United Kingdom.JBS did not respond to requests for comment.Tyson and Dairy Farmers of America declined interview requests. A Dairy Farmers of America spokesperson said in an email that the report’s comparison of the company with UK emissions “is not an apples to apples comparison and is clearly an attempt to make sensationalistic headlines”. Dairy Farmers of America “is committed to being a part of climate solutions”, the organization added.The report recommended reforms to help curb emissions and climate breakdown, including governments requiring companies to report greenhouse gas emissions and fostering a “just transition” away from factory farming by reducing the number of animals per farm. Companies should also set goals to reduce emissions and be more transparent about methane production, the report concluded.The US has resisted regulating farm methane emissions, choosing instead to offer voluntary incentives to farmers and companies for reducing greenhouse gasses. But change is unlikely unless the Environmental Protection Agency is allowed to regulate those emissions, said Cathy Day, climate policy coordinator with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition.“There’s a narrative to focus on incentives only, to focus on environmental problems by paying people to solve them rather than requiring people to solve them,” she said. “My opinion is we don’t get there without regulatory solutions.”The 15 companies studied are based in 10 countries, five of which have increased livestock methane emissions in the past decade, the report said. China’s emissions have increased 17%, far more than other countries.While it would be helpful for people to eat fewer meat and dairy products, Sharma said, the true solution to curbing methane emissions was to end factory farming.“We’re not saying people need to go vegan or vegetarian,” Sharma said. “We’re just saying we need to do it better.”

Agriculture

A worker sifts wheat before filling in sacks at the market yard of the Agriculture Product Marketing Committee (APMC) on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, May 16, 2022. REUTERS/Amit DaveRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comMUMBAI, Aug 21 (Reuters) - India has sufficient stocks of wheat and there is no plan to import the grain, the government clarified on Sunday after some media outlets reported New Delhi was planning to import wheat.Local wheat prices jumped to a record 24,453 rupees ($305.97) per tonne on Friday.That was up nearly 16% from recent lows that followed the government's surprise ban on exports on May 14, ending hopes India could fill the market gap left by missing Ukraine grain.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comThe rally in local prices has prompted traders to speculate that New Delhi would allow imports to augment supplies, which dwindled after the production was hit by a heatwave.But Department of Food & Public Distribution in a Tweet said "There is no such plan to import wheat into India. Country has sufficient stocks to meet our domestic requirements and Food Corporation of India has enough stock for public distribution."India's wheat procurement in 2022 fell 57% from a year ago to 18.8 million tonnes.Wheat imports into India currently attract a 40% import duty. The overseas buying is not possible until government scraps the import tax, traders said.($1 = 79.9200 Indian rupees)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Rajendra Jadhav; editing by David EvansOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Agriculture

When you imagine a farmer, what do you see? Probably not a pocket gopher — a small, solitary rodent that tunnels through the soil and munches on roots all across North and Central America. That said, recent research in Current Biology reveals that some southeastern pocket gophers cultivate and collect the roots in their tunnel walls to sustain themselves. The findings also raise important questions about what actually counts as ‘agriculture.’ Agricultural Activities Roots and tubers make up the vast majority of southeastern pocket gophers’ meals, and researchers from the University of Florida, Gainesville find that a significant portion of these roots and tubers come from inside their own tunnels. In fact, they figure that invading roots provide anywhere from 20 to 60 percent of the daily food intake of many gophers.More than merely collecting the roots that they stumble across, these gophers create conditions in their tunnels that actively promote the production of roots, fertilizing the soil with their waste. For these reasons, the researchers state that these pocket gophers could count as one of the first mammalian farmers outside of humans. “It really depends on how ‘farming’ is defined,” says F. E. “Jack” Putz, a corresponding study author and professor from the University of Florida, Gainesville, in a press release. “If farming requires that crops be planted, then gophers don’t qualify. But this seems like a far too narrow definition for anyone with a more horticultural perspective in which crops are carefully managed […] but not necessarily planted.”The cultivation and collection of roots helps gophers meet the high-energy requirements involved in tunneling. This could clarify their reason for creating and maintaining such complex systems of burrows in the first place. To these gophers, researchers say, the tunnels serve the same purpose as fields of crops.Future investigations could uncover whether seasonal fluctuations in the gophers’ cultivation and collection of roots impact their cycles of activity. Studies could also ascertain whether the gophers’ agricultural activities in their tunnels impact the vegetation at the surface of the soil.“Whether or not they qualify as farmers, root cultivation is worth further investigation,” writes the researchers in their study.

Agriculture

UK aid spending is encouraging hunger-stricken Africans to eat insects, with projects aiming to develop the practice in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zimbabwe.Edible insects have long been touted as a resource-efficient source of protein, requiring less land and water than conventional livestock. However, taste and cultural resistance have proved to be stumbling blocks in extending the practice in many parts of the world.In a move to realise the substantial on-paper benefits of insect-eating, a £50,000 UK aid project in the DRC is putting African caterpillars, migratory locusts and black soldier flies on the menu.Workers gather mopane caterpillars, preparing them for sale in Kopa, Zambia. Photograph: Sue Cunningham /AlamyThe initiative is being spearheaded in the North and South Kivu provinces of the DRC, where cattle farming is one of the few ways to make a living for rural inhabitants. But as the population in these regions grows, space for animal husbandry is dwindling and beef farming is putting a strain on water supplies.Twenty-three species of insect are already consumed in the South Kivu region, although the Congolese do not usually farm them, instead opportunistically gathering them depending on the season. Edible insects commonly eaten in the region include the African palm weevil, the litter beetle, termites and crickets.The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (Cafod), a charity in England and Wales, hopes the Congolese will begin farming insects in an industrialised manner. Cafod did not respond to a Guardian inquiry about how it intended to use the money. A street vendor sells mopane worms. Photograph: poco_bw/AlamyMeanwhile, in Zimbabwe, another development project is under way to use mopane worms in porridge served in schools. The slimy green caterpillars, which turn into emperor moths, are already commonly picked for consumption from vegetation during the rainy seasons in rural parts of Zimbabwe.With £300,000 from the aid budget, officials are planning to feed poor children aged seven to 11 in the southern town of Gwanda and in the capital, Harare, a bug-laced gruel, which, they say, has the benefits of being rich in crucial vitamins and minerals, including phosphorus, potassium, iron, copper, zinc, manganese, sodium, vitamins B1 and B2, and niacin.The project’s lead, Dr Alberto Fiore, a professor of food chemistry and technology at Abertay University in Dundee, said Zimbabweans rely heavily on maize, which is low in protein, essential minerals, amino acids and fatty acids.A mopane worm vendor places the worms on a metal sheet before leaving them to dry at his homestead in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Photograph: Tafadzwa Ufumeli/GettyFiore said he and his team concocted a formula that combines locally farmed mopane worms with cereals and fruits that do not need to be imported – a significant benefit as the war in Ukraine and the strong US dollar make foreign-grown foods increasingly inaccessible.Although unwilling to disclose his recipe before the publication of the study’s data, Fiore did say his insect-based porridge contained grains including sorghum and millets. He said he was sure the dish was palatable, with his research team having conducted consumer taste tests in Scotland, a country long associated with porridge.Whipping up the bug-based meal is only the first stage of the project. A randomised control trial will be conducted to see if children who eat the breakfast perform better at school, and if their weight becomes healthier.Dr Sarah Beynon, the founder of the Bug Farm in Pembrokeshire and an academic entomologist, said aid projects promoting edible insects were “a sure way to save lives and improve nutrition of the poorest people on planet Earth”.A man cooks mopane worms using firewood at his homestead in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. Photograph: Tafadzwa Ufumeli/GettyShe said: “We are also actively encouraging people in the developed world to include insects in their diets.“With a population that has an appetite set to far exceed the planetary limits, and with current agriculture decimating biodiversity and changing the climate, we have no option but to change how we produce and consume food … and our views on the topic too.”Both aid projects were funded through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), an arms-length body of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.A UKRI spokesperson said: “We support specific research projects with funding, but we anticipate that the learnings and knowledge gleaned will benefit citizens around the world irrespective of their economic status. The protein and environmental benefits of consuming insects have been widely reported globally.”

Agriculture

Corporate pledges not to buy soybeans produced on land deforested after 2006 have reduced tree clearance in the Brazilian Amazon by just 1.6% between 2006 and 2015. This equates to a protected area of 2,300 km2 in the Amazon rainforest: barely the size of Oxfordshire. The findings, made by tracing traders’ soy supplies back to their source, are published today in the journal Environmental Research Letters. The work involved a team from the University of Cambridge, Boston University, ETH Zurich and New York University. The researchers also discovered that in the Cerrado, Brazil’s tropical savannah, zero-deforestation commitments have not been adopted effectively - leaving over 50% of soy-suitable forests and their biodiversity without protection. Brazil has the largest remaining tropical forests on the planet, but these are being rapidly cleared to rear cattle and grow crops including soybean. Demand for soy is surging around the world, and an estimated 4,800 km2 of rainforest is cleared each year to grow soybeans. The majority of soy is consumed indirectly by humans: soybean is widely used as feed for factory-farmed chickens, pigs, fish and cattle. It also accounts for around 27% of global vegetable oil production, and as a complete protein source it often forms a key part of vegetarian and vegan diets. By 2021, at least 94 companies had adopted zero-deforestation commitments – pledging to eliminate deforestation from their supply chains. But the study revealed that many of these commitments are not put into practice. And the researchers say that adoption of zero-deforestation commitments is lagging among small and medium sized food companies. “Zero-deforestation pledges are a great first step, but they need to be implemented to have an effect on forests – and right now it’s mainly the bigger companies that have the resources to do this,” said Professor Rachael Garrett, Moran Professor of Conservation and Development at the University of Cambridge Conservation Research Institute, a joint senior author of the report. She added: “If soybean traders actually implemented their global commitments for zero-deforestation production, current levels of forest clearance in Brazil could be reduced by around 40 percent.” Deforestation is the second largest contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions after fossil fuel use. It also causes the loss of diverse animal and plant life, threatens the livelihoods of indigenous groups, and increases inequality and conflict. The researchers say that the supply chains of other food products including cattle, oil palm and cocoa supply chains are more complex than soy, making them even more difficult to monitor. “If supply chain policies intend to contribute to the task of tackling deforestation in Brazil, it’s crucial to expand zero-deforestation supply chain policies beyond soy,” said Garrett, who is also Professor of Environmental Policy at ETH Zurich. A ‘soy moratorium’ was the first voluntary zero-deforestation commitment in the tropics – by signing it, companies agreed not to buy soybeans produced on land deforested after 2006. But while the commitment was implemented in the Brazilian Amazon, most Brazilian soy is produced in the Cerrado – which is rich in biodiversity. The researchers say their findings suggest private sector efforts are not enough to halt deforestation: supportive political leadership is also vital to conservation efforts. “Supply chain governance should not be a substitute for state-led forest policies, which are critical to enable zero deforestation monitoring and enforcement, have better potential to cover different crops, land users, and regions,” said Garrett. In 2021, the COP26 Glasgow Leaders’ Declaration on Forests and Land Use committed to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030. It was signed by over 100 countries, representing 85% of global forests. This research was funded by the US National Science Foundation, NASA Land-Cover and Land-Use Change Program, and US Department of Agriculture's National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Reference Gollnow, F., Cammelli F., Carlson, K.M., and Garrett, R. D. ‘Gaps in Adoption and Implementation Limit the Current and Potential Effectiveness of Zero-Deforestation Supply Chain Policies for Soy.’ October 2022, Environmental Research Letters. DOI: 10.1088/1748-9326/ac97f6

Agriculture

SummaryChina's methane emissions are world's highestChina emissions mostly from coal mining, agricultureBiggest challenge is to cut emissions from rice fieldsSHANGHAI, Nov 9 (Reuters) - China has drafted a new plan to control methane and will promote new technologies and financing mechanisms to slash rising emissions of the greenhouse gas that traps 80 times more heat than carbon dioxide, the country's top climate official said.Senior climate change envoy Xie Zhenhua said on the sidelines of climate talks in Egypt's Sharm El-Sheikh on Tuesday the new action plan would lead to concrete measures to curb methane emissions from energy, agriculture and waste.Tackling methane has become a major part of global efforts to limit temperature rises to 1.5 Celsius (2.7 Fahrenheit), with around 40 countries set to reveal abatement plans in Sharm El-Sheikh.China's emissions are the highest in the world and around a fifth of the global total. While it did not signed a "Global Methane Pledge" last year, it agreed to "develop additional measures" to control the gas.Provincial governments in China have also pledged in recent weeks to take stronger action to curb emissions, and a pilot national programme will begin early next year to discover "best practices" to control and monitor the gas.But Xie said China's ability to control the gas remained "weak", and its current focus was on "preliminary goals" like improving monitoring capabilities.Researchers have warned that China's emissions profile could make abatement costlier and more difficult than elsewhere.Unlike the United States, where oil and gas is the major source, around 40% of China's methane emissions are gas that escapes during the mining of coal, according to the Innovative Green Development Program (IGDP), a Chinese think tank.Another 42% is from agriculture, including livestock and rice cultivation, the IGDP said in a June research report."Many of the methane sources are fugitive emissions, which are usually difficult to accurately account for," said Zhang Yuzhong, a researcher at China's Westlake University.UTILISATIONClimate envoy Xie said a "change of thinking" was required to consider greenhouse gases like methane as a potential resource to be utilised.The utilisation of coalbed methane (CBM) has already become a major industry in China and helped cut atmospheric emissions in northern China's Shanxi province, which produces as much methane from its mines as the rest of the world combined, according to research by Global Energy Monitor.Methane concentrations vary dramatically, however, meaning there is no one-size-fits-all technological solution, and no guaranteed financial return to justify building storage infrastructure at every mine, experts say.Utilisation is also not a practical solution for China's abandoned coal mines, now responsible for more man-made methane emissions per year than any single industrialised nation apart from the United States and Russia, according to research from China's Zhejiang University published this month.Raising utilisation rates could help slash emissions from livestock though, with farmers already encouraged to install digesters to utilise biogas. China's "comprehensive utilisation" of agricultural waste could also help slash methane emissions.A bigger challenge is cutting emissions from rice paddies, which breed methane-emitting bacteria. Any solution would require changes in the practices of millions of farmers, said Westlake University's Zhang.China's efforts to control methane have so far come up short and it still has a lot to do, said Global Energy Monitor's Ryan Driskell Tate, who has researched China's methane emissions."China will need enforcement mechanisms and plans for implementation to achieve its targets," he said.Reporting by David Stanway; Editing by Tom HogueOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Agriculture

Weeds are a major factor that affects the quality and quantity of agricultural produce. Generally, chemical herbicide sprays are used for eliminating weeds from the farmland. But its continuous use adds waste and pollution to the ecological environment of the farmland.Over the years, the level of agricultural production has been improved. Plus, the improved methods have also helps in distinguishing weed from crops accurately. Thanks to the computer vision technology that helps in successful weeds detection. It allows the individuals to ensure that the spray is used only for weeds. However, it is to be noted that accurate spraying is dependent on accurately identification of crops and weeds.Business Solution: Smart Product Recommendation SystemThe use of computer vision technology in weed detection has increased considerably in the recent years. It uses two data science methods: deep learning and image processing for solving weed detection issues. With this technology in use users can get overview of a number of methods that can be used to detect weed and provide weed datasets.Agricultural Herbicide Spraying and Weed Detection using Smart Computer VisionUsing herbicides in the initial stages increases the yield while reducing the waiting time needed for growth of the crop. The procedures for eradicating and controlling the weed existing in land needed manual efforts. A more efficient alternative technique is required for reducing the man power. It will create a number of opportunities for facing the challenges of the world market.Concept of monitor vision for weed detection ensures proper identification of weed. Plus, the technology also helps in ensuring that the herbicide isn’t sprayed to the areas where it isn’t required as the chemical contaminates both soil and water. The computer vision comprises of two techniques wavelet based algorithm and image processing for classifying the weeds.Besides, the technique also comes in handy for segregating the weeds from the cultivated plants. It can also be used for evaluating nutrition of the soil. Additionally, it can also be used for spraying herbicide to the right area soil pollution and water contamination levels can be lowered to maximum possible extent.Factors affecting weed detectionWeeds have complex natural properties with a number of varieties of species, random growth, leaf sizes, and shapes, and texture features. When they are in buds stage the plant size is small but their germination density is high. Resultantly, it’s difficult to get accurate data and statistics of the weed even with an efficient technology like monitor vision.Following are major factors that affect weed detection performance –The growth stages of weeds – The leaf texture, spectral characteristics, and morphology of most of the weed plants change with change in the season. Hence, the development and growth stages affect weed detection process.Change in light conditions – It plays a major influence in weed detection as the plant canopy’s shade and the sun’s angle affects the vegetation’s color. Most of the people use Otsu algorithm and ultra-green index for solving this issue which is caused due to ambient light. Even HIS color model and grayscale images are used with the H component to reduce impact of uneven lighting on color images.Occlusion and overlapping leaves influence – Separating the weed plants accurately is a tough task. The overlapping leaves, field images, shadows, occlusions, damaged leaves, and leaf dead leaves affect the leaf segmentation process impossible when the computer vision processes the images.Weed detection bottleneck – Factors like algorithm complexity, plant density, and hardware, limit the accuracy and speed of weed detection. Hence, quick and accurate weed identification and image processing remains highly challenging task.Use of weeding machinery in monitor vision technologyThe monitor vision technology detects the smart weeds smartly which helps in identifying the target efficiently when spraying. It features autonomous robots which improve the efficiency and accuracy of the entire weeding process.Powerful mechanical techniques and computer vision design a number of automated weed controlling robots. It leverages computer vision for detecting weeds and crops and applies the herbicides selectively. To achieve precision agriculture the weeds are eliminated or detected among rows.It also features weed knife control system comprising of computer vision-based geometric 3D detection algorithm. The mechanical knives devices also help in automatic weed control in case of selective crops like lettuce and tomato, hence making it an ideal solution for farmland with high-weed density. It is mainly used for detecting a particular plant or weed on the field which may cause quality, health, and yield problems if consumed by livestock.Also Read: Natural Language Processing for Manufacturing IndustryThe design and functioning of a robot platform plays a crucial role in implementation of the computer vision weed detection method. Generally, a weeding device is installed in the tractor, and a camera is installed in the weeding tool. Individuals can replace the weeding tool with steam nozzles or insecticide. Smart weeding equipment and machines are more efficient and save more manpower in comparison to the traditional methods. Plus, they also enhance the overall productivity and helps individuals to achieve better results in their agricultural processes.Limitations of weed detection through computer visionDifferent weed and crop species create different problems for species detection. The task become even more challenging when the crop and weeds present in the field have a number of similarities. However, there have been researches for differentiating weed and crop species using robotic vision but it has helps in identification and classification of the leaves for particular plant varieties instead of the field images. The stability and accuracy is low when the method is applied for detecting weed in a vast field.Weed detection evaluation and dataset indicators – Currently, there are a limited number of public datasets for weed detection. However, there are self-built datasets that are used to map the performance of the technology and the process. Though there are datasets for selected crops but the algorithm portability but it is difficult to measure the performance accurately.Future of monitor Vision based weed detection in agricultureUnlike the traditional methods, robotic vision based weed detection technique features deep learning which is based on high-end weed detection. Automatic weeding and weed detection have been achieved with the help of various mechanical equipment and methods. They have laid an excellent foundation to achieve precise weeding and high efficiency in the future. So, AI is not just changing how digital businesses work, but farming too.Researchers have successfully obtained satisfactory results in different weed detection backgrounds; however, there is still lack of robustness and generality. Methods based on deep learning show that the technique has been successful in meeting the weed detection requirements, but most of the labeled samples also show that there is much to be done for reducing the manual working involved in the weeding process. In comparison to the weeds, it is easy to obtain the images of crop present in the field.Efficient use of weed detection technology and developing an automatic guidance system for agricultural operations and crop detection can be conducted in a number of aspects, like spraying, harvest, transportation, and weeding.Agricultural vehicles with automated systems don’t reduce and fatigue the operator’s labor intensity. Hence, it improves the safety and efficiency of the entire process. Currently, few devices and methods meet practical applications of weed detection requirements. However, there is a lot to be done for developing weed detection equipment with cost efficiency and high performance.Let’s get in touch to know more.

Agriculture

Swiss citizens have comprehensively turned down an initiative to ban intensive livestock farming and to boost animal welfare rules. Farmers are celebrating what they see as a vote of confidence in Swiss agriculture. This content was published on September 25, 2022 - 18:49 Another rural victory: after some heated votes involving agriculture in recent years, including on pesticides last summer, citizens have again sided with the majority of Swiss farmers – this time in a vote touching on industrial farming and meat consumption.Final results on Sunday showed some 63% of voters said no to the “factory farming” initiative – considerably more than surveys had predicted in recent weeks. Canton Basel City was the only of the 26 regions to approve the idea. Interior Minister Alain Berset, responsible for the government’s stance on the initiative, said on Sunday that citizens had “judged that the dignity of animals is respected in our country, and that their well-being is sufficiently protected by current legislation”.Analyst Lukas Golder from the Gfs Bern research institute agreed: such a clear rejection was a sign that voters weren’t convinced by the relevance of the proposal, or by the claim that there was a problem in need of fixing, Golder told SRF.The initiative – triggered by campaigners who had collected 100,000 signatures – had demanded various improvements for farm animals, including guaranteed regular outdoor access and a reduction in the maximum numbers allowed in a single stable. Opponents of the ban, including government and a majority of parliament, had warned that the change would have led to higher prices, reduced consumer choice, and floods of foreign products arriving to fill the gap – despite the initiative stipulating that imports would also have to conform to the new standards.Over the past months, a majority of farmers, led by the Farmers’ Federation, fought vehemently against what they saw as an unfair attack on them as a means to reduce meat consumption in society more broadly.For Martin Rufer, director of the Swiss Farmer’s Federation, the rejection of the initiative amounts to a vote of public confidence in the country’s agricultural system. Accepting it would have meant serious consequences for farmers and Swiss food production, he told public television SRF on Sunday.Awareness raisingSupporters had mixed reactions to the defeat on Sunday. While some talked up the fact that they had “raised awareness” about animal welfare, others were more circumspect. Campaign director Philip Ryf said it was a “missed opportunity” to convince the public of the long-term benefits of reducing livestock numbers. Referring to the hefty financial means of the opposition camp, he said it had been a “David versus Goliath” campaign.As for their arguments, while the backers had centred their message around ethics and animal welfare, environmental concerns were never far away. After a drought-hit summer, campaigners saw the reform as a way to adapt Swiss agriculture to the global fight against climate change – which calls for reduced meat consumption and the repurposing of land to produce more vegetables and less animal feed.They also didn’t deny that prices of animal-based products would rise as a result of the new rules. But this was a necessary evil to combat the health and environmental impact of intensive farming, they said. Meat should be a quality product for which consumers will pay more but eat less of. “Let’s go back to Sunday roasts!” said Green Party politician Meret Schneider during the campaign.Should the factory farming initiative have been accepted, farmers would have had up to 25 years to adapt to the rules. And although the result on Sunday gives them some breathing space, they yet remain under pressure. Vote results September 25, 2022Ban on factory farming: 37% yes, 63% noPension reform/retirement age women: 50.6% yes, 49.4% noPension reform/increase in VAT: 55.1% yes, 44.9% noReform withholding tax: 48% yes, 52% noTurnout: 52.3%About 5.5 million citizens, including registered Swiss expats, were eligible to take part in the ballots.Votes on a wide range of different issues also took place in numerous cantons and municipalities across the country.End of insertion In compliance with the JTI standards More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

Agriculture

published : 22 Sep 2022 at 08:45 The government and parliament oppose the initiative, insisting that Switzerland already has strict animal welfare laws GENEVA: The Swiss will vote Sunday on whether to ban intensive livestock farming in the largely rural country, which already has some of the world's strictest animal welfare laws.The animal rights and welfare organisations behind the initiative want to make protecting the dignity of farm animals like cattle, chickens or pigs a constitutional requirement. Their proposal, which received more than the 100,000 signatures needed to put any issue to a popular vote under Switzerland's famous direct democracy system, would essentially eradicate all factory farming. "We believe animal agriculture is one of the defining problems of our time," animal welfare group Sentience, which presented the initiative, says on its website. It points to the "immense suffering experienced by animals on factory farms," but also to scientific studies showing that "industrial animal husbandry is disastrous for the environment and detrimental to our health". If accepted, the initiative -- which has the backing of left-leaning parties, Greenpeace and other environmental organisations -- would impose stricter minimum requirements for animal-friendly housing and care, access to outdoors, and slaughtering practices. It would also significantly shrink the maximum number of animals per pen. The government and parliament oppose the initiative, insisting that Switzerland already has strict animal welfare laws defining how much living space each animal should have. The initiative "goes too far," Swiss Health Minister Alain Berset told reporters in June, maintaining that the government for the past quarter century had been promoting "respectful animal husbandry". According to the current laws, farms cannot keep more than 1,500 fattening pigs, 27,000 broiler chickens or 300 calves, basically ruling out the kinds of massive factory farms seen in other countries. "There is no factory farming in Switzerland," insisted Marcel Dettling, a farmer and parliamentarian with the populist right-wing Swiss People's Party. Pointing out that limits in neighbouring Germany for instance can be 100 times higher, he told Swissinfo.ch that the initiative would only serve to hike prices. Sentience campaign manager Philipp Ryf, however, said that when you have 27,000 chickens crammed into a pen and only 12% of farm animals ever go outside, "we do think that is factory farming". He acknowledged to AFP that the law in Switzerland "is quite strong compared to other countries", but added: "We don't necessarily think that's a good metric." "We want to look at what we are doing... We think we could be doing more." The government has also warned that if the initiative passes, prices would swell, and has cautioned it could also impact relations with trading partners. This is because the requirements would also apply to the import of animals and animal products, which the government says would force Switzerland to violate its World Trade Organization obligations and to renegotiate trade agreements. The Swiss would also have to invest large amounts in costly inspections of foreign farms, it argues. Such arguments appear to have convinced a growing number of Swiss. While early polls indicated that a slim majority was in favour of the initiative, the latest gfs.bern poll last week saw the "no" camp take the lead, with 52% of those questioned opposed to the move. The farmers themselves appear particularly sceptical. The latest poll showed 62% of those questioned in rural areas rejecting the proposal, while 53% of city-dwellers surveyed said they would vote in favour. Ryf said the strong opposition in rural areas was largely due to a well-funded campaign by the initiative's opponents that had spread the "misconception" it would be bad for farmers. "We regret that, because we do believe that our initiative will be good for farmers," he said, pointing out that it would provide them support and 25 years to implement the changes. While Switzerland's largest farmers association is staunchly opposed to the initiative, many of those running smaller farms support it. David Rotzler, who has a small, diverse livestock farm in Sonvilier in northern Switzerland, told the Journal du Jura daily that "animal welfare does not depend on the size of the farm, but on the farmer". But, he said, it is certainly "easier to care for animals when you are smaller".

Agriculture

John Lepp seeds wet spots in a field with canola by airplane, while daughter Cassandra Lepp plants the crop with a tractor, near Rivers, Manitoba, Canada May 27, 2022. Picutre taken May 27, 2022. Stefanie Lepp/Handout via REUTERS Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comJune 28 (Reuters) - Eric Broten had planned to sow about 5,000 acres of corn this year on his farm in North Dakota, but persistent springtime rains limited him to just 3,500 in a state where a quarter or more of the planned corn could remain unsown this year.The difficulty planting corn, the single largest grain crop in the world, in the northern United States adds to a string of troubled crop harvests worldwide that point to multiple years of tight supplies and high food costs.Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a major agricultural exporter, sent prices of wheat, soy and corn to near records earlier this year. Poor weather has also reduced grain harvests in China, India, South America and parts of Europe. Fertilizer shortages meanwhile are cutting yields of many crops around the globe. read more Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comThe world has perhaps never seen this level of simultaneous agricultural disruption, according to agriculture executives, industry analysts, farmers and economists interviewed by Reuters, meaning it may take years to return to global food security."Typically when we're in a tight supply-demand environment you can rebuild it in a single growing season. Where we are today, and the constraints around boosting production and (war in) Ukraine ... it's two to three years before you get out of the current environment," said Jason Newton, chief economist for fertilizer producer Nutrien Ltd. (NTR.TO).United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said last week that the world faces an unprecedented hunger crisis, with a risk of multiple famines this year and a worse situation in 2023. read more Ahead of a crucial North American harvest, grain seeding delays from Manitoba to Indiana have sparked worries about lower production. A smaller corn crop in the top-producing United States will ripple through the supply chain and leave consumers paying even more for meat than they already are, as corn is a key source of livestock feed. read more Global corn supplies have been tight since the pandemic started in 2020, due to transportation problems and strong demand, and are expected to fall further. The U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) expects end-of-season U.S. corn stocks to be down 33% from pre-pandemic levels in September before this year's harvest, and down 37% in September 2023.PLANTING DELAYSIn North Dakota, corn would normally be at least knee-high by mid-June, but only about two-thirds of the state's crop had even emerged from the ground.It was late May before Broten was able to plant any corn, and he traded in his seed for shorter-season and lower-yielding varieties twice before finally deciding it was too late to plant more. Ideally, he would have finished corn planting by the first week of the month. He could not wait any longer for fields to dry out."We were pushing the envelope, working ground that was way too wet, just trying to get a crop in," Broten said, noting that wheel tracks are still visible in his corn fields where his farm machinery compacted the saturated dirt."Our production goals for the farm are going to be way down," he said.The slow spring planting pace already forced USDA to lower its national corn yield outlook last month by 4 bushels per acre. That cut alone slashed the U.S. harvest potential by more than 9 million tonnes, or equal to almost half of China's record U.S. imports last year.The Biden administration moved to encourage planting as a means to temper food price inflation, already the highest in decades. The government lifted restrictions on planting on environmentally sensitive land, increased funding for domestic fertilizer production and made more counties eligible for insurance for planting a second crop this year. But the benefits have been minimal as conserved acreage is limited and the soil can be less productive, while farmers are hesitant to risk double-cropping when seeds and crop chemicals are priced so high. read more U.S. farmers may also leave unplanted some 3.2 million acres earmarked for corn and instead file prevented planting insurance claims that can compensate them when weather prohibits planting, according to University of Illinois economists.An abnormally large share of prevented planting corn acres will likely be in North Dakota, while crops that were planted have an "elevated risk of damage from an early-to-normal frost," the economists said in a report.The problems extend north across the border in Canada, where heavy snowfall through April was followed by a May rain storm that washed out Gary Momotiuk's fields and forced him to relocate panicked cattle in the middle of the night."It was just wild how high the water was," said Momotiuk, 49, who farms near Dauphin, Manitoba. "It was probably the first time we could catch fish right in the farmyard."In mid-June, Momotiuk still had 1,200 acres unplanted. He abandoned plans to sow profitable canola and wheat crops because they would not have time to mature, and hoped to seed barley to feed his cattle.Manitoba, the third-biggest provincial grower of spring wheat and canola in Canada, left 880,000 acres unplanted, the most in eight years and representing 9% of the province's insured farmland, according to its agriculture department.Cassandra Lepp, who farms near Rivers, Manitoba, said her family's custom application business planted crops by airplane for other farmers for the first time in a decade after the spring rain deluge.Seeding by air enables farmers to produce a crop in challenging times, but the practice is costly and can lack the precision of traditional planting on dry fields, resulting in seeds that fail to germinate and lower harvest yields."It definitely seems like the weather is getting more extreme," Lepp said. "We just have to pivot really fast."HIGH INPUT COSTSFarmers may struggle to rebound from this season's challenges as costs for inputs, from fertilizers to fuel that runs farm machinery, remain elevated. Grain output may suffer if margin-squeezed farmers cut back.Scott Kay, vice president of U.S. crops for BASF SE (BASFn.DE), warned a shortage of herbicide that protects crops from weeds would likely persist. read more Ukraine's grain output could take years to rebuild after fighting wrecked crop handling, storage and shipping infrastructure in a country that accounted for as much as 17% of global corn exports and 11% of wheat exports before the war. read more Even once the war ends, global grain supplies are likely to remain structurally tight, said Nutrien economist Newton. Efforts to slow climate change are driving up demand for crops to produce biofuels instead of food and China is importing dramatically more grain as it runs out of new land for agriculture, he said.Juan Luciano, CEO of grain trader Archer-Daniels-Midland Co (ADM.N), expects global crop staples to remain in low supply for at least two years. read more The war will create a global wheat shortage for at least three seasons, according to Ukraine's agriculture minister. read more But North Dakota's Broten is more concerned about next year."We had opportunities to buy inputs at a decent price so those costs are not going to reflect this year's production nearly as much as next year's," he said. "I'm looking to see substantial increases in my cost of production for an acre of corn."Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Karl Plume in Chicago and Rod Nickel in Winnipeg Editing by Caroline Stauffer and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Agriculture

Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSummaryPistachio crop hit by war, drought and sanctionsKnown in Syria as 'a golden tree in a poor land''I need fertiliser. I need water. There is none.'MAAN, Syria, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Returning to their orchards after years of war, Syrian pistachio farmers hoping to revive their valuable crop have had their hopes dashed by scorched trees and the ravages of climate change.Laden with maroon-coloured bunches of nuts that are harvested in summer, the pistachio tree is known in Syria as "a golden tree in a poor land", reflecting the value of a fruit long exported across the Middle East and Europe.But farmers near the northwestern village of Maan are harvesting just a quarter of the crop they gathered before the war, farmer Nayef Ibrahim said.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comIbrahim and his family left their farms when the area became a frontline in the conflict that erupted in 2011. They returned after government forces drove out rebels in 2019.They found pistachio trees slashed and burned during the conflict - and the new ones they have planted will take up to 12 years to bear fruit, Ibrahim said.A successful harvest on his farm would likely take longer, with the road to recovery slowed by "the lack of rainfall, climate change as a whole, and the lack of basic materials that a farmer needs," he told Reuters.Syria saw its worst drought in more than 70 years in 2021, with harvests across the country hit hard, according to the International Rescue Committee aid group.Ibrahim estimated his fields had received half the rainfall of previous years but that the rising costs of fuel to pump in water meant he couldn't afford an alternative.Nutrient-rich soil that could help him boost production was also unavailable or expensive, he said."I need fertiliser. There is none. I need water. There is none," he said.A worker displays pistachios at a factory in the town of Morek, Syria August 8, 2022. REUTERS/Firas MakdesiHARVESTED AT DAWNImporting fuel, fertilizer and other basic needs for farming into Syria has been hampered by around a decade of Western sanctions, a collapsing local currency and now the conflict in Ukraine, which has prompted global price hikes.The West has tightened its sanctions on the Syrian government since conflict broke out in 2011 over rights violations, but many Syrians say the measures have hit regular citizens the hardest."It's hard for me to get pesticides because of the economic siege," Ibrahim told Reuters.Some farmers have tried to find workarounds, with solar panels installed at one pistachio orchard to power irrigation.The nuts are harvested at dawn and sunset - the times of day when their shells split naturally, generating a cracking noise that guides farmers to trees ready for picking.They are poured into machines that peel and sort them by size before being bagged in 50 kg sacks labelled "Aleppo pistachio" - a name recognised across much of the Middle East.Clutching a bunch of freshly picked pistachios, farmer Youssef Ibrahim said he was disappointed at the size of the kernels. "If there was adequate irrigation, the nut should be bigger than this."Farmers across Syria have been struggling with similar problems, with indications of a poor wheat harvest adding to concerns about food supplies in a country where the U.N. says more people are in need than at any point since 2011.Agriculture ministry official Jihad Mohamed said pistachio farming had suffered because the areas where they are grown had been badly affected by the war, noting widespread tree cutting.Despite that, exports continued with Syrian pistachios selling in markets including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, he said.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comWriting by Tom Perry; Editing by Maya Gebeily and Andrew HeavensOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Agriculture

Kenyan farmer Bernard Mbithi uproots a field where he was growing maize that failed because of a drought in Kilifi county, Kenya, February 16, 2022. REUTERS/Baz RatnerOct 4 (Reuters) - Kenya has lifted a ban on genetically modified crops in response the worst drought to affect the East African region in 40 years, with authorities hoping it will improve crop yields and food security.For the last four seasons the annual rains have failed across Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, forcing 1.5 million people to flee their homes in search of food and water elsewhere. read more A statement issued by President William Ruto's office after he chaired a cabinet meeting described lifting the ban as part of responses to the drought. Cultivation and importation of genetically modified white maize is now authorised.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com"Cabinet vacated its earlier decision of 8th November, 2012 prohibiting the open cultivation of genetically modified crops and the importation of food crops and animal feeds produced through biotechnology innovations; effectively lifting the ban on Genetically Modified Crops," the statement read.It said Kenya's cabinet had considered expert and technical reports on biotechnology, including by United Nations agencies the World Health Organization and Food and Agriculture Organization, in making its decision.The cabinet decision comes after one in 2019 to approve the commercialisation of a genetically enhanced variety of cotton that is resistant against African bollworm.(This story has been corrected to show rains have failed in the last four rainy seasons, not the last four years)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Alexander Winning in Johannesburg Editing by James Macharia ChegeOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Agriculture

The images are apocalyptic. Pleasure boats marooned in dried-up European rivers. Norwegian reservoirs too low to drive hydropower. China’s largest inland lake turned to a prairie as its water evaporates away.And so are the warnings. The National Drought Group of the UK predicts that yields of some vegetable crops—carrots, onion, and potatoes—could be cut in half. The European Drought Observatory says that almost half of the bloc is drier than it has been since the Renaissance. China’s agricultural ministry has urged farmers to undertake emergency switches to different crops following a historic heatwave.With fall harvests coming, it’s natural to be concerned about global food supplies. But people who track the production and trade of major crops say the world is not in an emergency—yet. Pick any location, and you may find signs of strain. But overall, the system still shows resilience. “It’s easy to lose track of the scale of global agriculture,” says Scott Irwin, a widely followed economist and chair of agricultural marketing at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “It’s just massive, and it’s extremely distributed geographically. If you have a problem in one area, at least historically, that will tend to get offset by better than average growing conditions someplace else.”“The fact is,” he adds, “as of today, the world has adequate supplies of grain.”That might seem counterintuitive, given soaring food prices and the lingering disruption of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, where cargo ships that were trapped since February have finally been allowed to depart. But it captures the disconnect between how people experience food supplies locally, as irrigation water is directed away from perishable vegetables and favorite condiments disappear from shelves, and how economists judge the health of a system founded on staple crops such as wheat, corn, and soybeans that can be shipped and stored.The most recent monthly assessment, published in mid-August by the US Department of Agriculture, projects higher US and global production for wheat and soybeans and mixed results for corn and rice. Because those predictions are aggregates, they smooth out what producers are feeling locally—better weather in some areas, reduced yields in others—and also the reality that certain commodity crops are planted and harvested at different times of the year. Winter wheat, which is taken up in May or June, was already cut by the time summer heat waves arrived, but hot, dry conditions could have interfered with the pollination of corn, which goes into the ground in the spring.“A couple of days ago, there were headlines saying South Dakota’s corn crop was unusually low this year—and they have a terrible drought—and that Nebraska was a little below normal,” says Daniel Sumner, an economist and director of the Agricultural Issues Center at the University of California, Davis. “But as of the middle of August, USDA was still projecting a normal national corn and soybean crop in the United States. And that’s because Indiana and Illinois and Iowa had relatively good crops, and are much more important in the national total, than Nebraska or South Dakota would be.”Even if those differences average out nationally—possibly even globally, when you balance Southern Hemisphere production against the US and Western Europe, or the Americas against Central Europe and Asia—there’s a persistent sense that things are, well, wiggly. Some of the changes in productivity come from farmers’ decisions, like choosing to plant more in order to make up for a dry year, or less to mitigate the fertilizer price hikes created by Russia withholding exports. But some are unquestionably due to unpredictable weather patterns generated by climate change, which are affecting farmers’ routines as well as harming crops already in the fields.“We’re seeing longer periods of dryness before the next rain event occurs, and that next rain event is more likely to be in the form of heavy rainfall that will end up running off” because the soil has hardened, says Beth Hall, director of the Indiana State Climate Office at Purdue University. “The success of crops this year in the US, in the broader Midwest region, was all about when farmers were able to plant their fields. Those that were planted earlier had roots deep enough that when it was dry, they could tap into some low moisture.” But if fields were muddy from rain and farmers couldn’t get into them, she adds, they planted later—and root systems were shorter and unable to keep new plants heavy before the next downpour came around.Of course, farmers have always fretted about the weather. The challenge for crop experts right now is determining whether droughts and other disturbances—and the crop shortfalls they may cause—add up to a predictable trend. That’s especially important because, while productivity might not look bad overall, there isn’t much surplus grain stock thanks to scattered droughts last year and the supply shock of Ukraine’s breadbasket being temporarily locked out of the global food system.“The key thing about stocks is that, if you have a drought, you can use them to keep prices reasonable—because when they get very low, prices get volatile,” says Joseph Glauber, a senior research fellow at the nonprofit International Food Policy Research Institute and former chief economist at the USDA. “I think people were hoping that stock levels would be rebuilt, essentially that we’d have really large crops this year. But there are these drought and weather disruptions around the world, though all the shoes haven’t fallen yet.”No one who works in crop economics has forgotten that high grain prices more than a decade ago were the spark of civil unrest around the world: riots in Haiti, South America, and South Asia in 2008 and 2009, and the Arab Spring in 2010. And no one thinks things are that bad, yet. “It’s very easy to underestimate how flexible production can be,” Sumner says. “The current droughts don’t yet look nearly as severe as we’ve seen at least a half a dozen times in my career.”And future shortages are likely to be unevenly distributed. In some parts of the world, droughts have already lasted long enough to profoundly disrupt food production. The people bearing the brunt of that disruption lack the income or power that could help alleviate their suffering. Historically, the Horn of Africa—Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya—experiences rainy seasons twice a year, from October to December and again from March to May, and the precipitation is crucial for feeding both humans and livestock. The four most recent rainy seasons all failed. The latest one, which should have ended last May, was the driest on record. A third of the area’s livestock have died. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network, a project of the US Agency for International Development plus international nonprofits, estimates that as many as 20 million people are hungry.In the past, governments in other parts of the world sent food aid. This year, thanks to droughts and supply shocks, that response isn’t arriving at the usual volume or speed. Wheat from Ukraine, for instance, would have been an aid staple, but the first shipment from there arrived only on August 30. “In normal cases, we can move food from one region to another to make up for losses; the international community, the UN World Food Programme, is able to move food into crisis situations,” says Christine Stewart, director of the Institute for Global Nutrition at the University of California, Davis. “The problem is that right now we have so many overlapping crises that the backup system is under an immense amount of stress.”The Horn of Africa is an extreme case, but it may also be a glimpse of the future. The global food system exists to allow surpluses to be traded to areas where crops are short. It works, for now. But as weather becomes less predictable and droughts more common, production may become less reliable—and the movement of food to the most vulnerable might grind to a halt.

Agriculture

MORTARA, Italy (AP) — The worst drought Italy has faced in 70 years is thirsting paddy fields in the river Po valley and jeopardizing the harvest of the premium rice used for risotto.Italy’s largest river is turning into a long stretch of sand due to the lack of rain, leaving the Lomellina rice flats — nestled between the river Po and the Alps — without the necessary water to flood the paddies. “Normally this field is supposed to be flooded with 2 to 5 centimeters (0.8 to 2 inches) of water, but now it seems to be on a sandy beach,” said rice farmer Giovanni Daghetta, as he walked through the dying rice fields in the town of Mortara. Farmers there have been producing the famed Arborio rice for centuries: the wide grains of this local variety are perfect for absorbing the flavors of risotto dishes.According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, drought stress is the most damaging factor for rice, especially in the early stages of its growth. Heat waves, like those repeatedly hitting Italy with peaks of 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit), can significantly reduce the yield of surviving rice.“This paddy hasn’t been irrigated for two weeks now, and 90% of the plants have already fully dried,” said Daghetta. “The remaining 10%, that are still slightly green urgently need to be submerged with water within two or three days.” But with more dry days forecast ahead, Daghetta had little hope that would happen.The lack of rainfall has brought governors of various Italian regions to declare a state of emergency in order to conserve water and coordinate the management of minimal resources.The region’s main water sources, the rivers Po and Dora Baltea, are eight times lower than the average seasonal levels, according to the West Sesia irrigation association, which regulates water distribution through the maze of channels which snake through the rice fields.“From the river Po, we were supposed to receive a flow rate of 160,000 liters (42,270 gallons) per second, while we currently have an approximate flow rate between 30,000 and 60,000 liters (7,925 to 15,850 gallons) per second,” said Stefano Bondesa, president of the West Sesia association.As a result of the water shortage, Bondesa was forced to take a few unpopular decisions, recently ruling to stop irrigating poplars, fruit trees and second crops to give priority to rice.Tensions are starting to arise between upstream and downstream regions along the river basin and between hydroelectric plants and farmers who are all vying for the same dwindling resource. It’s feared larger conflicts could be next if rainfall doesn’t relieve empty Italian reservoirs soon.Even Italy’s wealthiest city is feeling the effects of drought. The mayor of Milan signed an ordinance Saturday turning off the spigots of public decorative fountains to save water.Milan’s Archbishop, Mario Delpini, made a pilgrimage on Saturday to pray for “the gift of rain.” Delpini visited three churches that serve the farming communities on the outskirts of Milan. He recited the Rosary and used holy water to bless a field in front of the St. Martin Olearo di Mediglia church.It seemed his prayers were at least partially heard on Tuesday as Milan and part of northern Italy were temporarily relieved by several scattered showers. But most areas are continuing to worsen. Among the stretch of sand between the Po and Ticino rivers, a river-bed-turned-beach has attracted local residents looking for a sunbathing spot.Piero Mercanti, who now frequents the sandy river bed with his partner, has been keeping an eye on receding water levels. “We stuck some wooden sticks in the ground last Sunday, to measure how much the river was withdrawing in one week,” he said. On his return a week later, he noted that the river withdrew by an additional 26 steps. Italy’s drought is threatening some 3 billion euros ($3.1 billion) in agriculture, an Italian farm lobby said this week. Italy’s confederation of agricultural producers estimates the loss of 30-40% of the seasonal harvest.While unusual heat and lack of rainfall are to blame for the current crisis, Italy has a notoriously wasteful water infrastructure that national statistics agency estimates loses 42% of drinking water from distribution networks each year, in large part due to old and poorly maintained pipes. Italy’s civil protection agency is gathering information from regions and various national ministries to propose a broader state of emergency for affected regions. Hundreds of towns and cities across the north have already passed various orders calling for responsible water use in a bid to avoid the use of rationing.___Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Agriculture

Cannabis crops flourish on a Colombian hillside where Flora Growth is establishing sustainable, ... [+] outdoor grows to supply hundreds of products. Courtesy Flora Growth Across the Americas and in many locations around the world, many of today’s cannabis crops are grown indoors, typically in large warehouses-turned-greenhouses that can produce multiple crops per year in regions that are legally hospitable to the plant, if not environmentally so. And while many firms are working hard to create sustainable systems for a truly ‘green’ indoor grow, climate and energy realities have made the importance of outdoor cultivation ever clearer to execs like Luis Merchan. As Chairman and CEO of Flora Growth, Merchan is planting his hopes for sustainable cannabis business in the hillsides of Bucaramanga, Colombia, where the all outdoor-sourced company has its ‘flagship’ cultivation and extraction facility. For their part, Flora has already started transitioning as many of their 500 products to Colombian sourcing as possible. “Colombia has a deep history of cultivation and agriculture,” Merchan said in a phone interview this summer, not long before pro-cannabis candidates made a big splash in Colombia’s presidential election (and made history). In fact, “Most [bouquet-style] flowers coming to the United States are largely from there,” he noted. “Skilled labor in Colombia is very well acquainted with the idea of cultivating a flower, which is precisely what cannabis flower is.” “Where you select your cultivation site matters. We selected a site in Bucaramanga about 4500 feet above sea level, where we’re growing it outdoors using very little electricity, growing the plant in natural conditions where it has frankly been grown for hundreds of years.” Merchan also noted that in Colombia, where “a majority of skilled labor and cultivators” were forced to grow cannabis in previous decades (not unlike in the U.S. a couple of hundred years ago, as hemp), the country’s government is “making a meaningful effort to make sure the cannabis industry will be an engine of economic growth.” One that’s “equal to or perhaps greater than fossil fuels,” he added. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn. Check out my website.

Agriculture

Jennifer Bousselot has had one hell of a summer harvest. On a 576-square-foot plot of land, she’s pulled up over 200 pounds of produce—cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, and basil, among other goodies—and the growing season isn’t anywhere close to done. Despite that resounding success, Bousselot is no farmer; she’s a horticulturist at Colorado State University, and that plot of land is actually up in the sky. The garden, atop a building near the Denver Coliseum, was purpose-built for Bousselot’s brand of research in an up-and-coming scientific field: rooftop farming.As more people pour into metropolises—urban populations are projected to double in the next three decades, according to the World Bank—scientists like Bousselot are investigating how designers and planners can ruralize cities, greening roofs, and empty lots. The concept is known as “rurbanization,” and it could have all kinds of knock-on benefits for ballooning populations, from beautifying blocks to producing food more locally. It dispenses with the “city versus country” binary and instead blends the two in deliberate, meaningful ways. “You don’t have to set this up as a dichotomy between urban and rural, really,” says Bousselot. “What we should probably focus on is resilience overall.”“The rurbanization idea is: OK, if we mix this up a bit, maybe we can create benefits on both sides,” adds Jessica Davies, principal investigator of Lancaster University’s Rurban Revolution project, a scientific investigation of the concept. “So if we bring some of what we grow nearer to where we live, can we enhance our connection with food? Can we make food more accessible? Can we improve local ecosystems?”Recent research has begun to provide data on how well urban agriculture actually works if you’re planning to, you know, eat. A review paper published last month by researchers working on the Rurban Revolution project surveyed previous studies and determined that on average, urban agricultural yields (including both outdoor and indoor growing operations) were on par or higher than those of typical farms. But certain crops, like lettuces, tubers, and cucumbers, had yields up to four times higher when grown in cities. A separate team of scientists in Australia looked at 13 urban community farms for a year and found their yields to be twice that of typical commercial vegetable farms. The caveat, though, is that this productivity comes in part from intensive human labor. On a commercial farm, crops are usually grown one at a time and tended with specialized equipment—you can’t plant wheat and carrots in the same field because they’re harvested in totally different ways. Crops also have to be spaced out to make room for where the equipment drives, reducing the amount of land that’s actually producing food. An urban farm, by contrast, can grow all kinds of crops packed closely together because they’re harvested by hand. That’s part of the reason why Bousselot’s tiny rooftop garden in Denver is so productive. That crop diversity also means you can harvest different plants at different times—tomatoes in August, pumpkins in October—so the supply of food is more broadly distributed. Even though Bousselot has already harvested over 200 pounds of food, she still has two months left to go.That requires human labor instead of a machine. So while urban farming can have a higher yield than traditional agriculture, it’s not necessarily as efficient. “But that inefficiency could easily change,” says Robert McDougall, an agricultural scientist at the independent research company Cesar Australia, who led the Australia study. “The people I studied were people who carried out urban farming mostly for recreational purposes, and so weren’t really interested in working as efficiently as possible. And they weren’t necessarily using the most efficient sources of materials.”Take water, for example. Cities are currently designed to be impervious to rain, quickly draining it off streets to keep roads and buildings from flooding. But some urban areas are now transitioning into “sponge cities,” designed to safely soak up rain and store it for later use. In Los Angeles, for instance, officials are experimenting with roadside green spaces, where water seeps underground and into storage tanks. Rurbanized cities of the future could tap into that water source to grow food, and the gardens themselves could act like sponges, collecting rainwater to prevent local flooding.Better municipal composting programs could also provide urban farmers with mulch so they don’t have to rely on synthetic fertilizers, which are terrible for the environment. “Were the gardeners I studied more tapped into these various sources of materials that were available within the environment around them,” says McDougall, “they could have easily carried out their farming in a much more sustainable fashion.”Urban farms attract a host of pollinators like bees, McDougall has found. These insects, along with other pollinators like birds, could help boost biodiversity. Cities also need all the green spaces they can get to counter the “urban heat island effect,” or the tendency for the built environment to absorb more of the sun’s energy than parks and forests do. Temperatures in urban areas can be 20 degrees Fahrenheit hotter than surrounding rural ones, where the plentiful vegetation releases water vapor—cooling the area as the plants essentially sweat. Bringing more plant life into cities will help cool things off and save lives during extreme heat events.Urban agriculture can help insulate individual cities against food shocks, like if a particular mass-produced crop fails—which is increasingly likely as climate change spawns longer, more intense droughts. “You depend less on globalized supply chains,” says environmental scientist Florian Payen, who authored that review paper on yields. (He’s now at Scotland’s Rural College, but did the research while at Lancaster University.) “And so you are maybe less vulnerable to all of the different things like we’ve seen with Covid, or with climate change, that can impact the supply chain.” Urban agriculture should also, in theory, reduce some of the emissions associated with conventional farming, which uses carbon-spewing machinery and requires shipping food vast distances to customers. But there isn’t much data to back that up yet, Payen says.“The evidence so far is not really conclusive as to whether producing in urban areas for urban dwellers actually is associated with a lower carbon footprint than rural production,” says Payen. “And that is really based on the fact that there are lots of different ways of producing the food, and lots of different modes of transportation.” Wheat production, for example, is highly mechanized and relies on massive harvesting vehicles. And different crops travel different distances to get to market.Those calculations focus primarily on the emissions from heavy machinery and long-distance trucking and shipping. But Elizabeth Sawin, founder and director of the Multisolving Institute, which promotes interventions that fix multiple problems at once, sees adding farms as a way to subtract a different source of emissions: cars. “Don't underestimate how much of the square footage of our cities is devoted to the automobile, like highways or parking,” she says. “As we open up more space for living with things like public transportation and dense housing, that could become space for growing food.” Obliterating asphalt and planting seeds would transform cities from car-centric to people-centric systems.In Denver, Bousselot is experimenting with solar panels to not only increase food security, but energy security as well. The idea, known as agrivoltaics, is to grow crops under rooftop solar panels that generate free, abundant energy for the building beneath them. The green roof also acts like insulation for the structure, reducing its cooling needs, while the partial shade the panels provide for the plants can significantly boost yields. (Too much sun is bad for certain crops. For example, other researchers have found that peppers produce three times as much fruit under solar panels than in full sun.) It’s also warmer up on a roof, and Bousselot has seen tomatoes grow faster, reaching harvest sooner. Her Denver rooftop also seems to protect its crops from pathogenic fungi. “Up on the green roof, because of the high-wind, high-solar-radiation conditions, we have very, very little issue with that,” says Bousselot. “So I think there's a ton of potential for selecting crops that would produce even higher, potentially, on a rooftop compared to the same place on the ground.”But while rurbanization has enticing benefits, it has some inherent challenges, namely the cost of building farms in cities—whether on rooftops or at ground level. Urban real estate is much more expensive than rural land, so community gardeners are up against investors trying to turn empty spaces into money—and even against affordable developments aimed at alleviating the severe housing crises in many cities. And while rooftop real estate is less competitive, you can’t just slap a bunch of crops on a roof—those projects require engineering to account for the extra weight and moisture of the soil.But the beauty of rurbanization is that agriculture and buildings don’t have to compete for space. Urban land is limited, which means that high-yielding, fast-growing, space-efficient crops work great, says Anastasia Cole Plakias, cofounder and chief impact officer of Brooklyn Grange, which operates the world’s largest rooftop soil farms. “That said, we approach the design of our own urban farms, as well as those we build for clients, with the consideration of the unique character of the community in which we’re building it,” says Plakias. “Urban farms should nourish urban communities, and the properties valued by one community might vary from another even in the same city.”A hand-tended garden on a side lot doesn’t need a tremendous amount of space to make a tremendous amount of food. New developments could incorporate solar roofs from the start—they would have more upfront costs but produce free energy and food to sell in the long run.No one is suggesting that urban agriculture will provide city-dwellers with 100 percent of the food they need to survive. Bousselot imagines it more as a collaboration, with commercial farmers churning out land-intensive and machine-harvested cereals like rice and wheat while urban gardeners grow nutrient-dense, hand-harvested vegetables like leafy greens—both creating jobs and reducing the length of the supply chain for perishable foods.It would also provide something less quantifiable than crop yields: a renewed sense of community, says Sawin. “That’s a source of local connectivity that will ripple beyond just the food that’s produced,” she says. “People then have social networks for everything from sharing childcare to sharing resources to helping one another through, possibly, shocks and destabilization.”

Agriculture

FILE – Fifth generation farmer Roy Petteway looks at the damage to his citrus grove from the effects of Hurricane Ian on Oct. 12, 2022, in Zolfo Springs, Fla. Agriculture losses in Florida from Hurricane Ian’s high winds and drenching rains could reach $1.56 billion, with citrus, cattle, vegetable and melon operations among the hardest hit, the University of Florida reported Tuesday, Oct, 18, in a preliminary estimate. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara, File) ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Hurricane Ian caused as much as $1.8 billion in damages to Florida agriculture last month, state agriculture officials said. The Category 4 storm caused between $1.1 billion and $1.8 billion in losses to the state’s crops and agriculture infrastructure when it tore through the peninsula after landing in southwest Florida, according to a preliminary estimate released Monday by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The agency’s estimate was in the same range as a University of Florida preliminary estimate released last week that put Florida’s agriculture loss as high as $1.5 billion. Crop damage ranged from $686 million to $1.2 billion. The biggest losses came from citrus which had damages between $416 million and $675 million, the Department of Agriculture report said. The hurricane hit almost at the start of the citrus growing season in Florida, which produces about 60% of all the citrus consumed in the U.S. Not only did citrus growers lose fruit that was blown off trees, but they now face the prospect of damaged trees from flooding. The loss could amount to as much as 11% of citrus trees, the report said. Even before the hurricane, Florida’s orange production was predicted to be down by almost a third this season because of the deadly citrus greening disease. When it comes to non-citrus fruits and vegetables, Florida lost an estimated $153.7 million to $230.5 million, or around 10% to 15% of crops, just as the planting season was getting into full gear. Many fields lost plastic and drip-tape irrigation and other infrastructure, the report said. Tags

Agriculture

Cultivated meat has been approved in the United States for the first time. The decision by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) means that a company called Upside Foods will soon be able to sell chicken made from real animal cells grown in bioreactors instead of requiring the slaughter of live animals.Approval from the FDA has long been seen as the next major milestone for the cultivated meat industry. In the past few years, startups in the space have built small-scale production facilities and raised billions of dollars in venture capital funding, but haven’t been able to sell their products to the public. Up until now, the small number of people invited to try cultivated meat have had to sign waivers acknowledging that the products are still experimental.There are just two smaller regulatory steps remaining until cultivated meat can be made available to the public. Upside’s production facilities still require a grant of inspection from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the food itself will need a mark of inspection before it can enter the US market. These two steps are likely to be completed much more quickly than the long FDA premarket consultation process that resulted in the approval.“It’s the moment we’ve been working toward for the past, almost seven years now,” says Uma Valeti, Upside’s CEO. “Opening up the US market is what every company in the world is trying to do.”Different startups are focusing on a range of cultivated meats, including beef, chicken, salmon, and tuna. This announcement applies only to Upside Foods and its cultured chicken, although it’s likely that other approvals will follow soon. The products have been approved through an FDA process called Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS). Through this process, food manufacturers provide the FDA with details of their production process and the product it creates, and once the FDA is satisfied that the process is safe, it then issues a “no further questions” letter.The FDA decision means that cultivated meat products may soon be available to the public to try, although it’s likely that tastings will be limited to a very small number of exclusive restaurants. Michelin-starred chef Dominique Crenn has already announced that she will serve Upside Foods’ cultivated chicken at her restaurant Atelier Crenn in San Francisco.Valeti says that he wants the public to have their first taste of Upside chicken through selected restaurants before they can buy and cook it at home. “We would want to bring this to people through chefs in the initial stage,” says Valeti. “Getting chefs excited about this is a really big deal for us. We want to work with the best partners who know how to cook well, and also give us feedback on what we could do better.”Atelier Crenn won’t be the first restaurant to serve cultivated meat, however. In December 2020, Singaporean regulators gave the green light to cultivated chicken from the San Francisco–based startup Eat Just. The chicken nuggets were sold at a members-only restaurant called 1880 and later made available for delivery.Cultivated meat is different from plant-based meats because it contains real animal cells and is—theoretically—indistinguishable from real meat itself. Cells are initially isolated from an animal and developed into cell lines that are then frozen. Small samples from these cell lines can then be transferred to bioreactors—usually large steel tanks—where the cells are fed growth media containing the nutrients that cells need to divide. Once the cells have grown and differentiated into the correct kind of tissue, they can be harvested and used in cultivated meat products.

Agriculture

By Alessandro R Demaio, Jessica Fanzo & MArio HerreroIf we’re serious about feeding the world’s growing population healthy food, and not ruining the planet, we need to get used to a new style of eating. This includes cutting our Western meat and sugar intakes by around 50%, and doubling the amount of nuts, fruits, vegetables and legumes we consume. These are the findings our the EAT-Lancet Commission, released today. The Commission brought together 37 leading experts in nutrition, agriculture, ecology, political sciences and environmental sustainability, from 16 countries.Over two years, we mapped the links between food, health and the environment and formulated global targets for healthy diets and sustainable food production. This includes five specific strategies to achieve them through global cooperation.Right now, we produce, ship, eat and waste food in a way that is a lose-lose for both people and planet – but we can flip this trend.What’s going wrong with our food supply?Almost one billion people lack sufficient food, yet more than two billion suffer from obesity and food-related diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.The foods causing these health epidemics – combined with the way we produce our food – are pushing our planet to the brink.One-third of the greenhouse gas emissions that drive climate change come from food production. Our global food system leads to extensive deforestation and species extinction, while depleting our oceans, and fresh water resources.To make matters worse, we lose or throw away around one-third of all food produced. That’s enough to feed the world’s hungry four times over, every year.At the same time, our food systems are at risk due to environmental degradation and climate change. These food systems are essential to providing the diverse, high-quality foods we all consume every day.A radical new approachTo improve the health of people and the planet, we’ve developed a “planetary health diet” which is globally applicable – irrespective of your geographic, economic or cultural background – and locally adaptable.The diet is a “flexitarian” approach to eating. It’s largely composed of vegetables and fruits, wholegrains, legumes, nuts and unsaturated oils. It includes high-quality meat, dairy and sugar, but in quantities far lower than are consumed in many wealthier societies. The planetary health diet consists of:vegetables and fruit (550g per day per day)wholegrains (230 grams per day)dairy products such as milk and cheese (250g per day)protein sourced from plants, such as lentils, peas, nuts and soy foods (100 grams per day)small quantities of fish (28 grams per day), chicken (25 grams per day) and red meat (14 grams per day)eggs (1.5 per week)small quantities of fats (50g per day) and sugar (30g per day).Of course, some populations don’t get nearly enough animal-source foods necessary for growth, cognitive development and optimal nutrition. Food systems in these regions need to improve access to healthy, high-quality diets for all.The shift is radical but achievable – and is possible without any expansion in land use for agriculture. Such a shift will also see us reduce the amount of water used during production, while reducing nitrogen and phosphorous usage and runoff. This is critical to safeguarding land and ocean resources.By 2040, our food systems should begin soaking up greenhouse emissions – rather than being a net emitter. Carbon dioxide emissions must be down to zero, while methane and nitrous oxide emissions be kept in close check.How to get thereThe commission outlines five implementable strategies for a food transformation:1. Make healthy diets the new normal – leaving no-one behindShift the world to healthy, tasty and sustainable diets by investing in better public health information and implementing supportive policies. Start with kids – much can happen by changing school meals to form healthy and sustainable habits, early on.Unhealthy food outlets and their marketing must be restricted. Informal markets and street vendors should also be encouraged to sell healthier and more sustainable food.2. Grow what’s best for both people and planetRealign food system priorities for people and planet so agriculture becomes a leading contributor to sustainable development rather than the largest driver of environmental change. Examples include:incorporating organic farm waste into soilsdrastically reducing tillage where soil is turned and churned to prepare for growing cropsinvesting more in agroforestry, where trees or shrubs are grown around or among crops or pastureland to increase biodiversity and reduce erosionproducing a more diverse range of foods in circular farming systems that protect and enhance biodiversity, rather than farming single crops or livestock.The measure of success in this area is that agriculture one day becomes a carbon sink, absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. 3. Produce more of the right food, from lessMove away from producing “more” food towards producing “better food”.This means using sustainable “agroecological” practices and emerging technologies, such as applying micro doses of fertiliser via GPS-guided tractors, or improving drip irrigation and using drought-resistant food sources to get more “crop per drop” of water.In animal production, reformulating feed to make it more nutritious would allow us to reduce the amount of grain and therefore land needed for food. Feed additives such as algae are also being developed. Tests show these can reduce methane emissions by up to 30%.We also need to redirect subsidies and other incentives to currently under-produced crops that underpin healthy diets – notably, fruits, vegetables and nuts – rather than crops whose overconsumption drives poor health.4. Safeguard our land and oceansThere is essentially no additional land to spare for further agricultural expansion. Degraded land must be restored or reforested. Specific strategies for curbing biodiversity loss include keeping half of the current global land area for nature, while sharing space on cultivated lands.The same applies for our oceans. We need to protect the marine ecosystems fisheries depend on. Fish stocks must be kept at sustainable levels, while aquaculture – which currently provides more than 40% of all fish consumed – must incorporate “circular production”. This includes strategies such as sourcing protein-rich feeds from insects grown on food waste.5. Radically reduce food losses and wasteWe need to more than halve our food losses and waste.Poor harvest scheduling, careless handling of produce and inadequate cooling and storage are some of the reasons why food is lost. Similarly, consumers must start throwing less food away. This means being more conscious about portions, better consumer understanding of “best before” and “use by” labels, and embracing the opportunities that lie in leftovers.Circular food systems that innovate new ways to reduce or eliminate waste through reuse will also play a significant role and will additionally open new business opportunities.For significant transformation to happen, all levels of society must be engaged, from individual consumers to policymakers and everybody along the food supply chain. These changes will not happen overnight, and they are not the responsibility of a handful of stakeholders. When it comes to food and sustainability, we are all at the decision dining table.Source: The Conversation If you enjoy our selection of content please consider following Universal-Sci on social media:

Agriculture

SummaryThe UK has seen a steep decline in species abundance and soil health, with intensive agriculture causing arable soils to lose 40-60% of their carbon contentIn England, a new Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS) aims to pay farmers £2 billion a year to turn soils into carbon sinks and help UK meet its climate commitmentsCompanies including Nestle, McCain, PepsiCo and Waitrose are trialling projects to boost regenerative agriculture in their UK supply chainsSeptember 29 - Agriculture in the UK is on the threshold of change. Post-Brexit, the UK government and the devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, want to incentivise more sustainable practices as they design farming subsidy schemes to replace Europe’s Common Agricultural Policy.Though they are moving at different speeds, all are aimed at cutting emissions, increasing biodiversity and restoring landscapes in one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world.And some farmers are calling on the UK to support the transition to regenerative agriculture in response to spiralling fertiliser and fuel costs in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Multinationals Nestle and PepsiCo have large-scale pilots under way and retailer Waitrose, which owns its own farm, is using it as a test-bed for regenerative practices that will also influence its other producers.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comThe UK has experienced a steep decline in species abundance and soil health. A 2019 report from the Environment Agency said intensive agriculture had caused arable soils to lose 40-60% of their carbon content. Its outgoing chair, Emma Howard Boyd, described soil carbon loss as “an act of economic and environmental self-harm”.While a soil health action plan for England is on the cards, there is no specific target. The government’s advisor, the Climate Change Committee, has urged that this be included “as a priority”, given that soil health is key to meeting all other environment targets.In 2020, agriculture was responsible for 11% of UK greenhouse gas emissions. Can this be reversed and its soils become carbon sinks?Waitrose has its own farm, at which it is trialling regenerative practices. Leckford Estate/handout via REUTERSIn England, the main mechanism for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the agriculture sector, as well as increasing carbon stores, improving biodiversity and water quality will be the Environmental Land Management Scheme (ELMS). One strand of the scheme is the Sustainable Farming Initiative (SFI). Whereas the European Union’s Common Agriculture Policy paid farmers and landowners based on farm size, the SFI will pay for environmental benefits beyond minimum legal requirements. Pilots are under way.Two other pillars of ELMS will pay for actions in local areas that encourage collaboration between farmers, and bigger landscape scale initiatives such as peatland restoration. The first 22 landscape projects, sharing a £12 million development grant, were recently announced.There were media reports last weekend that the new UK government under Liz Truss was considering scrapping the programme, but the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) put out a statement saying it was still committed to delivering ELMS."We will be looking at the frameworks for regulation, innovation and investment that impact farmers and land managers, to make sure that our policies are best placed to both boost food production and protect the environment. This includes looking at how best to deliver the Environmental Land Management schemes to see where and how improvements can be made," DEFRA said.Last year, parliament’s Public Accounts Committee criticised DEFRA for a lack of metrics and baseline measures that will allow it to assess progress of ELMS against net-zero targets.The ELMS system, which will pay farmers and landowners some £2 billion a year, won’t be fully in place until 2028.But finance could also come from companies that are seeking to cut emissions in their supply chains.Take Nestle. Ingredient sourcing accounts for 70% of the 92 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in its global supply chain (excluding end-use emissions). The consumer goods giant has set a goal of regenerative methods delivering 20% of its key ingredients by 2025, and 50% by 2030.For Nestle this means grasslands storing more carbon, trees introduced onto pasture land; and regenerative practices such as cover cropping, using organic fertiliser and increasing crop rotations, which will also build climate resilience.The company has been working with sustainability consultants 3Keel on a Landscape Enterprise Networks (LENs) system, which identifies the businesses working in a landscape, and maps the nature they’re reliant on.Layers of peat on moorland near Glossop, Britain. The Environmental Land Management Scheme will pay for added environmental benefits such as peatland restoration. REUTERS/Phil NobleNestle first explored the approach with its milk supplier, First Milk, and farmers in Cumbria, but it is now looking at its second-largest UK-sourced ingredient: wheat. Water companies and West Northamptonshire Council have joined the initiative. Their interest is in flood management and the impact of fertiliser run-off on water quality. Other potential partners include insurers and housing developers, who will from next year have an obligation to deliver a 10% biodiversity net gain, under the Environment Act.“If we get it right,” says Sundaram, “potentially, there's this dual income for farmers (from selling their product and from environmental services), which can only be a good thing, because then it's going to make them much more interested in implementing regenerative agriculture.”Nestle asked farmers which of a suite of regenerative practices they’d be interested in trialling, and what they’d want to earn for those efforts. While a farmer might opt for only one intervention, benefits might accrue to more than one partner, who can then share costs, enabling the whole project to reach more farmers than individual budgets allow. Last year, nearly £1 million was invested, and that’s expected to double in the second year, and involve more than twice as many farmers.Sundaram is cautious about results, saying: “It’s early days.” Initial data will be in terms of reduction in chemical fertiliser use, or cover crop planting, but longer term he expects that “we’ll be able to say we’ve reduced carbon by X, we’re improving biodiversity by Y and we’ve reduced pollution by Z”.Robin Sundaram, sustainable sourcing manager at Nestle UK. Handout from Nestle via REUTERSAnother company that wants to boost regenerative agriculture practices in its UK supply chain is PepsiCo, maker of Walkers crisps. David Wilkinson, senior director of European agriculture at PepsiCo Europe, says: “When we were thinking about how to reduce (our) carbon footprint, you're very quickly getting into carbon sequestration, into not using too much fertiliser, and applying it at the right times and incorporating crop residues … and you very quickly start to get into regenerative practices.”Farmers are sharing practices and coming to the company with ideas, forcing it to think differently, says Wilkinson. One example is improving a crop rotation by building in a legume (such as chickpea), to fix nitrogen in the soil. So “we're starting to look at other ways to reformulate certain products that can take advantage of these crops. That doesn't necessarily mean you define whole new products around a new crop, but maybe dried chickpeas could replace 20% of the potato in potato flakes, for instance,” he suggests.Another initiative is fertiliser made from potato peelings, which is being trialled with all PepsiCo’s grower groups in the UK. This is the third year of pilots, testing out the impacts of different and targeted application rates. “What we see with our eyes (is) the canopies look good, the crops perform … and applying less (fertiliser) looks feasible,” says Wilkinson. PepsiCo is now building a separate facility to produce the fertiliser for its farmers, using technology from CCm Technologies, a carbon capture and utilisation firm in Swindon.“I can't remember the last time a farmer said they didn't need to change. They all get it,” notes Wilkinson. But “the complexity is bringing this together in today’s agricultural supply chain, thinking more about crop rotations versus individual crops, thinking about how you can introduce the right systems to support people renting land, rather than people perhaps owning land.”That complexity may explain why regenerative practices are being taken up only slowly. But several coalitions are trying to alter the trajectory.“If we want to have resilient, productive agriculture going forward, then there's no room for people to take small, incremental steps,” says Lesley Mitchell, associate director for sustainable nutrition at Forum for the Future.The sustainability NGO wants to catalyse change by bringing together all those working on regenerative agriculture in the UK to create new partnerships, to pull retailers into discussions and explore “new business models that enable regenerative producers to reach consumers, perhaps (through) closer, tighter supply chains.”“There are many, many, many different explorations and pilots and prototyping going on out there. And it's often quite difficult to join those up, and to see where the key learnings are coming,” she adds.Potatoes are seen for sale on a fruit and vegetable stall at Alsager market, Stoke-on-Trent, Britain, August 7, 2019. REUTERS/Andrew YatesMitchell also hopes to crack the nut of what can be shared in a pre-competitive environment. Pilots could take six to seven years, she says, so “consolidating the information that we have, identifying where there is a wider benefit… Do (businesses) have shared supply chains where they can work through their supply chain to create change?”Earlier this year, the then Prince of Wales asked companies to form an agribusiness task force as part of the Sustainable Markets Initiative, which he launched with the World Economic Forum. Its aim is to create a “scalable value chain blueprint” where lessons learned in one crop can be transferred more widely.In the UK, potatoes are the target and PepsiCo will work with Canada’s McCain Foods, the world’s biggest manufacturer of frozen potato products, which has also committed to adopting regenerative practices across its potato crops by 2030.Another key element is in measuring and reporting. The Sustainable Soils Association, which is focused on restoring soil health, is bringing together retailers, manufactures and others to try to find a way to standardise those processes. Nestle is a founding member.Both Wilkinson and Sundaram are optimistic about the direction of travel. “We don't know what the outcome is going to be right now of implementing all this … (but) we just have to get on the journey,” suggests Sundaram.What is clear is that the net-zero agenda will tie farmers and the food companies they supply much more closely together.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comOpinions expressed are those of the author. They do not reflect the views of Reuters News, which, under the Trust Principles, is committed to integrity, independence, and freedom from bias. Ethical Corporation Magazine, a part of Reuters Professional, is owned by Thomson Reuters and operates independently of Reuters News.Angeli MehtaAngeli Mehta is a science writer with a particular interest in the environment and sustainability. Previously, she produced programmes for BBC Current Affairs and has a research PHD. @AngeliMehta

Agriculture

Image source, ReutersImage caption, Mexico has many native varieties of corn but still imports large quantities of yellow corn from the USA row between the US and Mexico over a plan by the latter to ban imports of genetically modified corn by 2024 deepened on Monday.US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack warned Mexico's president that the US would be forced to take legal action if no "acceptable resolution" was found. Mexico argues that genetically modified seeds are a threat to its own ancient native corn varieties.But on Tuesday, Mexico's president said he would seek a deal with the US.A ban would have "significant impact" on US-Mexico trade, Mr Vilsack had earlier warned.Mexico is the second-largest importer of corn in the world after China, and much of the corn it buys comes from the United States. But this ban could result in Mexico halving its US imports of yellow corn, a Mexican minister told news agency Reuters last month. Decree with consequencesMexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador issued a presidential decree on 31 December 2020 calling for genetically modified (GM) corn for human consumption to be phased out by the end of January 2024.The decree caused huge concern among US corn exporters and with the deadline approaching, efforts by the US to sway President López Obrador to drop or soften the planned ban have increased.On Monday, Mr Vilsack met President López Obrador in Mexico and told him of the "deep concerns" US farmers had. "We must find a way forward soon," Mr Vilsack said, warning that the US "would be forced to consider all options, including taking formal steps to enforce our legal rights under the USMCA", referring to free trade agreement between the US, Mexico and Canada. Banning GM corn was one of the Mexican president's campaign promises. Earlier this month, he insisted Mexico was a "sovereign free country" and that "we do not want GM". Mr López Obrador argues there has been a lack of scientific investigation into the effects of genetically modified corn on Mexico's native varieties of corn. Mexico prides itself on being the place where thousands of years ago humans began to domesticate corn for the first time and the country boasts dozens of heirloom varieties. But it relies heavily on US imports of yellow corn to feed its livestock and to produce sauces.On Tuesday, President López Obrador stressed that GMO corn for animal feed would still be allowed as the ban only applied to corn destined for human consumption.

Agriculture

New Zealand has proposed a tax on burping and peeing farm animals in a bid to combat climate change.A world first, the farm levy could support the country’s pledge to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and become carbon neutral by 2050.Farmers unhappy with the proposal have been advised they could recoup the cost by charging more for climate-friendly products.Would New Zealand's farm emissions tax be good for farmers?Under the government's proposed plan, farmers would start to pay for emissions in 2025, with the pricing yet to be finalised.Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says all the money collected from the proposed farm levy would be put back into the industry to fund new technology, research and incentive payments for farmers.By reducing agricultural emissions, she adds that New Zealand’s biggest export market would gain a “competitive advantage… in a world increasingly discerning about the provenance of their food."Agriculture Minister Damien O'Connor hails it as an exciting opportunity for New Zealand and its farmers.“Farmers are already experiencing the impact of climate change with more regular drought and flooding,” says O'Connor.“Taking the lead on agricultural emissions is both good for the environment and our economy.”Why is New Zealand proposing a tax on farm emissions?Agriculture accounts for almost half of New Zealand’s greenhouse gas emissions.There are just 5 million people in the country, but some 10 million beef and dairy cattle and 26 million sheep.Farm animals produce gases that warm the planet, particularly methane from cattle burps and nitrous oxide from their urine.The government has pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and make the country carbon neutral by 2050. Part of that plan includes a pledge to reduce methane emissions from farm animals by 10 per cent by 2030 and by up to 47 per cent by 2050.The new farm emissions pricing system proposals were put forward by He Waka Eke Noa, a partnership between the government, the primary sector, and iwi/Māori. The initiative aims to “equip farmers and growers to measure, manage, and reduce on-farm agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and adapt to climate change.”How have farmers reacted to New Zealand’s farm tax proposal?Farmers quickly condemned the plan. Federated Farmers, the industry's main lobby group, says the plan would “rip the guts out of small-town New Zealand” and see farms replaced with trees.Federated Farmers President Andrew Hoggard says farmers have been trying to work with the government for more than two years on an emissions reduction plan that wouldn't decrease food production.“Our plan was to keep farmers farming," Hoggard says. However, if the farm levy goes ahead, he believes farmers will be selling their farms “so fast you won’t even hear the dogs barking on the back of the ute (pickup truck) as they drive off.”Opposition lawmakers from the conservative ACT Party say the plan would actually increase worldwide emissions by moving farming to other countries that are less efficient at making food.What do environmental activists think of New Zealand’s new climate proposals?While farmers have decried the new proposals, some environmental activists argue that they do not go far enough.Greenpeace lead climate campaigner Christine Rose says the Government’s proposals would favour the agriculture sector’s worst climate polluter - intensive dairy - and disadvantage less-polluting extensive beef and sheep farming and Māori-owned farms.“Action to reduce agricultural emissions means tackling the dairy industry - New Zealand’s worst climate polluter. And that means far fewer cows, it means cutting synthetic nitrogen fertiliser, and backing a shift to more plant-based regenerative organic farming.”Consultations on the proposals are now open and they will be finalised next year.

Agriculture

By Kylie Atwood | CNN The Biden administration is putting $100 million into a new program to provide Ukrainian farmers with vital supplies in order to maintain future harvests and alleviate the global food security crisis that has been exasperated by Russia’s war on the country. Some Ukrainian farms have turned into battlefields, and farmers who have maintained their harvests have been unable to get machinery and other key supplies including fertilizer, seeds and storage bins that would typically arrive through Black Sea ports due to Russia’s ongoing blockade of Ukrainian ports. Ukraine — the world’s fourth-largest exporter of corn and the fifth-largest exporter of wheat — has also been largely unable to export their agricultural products due to Russia’s invasion. The initiative will also include financing for farmers who are facing rising prices at a time their incomes have been severely hit. The United States Agency for International Development has already been working with more than 8,000 Ukrainian farmers to get the inputs they need to bolster their yields and the new Ukraine Agriculture Resilience Initiative effort will expend those efforts. “AGRI-Ukraine will target Ukraine’s immediate agricultural export challenges, while also simultaneously supporting the wider needs of Ukraine’s agriculture sector and bolstering Ukraine’s continued production of agricultural commodities through 2023. The Initiative will increase Ukrainian farmers’ access to critical agricultural inputs including seeds, fertilizer, equipment, and pesticides, enhance Ukrainian infrastructure capacity and capability to efficiently export agricultural goods, increase farmers’ access to financing and expand the capacity of Ukrainian businesses to dry and temporarily store, and process agricultural commodities,” USAID said in a news release on Tuesday. USAID Administrator Samantha Power said in a video that the goal is to “help get farmers back on their feet and get the agriculture economy moving again.” She said the hope is to get Ukrainians to the point where they have the ability, once again, to export their products. Ukraine’s Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food, Mykola Solsky, joined Power in the video and said the effort being rolled out was months in the making. USAID will work with banks, credit unions and governments to get the Ukrainian farmers “sustained finance to continue operations” given the challenges of risings costs of transportation, labor and other inputs, explained a USAID spokesperson. “USAID will work to tailor storage to individual needs – working with farmer associations – to get the right solutions to the right places,” the spokesperson said, noting that farmers in eastern Ukraine won’t have the same needs as farmers on the western side of the country. “In the east of Ukraine, farmers’ high transport costs may result in some seeking to store grain until safer/cheaper alternatives are available. In the west of the country, farmers may need storage prior to loading their harvest on trains going across the border to Poland or Slovakia.” USAID will also be working to raise an additional $150 million from donors and the private sector to boost the fund. The efforts to salvage at least some of Ukraine’s agriculture sector are “critical for Ukraine’s stabilization, recovery, and reconstruction,” the spokesperson said, adding that the program was developed with Ukraine’s Ministry of Agriculture. Ukraine’s economy has already fallen into a recession due to the ongoing war, and the country’s GDP could almost half this year as a result of Russia’s invasion, the World Bank said in April. Ukraine was a major exporter of wheat and sunflower oil before the war, and this year’s planting season was disrupted by fighting. The United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has also warned that the ongoing crisis is only poised to get worse without efforts to bring relief. “This year’s food crisis is about lack of access. Next years could be about lack of food,” said the Guterres last month. “We need to bring stability to global food and energy markets to break the vicious cycle of rising prices and bring relief to developing countries. Ukraine’s food production, and the food and fertilizer produced by Russia, must be brought back into world markets — despite the war.” Efforts to get Russia to allow Ukrainian grain out of the Port of Odessa have been unsuccessful over the last few months. Those efforts have been led by the UN and continue to have the support of the Biden administration. As an alternative, US and European officials have been working to get overland routes out of Ukraine up and running. So far those efforts have not yet been able to get out mass quantities of grain, but Power explained that the efforts are having some minimal success. “Ukraine and the European Union have hustled to enable the export of at least some of the trapped grain and we are working side-by-side with them — about 2 million tons a month — through a patchwork of routes and a lot of ingenuity,” Power said. The efforts to get those 2 million tons out of the country are the result of USAID working with European partners to increase logistics along Ukraine’s western border and with the use of barges, a USAID spokesperson said. They continue working to ramp up those efforts. Prior to the full-scale invasion, Ukraine was exporting 5-6 million metric tons of grain per month, the USAID spokesperson said. Power, in her remarks Monday, also called on China to get involved to support the global food crisis that has only been made worse because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, even if they will not condemn Russia’s invasion. “Countries that have sat out this war must not sit out this global food crisis,” Power said.

Agriculture

The US government has cleared the way for Americans to be able to eat lab-grown meat, after authorities deemed a meat product derived from animal cells to be safe for human consumption.The US food and drug administration (FDA) will allow a California company called Upside Foods to take living cells from chickens and then grow them in a controlled laboratory environment to produce a meat product that doesn’t involve the actual slaughter of any animals.The FDA said it is ready to approve the sale of other lab-grown meat, stating that it is “engaged in discussions with multiple firms” to do the same, including companies that want to grow seafood from the cells of marine life.“The world is experiencing a food revolution and the US food and drug administration is committed to supporting innovation in the food supply,” said Robert Califf, the FDA commissioner.With Singapore currently the only country in which lab-grown meat products are legally sold to consumers, the US approval could open the floodgates to a new food market that backers say is more efficient and environmentally-friendly than traditional livestock farming.“We will see this as the day the food system really started changing,” Costa Yiannoulis, managing partner at Synthesis Capital, a food technology venture capital fund, told the Washington Post. “The US is the first meaningful market that has approved this – this is seismic and groundbreaking.”Upside Foods, which was formerly known as Memphis Meats, harvests cells from animal tissues and then grows edible flesh in bioreactors. The company said the flesh grown is identical to conventionally-raised meat.It will still take some months before lab-grown meat floods American supermarkets – each product will have to be approved by regulators and Upside Foods still has to get the acquiescence of the US department of agriculture for its venture.It’s also uncertain how consumers will respond to the prospect of meat from a lab. The new generation of plant-based meat substitutes such as Impossible Burger, have been lauded by many but did not revolutionize the sector.But the lab-meat industry is keen to position itself as an environmentally-friendly alternative in an age of growing concern over the climate impact of meat production, as well as factory farming and animal welfare issues.There are more than 150 cultivated meat companies around the world, backed by several billion dollars of investments, according to the Good Food Institute.Making food more sustainable is a major focus of the Cop27 climate talks, shortly finishing in Egypt. The global production of food is responsible for a third of all planet-heating gases emitted by human activity, with raising animals for meat responsible for the majority of this share. Pasture and cropland occupy around 50% of the planet’s habitable land and uses about 70% of fresh water supplies.

Agriculture

Bill Gates is considered the largest private owner of farmland in the country with some 269,000 acres in dozens of states A recent purchase of 2,100 acres of prime North Dakota farmland by a group tied to billionaire Bill Gates has some in the state concerned that they are being exploited by the ultra-wealthy. Gates owns some 269,000 acres across dozens of states, according to last year’s edition of the Land Report 100, an annual survey of the nation’s largest landowners. The Microsoft co-founder is considered to be the largest private owner of farmland in U.S. He owns less than 1% of the nation’s total farmland. Tractor spraying pesticides on farmland and Bill Gates. (iStock/Getty Images)In question is a Depression-era law meant to protect family farms. North Dakota's attorney general has asked the trust involved in the purchase to explain how it plans to use the land in order to meet rules outlined in the state's anti-corporate farming law. ELON MUSK FEUD WITH BILL GATES BOILS OVER TO TWITTER The law prohibits all corporations or limited liability companies from owning or leasing farmland or ranchland, with some exceptions.  Bill Gates speaks during the Global Investment Summit on Oct. 19, 2021, in London. (Leon Neal - WPA Pool / Getty Images)"I don't know that it's quite as volatile a situation as some have depicted," North Dakota Republican Attorney General Drew Wrigley told The Associated Press Thursday. "It's taken off, it's all over the planet, but it's not me sticking a finger in the eye of Bill Gates. That's not what this is."MUSK, BEZOS, GATES LOSE BILLIONS IN NET WORTH IN TECH DOWNTURNThe state's Agriculture Commissioner, Republican Doug Goehring, told a North Dakota TV station that some residents feel they are being exploited by the ultra-rich who buy land but do not necessarily share the state’s values. "I’ve gotten a big earful on this from clear across the state, it’s not even from that neighborhood. Those people are upset, but there are others that are just livid about this," Goehring told KFYR. Goehring, who is currently on a state-sponsored trade mission to the United Kingdom, did not immediately respond to a list of questions emailed by the AP. Billionaire Bill Gates. (Takaaki Iwabu/Bloomberg via Getty Images)Charles V. Zehren, a spokesman for Gates' investment firm, declined Thursday to comment to the AP.CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESSIt is standard for the attorney general's office to send an inquiry when notified of farmland sales.The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Agriculture

Your article (‘We’re only seeing the negative’: UK farmers on Brexit and losing the common agricultural policy, 29 December) fails to point out that the common agricultural policy (CAP) payments received by Dyson Farming are dwarfed by the investment that my family and I have ploughed into British agriculture. I have never supported the basis of CAP and view Brexit as an opportunity for Britain to replace those ill-conceived subsidies, devised in Brussels, with a regime which supports Britain’s priorities. Food security – like energy security – is vital to any country’s interests.My family and I are farmers, not landowners. We have invested £120m, in addition to the cost of land, bringing long-term capital, technology and employment into British farming. Dyson Farming produced 70,000 tonnes of cereals and 16,000 tonnes of potatoes in 2022, plus out-of-season strawberries which avoid the food miles associated with imported alternatives. Our anaerobic digesters generate electricity for 10,000 homes, and the farms sequester more carbon than they emit.British farmers need to be able to compete on a level playing field with those in Europe and further afield. Brexit provides the freedom to devise a subsidy regime which replaces the EU’s flawed CAP payments, and the government must now grasp that opportunity.Sir James DysonMalmesbury, Wiltshire

Agriculture

By Reality Check & Visual JournalismBBC NewsImage source, Getty ImagesEurope and parts of China have experienced extreme temperatures this summer, dry conditions in Africa have put millions at risk of starvation, and the American West continues to see a persistent lack of rainfall. Scientists say warmer and drier seasons are likely to become the norm, but have these past few months been the driest on record?How dry is the earth? One measure of drought conditions used by scientists is based on the level of moisture in the soil as measured by satellite imagery. We have compared these dry conditions over the past three months to average conditions since the beginning of this century, to build up a picture of how extreme recent weather patterns have been.This data is based on both soil conditions and temperature data to create what is known as a soil moisture anomaly map.We can see that most of Europe has experienced much drier weather this summer than the average for the period 2001 to 2016.Elsewhere, the west of China has been very dry, with many areas experiencing extreme drought. Parts of sub-Saharan Africa and the US are also experiencing critically dry conditions.Europe drought 'worst in 500 years'In Europe, this summer's drought may be the worst the continent has experienced in 500 years, according to the EU's environmental programme Copernicus.At the peak of the dry spell in late August, almost half of Europe suffered from a "soil moisture deficit".Scientists say climate change means Europe will continue to experience more frequent and persistent droughts, and the dry conditions this year have affected agriculture, transport and energy generation.The Rhine, a major river and cargo route, dropped to critically low levels this summer, causing shipping disruption.The period between June and August was the hottest on record, and a report by the EU in August predicted at least three more months of "warmer and drier" days.Europe has experienced droughts in the past, but recent years have seen increasingly hot summers with many high temperature records set."We have now had consecutive droughts for the last five years, and this year is the worst Europe-wide drought in hundreds of years," says Dr Fred Hattermann, of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research."It's not just less rain, it's also that it's got much warmer, so the overall soil moisture has decreased."China's droughts and floodsThis summer, China experienced an extended period of high temperatures that lasted more than two months, the longest since records began in the 1960s, according to China's Meteorological Administration.Extreme heat and a severe lack of rainfall meant China's biggest river, the Yangtze, shrank. During August, there was 60% less rainfall in the river's drainage area than normal, according to official Chinese data.Despite large areas in southern China struggling with drought, heavy rains in northern areas led to flooding. The Liao River in northern China recorded its second highest water level since 1961. And nationwide, rainfall has steadily increased since 2012, China's annual climate change study says.In July, the Chinese government issued eight drought warnings and more than 13,000 heavy rain warnings. In 2019, there were more than 28 drought warnings and 10,000 heavy rain warnings for the same period.Seeing both extreme wet and dry conditions is a feature of climate change across the globe."When areas of drought grow, like in Siberia and western US, that water falls elsewhere in a smaller area, worsening flooding," Peter Gleick, a water specialist from the US National Academy of Sciences, says.Famine warnings in AfricaDrought conditions in eastern Ethiopia, northern Kenya and Somalia have led the UN to warn that some 22 million people could be at risk of starvation."We are now in the third year of very low rainfall coupled with high temperatures in that part of the continent," according to Oxfam.In Somalia, the rainfall in the March to May season was the lowest in the last six decades. And large parts of DR Congo and Uganda have also experienced very dry conditions compared with the average.But measurements of soil moisture also show how in some countries, such as South Sudan, Mauritania and Senegal, there has been severe flooding.Many parts of southern Africa have also experienced much higher than normal levels of rainfall.A World Bank report in 2021 noted that overall "relative to 1970-79, the numbers of droughts and floods were nearly threefold and tenfold respectively, by 2010-19".Drought conditions in the US Drought conditions in the western US have become the norm, with the region experiencing years of drier and hotter weather.In a report published in February, scientists said the last two decades had seen the most extreme drought conditions in 1,200 years in the American west.And this summer, hot and dry weather led to forest fires in several states and water storage levels dropping.Lake Powell, the second largest reservoir in the US which straddles Arizona and Utah, is at its lowest level since it was filled in the 1960s, according to Nasa.Climate models predict that the region will continue to have far less rainfall than average in the coming decades.Reporting by Tural Ahmedzade, Jake Horton, Peter Mwai and Wanyuan Song

Agriculture

Image source, Uddesh NathImage caption, Uddesh Pratim Nath became a certified drone pilot after taking a five-day courseNewly qualified drone pilot Uddesh Pratim Nath is excited about the opportunities his new skills have opened up for him."Being certified has opened new avenues for me. I have been working with different industries like survey mapping, asset inspection, agriculture and many others," he says. Drones come in all shapes and sizes. The smaller ones typically have three of four rotors and can carry something small like a camera. The biggest, usually used by the military, look more like aeroplanes and can carry substantial payloads.Mr Nath, 23, had been designing drones, but decided that being certified to fly them would bring more job satisfaction and financial rewards.A five-day course was enough to get him started, and he's now flight-testing drones that will be used for mapping.Next he wants to master flying heavier and more complicated models.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, The government wants India to become a leader in the drone industryMr Nath is reaping the benefits of a big push by the Indian government into the drone industry.In February this year India banned the import of drones, except for those needed by the military or for research and development.The government wants to develop a home-grown industry that can design and assemble drones and make the components that go into their manufacture."Drones can be significant creators of employment and economic growth due to their versatility, and ease of use, especially in India's remote areas," says Amber Dubey, former joint secretary at the Ministry of Civil Aviation."Given its traditional strengths in innovation, information technology, frugal engineering and its huge domestic demand, India has the potential of becoming a global drone hub by 2030," he tells the BBC.Over the next three years Mr Dubey sees as much as 50bn rupees (£550m; $630m) invested in the sector.Image source, Asteria AerospaceImage caption, Drone makers have "large order books", says Neel Mehta, co-founder of Asteria AerospaceNeel Mehta is the co-founder of Asteria Aerospace, which has been building drones for 10 years. He welcomes the government's efforts to boost the sector. It has allowed his company to expand beyond building drones for the defence sector and move into new areas."Drone companies now have a clear growth roadmap, large order books and promising future trajectory. In India, we now have drones being used in real-world, impactful large-scale applications, while being economically viable," says Mr Mehta.Currently drones do all sorts of jobs in India. Police use them for monitoring the traffic and border security forces use them to search for smugglers and traffickers. They are also increasingly common in the farming sector, where they are used to monitor the health of crops and spray them with fertiliser and pesticides.However, despite the excitement and investment around India's drone industry, even those in the sector advise caution."India has set a goal of being a hub of drones by 2030, but I think we should be cautious because we at present don't not have an ecosystem and technology initiatives in place," says Rajiv Kumar Narang, from the Drone Federation of India.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Drones are used by India's police and security servicesHe says the industry needs a robust regulator that can oversee safety and help develop an air traffic control system for drones.That will be particularly important as the aircraft become larger, says Mr Narang."Initiatives have to come from the government. A single entity or a nodal ministry has to take this forward if we want to reach a goal of being the hub by 2030," he says.India also lacks the network of firms needed to make all the components that go into making a drone. At the moment many parts, including batteries, motors and flight controllers are imported. But the government is confident an incentive scheme will help boost domestic firms."The components industry will take two to three years to build, since it traditionally works on low margin and high volumes," says Mr Dubey.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Drone pilots are in demandDespite those reservations, firms are confident there will be demand for drones and people to fly them.Chirag Shara is the chief executive of Drone Destination, which has trained more than 800 pilots and instructors since the rules on drone use were first relaxed in August 2021.He estimates that India will need up to 500,000 certified pilots over the next five years."With 5G around the corner, the drone technology will have the platform to unleash its full potential, especially for long-range, high-endurance operations," he says.Some companies are already using autonomous drones that use artificial intelligence (AI) to get to their destinations. Could that eliminate the need for drone pilots in the future?It's not something that concerns newly certified pilot Uddesh Nath."Drones will always require a pilot or someone remotely controlling and monitoring them. Different drones require different handling and AI is not yet that advanced."Even if it learns to control itself, we cannot teach the drone to react in every situation," he says.

Agriculture

Like “big pharma” the global agricultural chemical companies run very sophisticated marketing and sponsorship networks that reach into almost every facet of rural life.The agvet companies, as they are known, are major financial partners – whether it’s funding for the conferences of agricultural organisations such as Cotton Australia and the National Farmers’ Federation, or for university research and specialist advisory organisations such as WeedSmart.German multinational Bayer, Swiss based Syngenta, Canadian based Nutrien, Adama (owned by Syngenta) US based Corteva (formerly Dow Dupont chemicals) and Australian company Nufarm contribute millions, if not billions, in support for rural activities.They subsidise agronomists in rural towns. They provide scholarships at agricultural schools and fund farm safety programs.They even fund government bodies, including – most controversially – providing 90% of the budget for Australia’s pesticides regulator , the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority, which operates on a user-pays basis.What they do is not illegal. Some would say it’s philanthropy. But it raises questions about whether organisations advising farmers, universities conducting research into improving crops, and even the regulator would be prepared to bite the hand that feeds them when it comes to pesticide use.‘The companies fund the people advising farmers’One of the key services in local farming towns is the local agronomist.“Agronomists used to be with the Department of Agriculture,” said Charles Massy, an author, academic and merino sheep farmer on the Monaro, who is a leading advocate for pesticide-free regenerative farming.“That is all gone so there is no neutrality [on pesticide use]. Now the companies fund the people advising farmers.”Nutrien, for example, has taken over the locally owned Ruralco and Landmark companies, which operate rural supply businesses. They provide fertiliser and crop protection products to farmers as well as the advice of agronomists, who are supported by the company.For those running industrial-scale farms, the question of which products to use and when has become increasingly complex, with more than a dozen different chemicals often applied at different times of year, Massy said.Many farmers are unable to keep up with the complexity of the science that is behind the regime they are using.“Farmers are totally dependent on the agricultural advisers of the companies. They just don’t have the knowledge themselves,” he said.A captured regulator?Several reviews have raised concerns about whether Australia’s pesticide regulator is overly close to the agvet industry and not sufficiently cognisant of consumer and environmental perspectives.In 2020-21 the APVMA received more than 89% – $38.9m – of its budget from fees, charges and levies paid by the pesticide industry for approving new products under a user-pays model of regulation.In 2006 the Australian National Audit Office recommended that the authority needed to better manage the risk of actual or perceived conflict of interest.Instead it has gone in the other direction, according to Friends of the Earth’s pesticide campaign leader, Anthony Amis.The APVMA has regular contact with the industry it regulates and with farm organisations but has struggled to interact with the environmental movement or consumer groups on a regular basis.The APVMA’s community consultative committees were shut down in 2012 and its advisory board abolished in 2015, as part of reform by the then-agriculture minister, Barnaby Joyce, when he moved the organisation to his home town of Armidale.A governance board was reinstated last April but its members are either from farming or an agricultural science background.Asked by the Guardian how it engaged with the wider community and environmental organisations, the APVMA said that in 2020, it had invited six environmental and community groups to participate in the APVMA Consultative Forum.Pesticide companies are major sponsors of annual conferences run by Australia’s cotton producer groups. Photograph: Cubbie Group“One group accepted the offer to participate only if sitting fees were provided,” it said, without clarifying whether any were now participating.More recently, environmental groups including Birdlife Australia, which is concerned about the threat to native birds that eat rats and mice, have engaged with some vigour with the review into anticoagulant rodenticides.Close links with farmer organisationsThe agvet companies also share close links with farmer organisations, agricultural product organisations and various outreach programs.Unsurprisingly, the pesticide companies are major sponsors of the annual conferences run by commodity groups that use pesticides extensively, such as cotton and wheat. The conferences often include exhibitions of farm machinery and agvet chemicals.For instance, the National Farmers’ Federation’s Sustaining the Nation conference in 2022 was backed by Nutrien. The NFF would not comment on the value of these sponsorships saying they were commercial arrangements.Cotton Australia 2022 was sponsored by Adama, Bayer, Corteva, Nutrien and Syngenta. And the Grain Growers’ Innovation Generation event was sponsored by Nutrien.The pesticide companies also fund ongoing programs like WeedSmart, which “delivers a science-based weed control solution to growers and advisers for long term profitability in Australian agriculture”.The program promotes six strategies, including crop rotation, mixing and matching herbicides and “double knock” spraying with herbicides.WeedSmart’s three gold sponsors are the Grains Research and Development Corporation (a government body) and Syngenta and Bayer (two of the largest chemical manufacturers in the world).WeedSmart in turn is a supporter of the Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative at the University of Western Australia, which “researches solutions to minimise the adverse impact herbicide resistance and crop weeds have on Australian cropping”.Extending the life of herbicides is one of the key objectives of the industry.Organisations such as the NFF are strong supporters of glyphosate for weed control. On its website it offers advice to farmers about the safety of the controversial pesticide, including listing major countries or territories that have renewed its registration on the basis that “glyphosate does not cause cancer”, but without any reference to the countries that have not.It cites the Australian Pesticides and Veterinary Medicines Authority’s decision in 2016 not to review glyphosate but makes no reference to ongoing debate in relation to the chemical, including no information about the continuing US court battles and Bayer’s $US10bn in settlements.Nor does it mention the class action now under way in Australia involving 700 people who have used glyphosate and who allege it caused their cancer. Bayer says there is “overwhelming scientific and regulatory support” for the safety of Roundup, and the “strength of the science” is on its side.Asked whether financial support from the agvet industryinfluenced the organisation’s stance on the regulation of pesticides, a spokesperson for the NFF told Guardian Australia that it had “strict governance arrangements in place to ensure our public policy positions are determined exclusively by our farmer members”.The organisation said it had confidence that the APVMA regulates agricultural and veterinary chemicals in a way that effectively manages the risks of pests and diseases for the Australian community and protects Australia’s trade and the health and safety of people, animals and the environment.“Australia is fortunate to have one of the world’s most respected, science-based regulators for agricultural chemicals. We support Australia’s science-led, risk based approach to chemical regulation which has a proven track record of safety and sustainability,” the spokesperson said.

Agriculture

A wildfire burns near Kecskemet, Hungary, July 14, 2022. Farmers across Hungary have reported "historic" drought damage affecting some 550,000 hectares of land, the ministry of agriculture said this month. REUTERS/Marton MonusRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comJASZSZENTLASZLO, Hungary, July 28 (Reuters) - Andras Eordogh admiringly watches his dozen foals as they frolic and kick up dust on his farm in the scorching summer heat and laments that he will have to sell most of them because of the changing climate in this rural southeast corner of Hungary.The gently-spoken, 66-year-old horse breeder, who enjoys teaching local children to ride his foals, said a severe drought means he can no longer harvest enough fodder to feed the horses."I really wanted to keep them... but I have been farming here for nearly three decades and I cannot remember such a severe drought," said Eordogh, who owns 150 hectares where he breeds horses and cattle and grows grains and vegetables.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comThe region known as Homokhatsag (Sand Ridge), located between Hungary's two main rivers, the Danube and Tisza, is a key agricultural area, growing corn, grain and sunflowers, and usually receives 550-600 millimetres of rain annually.However, data from the Hungarian Meteorological Service shows it received just 120-150 millimetres in the first half of 2022."Many people simply give up breeding animals. They will slowly lose their livelihood," said Ferenc Szepe, 68, another local farmer, as he grimly examined the hand-written log of monthly rainfall that he has kept for years."I want to breed horses, not camels," he added.RUNNING DRYFarmers across Hungary have reported "historic" drought damage affecting some 550,000 hectares of land, the ministry of agriculture said this month.Climate change is expected to affect most of Hungary's farmland but the Homokhatsag region is especially vulnerable, said Karoly Barta, a researcher at the University of Szeged."The Homokhatsag... sits higher than the two rivers surrounding it and its sandy soil dries out fast," he said.A lake in the middle of one village, Jaszszentlaszlo, where many locals learned to swim as children, dried up years ago.The mayors of Jaszszentlaszlo and two neighbouring villages and local farmers including Szepe banded together five years ago to block hundreds of kilometres of channels crisscrossing their land in order to retain rainwater. The channels were built in communist times to drain the area and increase the arable land.The farmers said they could live with the increased risk this plan brought of occasional flooding of their land.The plan violated an old law that says the channels must be kept open to drain excess rainwater and channel it to the Danube and the Tisza, but the farmers said they had the tacit approval of the authorities."They see that the situation is dire... and they tolerate the rule-breaking because they see our results," said Csaba Toldi, the leader of the group.But this year's drought has finally scuppered the project.Winter and spring rains mostly failed, leaving water only in the one channel at Jaszszentlaszlo, but that too had run dry by May."The last year when the channels were full of water was 2019... This is the third year of the drought, and it tops everything," Toldi said.'HOPING FOR RAIN'Istvan Lang, the director of the General Directorate of Water Management, said in March the government would spend 200 billion forints ($511 million) over the next eight years on saving the Homokhatsag region from drying up and that about 10% of the work had been done already.Local farmers said they had not been notified of these plans and had only heard of them from the media.Gergely Lajko, a 27-year old farmer, said he would rather find solutions than complain. "But we are just hoping for rain now, there is not much else we can do."Lajko returned home to Jaszszentlaszlo with his wife three years ago and bought a farm and three horses.They planned to expand the farm into a small business breeding sheep, pigs and chickens this year, but the drought could put some of those plans on hold."Maybe we should find out what thrives in the desert. Arab horse breeds? Kiwi fruit? Camels?" Lajko chuckled. "These are our bitter jokes these days."Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Anita Komuves, Editing by Krisztina Than and Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Agriculture

The good news for Benjamin Rice is that the price for the corn and soybeans he grows on his Philo, Illinois, farm are up this year – a bright spot at a time of uncertainty and upheaval made worse for agricultural producers around the world by the war in Ukraine. “This year compared to two years [ago], we’re up in that 50 percent range [of higher prices],” he told VOA during a break in his work in the fields during the harvest. But market forces working in Rice’s favor will only benefit him if he can sell the yield from his crops in time. “We’re seeing swings every single day of easily 10, maybe 15 cents of corn and 30 to 70 cents in beans. So, if you can sell one day for 70 cents higher for what tomorrow is going to be, they aren’t small swings anymore,” he said. Contributing to price fluctuations are some factors farmers can’t control, like the weather and drought conditions lowering water levels on the Mississippi River, which prevents crop-carrying barges from easily navigating the important waterway leading to international shipping ports. While high crop prices are good news for farmers, this year they come with a downside. The cost of doing business is also up. The price of diesel fuel that powers farm equipment is near an all-time high. So is the cost of nitrogen-rich anhydrous ammonia fertilizers, made using natural gas, which farmers rely on to boost crop yields. “It’s 40% above the cost last year,” Rice said. “And it’s over 100% the cost it was two years ago for the exact same product.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that fertilizer prices account for a hefty segment of farm cash costs – nearly one-fifth. The proportion is even larger for producing wheat and corn. While his farm is far away from battle lines in eastern Europe, the effects of the war in Ukraine – and the resulting disruption to natural gas and other supplies – are rippling through Rice’s fields in the midwestern United States. “Ukraine and Russia combined export – I believe it’s somewhere in the 30%-to-40% range of the world’s use of anhydrous ammonia, and I know that they are also a big player in that natural gas market,” Rice said. “And as soon as that [war] started, the numbers just exploded on what our input costs were.” Those costs haven’t come down since. “They’re already taking a look at next year’s prices, where they are seeing triple predictions,” said DeAnne Bloomberg of the Illinois Farm Bureau (IFB), speaking with VOA from the group’s headquarters in Bloomington. Even higher prices Bloomberg emphasized there’s no easy way to lower fertilizer costs. “You can’t just rachet up fertilizer production,” she said. “It takes years for that.” So high input prices could go even higher – concerns the IFB is relaying to federal and state lawmakers, urging action where possible. “Gasoline prices, and being able to have the supply chain opened up and available, is one piece that we can look at because it is extremely regulated,” said Bloomberg. “So, any of those pieces that regulate those inputs is where government can come into play.” What farmers aren’t asking for – yet, Bloomberg added – is a return to direct government payments to offset increased costs. “They also want to work on free markets, and let the markets move through it,” she told VOA. “I don’t see that that’s been on their radar.” As the war in Ukraine drags on, food prices continue to rise and inflation weighs on economies across the globe. The economic headwinds come at a time when farmer Benjamin Rice is making tough decisions about fertilizer applications ahead of next year’s planting season. “I want to cut back and be responsible about it, but not too much to end up hurting next year’s crop,” he said. Acknowledging a delicate balancing act he may have to contend with for years to come, Rice added, “It’s been a roller coaster for sure.”

Agriculture

A drought in China is threatening food production, prompting the government to order local authorities to take all available measures to ensure crops survive the hottest summer on record.On Tuesday, four government departments issued an urgent joint emergency notice, warning that the autumn harvest was under “severe threat”. It urged local authorities to ensure “every unit of water … be used carefully”, and called for methods included staggered irrigation, the diversion of new water sources, and cloud seeding.A record-breaking heatwave combined with a months-long drought during the usual flood season has wreaked havoc across China’s usually water-rich south. It has dried up parts of the Yangtze River and dozens of tributaries, drastically affecting hydropower capacity and causing rolling blackouts and power rationing as demand for electricity spikes. There is now concern about future food supply.Even Pay, an analyst at Trivium China who specialises in agriculture, said her immediate concern was for fresh produce.“The kinds of fresh vegetables that supply the local markets where people buy their produce each day – that’s the category that is least likely to be in a major irrigation area, and which is not likely to be strategically prioritised in a national push to protect grain and oil feeds,” she said.Crop losses would also hit supply chains and exacerbate supply problems, Pay said, as a Chinese city’s produce supply was often grown close to that city, but would have to be sourced from further away and could rot on longer journeys.Pay said the concerns were mainly domestic, and that categories of food that would affect the global markets were “keeping pretty safe”. But she said attention should be paid to rapeseed if the drought was still going when crops are planted in the autumn.China is now relying more heavily on its own corn production – 4% of which was grown in drought affected Sichuan and Anhui – after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine drastically destabilised global supplies.Pay added:“I think we’re going to start to see reports of livestock farmers getting hit. A lot of pig farmers have upscaled in recent years … There are big intensive vertical farms, and if the AC gets cut off [the pigs] are not going to be in good shape.”Pay was relatively optimistic about the measures announced on Tuesday, and its call for tailored local solutions. The order to divert water sources would probably help areas where water is inaccessible, she said, and subsidies have already been announced.“But we’ve now had 35 straight days of heat warnings. We have dry season water levels, or below typical dry season water levels. The conditions are very, very extreme and there’s no question that there will be some loss of crops.”Tuesday’s notice heavily emphasised that it came from the highest levels of government, partially titled “emergency notice on thoroughly implementing the spirit of general secretary Xi Jinping’s important instructions”.“That’s a really important signal to localities that there is a very high degree of political will behind the push to do anything and everything possible to support farmers and ensure crops can be saved,” said Pay.It was also a sign of the pressure on China’s Communist party to avoid food price rises and inflation, as it prepares for its five-yearly congress meeting in the coming months.“It’s signalling to markets, anyone with the jitters, or thinking of stocking up on food, that: hey everybody is mobilised and we’re going to do everything we can,” said Pay. “It’s also signalling to local province and county level governments that they need to get out and be seen to do something even if there is nothing that can be done.”China has made climate crisis commitments to peak its carbon output before 2030, but – along with some European countries – has recently reprioritised coal production to stave off a global energy crisis.Pay said China was making big efforts in adaptability. She said the hydropower failure in Sichuan – where it contributes 80% of power supply – would probably lead to a fossil fuel-driven response in the short term before efforts to boost other renewable sources which had struggled to compete with cheap hydropower.“What’s happening this summer is going to be the base case for what a climate emergency looks like, and we’re likely to se a lot of policy research and redesign … and a lot more attention around water availability.”Additional reporting by Xiaoqian Zhu

Agriculture

National Farmers Federation Chief Executive Tony Mahar says they’re “confident’ from an “agriculture perspective” that they’re “heading in the right direction” over the government possibly committing to reduce Australia’s methane emissions. “We’ve been talking to government very closely on commitments around a methane pledge and we recall that the methane pledge is an aspirational target to reduce methane,” Mr Mahar told Sky News Australia. “Obviously agriculture sector one of the large emitters from the methane perspective but from a farming sector what we want to do is continue to produce the magnificent food and fibre that farmers right across this country produce.”Mr Mahar says in talking to the government they’ve “been ensuring us” any commitment around the aspirational pledge “won’t restrict farmers from doing what they do best” and “that’s raising livestock and producing crops”.

Agriculture

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Brecon and Radnorshire MP Fay Jones said it was a "huge day for sheep farmers across my constituency"The first shipment of Welsh lamb exported to the US in decades has been hailed a "milestone" for UK's rural economy by the prime minister.Liz Truss tweeted it marked a "well-deserved boost to our rural economy".President Joe Biden committed to lifting his country's decades-old ban on imports of the British meat in September 2021.The shipment contained lamb produced by meat processor Dunbia from its site in Carmarthenshire.The market is estimated to be worth £37m in the first five years of trade.Brecon and Radnorshire MP Fay Jones said it was a "huge day for sheep farmers across my constituency"."I am delighted to see Welsh lamb back in the USA after such a long absence," she said.The United States had banned British lamb imports since 1989, following the first outbreaks of BSE, commonly known as mad cow disease and a similar ban on British beef imports was lifted in September last year.Last December, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) had amended the rule preventing imports of lamb from the UK into the US, with the change coming into force in January.However, some outstanding steps remained before shipping could start, including an approval process for exporters, according to the PA news agency.International Trade Secretary Kemi Badenoch said it was "fantastic news" to see Britain's "world-class lamb back on American menus"."Now they can sell to a consumer market of over 300 million people, which support jobs and growth in a vital British industry," she said.

Agriculture

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. CNN  —  Stone Age cooks were surprisingly sophisticated, combining an array of ingredients and using different techniques to prepare and flavor their meals, analysis of some the earliest charred food remains has suggested. Plant material found at the Shanidar Cave in northern Iraq — which is famous for its burial of a Neanderthal surrounded by flowers — and Franchthi Cave in Greece revealed prehistoric cooking by Neanderthals and early modern humans was complex, involving several steps, and that the foods used were diverse, according to a new study published in the journal Antiquity. Wild nuts, peas, vetch, a legume which had edible seed pods, and grasses were often combined with pulses like beans or lentils, the most commonly identified ingredient, and at times, wild mustard. To make the plants more palatable, pulses, which have a naturally bitter taste, were soaked, coarsely ground or pounded with stones to remove their husk. At Shanidar Cave, the researchers studied plant remains from 70,000 years ago, when the space was inhabited by Neanderthals, an extinct species of human, and 40,000 years ago, when it was home to early modern humans (Homo sapiens). The charred food remains from Franchthi Cave dated from 12,000 years ago, when it was also occupied by hunter-gatherer Homo sapiens. Despite the distance in time and space, similar plants and cooking techniques were identified at both sites — possibly suggesting a shared culinary tradition, said the study’s lead author Dr. Ceren Kabukcu, an archaeobotanical scientist at the University of Liverpool in the United Kingdom. Based on the food remains researchers analyzed, Neanderthals, the heavy-browed hominins who disappeared about 40,000 years ago, and Homo sapiens appeared to use similar ingredients and techniques, she added, although wild mustard was only found at Shanidar Cave dating back to when it was occupied by Homo sapiens. A breadlike substance was found at the Greek cave, although it wasn’t clear what it was made from. The evidence that ancient humans pounded and soaked pulses at Shanidar Cave 70,000 years ago is the earliest direct evidence outside Africa of the processing of plants for food, according to Kabukcu. Kabukcu said she was surprised to find that prehistoric people were combining plant ingredients in this way, an indication that flavor was clearly important. She had expected to find only starchy plants like roots and tubers, which on face value appear to be more nutritious and are easier to prepare. Much research on prehistoric diets has focused on whether early humans were predominantly meat eaters, but Kabukcu said it was clear they weren’t just chomping on woolly mammoth steaks. Our ancient ancestors ate a varied diet depending on where they lived, and this likely included a wide range of plants. Such creative cooking techniques were once thought to have emerged only with the shift from the hunter-gatherer lifestyle to humans’ focus on agriculture — known as the Neolithic transition — that took place between 6,000 to 10,000 years ago. What’s more, she said, the research suggested life in the Stone Age was not just a brutal fight to survive, at least at these two sites, and that prehistoric humans selectively foraged a variety of different plants and understood their different flavor profiles. John McNabb, a professor at the Centre for the Archaeology of Human Origins at the University of Southampton in the UK said that scientific understanding of the Neanderthal diet has changed significantly “as we move away from the idea of them just consuming huge quantities of hunted game meat.” “More data is needed from Shanidar, but if these results are supported then Neanderthals were eating pulses and some species from the grass family that required careful preparation before consumption. Sophisticated techniques of food preparation had a much deeper history than previously thought,” McNabb, who wasn’t involved in the research, said via email. “Even more intriguing is the possibility that they did not deliberately extract all the unpalatable toxins. Some were left in the food, as the presence of seed coatings suggests — that part of the seed where the bitterness is especially located. A Neanderthal flavor of choice.” A separate study into prehistoric diets that also published Tuesday analyzed ancient humans’ oral microbiome — fungi, bacteria and viruses that reside in the mouth — by using ancient DNA from dental plaque. Researchers led by Andrea Quagliariello, a postdoctoral research fellow in comparative biomedicine and food at the University of Padua in Italy, examined the oral microbiomes of 76 individuals who lived in prehistoric Italy over a period of 30,000 years, as well as microscopic food remains found in calcified plaque. Quagliariello and his team were able to identify trends in diet and cooking techniques, such as the introduction of fermentation and milk, and a shift to a greater reliance on carbohydrates associated with an agriculture-based diet. McNabb said it was impressive that researchers had been able chart changes over such a long period of time. “What the study also does is support the growing idea that the Neolithic was not the sudden arrival of new subsistence practices and new cultures as it was once thought to be. It appears to be a slower transition,” McNabb, who wasn’t involved in the study, said via email.

Agriculture

[1/5] Gorongosa Park warden Pedro Muagura picks drought-resistant coffee beans from trees at Mozambique's Mount Gorongosa, in Sofala Province of central Mozambique, October 21, 2022. REUTERS/ Emidio JozineMOUNT GORONGOSA, Mozambique, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Park warden Pedro Muagura sees hope for the future as he picks a ripe handful of cherry red coffee beans from a more resistant variety of coffee trees introduced to communities farming around Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park.The prospect of a more reliable harvest from the crop, which thrives in the shade of indigenous trees, has given people living around Gorongosa a longer-term incentive to protect a rainforest that has lost more than 100 hectares of tree cover per year over the past four decades.Gorongosa is still recovering from a civil war that killed about 1 million people between 1977 and 1992.The park, once considered one of Africa's finest, became a conflict site and lost almost all of its wildlife.Population growth and urbanisation in surrounding communities undermined restoration efforts as remaining animals were poached and forests cut down for firewood, agriculture and housing."We realised that if we keep talking as a park, keep talking that we need to do reforestation without having immediate tangible benefits ... (progress) was very slow," Muagura said.Gorongosa Park's sustainable development department has been studying coffee tree varieties from around the world that are resistant to pests, disease, drought and prolonged rainy seasons. It planted up the variety Muagura was looking at in 2020.Weather patterns have grown increasingly erratic in Mozambique, where climate shocks including repeated cyclones have offset livelihoods in one of the world's poorest countries."Sometimes (there is a) very long rainy season, sometimes very short," Muagura said. "We want to try to have species which can cope."Last year, communities around Gorongosa planted more than 260,000 coffee trees and 20,000 indigenous trees.The park now has 815,000 coffee trees planted over 243 hectares of land.More than 800 small-scale farmers, 40% of who are women, pick the green coffee, dry the beans and sell them."I have gained a lot. I am able to send my children to school, and even though sometimes we experience drought with coffee we are always harvesting and having money," said Fatiansa Pauline, who is now permanently employed by the coffee project.Reporting by Sisipho Skweyiya and Emidio Jozine; Writing by Sofia Christensen; Editing by Alison WilliamsOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Agriculture

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI, Nov 29 (Reuters) - India is expected to harvest a bumper wheat crop in 2023 as high domestic prices and replenished soil moisture help farmers surpass last year's planting, while an intense heat-wave cut output this year.Higher wheat output could encourage India, the world's second biggest producer of the grain, to consider lifting a May ban on exports of the staple and help ease concerns over persistently high retail inflation.Although the wheat area has almost reached a plateau in India's traditional grain belts in the northern states such as Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, growers are planting the crop on some fallow land in the country's west where farmers have traditionally grown pulse and oilseeds."Wheat prices are very attractive," Nitin Gupta, vice president at Olam Agro India, told Reuters. "We can see a big jump in states like Gujarat and Rajasthan, where farmers could bring barren land under wheat."Domestic wheat prices have jumped 33% so far in 2022 to a record 29,000 rupees ($355.19) per tonne, far above the government-fixed buying price of 21,250 rupees.The surge in wheat prices is despite the ban on exports of the grain, indicating a far bigger drop in this year's output.India, also the world's second biggest consumer of wheat, banned exports of the staple after a sharp, sudden rise in temperatures clipped output even as exports picked up to meet the global shortfall triggered by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.India grows only one wheat crop in a year, with planting in October and November, and harvests from March.Farmers have planted wheat on 15.3 million hectares since Oct. 1, when the current sowing season began, up nearly 11% from a year earlier, according to provisional data released by the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers' Welfare.In Punjab and Haryana, India's bread basket states, a lot of farmers decided to bring forward their planting, believing the early-sown varieties would be ready for harvests before temperatures tend to go up in late March and early April, said Ramandeep Singh Mann, a farmer.Higher temperatures shrivel the wheat crop."In Punjab, farmers have already planted wheat on 2.9 to 3.0 million hectares of its normal area of around 3.5 million hectares," Mann said.To cash in on higher prices, farmers are also opting for superior wheat varieties such as Lokwan and Sharbati, the premium grades that fetch higher returns."Wheat area has gone up, but the crop will require lower temperatures in the weeks to come, and then the weather needs to remain favourable in March and April when the crop ripens," said Rajesh Paharia Jain, a New Delhi-based trader.Reporting by Rajendra Jadhav and Mayank Bhardwaj; Editing by Arun KoyyurOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Agriculture

Australian farmers are scrambling to understand the ramifications of new European laws on land-clearing, which could harm exports of products such as beef or paper under stricter environmental controls.But environmental groups and some in the federal government believe the new laws could help Australian producers with more sustainable farming techniques get to “the front of the queue”, as negotiations continue for a free trade agreement with the European Union.The European parliament this week passed a bill requiring EU members to verify whether certain imported goods – including soy, palm oil, timber, cocoa, coffee, corn, rubber, charcoal and paper – had been produced in areas linked to deforestation. The regulations also include beef, pork, lamb, goat and poultry meat, with import of goods produced in deforested areas after January 2020 to be banned. Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning After passing the European parliament, it must be ratified by individual member countries.The National Farmers Federation CEO, Tony Mahar, is concerned by the change, saying the lack of detail is ‘“alarming”. “We need to understand how they would define deforestation or whether this would apply retrospectively,” he told Guardian Australia.“We’re also keen to understand what compliance burden might be placed on family farms here in Australia to prove we’re doing the right thing.”Mahar said Australian agricultural land needed “active management”, including clearing of introduced species or to prevent soil issues, and spoke of the sustainable environmental practices that most meat producers followed.“Our landscape is truly unique and we have our own science-led regulatory frameworks designed to protect it. What farmers in Australia don’t need is another layer of regulation imposed from across the globe,” he said.But Jess Lerch, national corporate campaigns manager at the Wilderness Society, said the change gave Australian producers an opportunity to showcase their environmental credentials.“There is a very small proportion of Australian farmers who have a business model based on the bulldozer. If the 1% or so of farmers who do all the clearing are reined in, then Australia would be closer to the front of the queue on environmental grounds for market access,” she told Guardian Australia.“It’s a big question for lobby groups like the NFF: do they want to hold back the 99% of farmers who are doing the right thing, to protect the 1% who aren’t?”The Wilderness Society had been part of the lobbying effort that saw the EU parliament adopt the change. Lerch expected similar environmental controls could be placed on the EU free trade agreement.“This is Europe asserting itself on the world stage in a drive to address the twin global crises of biodiversity loss and climate change. It is a move that foreshadows expected future efforts on other issues like fossil fuels,” she said.The agriculture minister, Murray Watt, said the federal government was “keen to support Australian producers to ensure continued market access going forward”.“Australian producers are already great custodians of the land on which they live and work, balancing agricultural productivity and food security with good environmental outcomes,” he said.Guardian Australia understands some voices in the federal government see the export controls as a possible positive for Australian farmers, opening up a potential point of difference for local products when compared with other nations with higher deforestation rates such as Brazil.Managing director of Meat & Livestock Australia, Jason Strong, said local red meat producers had made large steps to reduce carbon emissions, and hoped the EU regulations wouldn’t harm farmers.“The EU passes a deforestation trade bill that provides a dramatic headline. But the next one could be, ‘Australian red meat producers are best-placed of anyone in the world to give EU parliament comfort on this’,” he said.“Australia can demonstrate you can be profitable and productive and have intergenerational sustainability.”Strong said there could be export positives to come from the change, but claimed the new regulations wouldn’t take into account other work done by agricultural producers in lowering environmental impacts.“Farmers are desperately committed to looking after the land. There’s cases [where] it can be done better, no question, but the overarching commitment of producers is to look after the environment,” he said.This issue is expected to feature in a meeting on Monday between the trade minister, Don Farrell, and a delegation from the European parliament’s committee on international trade, which will discuss progress on free trade agreement negotiations.The federal parliament’s committee on treaties will hold a hearing on the UK free trade agreement on Monday in Parliament House. Lerch said the federal government could help protect exporters by placing further regulation on deforestation and forest degradation.

Agriculture

image: The Precision Compost Strategy could help reverse the degradation of soil, boosting crop production. view more  Credit: Supplied A new way of using compost could boost global crop production and deliver huge benefits to the planet, according to a study co-led by The University of Queensland. Professor Susanne Schmidt from UQ’s School of Agriculture and Food Sciences said adopting a Precision Compost Strategy (PCS) in large-scale agriculture could improve crop yield, soil health and divert biowaste from landfill where it generates harmful greenhouse gases. “Instead of relying just on mineral fertilisers, PCS involves supplementing the right type of compost with nutrients to match the needs of soils and crops,” Professor Schmidt said. “Soils that have become compacted and acidic are then aerated and neutralised. “The result is they can retain more water, facilitate root growth and nourish the organisms that keep soils and crops healthy.” Professor Schmidt said soil plays a crucial role in ensuring global food security. “But currently 30 per cent of the world’s agricultural soil is classified as degraded, with projections that this could rise to 90 per cent by 2050,” she said. “Our research estimates PCS could boost the annual global production of major cereal crops by 96 million tonnes, or 4 per cent of current production. “This has flow-on effects for consumers by addressing food shortages and price hikes.” The study found applying PCS to large-scale agriculture could also help mitigate climate change. “In Australia alone, more than 7 million tonnes of biowaste ends up in landfill every year where it generates huge amounts of avoidable greenhouse gases and other undesirable effects,” Professor Schmidt said. “If we repurpose it, we can restore crucial carbon in cropland topsoil. “There are cost benefits too - diverting just 15,000 tonnes of biowaste could save a local council as much as $2-3 million a year.” Far North Queensland sugarcane farmer Tony Rossi said his family's company V. Rossi & Sons had been using precision compost for seven years with great success. “We’ve been able to almost halve our fertiliser use which is so much better for the environment, and our crop yield is the same,” Mr Rossi said. More than 2,000 examples of compost use in the agricultural sector across the globe were analysed as part of the PCS study. The research was supported by Fight Food Waste CRC and has been published in Nature Food. Article Publication Date 5-Sep-2022 Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.

Agriculture

Biological soil crusts, which some researchers describe as “the living skin of the Earth,” are a diverse community of organisms — microbes, fungi, plants and lichens — that plays a crucial role in managing entire ecosystems. And they’re in trouble. From deserts to polar regions, dryland ecosystems support about one-third of the human population and make up about 40 percent of the Earth’s land surface — and 30 percent of that land is covered by biocrusts. They may not look like much, but if you zoom in close, you’ll start to see a complex web of life — one vital to the health of its environment. “I encourage [people] to get on their hands and knees and really check them out,” said Sasha Reed, a biogeochemist with the United States Geological Survey. They help plants get necessary nutrients like nitrogen and they stabilize loose soil, protecting against erosion. That means the loss of this top layer — often driven by human activity, as well as by climate change — has far-reaching consequences. Temperatures in dryland regions have already increased and droughts have become more severe. Climate scientists project temperatures will continue to warm in drylands at faster rates than in other ecosystems, and drought frequency and severity will increase more quickly. The effects can already be seen in the Southwest, with Lake Mead at record-low levels and the entire region in a megadrought more severe than any seen in the past 1,000 years. A 2018 study estimated that 25 to 40 percent of Earth’s existing biocrust could disappear within 65 years. WATCH: Unrelenting drought leaves millions who rely on Colorado River facing an uncertain future “[Biocrusts] are only active under certain conditions,” said Anita Antoninka, a soil ecologist at Northern Arizona University’s Center for Adaptable Western Landscapes. “[They] grow slowly and once lost, [are] lost forever.” Matt Bowker, a soil ecologist at Northern Arizona University, is developing a global research network that would bring together scientists from all over the world to collect their research into large datasets to better understand the crusts on a global level. Photo courtesy Anita Antoninka Young biocrusts are almost indistinguishable from their surroundings, but mature crusts may appear dark and knobby or vibrantly colorful. Some can be incredibly old, living for up to thousands of years. There are different kinds of biocrust, generally classified by the crust shape and the mix of organisms forming relationships within the community. Lichens often form a structure for the crusts and are classified by their shape, such as smooth, rugose, pinnacled or rolling. The rougher types of crust, those with more lichen elements, slow erosion while helping to retain water and nutrients for other, larger plants to grow. Biocrust communities — like “tiny coral reefs in the desert,” according to soil ecologist Matt Bowker — are also very fragile. They can be destroyed by livestock, heavy machinery, or even just people walking on them. This has led to “don’t bust the crust” campaigns all over the American Southwest, often led by the National Park Service. Though resistant to drought, biocrusts are still “quite sensitive to climate change,” according to Reed. Experiments have revealed that changes in temperature of about 4 degrees Celsius can seriously hinder their rate of growth and recovery. Too much water can also result in the death of biocrust communities. “Biocrusts are special in that they can completely dry out,” said Jayne Belnap, a research ecologist for the U.S. Geological Survey. It takes a lot of photosynthetic energy for these organisms to rehydrate, and more frequent rain events with increased temperature will cause energy loss through the repetitive process of drying out and rehydrating. The more often they need to perform this process, the more likely they are to lose energy. How biocrusts benefit the environment Biocrusts protect the land from erosion, but if the crust is lost, more dust is whipped into the atmosphere. Dust has been the third-deadliest weather hazard in Arizona over the last 50 years; as the biocrust degrades and exposes more soil to erosion, the problem will only be exacerbated. Antoninka and Reed agree that cases of valley fever, a fungal disease often transported in dust, could rise as the biocrust disappears. Biocrust is also an important factor in the water cycle, especially along the Colorado River. Without the crust to hold it in place, dust gets picked up by the wind and deposited on snow, causing the snowpack to absorb more sunlight and melt too quickly. As a result, mountain plants become active earlier in the season, absorbing the water before it can reach rivers. This makes the seasonal cycles of rivers more erratic, causing increased strain on water supply for communities and agriculture. READ MORE: This researcher seeks farming solutions that are easier on the land and more profitable All of this is a “result of busting the crust,” according to Belnap. Reed also suspects that drylands play an underrated role in the global carbon cycle. Carbon sequestration is a part of the cycle that pulls some of that greenhouse gas out of the atmosphere and stores or sequesters it in places that can hold carbon, such as oceans, large trees in the rainforest or even in cacti and grasses. Despite all the ecosystems that can absorb carbon, about 45 percent of the carbon dioxide humans produce remains in the atmosphere. Forests are major centers for carbon sequestration, where large trees are able to absorb and use carbon as they grow. But it is estimated that 30 percent of the world’s carbon resides in and below dryland ecosystems, held in the biocrust, cacti and other dryland flora. Restoring the crust Efforts are underway to restore biocrust in places where it has been lost. One of the largest hurdles will be tracking large swaths of biological soil crust at once in order to measure where and how much of it is disappearing. Scientists are looking to NASA for help. The goal of working with NASA is to gain access to different technologies, such as satellites, planes or even drones, to better map and measure changes in the overall surface area of biocrusts around the world. “We want to start to build a network,” Reed said. Separately, Bowker, who works with Antoninka at Northern Arizona University, is developing a global research network called CrustNET. This would involve scientists from all over the world collaborating and collating their research into large datasets to better understand the crusts on a global level. READ MORE: Our past and future is written in Earth’s landscape. Here’s how one geomorphologist is reading it One of the main focus of biocrust research is the restoration of landscapes that have already lost most of their native biocrust populations. Ecologists are experimenting with techniques to transport or graft healthy biocrust over damaged landscapes in much the same way a doctor grafts healthy skin to wounds on a body. “We are borrowing a lot from plant restoration,” Antoninka said about the grafting techniques. Biocrusts grow slowly, and once lost are gone forever, according to Anita Antoninka (pictured kneeling), a soil ecologist at Northern Arizona University’s Center for Adaptable Western Landscapes who is working on conservation solutions. Photo courtesy Anita Antoninka As biocrust is lost in the wilderness, scientists have been able to replicate and grow these biological communities in laboratories. Under ideal conditions, biocrust can grow quite quickly. “We were able to bulk it up and grow it really quickly,” Reed said, “[but] we made life too easy.” Once the lab-grown crust was introduced to outside conditions, it was unable to survive. READ MORE: How you can contribute to scientific discoveries from your couch Reed and Antoninka are experimenting with ways to make the crust more resilient by hardening it to the conditions it would experience in the wild. They are also working to soften potential areas for transplant with a regular watering system until the crust becomes established. Just as our own skin helps regulate our bodies, the biocrust plays a key role in our world. With rising global temperatures and increasing drought, the Earth’s skin is in more trouble than ever before, but scientists are working to salvage what they can, and urging the public to appreciate what remains.

Agriculture

CHICAGO — Indigenous people in the Amazon may have been deliberately creating fertile soil for farming for thousands of years. At archaeological sites across the Amazon River basin, mysterious patches of unusually fertile soil dot the landscape. Scientists have long debated the origin of this “dark earth,” which is darker in color than surrounding soils and richer in carbon. Now, researchers have shown that indigenous Kuikuro people in southeastern Brazil intentionally create similar soil around their villages. The finding, presented December 16 at the American Geophysical Union meeting, adds evidence to the idea that long-ago Amazonians deliberately manufactured such soil too. Science News headlines, in your inbox Headlines and summaries of the latest Science News articles, delivered to your email inbox every Thursday. The fact that Kuikuro people make dark earth today is a “pretty strong argument” that people were also making it in the past, says Paul Baker, a geochemist at Duke University who was not involved in the research. In doing so, these early inhabitants may have inadvertently stored massive quantities of carbon in the soil, says study presenter Taylor Perron, an earth scientist at MIT. The technique, he says, could provide a blueprint for developing methods of sustainably locking atmospheric carbon in tropical soils, helping fight climate change.    Indigenous people have altered the Amazon for thousands of years The Western world has long viewed the Amazon as a vast wilderness that was relatively untouched before Europeans showed up. At the center of this argument is the idea that the Amazon’s soil, which is poor in nutrients like other tropical soils, precluded its inhabitants from developing agriculture at a scale required to support complex societies.      But a slew of archeological finds in recent decades — including the discovery of ancient urban centers in Amazonian areas of modern-day Bolivia — has revealed that people were actively shaping the Amazon for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans (SN: 5/25/22). Most scientists today agree that the presence of dark earth near archaeological sites means that long-ago Amazonians used this soil to grow crops. But while some archaeologists argue that people purposely made the soil, others contend that dark earth was laid down through geologic processes. Perron and colleagues reviewed interviews of Kuikuro people conducted by a Kuikuro filmmaker in 2018. Those conversations revealed that Kuikuro villagers actively make dark earth — eegepe in Kuikuro — using ash, food scraps and controlled burns. “When you plant where there is no eegepe, the soil is weak,” explained elder Kanu Kuikuro in one of the interviews. “That is why we throw the ash, manioc peelings and manioc pulp.” The researchers collected soil samples from around Kuikuro villages and archaeological sites in Brazil’s Xingu River basin. The team found “striking similarities” between dark earth samples from ancient and modern sites, Perron says. Both were far less acidic than surrounding soils — probably thanks to the neutralizing effect of ash — and contained higher levels of plant-friendly nutrients. Soil that bears a striking resemblance to dark earth can be found in and around Kuikuro villages (one seen here from above) in southeastern Brazil.Google Earth, Map data: Google, Maxar Technologies Dark earth could store a lot of carbon in the Amazon These analyses also revealed that dark earth holds twice the amount of carbon as surrounding soils on average. Infrared scans of the Xingu region suggest that the area is pockmarked with dark earth, and that as much as roughly 9 megatons of carbon — the annual carbon emissions of a small, industrialized country — may have gone unaccounted in the area, the researchers reported at the meeting.   This number, while preliminary, could inflate to roughly the annual carbon emissions of the United States when all dark earth across the Amazon is taken into consideration, Perron says. Figuring out how much carbon is actually stored in the Amazon could help improve climate simulations. But the researchers’ estimates are a “huge extrapolation from a very small dataset,” Baker cautions — a sentiment echoed by Perron. Pinning down the true value of carbon stored in the Amazon’s dark earth will require more data, says Antoinette WinklerPrins, a geographer at Johns Hopkins University who was not involved in the study. Still, the research has “profound implications of the past and future” of the Amazon, she says. For one thing, the technique highlights how ancient people were able to thrive in the Amazon by developing sustainable farming that doubled as a carbon-sequestration technique. With more and more greenhouse gases entering the atmosphere, making dark earth — or something like it — could be a method of mitigating climate change while supporting agriculture in the tropics. “People in the ancient past figured out a way to store lots of carbon for hundreds or even thousands of years,” Perron says. “Maybe we can learn something from that.”

Agriculture

Soil can be considered black gold, and we're running out it.The United Nations declared soil finite and predicted catastrophic loss within 60 years."There are places that have already lost all of their topsoil," Jo Handelsman, author of "A World Without Soil," and a professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, told CNBC.The impact of soil degradation could total $23 trillion in losses of food, ecosystem services and income worldwide by 2050, according to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification."We have identified 10 soil threats in our global report … Soil erosion is number one because it's taking place everywhere," Ronald Vargas, the secretary of the Global Soil Partnership and Land and Water Officer at the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, told CNBC.According to the U.N., soil erosion may reduce up to 10% of crop yields by 2050, which is the equivalent of removing millions of acres of farmland.And when the world loses soil, food supply, clean drinking water and biodiversity are threatened.What's more, soil plays an important role in mitigating climate change.Soil contains more than three times the amount of carbon in the earth's atmosphere and four times as much in all living plants and animals combined, according to the Columbia Climate School. "Soil is the habitat for over a quarter of the planet's biodiversity. Each gram of soil contains millions of cells of bacteria and fungi that play a very important role in all ecosystem services," Reza Afshar, chief scientist at the regenerative agriculture research farm at the Rodale Institute, told CNBC.The Rodale Institute in Kutztown, Pennsylvania, is known as the birthplace of modern organic agriculture. "The projects we do here are centered around improving and rebuilding soil health. We have a farming system trial that's been running for 42 years," Afshar said. It is the longest-running side-by-side comparison of organic and conventional grain cropping systems in North America. The research has found regenerative, organic agriculture produces yields up to 40% higher during droughts, can earn farmers greater profits and releases 40% fewer carbon emissions than conventional agricultural practices.How's that possible? The Rodale Institute says it all starts with the soil."When we talk about healthy soil, we are talking about all aspects of the soil, chemical, physical and biological that should be in a perfect status to be able to produce healthy food for us," Afshar said.It's critical, of course, because the world relies on soil for 95% of our food production. But that's just the beginning of its importance."The good news is that we know enough to get to work," Dianna Bagnall, a research soil scientist at the Soil Health Institute, told CNBC.Watch the video above to learn more about why we're facing a silent soil crisis, how soil can be saved and what that means for the world.

Agriculture

While conditions are especially acute in Texas, about 54% of all U.S. cattle were in some form of drought as of mid-August.Aug. 24, 2022, 2:51 PM UTCCROCKETT, Texas — With almost all of Texas in drought, ranchers are sending ever more cattle off to slaughter, a trend likely to increase beef prices over the long term due to dwindling supply from the largest cattle region in the United States.Since mid-July, more than 93% of Texas has been in drought, according to the United States Drought Monitor. As of mid-August, more than 26% of Texas was at the highest level, characterized by widespread loss of pastures and crops as well as water shortages.While conditions are especially acute in Texas, about 54% of all U.S. cattle were in some form of drought as of Aug. 16, up from 36% a year earlier. Cattle slaughter is high nationwide, temporarily increasing supply but portending tighter supplies in future years.Paul Craycraft, co-owner of the East Texas Livestock Auction in Crockett, said dry pastures are depriving cattle of an important food source, while making it more expensive for ranchers to supplement their herds’ diet with hay and feed.“We’ve had I don’t how many 100-degree (38 C) days and you can see out here, you know, the grass is gone,” Craycraft said. “The cows are beginning to lose weight. The cows are weak because there’s no protein. So we’re getting rid of a lot of cows.”About 75% of the cows sold at auction the past two months have been sent to the slaughterhouse, Craycraft said, up from 30% to 40% in normal years.Wesley Ratcliff, founder of Caney Creek Ranch in Oakwood, said he got an early start selling 50 of his 500 cows this year as the drought worsened.“They were older mama cows and they might have gone and had another baby for us,” Ratcliff said. “But rather than wait on them to have another baby, we went on to ship them to the meat factory.”Texas A&M University agricultural economist David Anderson said consumers can expect higher prices long-term due to what is happening in Texas, which according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture has more than 4.5 million beef cows, or 14% of the U.S. inventory.“The pressure will be on for higher prices, higher cattle prices, higher beef prices over the next several years as the effects of this are felt,” Anderson said. “We’re going to face tighter supplies of beef. And tighter supplies of beef, with nothing else going on, means higher prices.”

Agriculture

SummaryYields and acreage sown to crops down in Sri LankaLack of fertiliser and fuel hampers harvest and planningRural community already under pressure, fears for next cropCountry in throes of economic crisis, currency reserves lowKILINOCHCHI/COLOMBO, Sri Lanka, Aug 16 (Reuters) - Nallathambi Mahendran walked through his four acres of emerald green paddy fields in northern Sri Lanka's Kilinochchi district, indicating the height the plants should have reached by now. They were several feet short.The standing paddy crop across most of this major rice growing belt is stunted for the second successive season because of the lack of fertiliser, according to farmers, a union leader and local government officials.In 10,900 hectares of land under cultivation in Kilinochchi, the average yield is likely to hit 2.3 metric tonnes per hectare, according to government estimates seen by Reuters.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comIn previous years, paddy fields in the area delivered around 4.5 tonnes per hectare, according to a local government official who asked not to be named because he was not authorised to speak to media.Across rice farms in this Indian Ocean island, the bleak picture is emerging that the summer harvest could be as low as half that of previous years, according to experts.As Sri Lanka's staple food, it points to further pressure on a country already struggling with its worst economic crisis in modern times, including runaway inflation and growing levels of malnutrition.The shortage of fertiliser is not the only problem for farmers. The country has hardly any currency reserves to import adequate fuel, so farm machinery and trucks to transport rice to markets are in short supply. Some farmers say their crops are not worth harvesting.Compounding the economic misery, the stunted crop means the island will have to use precious currency reserves, a credit line from India as well as foreign aid to import hundreds of thousands of tonnes of rice.Across the country, paddy production during the ongoing "Yala" or summer farming season could be half the average 2 million tonnes in previous years, said Buddhi Marambe, a professor of crop science at Sri Lanka's Peradeniya University."This is mainly because of the absence of fertiliser during the vegetative growth stages of the crops," Marambe said. "Urea was made available with lots of effort but was too late for many areas."Sri Lanka has been self-suficient in rice for decades, but went to international markets last year to buy 149,000 tonnes of the grain after the fertiliser shortage first hit production. In 2022, the country has already contracted to import 424,000 tonnes.More imports may be needed to stave off food shortages in the first two months of 2023, or until the "Maha" crop that is planted in September is harvested, Marambe said.A committee appointed by the Ministry of Agriculture is currently evaluating the need for additional imports, a ministry official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.Government spokespersons did not respond to requests for comment on the food situation and likely imports.Rice is the staple food of the country's 22 million people and its biggest crop. According to government data, 2 million people in the country are rice farmers out of 8.1 million people engaged in fishing and agriculture in the largely rural economy.WORSE TO COMEFood inflation is already at more than 90% year-on-year, according to July data, and the World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that about 6.7 million Sri Lankans out of a population of 22 million are not eating enough.There may be more pain to come.Hammered by the potential halving of the "Yala" crop, the shortage of fertiliser and soaring costs for inputs, some farmers in Kilinochchi, a fertile region served by a intricate system of irrigation ponds and canals, are considering sitting out the "Maha" farming season."Even though we worked in the paddy fields, we won't make any money," said Mahendran, a tall 67-year-old with a streak of silver in his hair. "If there is no urea or fertiliser available, I won't farm in the Maha season."The Iranaimadu Farmers' Federation, which represents about 7,500 farming families in the Kilinochchi area, gave the same message to local government officials at a recent meeting."Fuel is our biggest problem," said the federation's secretary Mutthu Sivamohan, speaking near a petrol and diesel filling station outside which a queue of vehicles stretched for 3 km (2 miles) along the main road running through Kilinochchi town."We can't harvest and we can't sow the next crop," Sivamohan said.He said most of Kilinochchi district's paddy crop must be harvested within weeks but "no lorries are coming from outside to buy and transport our crop".Diesel for combine harvesters is being rationed, and fewer trucks are available to transport the rice because of the fuel crunch.Some critics trace Sri Lanka's unfolding food catastrophe to former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's decision in April, 2021, to ban chemical fertilisers overnight, part of a drive to make the country's produce more organic.Faced with widespread protests from the farming community, the ban was lifted last November, but not before disrupting supplies and leaving most Sri Lankan farmers without essential fertilisers for last year's "Maha" season. read more By April, Sri Lanka's financial crisis had strangled the economy and, with foreign exchange reserves at record lows, Rajapaksa's government failed to procure enough fertiliser.The lack of hard currency at a time of spiralling prices sparked by Russia's invasion of Ukraine also squeezed imports of essentials including fuel, cooking gas, medicines and food.'DYING EVERY DAY'Resulting shortages led to an outburst of public anger against the government and once-powerful president, and sometimes violent mass protests eventually forced Rajapaksa to flee the country and quit the presidency.In Kilinochchi, where the Sri Lankan military maintains an outsized presence - a vestige of a decades-long bloody civil war that ended in 2009 - there were no major anti-government demonstrations.But the impact of the crumbling economy has rippled through the hinterland, leaving some farmers who survived the war that killed an estimated 80,000-100,000 people struggling.To farm 75 acres of land, Chinnathambi Lankeshwaran said he would typically spend around 70,000 Sri Lankan rupees ($197) per acre and recover about 40 bags of rice from each acre.A combination of shortages and inflation has led to his expenses more than doubling to 200,000 rupees per acre, which now yield only 18-20 bags per because of the lack of fertiliser and pesticides, Lankeshwaran said.The rising cost of farm inputs is striking, according to estimates provided by several farmers.A bag of urea, previously costing 1,500 rupees, is now 40,000 rupees. A litre of Loyant, a popular rice herbicide, goes for more than 10 times its usual price at 100,000 rupees - when available.The price of an empty sack into which farmers put their harvest has trebled to 160 rupees each, and the thread that they used to tie the sacks is sold for more than five times what it used to be at around 1,200 rupees per kilogram.The black market rate for diesel is hovering around 1,200 rupees ($3.38) per litre, much higher than the authorised pump price of 430 rupees.But supplies are scarce, and Lankeshwaran said he has 300 bags of wheat stored at home because traders don't have fuel to pick it up."In those days, we feared where the bombs would come from," said the 49-year-old farmer, referring to the civil war that displaced his family of four. "Now, we are dying every day."($1 = 355.0000 Sri Lankan rupees)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Devjyot Ghoshal in Kilinochchi and Uditha Jayasinghe in Colombo, Editing by Mike Collett-White and Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Agriculture

By Evan GarciaCROCKETT, Texas (Reuters) - With almost all of Texas in drought, ranchers are sending ever more cattle off to slaughter, a trend likely to increase beef prices over the long term due to dwindling supply from the largest cattle region in the United States.Since mid-July, more than 93% of Texas has been in drought, according to the United States Drought Monitor. As of mid-August, more than 26% of Texas was at the highest level, characterized by widespread loss of pastures and crops as well as water shortages.While conditions are especially acute in Texas, about 54% of all U.S. cattle were in some form of drought as of Aug. 16, up from 36% a year earlier. Cattle slaughter is high nationwide, temporarily increasing supply but portending tighter supplies in future years.Paul Craycraft, co-owner of the East Texas Livestock Auction in Crockett, said dry pastures are depriving cattle of an important food source, while making it more expensive for ranchers to supplement their herds' diet with hay and feed."We've had I don't how many 100-degree (38 C) days and you can see out here, you know, the grass is gone," Craycraft said. "The cows are beginning to lose weight. The cows are weak because there's no protein. So we're getting rid of a lot of cows."About 75% of the cows sold at auction the past two months have been sent to the slaughterhouse, Craycraft said, up from 30% to 40% in normal years.Wesley Ratcliff, founder of Caney Creek Ranch in Oakwood, said he got an early start selling 50 of his 500 cows this year as the drought worsened."They were older mama cows and they might have gone and had another baby for us," Ratcliff said. "But rather than wait on them to have another baby, we went on to ship them to the meat factory."Texas A&M University agricultural economist David Anderson said consumers can expect higher prices long-term due to what is happening in Texas, which according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture has more than 4.5 million beef cows, or 14% of the U.S. inventory."The pressure will be on for higher prices, higher cattle prices, higher beef prices over the next several years as the effects of this are felt," Anderson said. "We're going to face tighter supplies of beef. And tighter supplies of beef, with nothing else going on, means higher prices."(Reporting by Evan Garcia in Crockett, Texas; Editing by Daniel Trotta, Donna Bryson and Matthew Lewis)

Agriculture

Show captionVillage elder Xinuxi Mỹky: ‘This pasture, where the whites live, was also our village, but now they are raising cattle.’ Photograph: Typju MỹkyAnimals farmedInvestigation reveals cattle raised on Mỹky territory ended up in global supply chain including food giantOn one side of the fence, in dense forest, the Mỹky people grow their crops: cassava, pequi and cabriteiro fruit. On the other side, ranchers raise cattle on devastated land. That land is the Mỹky’s, they say.Xinuxi Mỹky, the village elder, says this region used to be a forest where different villages thrived. Only one now remains and the farms have cut into that land as well. “This pasture, where the whites live, was also our village, but now they are raising cattle. The land belonged to us: Indigenous peoples.”Although the Mỹky people have lived here for centuries, the Menku territory – on the border of the Amazon rainforest and the Cerrado savanna in the state of Mato Grosso – was only recognised by the Brazilian government in the mid-1970s. Even then, only a small proportion of their land was fully recognised.For decades, the Mỹky have been fighting for the acknowledgement of the full extent of their territory, as established by technical studies. Amid the legal uncertainty, farmers have moved on to the land and the federal government has not evicted them. Under Jair Bolsonaro, the process of formally recognising the land froze. Until very recently, little progress had been made.But an investigation can now reveal that cattle raised here ended up at an abattoir linked to a global supply chain that includes the food and drink company Nestlé – which uses beef in baby food, pet food and seasoning. Other major companies in this supply chain have included McDonald’s and Burger King.The abattoir in question is owned by Marfrig, Brazil’s second-biggest beef company, which states that it does not purchase livestock from farms that illegally encroach on Indigenous land or destroy sections of rainforest.But research by the Bureau of Investigative Journalism (TBIJ), O Joio e O Trigo, NBC News and the Guardian found hundreds of cattle raised inside the claimed Menku Indigenous territory were taken to Marfrig’s Tangará da Serra abattoir.A number of the more than 700 Marfrig cattle suppliers analysed were linked to 150 sq km (58 sq miles) of deforestation in recent years.Marfrig said it could not respond to the allegations without more detailed information.The findings raise fresh concerns about the impact of the beef trade on the world’s largest rainforest – a vital buffer against climate change – and cast doubt on industry pledges to monitor supply chains and combat deforestation.Land and livelihoodsThe farmers on the disputed land are pushing back against the Mỹky’s claims, contesting the demarcation of the territory, and they have the support of some local politicians.The small Indigenous community that lives there – comprised of 130 people – feels under pressure as a result. André Lopes, an anthropologist who works with the Mỹky people, said the community was frequently threatened. “The relationship with local farmers is unstable, unpredictable, and can be one of persecution and open hostility in some cases,” he said.A farm next to Mỹky territory in Brasnorte, part of Mato Grosso state in Brazil. Photograph: Coletivo Ijã Mytyli de Cinema Manoki e MỹkyThe expansion of big agriculture in the region has also affected the Mỹky’s ability to feed themselves, restricting fishing and hunting areas, and contaminating the land with heavy-duty pesticides, Lopes added.For Paatau Mỹky, the farm fences present a barrier to her craft by impeding access to tucum palm trees. Traditionally, women use tucum fibres to make handicrafts such as fishing nets and baskets.“We used to live in that space, but the whites came and took our land and the forest,” she said. “It is from that farm that we took tucum to make the ropes for our nets, and which nowadays has become a place for cattle raising.”Mega meatMarfrig is one of Brazil’s biggest meat producers, with 32,000 workers and revenues in 2021 of about $15bn (£13.3bn). It slaughters as many as 5 million cattle per year in South America. Shipping records show the Tangará da Serra abattoir has exported more than £1bn of beef products since 2014 to various buyers. Destinations include China, Germany, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK.Details about Marfrig’s suppliers are kept under wraps, but our investigation has obtained information on some of the hundreds of properties in the Amazon and Cerrado from which it buys for its Tangará da Serra plant.Cross-referencing the imagery with public records identified two properties overlapping the territory claimed by the Myky, one of which – Cascavel farm – directly transported cattle to Marfrig in 2019, according to documents obtained by TBIJ. The farm did not respond to the bureau’s requests for comment.Marfrig told TBIJ that it only considers Indigenous lands to be those that have received presidential approval. Since Bolsonaro came to power in 2019, he has not approved any.Nestlé says it “phased out” Marfrig as a meat supplier in 2021 and that this will be reflected in an annual suppliers’ list update. The company said 99% of the meat it sources is “assessed as deforestation-free” and that it is taking further steps to help ensure no meat ingredients from Marfrig enter its supply chain.McDonald’s said it did not source meat from farms overlapping the Menku territory in 2021 and 2022. Burger King said it does not discuss strategic suppliers.Meanwhile, a comparison of satellite imagery and land registry documents shows forest loss over a six-year period inside the perimeters of many of the ranches that supply the abattoir, with more than 150 sq km of deforestation visible in that period.Cattle on Apyterewa Indigenous land in Pará state. Photograph: Rogério Assis/ISA SocioambientalMarfrig has repeatedly been linked to illegal deforestation through its vast supply chain, which includes about 10,000 ranchers in Brazil. In 2020, a Repórter Brasil investigation reported how it directly and indirectly sourced cattle from ranchers who raised animals illegally inside the Apyterewa Indigenous territory in Pará state – one of the most deforested Indigenous lands in recent years.Marfrig claimed at the time that the equipment used by authorities to demarcate land was not precise and allowed for a margin of error. Marfrig told TBIJ that it “ended operations in the state” in March 2020.Last year, TBIJ reported that beef from farmers accused of illegal deforestation had been making its way into global supply chains, including those serving Marfrig.Marfrig says “it has been working continuously to mitigate any link between illegal deforestation and other irregularities in [its] production chain”. The company now monitors 100% of its direct suppliers and is able to monitor 72% of its indirect suppliers in the Amazon. Marfrig says it uses all information available and blocks any suppliers that do not conform to its standards.The company says that without more detail about the properties involved, it cannot check whether those farms have been compliant or not.Law of the landThe Mỹky’s land dispute is being heard in Brazil’s supreme court. A recent preliminary ruling favoured the community over the farmers but the case has yet to be concluded, the supreme court told TBIJ.The state environment authority for Mato Grosso confirmed to the bureau that the farms in question are on Indigenous land but said that, because the land has not yet been formally demarcated according to a policy put in place under Bolsonaro’s administration, the properties are not illegal.Cristina Leme, a senior legal analyst at the Climate Policy Initiative thinktank, sees no foundation for the farmers’ argument. “Brazil’s constitution protects all lands traditionally occupied by Indigenous people,” she said. “There is no justification, from the constitutional point of view, to allow the registration of a property that overlaps the Menku territory.”In Brazil, land registration in rural areas is self-declaratory. As Ricardo Pael, a federal public prosecutor in Mato Grosso, said: “Anyone can claim they own a patch of land, wherever that is. What needs to be done is a quick review by competent governmental bodies to verify the legality of that self-declaration.”Tupy Mỹky, an Indigenous teacher, said: “There is much talk about conservation and people concerned about climate change. But in practice, we don’t see any kind of concrete action. We Indigenous people are fighting alone.”This story was produced with the support of the Pulitzer Center’s Rainforest Investigations Network.{{#ticker}}{{topLeft}}{{bottomLeft}}{{topRight}}{{bottomRight}}{{#goalExceededMarkerPercentage}}{{/goalExceededMarkerPercentage}}{{/ticker}}{{heading}}{{#paragraphs}}{{.}}{{/paragraphs}}{{highlightedText}}{{#choiceCards}}{{/choiceCards}}We will be in touch to remind you to contribute. Look out for a message in your inbox in . If you have any questions about contributing, please contact us.TopicsMeat industryAnimals farmedAmazon rainforestIndigenous peoplesBrazilFoodFarmingAmericasnewsShare on FacebookShare on TwitterShare via EmailShare on LinkedInShare on WhatsAppShare on Messenger

Agriculture

Farmer Imad al-Sayyed harvests wheat in a field in Deir Khabieh, Damascus suburbs, Syria June 17, 2021. REUTERS/Yamam al ShaarRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comSummaryRains came too late, ended too soon for wheat crop to flourishAbility of farmers to finance new planting season questionedBulk of wheat growers rely on rainfall, irrigation costlyDUBAI, Sept 20 (Reuters) - Climate change, a faltering economy and residual security issues have decimated Syria's 2022 grain crop, leaving the majority of its farmers in a precarious position, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said.Syria's 2022 wheat harvest amounted to around 1 million tonnes, down some 75% from pre-crisis volumes, while barley was almost non-existent, Mike Robson, FAO's Syria Representative told Reuters.Erratic rainfall patterns in the past two seasons have shrunk Syria's wheat crop from around 4 million tonnes annually pre-war, enough to feed itself and export to neighbouring countries in a good year.Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comNow after more than a decade of conflict many farmers are struggling with harsh economic conditions and security issues in some areas while having to adapt to the new realities of changing weather conditions.The meagre harvest adds strain on Syria's sanctions-hit government as it struggles to source wheat from the international market. Food is not restricted by Western sanctions but banking restrictions and asset freezes have made it difficult for most trading houses to do business with Damascus.International import tenders conducted by the state's main grain buyer, Hoboob, have repeatedly failed in previous years with most wheat sourced from ally Russia.Global wheat prices have also surged since February, after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine halted grain exports from the Black Sea for months."Climate change isn't easy anyway but it is doubly not easy in a place like Syria with high inflation, no power, no good quality inputs and some residual security issues that are still playing up in parts of the country," Robson said.The bulk of Syria's wheat crop, or around 70%, relies on rainfall with irrigation underdeveloped due to war.Compared to planted areas, the harvest was around 15% of what farmers expected of the rainfed wheat areas."When the rain fell it was concentrated and it didn't follow traditional patters," Robson said."A late start to the rainfall meant that farmers were delayed in planting and they couldn't prepare their land in time and then the rains finished early by March," he said.Farmers in Syria typically plant their wheat crop around November-December and harvest in May-June.Syria's economy is also faltering under the weight of its complex, multi-sided conflict, now in its twelfth year.The collapse of the Syrian pound has driven up the price of good quality fertilizers, seeds and fuel needed to power water pumps. On Monday, Syria further weakened its official exchange rate to the U.S. dollar by roughly seven percent.The productivity of one hectare of wheat planted in irrigated lands should be around three to four tonnes but is currently at only around two as farmers struggle with agricultural inputs.PRECARIOUS EXISTENCEThe one million tonne production figure is far lower than government estimates of around 1.7 million tonnes.The government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the figures.The FAO estimate translates into a need to import around 2 million tonnes from abroad to feed government-controlled areas.A drop in global wheat prices in August, partly on the back of grain exports resuming from Ukraine under a July deal between Kyiv and Moscow makes the situation less dire than a couple of months ago but there are still concerns over the government's ability to provide funding for purchases."The (international) market is slowly getting back to functioning but I'm still concerned as obviously there's a need for foreign exchange to buy the wheat," Robson said.With the barley crop also failing, some sheep herders are choosing to de-stock, selling most of their animals as they are unable to feed them.Syria used to be able to produce around 4-5 million tonnes of feed barley a year to feed its livestock but this year many are struggling to keep their livelihood."When they needed to buy feed, sheep farmers used to sell one animal to buy a tonne of barley for instance and they can feed 20 with that," Robson said."This year they would need to sell 10 animals."The effects are already being felt in the food market where poultry meat is now selling for more than lamb as financially struggling farmers continue to sell their sheep."The price will go way down but then it will become in short supply and it will be a real problem," Robson said.Areas that are relatively lush in winter and could be used for grazing animals are plagued with lingering security issues and so livestock keepers prefer not to venture there.Farmers who have been unable to make a profit for the past couple of years are now worn out financially and may consider other livelihoods as opposed to taking on more debt to grow more grains."It is a very uncertain and precarious existence farming in rainfed conditions right now."Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting By Maha El Dahan; editing by David EvansOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Agriculture

DAMIETTA, Egypt, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Emad Attiah Ramadan has started planting rice on his 12-acre (5 hectare) plot on the edge of the Egyptian city of Damietta, giving up on tomatoes that would no longer grow well in the increasingly saline soil near the Mediterranean coast.Rice sells for less but the irrigation used to cultivate it helps cleanse the earth of salt, allowing it to grow, he said, picking wild grass from his soil and checking for signs of saline build-up.Ramadan is one of tens of thousands of farmers racing to adapt to encroaching salinity in the Nile Delta, a densely populated and fertile triangle of green that fans out towards the sea north of Cairo and accounts for more than a third of Egypt's agricultural land."If you leave the land 10 days without watering it, you'll find salt on the surface," he said.A parched yellow field bordering his plot was left barren due to salinity, and he tried using chemicals to little effect: "Every year it gets worse."Rising salinity in the Delta has multiple causes, experts and farmers say, including overextraction of groundwater and excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides.But they say it is being made worse by climate change, which has already raised sea levels and temperatures in Egypt, and is the subject of the global COP27 United Nations talks the country is hosting this week.The summit in Sharm el-Sheikh includes plans to help 4 billion people living in vulnerable areas withstand the impacts of global warming, along with setting tougher goals on planetary warming emissions.For the farmers of the Delta, options for adaptation range from creating raised beds, or linear mounds of earth, to improve irrigation efficiency and drainage, to using new seed strains, said Aly Abousabaa, head of the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).Wael El Sayed, a farmer in the east of the Delta near the city of Zagazig, said raised beds had helped save fertilizer and water, and had doubled productivity for his wheat crop.But others struggle to treat and rinse the soil, as they experiment with new crops or rotations.Near Sidi Salem, some 28 km (17 miles) south of the sea and near the centrepoint of the northern Delta, Ibrahim Abdel Wahab, an agricultural engineer managing lands for 15 smallholder farmers, pointed to one plot pocked by patches of bald earth and cotton plants browned by salt burn.Around a decade ago, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons and pineapples were grown on the land, but now more resilient cotton, beetroot and rice are planted in rotation. Irregular rainfall and a lack of fresh water for irrigation have made farming harder, he said.Abdel Wahab said that because of the salinity, he needs to sow double the amount of seeds and use extra fertilizer to achieve normal crop density, but productivity still falls short.Egypt, with a population of 104 million, is heavily dependent on imported food, and is typically the world's biggest importer of wheat. Its agricultural production is largely limited to the wider Nile Valley, where water can be scarce and authorities struggle to stop people building on arable land.Globally, Egypt is the fifth most vulnerable country to the economic impact of sea level rise on cities, with risks to agriculture and drinking water from inundation, erosion, and saltwater intrusion, a World Bank report published this month said.[1/2] Emad Attia Ramadan, 48, a farmer, poses for a portrait in his paddy field after his land was affected by high salinity in Damietta, Egypt September 25, 2022. Soaring salinity in Damietta due to climate change is forcing the farmers to pull up tomatoes and replace them with rice. REUTERS/Fatma FahmyYields for food crops in Egypt are expected to drop by more than 10% by 2050 due to higher temperatures, water stress and increased salinity of irrigation water, according to a paper published last year by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Some studies suggest the impact in the Delta could be much higher."IT WILL GO DEEPER"Sea levels have been rising by 3.2mm annually since 2012 in Egypt, threatening to flood and erode the Delta's northern shore and pushing saltwater further into the soil and the groundwater that farmers use for irrigation. Hotter temperatures accelerate evaporation, further concentrating the salt.Over the past 30 years, temperatures in Egypt have increased by 0.4 degrees Celsius per decade, according to data from the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) data shows North Africa warming by 1.5 degrees Celsius by mid century, relative to a 1995-2014 baseline.Scientists say salinity varies from place to place and the exact contribution of climate change is hard to measure.But it is already affecting 15% of the Delta's best arable land, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and is set to push further south."With time, with the sea level higher, that line of salinity will go down into the Delta. It will go deeper," said Mohamed Abdel Monem, a FAO senior advisor.One study published last year in the journal Sustainability calculated that 60% of a 450km square area in the northeast of the Delta would be negatively affected by rising groundwater linked to sea level rise by the end of the century.EVAPORATIONSea water intrusion and salinity also threaten the Mekong Delta in Vietnam and the Ganges-Brahmaputra Delta in Bangladesh.It is particularly challenging in the Nile Valley because of the arid, desert climate, said Claudia Ringler, a water resources and agricultural policy expert at IFPRI."You have to do much better job in a place like the Nile Delta because the water just evaporates quickly," she said.Adaptation has limits. Rice cultivation helps wash the soil, but the government has imposed restrictions on the crop in parts of the Delta to conserve scarce water.Near Mansoura, north-east of Cairo and about 70km (43 miles) from the coast, farm manager Hossam el-Azabawy said that even for a more resilient crop like beet, yields can drop by more than half in areas affected by salinity.On some of the land he farms he has now turned to cotton, which has deeper roots that reach down to less saline soil. He has experimented this year with a new strain of rice that gives an 18% higher yield, in fields of cracked earth caked with salt."There is no quick, radical fix for salinity. It needs a lot of work," Azabawy said.Additional reporting and writing by Aidan Lewis; Editing by Frank Jack DanielOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Agriculture

A worker carries chickens at a poultry farm in Sepang, Selangor, May 27, 2022. Picture taken May 27, 2022. REUTERS/Hasnoor HussainRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comKUALA LUMPUR, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Malaysia's ban on chicken exports is expected to end on Aug. 31, Agriculture and Food Industries Minister Ronald Kiandee told parliament on Thursday.Malaysia, which supplies live chickens mainly to neighbouring Singapore and Thailand, in June halted exports until production and prices stabilise, after a global feed shortage exacerbated by the Russia-Ukraine war disrupted production.Malaysia now has a slight oversupply of chicken following the export ban, Ronald had said on Monday. read more Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Kanupriya KapoorOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Agriculture

How intensive agriculture turned a wild plant into a pervasive weed Agriculture is driving rapid evolutionary change, not just on farms, but also in wild species in the surroundings. New research shows how the rise of modern agriculture has turned a North American native plant, common waterhemp, into a problematic agricultural weed by mutations in hundreds of genes related to drought tolerance, rapid growth, and resistance to herbicides. Researchers at the University of British Columbia, the University of Toronto, and the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen have compared 187 waterhemp samples from modern farms and neighboring wetlands with more than 100 herbarium samples dating as far back as 1820. Much like the sequencing of ancient human and Neandertal remains has resolved key mysteries about human history, studying the plant’s genetic makeup over the last two centuries allowed the researchers to watch evolution in action across changing environments.The scientists could document how a weedy variety of waterhemp apparently expanded over time from West to East in North America. On the way, it exchanged parts of its genome with different local populations, making the plants even more adapted to the local agricultural environment. The researchers discovered hundreds of genes across the weed’s genome that aid its success on farms, with mutations in genes related to drought tolerance, rapid growth, and resistance to herbicides appearing frequently. “The genetic variants that help the plant do well in modern agricultural settings have risen to high frequencies remarkably quickly since agricultural intensification in the 1960s,” says first author Julia Kreiner from the University of British Columbia. “These results highlight the exciting potential of studying historical genomes to understand plant adaptation on different timescales,” further comments co-author Stephen Wright from the University of Toronto.Strong selection pressureCommon waterhemp is native to North America and was not always a problematic plant. Yet in recent years, the weed has become nearly impossible to eradicate from farms thanks to genetic adaptations including herbicide resistance. “Waterhemp has basically evolved to become more of a weed because of how strongly it has been selected to thrive alongside human agricultural activities,” explains co-author Sarah Otto from the University of British Columbia. Notably, five out of seven herbicide-resistant genes found in current samples were absent from historical samples. Waterhemp carrying any of seven herbicide resistance mutations tended to produce nearly 20 percent more surviving offspring per year, on average, since 1960.“While this study was carried out with North American samples, we have similar problems with herbicide resistance in Europe. Therefore, our study serves as a blueprint for efforts to understand how plants become successful agricultural weeds also in Europe,” states co-author Detlef Weigel from the Max Planck Institute for Biology Tübingen.The findings of this study could also inform conservation efforts to preserve natural areas within agricultural landscapes. “While such preserves are important, it needs to be acknowledged that the natural populations become genetically different from what they would have looked like in the absence of surrounding agriculture,” explains Detlef Weigel.

Agriculture

Scientists have analysed the oldest charred food remains ever found, providing the earliest evidence of plant cooking among Neanderthals.Ancient hunter-gatherers were thought to have a largely meat-based diet, but researchers have found that prehistoric people had a diverse diet in which plants featured heavily. Researchers used a scanning electron microscope to analyse nine samples of ancient charred food from two sites: Shanidar Cave, a Neanderthal and early modern human dwelling around 500 miles north of Baghdad in Iraq, and Franchthi Cave in Greece. Image: A view of the Shanidar Caves in Iraq. Pic:Chris Hunt/Liverpool John Moores University Five food fragments recovered from Shanidar are the "earliest" of their kind found in southwest Asia, dating back 40,000 and 70,000 years, according to Ceren Kabukcu, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Liverpool, who led the study published in the journal Antiquity.The carbonised pieces of prepared plant foods include a mixture of different seeds, wild pulses, wild mustard, wild nuts and wild grasses - which could have formed the Neanderthal diet. "They look like charred crumbs or fragments of what could be patties, thick porridge", Dr Kabukcu told Sky News.The four remnants recovered from Franchthi are the earliest of their kind recovered in Europe, from a hunter-gatherer occupation around 13,000 to 12,000 years ago, she added.One of the food deposits was found to be "bread-like".Cooking tricks The team were also able to identify the cooking tricks used by Neanderthal and early modern human chefs to make food taste better.Pulses, the most common ingredient identified, have a naturally bitter taste, which chefs from the Stone Age quelled by soaking, leaching and then pounding or grinding them.Pounding or grinding the food would also make it easier for the body to absorb the nutrients, as well as provide more cooking options. Image: Food fragments found in the Shanidar Caves. Pic: Graeme Barker/Cambridge University The bread-like meal found in Franchthi Cave was made by grinding seeds into super-fine flour, according to the researchers, showing that hunter-gatherers developed specialised cooking practices in the Middle and Upper Palaeolithic period, tens of thousands of years ago."Our work conclusively demonstrates the deep antiquity of plant foods involving more than one ingredient and processed with multiple preparation steps," said Dr Kabukcu. Spreaker Due to your consent preferences, you’re not able to view this. Open Privacy Options Click to subscribe to the Sky News Daily wherever you get your podcastsIn modern agriculture the bitter compounds are almost entirely eliminated, but neither the Neanderthals nor early modern human chefs were found to remove the entire seed coat, keeping some pulses' natural bitter taste in their meals.The findings suggest that "plants with strong flavours, some bitter, some sharp, some rich in tannins were important ingredients (or seasoning) of Palaeolithic hunter-gatherer cooking," Dr Kabukcu told Sky News, adding that "there were very ancient and sophisticated culinary traditions resting on these plant flavours" from a very early period.

Agriculture

Image caption, Manure is separated into solids and liquids at the Agri-Food and Bioscience Institute (Afbi) in Hillsborough, County DownNorthern Ireland produces a lot of manure - and with manure comes a lot of harmful, hot air.It's estimated that the agriculture industry could feed 10 million people - way more than the actual number of people here.But that much food equates to more than three million cows, sheep and pigs producing more than nine million tonnes of manure.And more manure means more ammonia - a gas that can damage soil and water when there's too much of it.About 12% of UK ammonia emissions come from Northern Ireland, which has just 6% of the UK's land area, said John McIlroy, a researcher at the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (Afbi).However, he's part of a team looking at breaking down manure into the good stuff it contains.Manure produced by cows at Afbi is transported to the campus' anaerobic digester, where it is separated into solids and liquids. From there, biomethane, a gas used as fuel and for energy production, can be extracted, as well as the nutrients that go into fertiliser.Essentially, said Chris Johnston from the Environment and Renewable Energy Centre at Afbi, rather than being a waste, Northern Ireland's manure is a valuable resource in the wrong place. Image caption, Researcher John McIlroy of Afbi with the the institute's research herd at its farm in HillsboroughThe solid material contains minerals such as phosphorus, which can be put to productive use, he said."Then the liquid material that's left over from the separation will still contain a lot of the phosphorus that the crops require, and as much of that nitrogen that it really does require - and any farmer will tell you, it's very expensive to buy," Mr Johnston added.Some 40 miles from Hillsborough, four companies, from cheese makers to concrete manufacturers, have come together to test the possibilities of recycled manure, with support from the Centre for Competitiveness and Smart Grid Ireland.Showcase for Northern IrelandThe idea was inspired after research by the Centre for Advanced Sustainable Energy (Case) at Queen's University Belfast and the Community Renewal Fund indicated the potential for farm waste to play a role in decarbonisation."It's very critical, because by doing this we actually allow our businesses to be able to sell their products further afield," said Case director Martin Doherty."And it actually showcases Northern Ireland as being the test bed for decarbonisation, not only in our country but countries across the globe."Image caption, Scientist Chris Johnston said that rather than being waste, Northern Ireland's manure is a valuable resourceDr James Young, a chemical engineer in the Mid Ulster Carbon Co-operative, said the process can provide fuel for a variety of industries. "By utilising agricultural manures and grass silage, we have the potential here to provide biomethane to supply this fuel into the different industries - for Tobermore Concrete with their forklifts and lorries, for Dale Farm for their processing facilities and also for CemCor and Road Safety Contracts," he said.The owner of County Londonderry-based Tobermore Concrete is increasingly finding that his customers are demanding a reduced carbon footprint, which using fuel from a renewable source will help achieve.'We can't continue what we're doing'"We see this as a real imperative going forward," said David Henderson."We have to change what we do and change quickly, build a greener future for this industry - otherwise it will die."We can't continue doing what we're doing."Farmers who are part of the Dale Farm dairy co-operative have also been keen to take part."We're trying to take slurry from a farmer, turn it into an environmental benefit and bring the nutrients back on to the farm. And then the by-products as well, the biogas, can be used in lorries and concrete factories and everything too," said Chloe Skillen, from Dale Farm.Image caption, Northern Ireland accounts for about 12% of UK ammonia emissions, despite having just 6% of the UK's land area, Afbi saysThe scientists at Afbi sound a note of caution, though."The circular bioeconomy is a solution," said Dr Donnacha Doody of the institute's agri-environment branch."And it's an excellent solution if we can go down that path. But we also have to guard against that solution leading to an intensification of agriculture and an increase in stock numbers in Northern Ireland."In the current trajectory that we have, we are not going to be sustainable into the future unless we address the manure surplus in Northern Ireland."Daera is consulting on a draft ammonia strategy, which sets targets for ammonia reduction and proposes actions to protect vulnerable habitats.

Agriculture

The drought-stricken Colorado River is in critical condition. Last summer, the federal government declared the first ever shortage on the river, triggering cuts to water supplies in the Southwest. Since then, things have only gotten worse. The Colorado is the lifeblood of the region. It waters some of the country's fastest growing cities, nourishes some of our most fertile fields, and powers 1.4 trillion dollars in annual economic activity. The river runs more than 1,400 miles, from headwaters in the Rockies to its delta in northern Mexico where it ends in a trickle. Seven states and 30 Native American tribes lie in the Colorado River Basin. As we first reported in October, the river has been running dry due to the historically severe drought. The majestic, meandering Colorado River that cut through these red cliffs, carving the Grand Canyon, is a wonder of nature and human ingenuity. The Glen Canyon Dam created Lake Powell and 300 miles down river Lake Mead sits behind the Hoover Dam. These reservoirs are now being sucked dry by 40 million different straws - that's the number of people in booming western states who depend on the Colorado to quench their thirst, power their homes, water lawns and splash in the sun. Its waters irrigate farms that produce 90% of the country's winter greens. To all these demands add the stress of a 22 year drought - as dry as any period in 1,200 years - and you have a river in crisis. Lake Powell Bill Whitaker: These white bathtub rings; is-- is this where the water used to be? Brad Udall: Absolutely. Brad Udall, a climate scientist at Colorado State University, went out on Lake Powell with us.   Bill Whitaker: So all of this would have been underwater?Brad Udall: Yeah. Bill Whitaker: So what does this tell you about what's happening on the Colorado River?Brad Udall: Well, it's a signal of the long-term problem we've been seeing since the year 2000, which is climate change is reducing the flows of the Colorado significantly.  Brad Udall Lake Powell and Lake Mead, the two biggest reservoirs in the country, were nearly full in 2000. Today, they are at about 27% capacity. Brad Udall:  The lake's now 155 feet below full. It's dropped something like 50 feet this year.Bill Whitaker: And it's still dropping?Brad Udall: Yes. And that's when power generation actually becomes to come into question.Bill Whitaker: So it drops so low that it may not be able to generate--Brad Udall: It may not be able to generate power--Bill Whitaker: Hydroelectric power?Brad Udall: Yeah. Brad Udall has strong connections to the river. As secretary of the interior, his uncle, Stewart Udall, opened the Glen Canyon Dam. His father, Congressman Mo Udall, fought to channel river water to Arizona. As a young man, Brad was a Colorado River guide. Today he analyzes the impact of climate change on water resources.  Bill Whitaker: Is the west on a collision course with climate change?Brad Udall: In some ways yes, but we have fully utilized this system. We've over-allocated it, and we now need to think about how to turn some of this back. 'Cause the only lever we control right now in the river is the demand lever. We have no control over the supply. So we have to dial back demand.Seventy percent of Colorado River water goes to agriculture. When the federal government declared the water shortage, it triggered mandatory cutbacks. Pinal County, Arizona got hit hard.  Waylon Wuertz Waylon Wuertz: Pinal County alone, we're gonna be losing 300,000 acre feet of surface water. That's water that would be delivered from Lake Powell, Lake Mead. As part of the Colorado River. 300,000 acre feet is 98 billion gallons of water.Waylon Wuertz farms 500 acres in Pinal County, south of Phoenix. His family has tilled soil here for four generations. It's some of the most productive land in the state. Crops from Pinal County are shipped all over the country. Wuertz grows gourds, cotton and alfalfa — profitable, but thirsty crops and his allotment of Colorado River water is being cut by 70%.  Bill Whitaker: This is Colorado River water? Waylon Wuertz: Yeah, kinda the-- the lifeline of our-- irrigated ag here.Bill Whitaker: This comes straight in from Lake Mead?Waylon Wuertz: Correct. This is-- through hundreds of miles of canal system. It's-- made its way down here to Central Arizona.Bill Whitaker: And what percentage of your water is supplied by this canal?Waylon Wuertz: It's been close to 50% of the water that we've used to-- to farm here. And-- this next year it's probably gonna drop down to about 20% of the water that we use.That's 1/7th of what he was getting a decade ago. To use less water and make ends meet, Wuertz sold more than 300 acres to a solar farm. He dipped into retirement funds to repair and restart old wells. He laser leveled his fields to make irrigation more efficient.Bill Whitaker: But it's just not enough in the middle of this drought. Waylon Wuertz: No, it's not enough.So, he told us he'll have to leave 150 acres uncultivated. Waylon Wuertz: What you see green here is eventually gonna die. I hope we'll have enough water to plant it in the future. But more than likely it's gonna stay brown for quite some time. Amelia Flores Amelia Flores: All the water users are gonna have to give up something to keep that water in the lake. Amelia Flores is chairwoman of The Colorado River Indian Tribes, a reservation of four tribes a few hours west of Phoenix, with the oldest and largest water rights in Arizona. After being moved to reservations, Southwest tribes got rights to about a quarter of the river's flow, but government red tape and lack of infrastructure have prevented them from using their full allotment. Flores told us until this drought, tribes were never included in water negotiations.  Bill Whitaker: Why had you not had a seat at the table before this? Amelia Flores: Because the tribes have always been overlooked in the policymaking and-- and in-- in the law of the river. But that day has come to an end.  When western states first divvied up the Colorado River in 1922, and later, when the federal government built the Hoover and Glen Canyon Dams, the future seemed boundless and manageable. Through negotiation and court battles, states worked out agreements — the law of the river — to split the water equally between upper and lower basin states. The lower states use just about all their allotment and it's fed their tremendous growth. The upper states have never used their full share. Now, they are booming and say they need the water they've been promised.Bill Whitaker: I can see the bathtub rings around here too.Zach Renstrom: We're trying to keep every drop of water we can into this reservoir for next year's drinking water.Zach Renstrom manages the water system for Washington County in southwest Utah. St. George, the county seat, is one of the fastest growing metro areas in the U.S. Its population grew 29% this past decade. The state of Utah gets about a quarter of its water from the Colorado, but most of Washington County has only one source, the Virgin River, which fills this reservoir.Zach Renstrom: So right now we're in the process of implementing really strict conservation measures. And if the cities don't adopt those standards then we'll be out of water very quickly.  Bill Whitaker: What is very quickly?Zach Renstrom: Within the next five to ten years. Zach Renstrom with correspondent Bill Whitaker So, in the midst of this drought, Utah is proposing to build a $1-billion to $2-billion pipeline able to bring 27 billion gallons of water a year from dwindling Lake Powell. Utah says it's entitled to the water by law. Bill Whitaker: You're talking about siphoning off water from a lake that's already at a critically low level to help a city grow in the desert.Zach Renstrom: Every state on the Colorado River was allotted so much water and a water budget. And so with their water budget the state of Utah has decided that it wants to use a portion of its water here in St. George, Utah. Bill Whitaker: But it was a budget that was set when water was plentiful. It isn't anymore. What is Utah hoping for?Zach Renstrom: Utah wants the right to do what every other basin state has done. We want to make sure that we have water for our future, for a hotter dryer scenario that's coming up.JB Hamby: Building a multibillion dollar pipeline to pump out more water from an already rapidly declining reservoir simply doesn't make sense in the 21st century.JB Hamby is vice president of the board that runs California's Imperial Irrigation District, one of the richest agricultural regions in the country with the single largest allocation of water on the entire river.JB Hamby: There's a lot of urban growth and sprawl occurring in other parts of the Colorado River Basin that's really not necessarily sustainable.  Hamby says California's Imperial Valley farms have cut water usage almost 16% since 2003, but points out as the population of St. George, Utah grows, so does its water use. JB Hamby: We need to think and rethink about how we grow and if we grow and where we grow. Bill Whitaker: St. George would say that they're not asking for more. They're asking for what they need. JB Hamby: I think what we all need to have is a reality check, here, and recognize that we live in an era of limits right now and that's not going away anytime soon. In fact, it's only going to get worse.  JB Hamby A big part of the problem is the law of the river itself, a hodgepodge of rules and regulations pieced together over the course of a century. For example, after all the litigation and negotiations, the law ends up allocating more water than actually flows down the Colorado. And this: in times of shortage, channels that provide more than a third of Arizona's water must run dry before California is required to cut back.   Bill Whitaker: So, so wait a minute, Arizona is being called on to cut its water intake before California has to give up even one drop?Brad Udall: Pretty amazing. It can't work in today's world. And it's in some ways a little microcosm, right, of this whole law of the river with these systems that have been put in place that just don't work. They can't work. And that's why a rethink's needed. One example of rethinking: the Colorado River Indian Tribes agreed to leave fields uncultivated, leaving 48 billion gallons — almost three feet of water — in Lake Mead. The state of Arizona agreed to pay them for their losses. Amelia Flores: My people want to help during this drought. We want to save the river, because for centuries the river has always taken care of us, so now, we have to take care of the river.  Brad Udall: That's what negotiations are all about, right? It may be there are ways to conserve and figure out how to get the same goods and services for less water. Let's let ag grow crops that use less water. Let's figure out how to make cities use water as efficiently as possible. So, I mean, we need some optimism here, right? Waylon Wuertz: This desert ground...But as we saw at this meeting of Pinal County farmers, optimism is in short supply.  Waylon Wuertz: The farmer who's prepared the whole life, worked the land, farmed the land is getting the short end of the stick.Farmers here and across the Southwest feed the country. But it takes more than 2/3rds of the Colorado River to produce the bounty. With lake levels dropping, Arizona farmers like Waylon Wuertz fear their fertile fields could become desert again.    Waylon Wuertz: You're gonna see drastic cuts, a drastic change of what next year has to bring.  And for my particular family farm, we're doing all that we can to keep it going. But I have a feeling it's just a matter of time before none of this exists.The federal government is calling for drastic action to keep the Colorado River system afloat, urging the Basin states to conserve as much as 4 million acre-feet of water in the next year.  To put that in perspective, that's nearly the amount California receives from the river in a year. Produced by Marc Lieberman. Associate producer, Cassidy McDonald. Broadcast associate, Emilio Almonte. Edited by Sean Kelly.

Agriculture

Drought-damaged sugar beets in Belgium, August 2022.Jonathan Raa/NurPhoto via ZUMA Press Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.This story was originally published by Wired and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. The images are apocalyptic. Pleasure boats marooned in dried-up European rivers. Norwegian reservoirs too low to drive hydropower. China’s largest inland lake turned to a prairie as its water evaporates away. And so are the warnings. The National Drought Group of the UK predicts that yields of some vegetable crops—carrots, onion, and potatoes—could be cut in half. The European Drought Observatory says that almost half of the bloc is drier than it has been since the Renaissance. China’s agricultural ministry has urged farmers to undertake emergency switches to different crops following a historic heatwave. With fall harvests coming, it’s natural to be concerned about global food supplies. But people who track the production and trade of major crops say the world is not in an emergency—yet. Pick any location, and you may find signs of strain. But overall, the system still shows resilience. “It’s easy to lose track of the scale of global agriculture,” says Scott Irwin, a widely followed economist and chair of agricultural marketing at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. “It’s just massive, and it’s extremely distributed geographically. If you have a problem in one area, at least historically, that will tend to get offset by better than average growing conditions someplace else.” “The fact is,” he adds, “as of today, the world has adequate supplies of grain.” That might seem counterintuitive, given soaring food prices and the lingering disruption of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, where cargo ships that were trapped since February have finally been allowed to depart. But it captures the disconnect between how people experience food supplies locally, as irrigation water is directed away from perishable vegetables and favorite condiments disappear from shelves, and how economists judge the health of a system founded on staple crops such as wheat, corn, and soybeans that can be shipped and stored. The most recent monthly assessment, published in mid-August by the US Department of Agriculture, projects higher US and global production for wheat and soybeans and mixed results for corn and rice. Because those predictions are aggregates, they smooth out what producers are feeling locally—better weather in some areas, reduced yields in others—and also the reality that certain commodity crops are planted and harvested at different times of the year. Winter wheat, which is taken up in May or June, was already cut by the time summer heat waves arrived, but hot, dry conditions could have interfered with the pollination of corn, which goes into the ground in the spring. “A couple of days ago, there were headlines saying South Dakota’s corn crop was unusually low this year—and they have a terrible drought—and that Nebraska was a little below normal,” says Daniel Sumner, an economist and director of the Agricultural Issues Center at the University of California, Davis. “But as of the middle of August, USDA was still projecting a normal national corn and soybean crop in the United States. And that’s because Indiana and Illinois and Iowa had relatively good crops, and are much more important in the national total, than Nebraska or South Dakota would be.” Even if those differences average out nationally—possibly even globally, when you balance Southern Hemisphere production against the US and Western Europe, or the Americas against Central Europe and Asia—there’s a persistent sense that things are, well, wiggly. Some of the changes in productivity come from farmers’ decisions, like choosing to plant more in order to make up for a dry year, or less to mitigate the fertilizer price hikes created by Russia withholding exports. But some are unquestionably due to unpredictable weather patterns generated by climate change, which are affecting farmers’ routines as well as harming crops already in the fields. “We’re seeing longer periods of dryness before the next rain event occurs, and that next rain event is more likely to be in the form of heavy rainfall that will end up running off” because the soil has hardened, says Beth Hall, director of the Indiana State Climate Office at Purdue University. “The success of crops this year in the US, in the broader Midwest region, was all about when farmers were able to plant their fields. Those that were planted earlier had roots deep enough that when it was dry, they could tap into some low moisture.” But if fields were muddy from rain and farmers couldn’t get into them, she adds, they planted later—and root systems were shorter and unable to keep new plants heavy before the next downpour came around. Of course, farmers have always fretted about the weather. The challenge for crop experts right now is determining whether droughts and other disturbances—and the crop shortfalls they may cause—add up to a predictable trend. That’s especially important because, while productivity might not look bad overall, there isn’t much surplus grain stock thanks to scattered droughts last year and the supply shock of Ukraine’s breadbasket being temporarily locked out of the global food system. “The key thing about stocks is that, if you have a drought, you can use them to keep prices reasonable—because when they get very low, prices get volatile,” says Joseph Glauber, a senior research fellow at the nonprofit International Food Policy Research Institute and former chief economist at the USDA. “I think people were hoping that stock levels would be rebuilt, essentially that we’d have really large crops this year. But there are these drought and weather disruptions around the world, though all the shoes haven’t fallen yet.” No one who works in crop economics has forgotten that high grain prices more than a decade ago were the spark of civil unrest around the world: riots in Haiti, South America, and South Asia in 2008 and 2009, and the Arab Spring in 2010. And no one thinks things are that bad, yet. “It’s very easy to underestimate how flexible production can be,” Sumner says. “The current droughts don’t yet look nearly as severe as we’ve seen at least a half a dozen times in my career.” And future shortages are likely to be unevenly distributed. In some parts of the world, droughts have already lasted long enough to profoundly disrupt food production. The people bearing the brunt of that disruption lack the income or power that could help alleviate their suffering. Historically, the Horn of Africa—Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya—experiences rainy seasons twice a year, from October to December and again from March to May, and the precipitation is crucial for feeding both humans and livestock. The four most recent rainy seasons all failed. The latest one, which should have ended last May, was the driest on record. A third of the area’s livestock have died. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network, a project of the US Agency for International Development plus international nonprofits, estimates that as many as 20 million people are hungry. In the past, governments in other parts of the world sent food aid. This year, thanks to droughts and supply shocks, that response isn’t arriving at the usual volume or speed. Wheat from Ukraine, for instance, would have been an aid staple, but the first shipment from there arrived only on August 30. “In normal cases, we can move food from one region to another to make up for losses; the international community, the UN World Food Programme, is able to move food into crisis situations,” says Christine Stewart, director of the Institute for Global Nutrition at the University of California, Davis. “The problem is that right now we have so many overlapping crises that the backup system is under an immense amount of stress.” The Horn of Africa is an extreme case, but it may also be a glimpse of the future. The global food system exists to allow surpluses to be traded to areas where crops are short. It works, for now. But as weather becomes less predictable and droughts more common, production may become less reliable—and the movement of food to the most vulnerable might grind to a halt.

Agriculture

The cars started lining up at least an hour before the late shift at the Mid-Ohio Food Collective, a converted mattress factory just south of Columbus. Drivers pulled into a white tent where volunteers rolled grocery carts full of produce, meat, cake, detergent and other items toward each vehicle, efficiently loading trunks.One volunteer, 31-year-old Danyel Barwick, directed traffic with a big orange flag. It wasn’t long ago that Barwick, a Columbus mother of four, was on the other side of the food bank equation.“It was humiliating,” said Barwick, who lost her job during the pandemic in 2020 and, realizing she had no protein in the house and had used all her fast-food coupons, decided to visit a food pantry at a local church. “I was embarrassed and sad.”As US voters prepare to decide control of both houses of Congress in November, millions will head to the polls while struggling to feed themselves and their families. In 2021, according to the US Department of Agriculture, more than 13m households had trouble affording enough food. And there are signs, from census data, that food hardship could be getting worse this year.Danyel Barwick directs traffic at the Mid-Ohio Food Collective in Grove City. Photograph: Maddie McGarvey/The GuardianCongress and President Joe Biden largely prevented hunger from getting worse during the pandemic with a series of stopgap measures that expanded benefits under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Snap), fed children when closed schools suspended free lunches for the most vulnerable and helped food banks obtain groceries.But several of those programs have ended this year and dramatic inflation has made it even more difficult to afford groceries, leaving many food banks with empty shelves and hungry Americans wondering how to make ends meet.The Ohio collective’s warehouse was alarmingly empty before the charity dipped into its own funds to buy increasingly expensive items that previously would have been donated or provided by federal programs, said Mike Hochron, senior vice-president of communications for the group. Supply chain problems have made the problem worse: at least 80 truckloads of cereal and pasta have been canceled in the past year, he said.“The biggest shift is we have to buy a whole lot more,” Hochron said, standing in a cavernous warehouse with shelves of crackers, soap, ground meat, papayas and other grocery items. “In some cases, our buying power is half what it was a couple of years ago.”Prices are advertised outside of a grocery store along a busy shopping street in the Flatbush neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. Photograph: Spencer Platt/Getty ImagesDespite similar stories from food banks around the country, direct discussions about food security have been seemingly missing from many political races in battleground states, though Republicans nationally have been campaigning more broadly on inflation and the cost of living, while protecting abortion after the fall of Roe v Wade has been a key issue for Democrats.In Ohio, for instance, hunger is not mentioned among the key issues on the campaign websites for Senate candidates JD Vance and Tim Ryan, even as they debate issues such as crime that are often caused by hunger. Neither candidate responded to interview requests. In the Ohio governor’s race, Democratic challenger Nan Whaley has proposed a $350 (£313) “inflation rebate” for most residents, in part to pay for food. Her opponent, Republican incumbent Mike DeWine, does not mention food or hunger on his campaign site.US politicians have a long history of ignoring hunger as a campaign issue, said Ann Crigler, a political science professor at the University of Southern California. That’s partly because it’s embarrassing and partly because they don’t know how to fix it, she said.“People don’t want to admit there’s this big problem happening here,” Crigler said. “They act like it’s something that only happens overseas.”The same absence is true of the campaign platforms of the Pennsylvania candidates John Fetterman and Mehmet Oz, who are locked in a tight Senate race.Some say it’s hard to imagine hunger not being a key issue in the midterm elections, whether or not candidates are discussing it.Mike Hochron, senior vice-president of communications, outside the Mid-Ohio Food Collective. Photograph: Maddie McGarvey/The Guardian“I think people are more aware today than they were a few years ago about what’s at stake,” said the Massachusetts congressman James McGovern, who helped organize the recent White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health, the first such gathering since 1969. “Food prices have gone up, fuel costs have gone up. I really do think people get it. We’ll see.”And yet several food bank clients interviewed across the country said they either don’t plan to vote or wouldn’t take food policies into account if they did.Kimberly Burkins, who lives in a motel in York, Pennsylvania, supplements her federal food stamps with food from the local Salvation Army, said she nevertheless doesn’t support expanding federal hunger programs.“I appreciate the assistance, but I don’t think people should be getting free things,” said Burkins, who spent two years on disability benefits and makes just $800 (£716) a month.The idea that hungry people would vote against their own interests is rooted in society’s broken philosophy of the “undeserving poor”, said Marion Nestle, a retired New York University professor of nutrition, food studies and public health.“These ingrained attitudes that the poor are undeserving, that they brought it on themselves, that poverty is somehow self-inflicted, are so deeply ingrained in the human psyche that it has to be taught out of you,” Nestle said. “You have to really understand how societies work to understand why some people are poor and some people aren’t.”A Jefferson county public schools nutritional staff member pushes a cart of lunches for curbside pickup past the empty cafeteria at Crums Lane elementary school in Louisville, Kentucky. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty ImagesSome food bank clients said they understand the distinction. Josh and Misty Murray, parents of three who were waiting in a Ford pickup at the Ohio food bank, said hunger policies would be on their minds at the polls. Both state employees, they started coming to the food bank six months ago after their rent jumped by 15%.“It’s a hit on your ego, but you do what you gotta do to feed your family,” Josh Murray said. “It was coming down to keeping the lights on or having meals.”In Larimer county, Colorado, north of Denver, the local food bank has seen a 33% increase in visits to its brick-and-mortar pantries since January and a 67% increase at its mobile pantries, said Amy Pezzani, CEO of the Larimer county food bank. And while clients used to rely on the pantries for about a quarter of their food, many now receive nearly all their food from the charity, Pezzani said.And while clients previously visited those pantries about once a month, they now average nearly three visits per month, she said.“In our area, the cost of housing has increased exponentially and has increased much faster than wages,” Pezzani said. Congress should make some of the pandemic measures permanent to prevent even more hunger, she added. “We’re going to need to do more, especially if we keep seeing these increases.”As in other battleground states, neither Colorado Senate candidate – Michael Bennet or Joe O’Dea – lists hunger prevention as a priority.Food bank leaders and experts said they hope voters – whether hungry or not – understand the importance of their decisions in November. With a possible recession looming and Congress failing to codify some of the most effective pandemic aid programs, the upcoming elections could dramatically affect hunger in the next year.About one-third of people without consistent access to food are ineligible for Snap benefits, said Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, a Northwestern University economics professor. The country needs better policies to keep hungry people from falling through the cracks, she said.Volunteers disperse food at the Mid-Ohio Food Collective in Grove City, Ohio. Photograph: Maddie McGarvey/The Guardian“A lot of these pandemic relief ideas have come and gone,” said Whitmore Schanzenbach, who attended the White House hunger conference. “I wish we would have kept some of them. The child tax credit reduced poverty 50%. Why didn’t we keep it?”Lisa Ortega, 64, was forced to turn to the Larimer county food bank about three years ago when a series of health problems put her out of work. She lives in a Habitat for Humanity-built house in Loveland, Colorado, and said she hopes voters show a little empathy when they head to the polls.“People need to look at this and change their ideas,” Ortega said. “Someday they may be in this situation where they have to go to the food bank. It happened to me.”

Agriculture

Carbon dioxide is a killer. It traps heat and is the biggest contributor to climate change. But not all CO2 stays in the air. Plants suck it out of the atmosphere when they photosynthesize. Today, vegetation stores about 25% of our carbon emissions. A new study published in Science estimates that forests in the midwest doubled their carbon storage capacity in the 8,000 years preceding the industrial age. The researchers hope that reconstructing historical vegetation can help to model future climate change and inform mitigation measures. The researchers modeled forest composition for the last 10,000 years — a period known as the Holocene. This period began after the last major ice age and continues to this day. It is painstakingly difficult for researchers to characterize ancient forests, but these estimates are vital for understanding how nature pulls carbon out of the atmosphere. The team reconstructed Holocene forests with a custom-built computational model and trained it using fossil pollen records and pre-industrial forest surveys. Right after the ice age ended (10,000 years ago), the forests contracted from a hot and drying earth. But since then, they expanded slowly and steadily. The model revealed that the region accumulated 1.8 trillion kilograms of carbon over 8,000 years. That’s doubling the carbon storage during that period. Forest composition changed, too. Large, long-lived trees like American beech and eastern hemlock thrived, packing a high density of carbon into the vegetation. Based on the model, carbon storage should have expanded through the 19th century, just as it had for eight millennia prior. However, when the industrial revolution arrived, humans razed forests for logging and agriculture. The carbon sink disappeared in just 150 years. The study highlights the unsustainable rate of human change. Deforestation released carbon from the forests at a rate that’s 10 times faster than it accumulated. But the researchers also hope that the findings can fight climate change. By preserving and restoring old-growth forests, land managers could mimic the natural carbon storage process that was at work during the Holocene.

Agriculture

This has been a year of extreme weather,  including ruinous floods, horrific hurricanes, unrelenting heat, drought and massive rainfall events. Farmers, always at the mercy of the weather, have taken a hit.In 2022, so far there have been over a dozen climate disaster events with losses exceeding $1 billion, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.While harvests in the U.S. overall have been good, some crops were devastated.In Texas, the cotton harvest was hit hard by drought. Hurricane Ian blew oranges off the trees in Florida. Rice farmers in California have left fields empty for lack of water, and cattle ranchers are sending more cows to slaughter because drought-stunted pastures can't support normal calving activity.Climate change can't be directly blamed for every bad harvest or extreme weather event this year, but the effects of climate change – including drought and rainier hurricanes – hurt harvests across the nation in 2022.  Climate models make clear more is coming.It's a pattern scientists have been warning about for decades, that higher global temperatures will bring on "weather weirding."How does climate change affect you? Subscribe to Climate Point newsletterREAD MORE: Latest climate change news from USA TODAYEvery year the farmers who feed our nation get smarter and more resilient, but it's increasingly stressful to adapt to the extreme variability they face, said Erica Kistner-Thomas, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Institute of Food Production and Sustainability."One year they'll have the best year ever and then the next year they'll be hit with a major flooding event or drought," she said.Here are some crops for which 2022 was a hard year:Rice in CaliforniaThe "megadrought" in the West, the worst in 1,200 years, has had an enormous impact on farming in California. Seven percent of the state's cropland went unplanted due to lack of water for irrigation.Rice, which relies on surface water, was hardest hit. Over half the state's rice acres went unplanted, according to the USDA.A fallow rice field near Dunnigan, California in 2022. Sean Doherty of Sean Doherty Farms was only able to plant four of his 20 rice fields in 2022 due to drought conditions."Rice is a major crop in California. We lead the nation in medium and short grain acres," said Gary Keough with the National Agricultural Statistics Service."A significant number of acres were not planted just because of a lack of water," he said.In Colusa County north of San Francisco, fifth-generation rice farmer Sean Doherty was able to plant only four of his usual 20 rice fields."I've never experienced a year like this," he said. "There's just no comparison to other years whatsoever."READ: What is climate change?There was so little water that his fields, which normally would have held thousands of pounds of premium sushi rice, are instead bare dirt. "Just to keep my guys busy we re-leveled some fields to improve water efficiency," he said. But no amount of efficiency helps when there's simply no water to be had."You can't conserve your way out of an empty bucket," Doherty said.At least for now Doherty is doing all right because he has crop insurance. But that won't help the businesses in his county that depend on farmers to survive. "My crop dusters don't have insurance; my parts store and fertilizer dealers, they've got no business," he said.Citrus in FloridaHurricane Ian hit John Matz's orange and grapefruit groves hard. He lost over 50% of his crop from it being blown off the trees."It's pretty disgusting to look at the amount of fruit that was on the ground," the grower in Wauchula, Florida, said.Oranges in a Florida grove that were blown off trees after Hurricane Ian in October 2022. The state's citrus crop was significantly damaged by the hurricane and subsequent flooding.The winds were only the beginning. Standing water damaged root systems. Even now, when the waters have receded and the fallen fruit has been counted for insurance purposes, more bad news is coming, said Roy Petteway, president of the Peace River Valley Citrus Growers Association."Trees are very sensitive; they're not like squash or cucumber," he said. "You might not see the full extent of the damage for eight months to a year."He's not convinced that human-caused global warming is behind the weather shifts he's seeing, but there is definitely change in the land his family has held for generations in Zolfo Springs, Florida."I'm 36, and I've gotten through three once-in-a-lifetime storms." he said.How is climate change affecting the US?: The government is preparing a nearly 1,700 page answer.HURRICANES: Is climate change fueling massive hurricanes in the Atlantic? Here's what science says.But after six generations in Florida, he's not about to give up. "We don't know how to fail. There's a reason there's an orange on our license plates."Florida mostly grows citrus for juice, so there shouldn't be a big impact on consumer fruit prices, said Ray Royce, with the Highlands County Citrus Growers. But every time there's a storm that damages the crops, it's one more blow to U.S.-produced fruit."Replacement juice will be brought in from Brazil and Mexico," he said. "At some point for processors it's cheaper to ship it in. All the juice you drink now is a blended product of domestic and offshore juice."Cattle in TexasLook for beef prices to rise in 2023 and 2024 – in part because drought in Texas is forcing ranchers to send more cows to slaughter."There isn't enough grass to eat, and it's become too expensive to buy feed. We’ve had a large amount of culling this year because of drought," said David Anderson, a livestock specialist at Texas A&M University."We're sending young female heifer cows to feed lots because we don't have the grass to keep them," he said. Cows that would normally have a calf in the next few years are instead going to slaughter.Beef slaughter is up 13% nationwide and in the Texas region, it's up 30%."In the short term, that means beef will be cheaper. This year we're going to produce a record amount of beef, over 28 million pounds," said Anderson.But long term it will mean higher prices.Those calves that might have been born in the spring of 2023 would be ready for slaughter in about 20 months. So in the fall of 2025, there will be fewer cattle to slaughter and higher prices."There's going to be a shortage of beef, and prices are probably going to go up," said the USDA's Kistner-Thomas. "This could also have a compounding effect on other meat prices as people switch from beef to chicken."Today, Texas has about 14% of the nation's beef cow herd but as the climate changes, ranchers will face growing challenges."These events are getting more frequent," said Anderson. The state's experiencing more frequent severe droughts. And when the rains do come, they come differently than before, in intense bursts rather than over a longer period of time."You may get the same total rainfall, but you're going to get it all in one afternoon," he said. "The plants are adapted for one pattern, and we're not going to have that pattern anymore."More: How a summer of extreme weather reveals a stunning shift in the way rain falls in America.Almonds in CaliforniaThis year's marzipan for Christmas won't be affected, but next year's might be, given the one-two punch California's almond groves took this year.First, an unseasonable freeze in the last week of February killed some of the fruit just as it was forming. Then the ongoing Western megadrought forced farmers to choose between which trees could get enough water to actually produce.A California almond orchard in bloom. In 2022, erratic weather and drought cut 11% out of the nation's almond harvest. An unseasonable cold snap in February kills some early fruit just after bloom while ongoing drought meant many growers didn't have enough water for their trees.Some farmers are getting out of the business entirely or watering trees just enough to keep them healthy but not enough for good harvests — hoping for more water in the future, said Richard Waycott, CEO of the California Almond Board."Generally speaking, you grit your teeth and bear it."The United States produces 82% of the world's almonds, almost all in California. In 2022, the harvest was down 11% from the year before. This year's production is expected to drop as much as 2.6 billion pounds.Cotton in TexasTexas is the largest cotton producer in the United States, but this year's drought has cut the harvest by at least a third, said John Robinson, a professor and specialist in cotton marketing at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas."This year they're projecting less than 4 million bales; in an average year it's 6 million," he said. "Cotton was planted, then it just didn't even come up. There was a whole lot of land that was simply plowed up because the seeds never germinated."That's called the "abandonment rate," the percentage of unharvested acres compared to total planted acres. This year's abandonment rate for cotton in Texas is 68%, "which is a record," said Robinson.What does climate change mean for the future of US farming? Preparation is key.Things would have been much worse if it weren't for advances in plant breeding, said Paul Mitchell, a professor of agriculture and applied economics at the University of Wisconsin, Madison."Crops are more resilient to dry weather than they were 20 years ago," he said.As the kind of severe weather events that can devastate crops become more frequent, better breeds won't necessarily be able to save farmers, said Ariel Ortiz-Bobea, an economist at Cornell University who studies how agriculture is coping with environmental change."U.S. agricultural productivity is rising, but it's not becoming more resilient to extremes," he said. "When bad years start to line up, are we doing things to prepare for the unusual as it becomes more usual?"Elizabeth Weise covers climate and environmental issues for USA TODAY. She can be reached at eweise@usatoday.com.This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Climate change effects hit farmers in US, rice, citrus, almond crops

Agriculture

Hunter-gatherer groups living in southwest Asia may have started keeping and caring for animals nearly 13,000 years ago — roughly 2,000 years earlier than previously thought. Ancient plant samples extracted from present-day Syria show hints of charred dung, indicating that people were burning animal droppings by the end of the Old Stone Age, researchers report September 14 in PLOS One. The findings suggest humans were using the dung as fuel and may have started animal tending during or even before the transition to agriculture. But what animals produced the dung and the exact nature of the animal-human relationship remain unclear. Sign Up For the Latest from Science News Headlines and summaries of the latest Science News articles, delivered to your inbox “We know today that dung fuel is a valuable resource, but it hasn’t really been documented prior to the Neolithic,” says Alexia Smith, an archaeobotanist at the University of Connecticut in Storrs (SN: 8/5/03). Smith and her colleagues reexamined 43 plant samples taken in the 1970s from a residential dwelling at Abu Hureyra, an archaeological site now lost under the Tabqa Dam reservoir. The samples date from roughly 13,300 to 7,800 years ago, spanning the transition from hunter-gatherer societies to farming and herding. Throughout the samples, the researchers found varying amounts of spherulites, tiny crystals that form in the intestines of animals and are deposited in dung. There was a noticeable uptick between 12,800 and 12,300 years ago, when darkened spherulites also appeared in a fire pit — evidence they were heated to between 500⁰ and 700⁰ Celsius, and probably burned. The team then cross-referenced these findings against previously published data from Abu Hureyra. It found that the dung burning coincided with a shift from circular to linear buildings, an indication of a more sedentary lifestyle, along with steadily rising numbers of wild sheep at the site and a decline in gazelle and other small game. Combined, the authors argue, these findings suggest humans may have started tending animals outside their homes and were burning the piles of dung at hand as a supplement to wood. “The spherulite evidence reported here confirms that dung of some sort was used as fuel,” says Naomi Miller, an archaeobotanist at the University of Pennsylvania who was not involved with the study. Figuring out what animal left the dung could reveal whether animals were tethered outside or not. While the authors propose wild sheep, which would have been more accommodating to capture, Miller suggests the source was probably roaming wild gazelle. “Spherulites coming from off-site collection of gazelle dung, stored until burned as fuel, is to my mind a more plausible interpretation,” Miller says. Even if kept for a few days, she says, sheep wouldn’t produce large amounts of dung. “The whole thing is a classic whodunit,” says anthropologist Melinda Zeder, something perhaps DNA analysis could solve (SN: 7/6/17). Gazelle might be the source, she says, and if captured young, the animals may have even been tended for a while — even if they weren’t eventually domesticated. “The interesting thing is that people [were] experimenting with their environment,” says Zeder, of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. “Domestication is almost incidental to that.”

Agriculture

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The University of Idaho’s plan to build the nation’s largest research dairy and experimental farm cleared a big hurdle on Tuesday.Idaho Gov. Brad Little and two other statewide-elected officials on the Idaho Land Board approved the university’s plan to use $23 million to buy roughly 640 acres of farmland in south-central Idaho, the heart of the state’s dairy industry.That would be the main focus of the school's proposed Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment, or CAFE.DROUGHT FORCES FARMERS TO SCALE BACK AND OTHERS TO FOLD AS ECONOMISTS WARN OF PRICE HIKESIdaho's dairy industry is the third-largest dairy producer in the nation, behind California and Wisconsin. But the industry in Idaho — and in general — faces a range of challenges with greenhouse gas emissions from animals, land and water pollution, and waste systems from dairies that can have thousands of cows that produce tons of manure.University of Idaho's president Scott Green, who called the vote a big win for the state, the university and the dairy industry, said the school hasn't been able to do the large-scale research the industry needs to find solutions for those and other complex problems. Pictured: A line of Holstein dairy cows feeding through a fence at a dairy farm outside Jerome, Idaho, on March 11, 2009. (AP Photo/Charlie Litchfield)"The research that we do there is going to help us improve the water quality within the state," Green said after the vote. "It’s going to help us utilize waste products from the dairy industry in a way that’s beneficial to the environment and to agriculture."Green said students will get the education needed to work on the cutting edge of agribusiness and dairy sciences. He also said CAFE opens the doors for the school to receive millions in research grant money, potentially leading to new ideas and innovation.If CAFE succeeds as envisioned, the operation would include an experimental farm and 2,000-cow research dairy in Minidoka County. Classrooms, labs and faculty offices would be constructed in Jerome County near where Interstate 84 and U.S. Route 93 intersect. A food processing pilot plant with a workforce training and education facility would be located at the College of Southern Idaho campus in Twin Falls County.FOOD PRICES COULD SURGE HIGHER AS EXTREME WEATHER HURTS FARMERSThe state's dairy industry has supported the plan, donating more than $8.5 million to date, according to state officials.Specifically, the board on Tuesday voted to use $23 million from the 2021 sale of 282 acres of endowment land in Caldwell benefitting the University of Idaho’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to buy roughly 640 acres of farmland in Minidoka County north of Rupert owned by the university — turning that into endowment land. The school will now use that endowment land and money to build the research dairy.Endowment land is land Idaho received at statehood and that the Land Board manages to produce the maximum return over the long term for beneficiaries, mainly public education.AUTO, ENERGY AND AGRICULTURE AMONG INDUSTRIES THAT WILL SUFFER MOST FROM A RAIL STRIKELand Board members had other options for the money. It could have transferred the $23 million to a fund that would generate money through investments. It also could have kept the money for potential investments in timberland, the most dependable revenue generator for state land.Choosing the university option was unique in that it recognized research as an asset."If this was more affordable research, private industry would be doing it," Little said after the meeting. "These are the kinds of things government has to do, these long-term, low-return (investments). If we get research out of this that creates a more sustainable, cleaner way to have a dairy industry in Idaho, that's a win-win for everybody."Immediately after the vote, applause broke out in the meeting room at the Statehouse, an unusual occurrence at a Land Board meeting that typically deals with staid financial management decisions involving the state's 3,900 square miles of endowment land.

Agriculture

La Paz County, Arizona CNN  —  Workers with the water district in Wenden, Arizona, saw something remarkable last year as they slowly lowered a camera into the drought-stricken town’s well: The water was moving. But the aquifer which sits below the small desert town in the southwestern part of the state is not a river; it’s a massive, underground reservoir which stores water built up over thousands of years. And that water is almost always still. Gary Saiter, a longtime resident and head of the Wenden Water Improvement District, said the water was moving because it was being pumped rapidly out of the ground by a neighboring well belonging to Al Dahra, a United Arab Emirates-based company farming alfalfa in the Southwest. Al Dahra did not respond to multiple requests for comment on this story. “The well guys and I have never seen anything like this before,” Saiter told CNN. The farm was “pumping and it was sucking the water through the aquifer.” Groundwater is the lifeblood of the rural Southwest, but just as the Colorado River Basin is in crisis, aquifers are rapidly depleting from decades of overuse, worsening drought and rampant agricultural growth. Residents and farms pull water from the same underground pools, and as the water table declines, the thing determining how long a well lasts is how deeply it was drilled. Now frustration is growing in Arizona’s La Paz County, as shallower wells run dry amid the Southwest’s worst drought in 1,200 years. Much of the frustration is pointed at the area’s huge, foreign-owned farms growing thirsty crops like alfalfa, which ultimately get shipped to feed cattle and other livestock overseas. “You can’t take water and export it out of the state, there’s laws about that,” said Arizona geohydrologist Marvin Glotfelty, a well-drilling expert. “But you can take ‘virtual’ water and export it; alfalfa, cotton, electricity or anything created in part from the use of water.” Residents and local officials say lax groundwater laws give agriculture the upper hand, allowing farms to pump unlimited water as long as they own or lease the property to drill wells into. In around 80% of the state, Arizona has no laws overseeing how much water corporate megafarms are using, nor is there any way for the state to track it. But rural communities in La Paz County know the water is disappearing beneath their feet. Shallow, residential wells in the county started drying up in 2015, local officials say, and deeper municipal well levels have steadily declined. In Salome, local water utility owner Bill Farr told CNN his well – which supplies water to more than 200 customers, including the local schools – is “nearing the end of its useful life.” And in Wenden, water in the town well has been plummeting. Saiter told CNN the depth-to-water – how deep below the surface the top of the water table is – has dropped from about 100 feet in the late 1950s to about 540 feet in 2022, already far beyond what an average residential well can reach. Saiter is anxious the farms’ rapid water use could push the water table too low for the town well to draw safe water from. La Paz County supervisor Holly Irwin told CNN getting the state to act on – or even acknowledge – the region’s dwindling water supply has been a “frustrating” yearslong battle which has left her community feeling “forgotten.” Middle East agriculture companies “have depleted their [water], that’s why they are here,” Irwin said. “That’s what angers people the most. We should be taking care of our own, and we just allow them to come in, purchase property and continue to punch holes in the ground.” In 2018, Saudi Arabia finalized a ban on growing thirsty crops like alfalfa and hay to feed livestock and cattle. The reason was simple: the arid Middle East – also struggling with climate change-fueled drought – is running out of water, and agriculture is a huge consumer. But vast dairy operations are a point of national pride in the Middle East, according to Eckart Woertz, director of the Germany-based GIGA Institute for Middle East Studies. So, they needed to find water somewhere else. “They have all their cows there and they need feeding. That feedstock comes from abroad,” Woertz told CNN. Valued at $14.3 billion, the Almarai Company – which owns about 10,000 acres of farmland in Arizona under its subsidiary, Fondomonte – is one of the biggest players in the Middle East’s dairy supply. The company also owns about 3,500 acres in agriculture-heavy Southern California, according to public land records, where they use Colorado River water to irrigate crops. Woertz said while most of the company’s cattle feed is purchased on the open market, Alamarai took the extra step of buying farmland abroad, as part of a growing trend in foreign-owned farmland in the US. Foreign-owned farmland in the West increased from around 1.25 million acres in 2010 to nearly three million acres in 2020, according to data from the US Department of Agriculture. In the Midwest, foreign-owned farmland has nearly quadrupled. “It gives you that sense you’re closer to the source,” Woertz added. “The sense that you own land or lease land somewhere else and have direct bilateral access [to water] gives you a sense of maybe false security.” In the high desert of Arizona, emerald-green fields stretch for miles alongside dry tumbleweeds and Saguaro cactus. The Fondomonte-owned Vicksburg Ranch near Salome is massive. The company spent $47.5 million to buy nearly 10,000 acres of land there in 2014, and it leases additional farmland from the state. Huge storage facilities were erected to hold the harvests. Rows of small houses were built for the farm’s workers, all surrounded by flowering desert shrubs. Tractor trailers filled with bales of alfalfa hay rumble down the highway, which local officials told CNN they had to repair because of the increased agricultural traffic. The alfalfa on the trucks is eventually shipped to feed cattle in Saudi Arabia. “They’ve definitely increased production,” Irwin said. “They’ve grown so much since they’ve been here.” Almarai was transparent about why it wanted the land, according to an article on the purchase from Arab News: The transaction was part of “continuous efforts to improve and secure its supply of the highest quality alfalfa hay from outside the Kingdom to support its dairy business.” “It is also in line with the Saudi government direction toward conserving local resources,” Arab News added. Representatives of Fondomonte declined an interview request for this story, but Jordan Rose, the company’s Arizona attorney, provided a statement: “Fondomonte decided to invest in the southwest United States just as hundreds of other agricultural businesses have because of the high-quality soils, and climatic conditions that allow growth of some of the finest quality alfalfa in the world.” Rose added the farm installed “the most technologically advanced conservation oriented watering systems available on the market.” Indeed, there is nothing illegal about foreign-owned farming in the US. And many American farmers use the West’s water to grow crops which are eventually exported around the globe. But amid the worst drought in centuries, residents and officials have questioned the merit of allowing countries, which themselves are running out of water, unlimited access to a resource as good as gold in the Southwest. Cynthia Campbell, water resources management adviser for the city of Phoenix, has been watching the La Paz County water situation with frustration. Phoenix currently gets most of its water from local rivers and the Central Arizona Project, which diverts Colorado River water to Phoenix and Tucson. But it could use rural groundwater as a safety net in the coming years if the city’s primary sources are further restricted. That is, if there is any groundwater left by then. “We are literally exporting our economy overseas,” Campbell said. “I’m sorry, but there’s no Saudi Arabian milk coming back to Southern California or Arizona. The value of that agricultural output is not coming through in value to the US.” Despite the ever-looming water crisis, people are still drawn to small Southwest towns like Wenden and Salome because of the low home prices and the freedom of desert living. While housing costs in the country rocket upward, rural Arizona has remained a stubbornly affordable place to live. Homes cost between $30,000 and $40,000, and residential taxes paid to the county are below $300 per year, Saiter, the head of Wenden’s water district and a longtime resident, told CNN. “People are able to afford to live here, versus Phoenix,” Gary’s wife, De Vona Saiter, told CNN. Median incomes in the county are low, “but you can still have a beautiful life.” The Saiters’ house and rental properties around town – as well as De Vona’s mother Gloria Kaisor’s home down the street – are decorated with hand-drawn art, gardens and antiques. Kaisor is a longtime resident who first moved to Wenden with her family in the 1960s. After living in Phoenix for years, she gravitated back to the rural area. “This is home,” Kaisor said. “You don’t hear a noise. It’s quiet. I don’t want to be around a lot of people. You can do whatever you want.” Yet the impacts of living near a corporate farm are starting to pile up. Kaisor’s home was inundated with silty, wet mud this summer. Rainfall runoff from a recent monsoon flood carried it from the farm right into Wenden. Gary Saiter believes Al Dahra farm staff have rerouted natural waterways, forcing the rainfall into town rather than out into the desert washes. Kaisor and her neighbors’ fences are reinforced with sheet metal to try to stop mud and water from coming into their houses, but Kaisor was trapped in her house during a storm earlier this year. “The whole property was full of mud,” De Vona Saiter said. Al Dahra did not respond to CNN’s questions for this story, including questions about its water usage, the uptick in residential flooding and potential rerouting of natural waterways. The company did provide a statement to the Arizona Republic for a story published in 2019: “Water resources in Arizona must be managed wisely in order to preserve our quality of life and to protect the state’s economic health,” Al Dahra said. “The company is fully committed to Arizona and plans to remain here for the long-term.” Living near the Al Dahra farm also brings more frequent and alarming drought-related impacts. When it gets windy, a “dirt wall” of soil and dust whips up from the alfalfa fields, exacerbating the Saiters’ allergies. And most noticeably, the ground is literally sinking as the water below the surface gets pumped out. The floor in De Vona’s shop has sunk a couple inches, she said, and the ground around one well casing has sunk about a foot; so much the wellhead needed to be cut and resized. With all of this, Gary Saiter doesn’t care if the farm is owned by a company overseas. The way he sees it, it doesn’t make much of a difference who owns the farm; he just wishes they were better neighbors. “I am kind of ambivalent about the Saudis,” Saiter said. “You can’t control where people sell stuff, and it’s going to go somewhere.” “I just don’t like the crops they’re growing and the water they’re pumping,” he added. Kari Avila, superintendent and athletics director for Salome High School, believes the farms are providing local economic benefits. Rose, Fondomonte’s Arizona attorney, told CNN in an email the company is the fourth-largest employer in the county. “They employ a lot of people,” Avila told CNN. “If they weren’t farming it, someone else would be. A lot of people are upset it’s not Americans farming.” Avila praised the farms for their internship programs and career fairs. Last year, Al Dahra donated an irrigation pump and generator to water Salome’s high school fields, which had been drying up. Avila said the pump installation for the field was fast and took just a few weeks. But even as the companies are trying to invest in the area, many still question whether those benefits are worth it as water disappears. “It’s great,” Irwin, the La Paz County supervisor said, “but if you can’t turn your faucet on in five years, that sh*t’s not going to matter.” The reason some rural residents feel powerless about the fate of their groundwater is because they say Arizona’s state lawmakers have thus far not acted to protect it. The last time the state passed regulations around groundwater was in 1980, with a law creating certain zones in mostly urban areas, where officials had to ensure they were replenishing underground aquifers and not pumping them dry. The laws governing the so-called active management areas, or AMAs, are strong compared to groundwater laws in other Southwest states, said Kathleen Ferris, a former top state water official and senior researcher at Arizona State University’s Kyl Center for Water Policy. But “outside of the AMAs, not so much,” Ferris told CNN. About 80% of the state falls outside the active management areas, with no restrictions on how much groundwater can be pumped and no way to monitor it. “It can’t get any worse” than Arizona’s lack of regulation on rural groundwater, Ferris said. “Let’s put it that way.” Water officials can measure whether water levels in the aquifers are going up or down, but because groundwater is so lightly regulated in rural areas, they don’t have enough data to answer a crucial question: Exactly how much water is left? “That is one of the challenges of our state; you can’t manage what you don’t measure,” said top Arizona water official Tom Buschatzke, the director of the state’s Department of Water Resources. “We do the best we can with the data and estimated data that we have, but it really begs questions about how much benefit we can really provide.” As the West’s water crisis grows more intense, groundwater reform has become a flashpoint in this year’s election campaigns. Arizona attorney general candidate Kris Mayes, a Democrat, has seized on the state’s practice of leasing public land to corporate farms, including more than 6,000 acres leased to Fondomonte, according to the state land department. A recent investigation by the Arizona Republic found Fondomonte – the second-largest agricultural lessor of Arizona land – is paying the state a heavily discounted rate which does not take their water usage into account. Mayes said she thinks the leases violate the state constitution and has vowed to cancel them if she’s elected. “It shouldn’t have happened in the first place,” Mayes told Irwin in September, standing outside Fondomonte’s farm. “We can get these leases canceled, and we should. We are essentially giving our water away for free to a Saudi corporation, and that has to come to an end.” The Arizona State Land Department is studying the state’s water resources in western Arizona, department spokesman Bill Fathauer told CNN. But he added it does not have the authority to implement additional groundwater restrictions. “The comprehensive data determined from these studies will allow the Department to make an informed decision about not only future land use in these areas but also help determine what the future value of the land is as well,” Fathauer said in an email. The kind of sweeping water reforms Arizona needs must ultimately come from the state legislature, says outgoing state House member Regina Cobb, a Republican. For years, Cobb tried to advance bills to allow local officials to regulate their aquifers. The bills never got a committee hearing, Cobb said, never mind making it to the floor for a vote. CNN reached out to Gov. Doug Ducey and top Arizona lawmakers in the state House and Senate for comment; none responded. As the Colorado River shrinks and Arizona’s share of the water continues to be cut, Cobb told CNN the state’s approach to groundwater has been unthinkable. “Why are we allowing a foreign company to come into Arizona – which is drought-stricken right now – and have a sweetheart deal [on leases], when we are trying to conserve as much water as we can?” she asked. “It boggles my mind.” Read more: The Colorado River provides drinking water and electricity to 40 million people. As its supply dwindles, a crisis looms As California’s big cities fail to rein in their water use, rural communities are already tapped out The West’s historic drought is threatening hydropower at Hoover Dam

Agriculture

Rearing livestock and growing crops to feed them has destroyed more tropical forest and killed more wildlife than any other industry. Animal agriculture also produces vast quantities of greenhouse gas emissions and pollution. The environmental consequences are so profound that the world cannot meet climate goals and keep ecosystems intact without rich countries reducing their consumption of beef, pork and chicken. To slash emissions, slow the loss of biodiversity and secure food for a growing world population, there must be a change in the way meat and dairy is made and consumed. A rapidly evolving market for novel alternatives, such as plant-based burgers, has made the switch from meat easier. Yet in countries such as Britain, meat consumption has not fallen fast enough in recent years to sufficiently rein in agricultural emissions. Instead, prices on meat and other animal products will eventually need to reflect all this damage. There are several ways to do this, but each intervention poses its own difficulties. In our view, the most likely result will be simple, direct taxes on meat and animal products. Our latest research, published in the Review of Environmental Economics and Policy, considered how an environmental tax on meat could work. Our calculations suggest that the average retail price for meat in high-income countries would need to increase by 35%-56% for beef, 25% for poultry, and 19% for lamb and pork to reflect the environmental costs of their production. In the UK, where the average price for a 200g beef steak is around £2.80, consumers would pay between £3.80 and £4.30 at the checkout instead. Fortunately, our research found that a meat tax, if implemented correctly, need not increase the pressure on poorer households – or the farming industry. Fairer, healthier and greener food Before food prices soared in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the idea of a meat tax was already being mulled by agricultural ministers in countries like Germany and the Netherlands. Even if a meat tax is currently unthinkable in the current political environment, higher taxes on meat and dairy may become inevitable to decarbonise agriculture at the necessary pace for limiting global heating to at least 1.5°C. Read more: Global food system emissions alone threaten warming beyond 1.5°C – but we can act now to stop it Our analysis showed that by redistributing revenue from a tax on the sale of meat and animal products evenly across the population, in the form of uniform lump sum payments at the end of each year perhaps, most people on low incomes would have more money than before the tax reform. Would people spend this compensation on meat or other products tied to high levels of pollution? Research from British Columbia in Canada showed that returning the proceeds from a carbon tax to citizens had no significant effect on how much the province cut emissions (between 5% and 15%). Making meat relatively more expensive would most likely encourage people to spend their money elsewhere. Part of the tax revenue could finance subsidies for growing vegetables, grains and alternative proteins, or help low-income households meet their food bills on a more regular basis. The healthier (and cheaper) choice. Dariatorchukova/Shutterstock Just as meat and dairy must become more expensive, healthy and sustainable plant-based foods should become more affordable. Using revenue from a meat tax to cut value-added taxes on fruit, vegetables, and grains for example, could provide much-needed relief to poorer households during a cost of living crisis, while encouraging everyone to reduce their intake of animal products. Levelling the playing field Other types of regulation, such as stricter rules on managing animal feed or manure more sustainably, run the risk of putting domestic livestock farmers at a disadvantage compared to competitors from abroad who are not burdened with the additional costs of complying with these rules. This is why a form of “border adjustment”, as economists call it, is also necessary to include products from overseas. A tax levied on any firm selling meat – including restaurants and cafes as well as supermarkets – in a given country would capture all meat producers. Other research indicates that consumers are typically more supportive of environmental taxes of this nature if they are phased in with a lower tax rate initially. Some of the revenue raised by the tax could be given directly to farmers, leaving them with higher profits than before. This could be paid according to their work stewarding the land, restoring habitats like peat bogs. Or, it could help them invest in the transition to new income streams, such as producing high-quality, organic meat from low-density herds which, when consumed in much lower quantities, may still be compatible with emissions targets. Taking steps to make plant-based foods more affordable and meat substitutes more attractive will pave the way for a future in which it’s possible to make meat and dairy much more expensive. The good news is that – once their time has come – meat taxes could actually help us eat better, at lower cost. If implemented correctly, a meat tax could protect the environment, while helping secure a sustainable future for livestock farmers, as well as affordable and sustainable food for all. Don’t have time to read about climate change as much as you’d like? Get a weekly roundup in your inbox instead. Every Wednesday, The Conversation’s environment editor writes Imagine, a short email that goes a little deeper into just one climate issue. Join the 10,000+ readers who’ve subscribed so far.

Agriculture

Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images via ZUMA Press Wire This story was originally published by the Guardian and is reproduced here as part of the Climate Desk collaboration. Investments in plant-based alternatives to meat lead to far greater cuts in climate-heating emissions than other green investments, according to one of the world’s biggest consultancy firms. The report from the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) found that, for each dollar, investment in improving and scaling up the production of meat and dairy alternatives resulted in three times more greenhouse gas reductions compared with investment in green cement technology, seven times more than green buildings and 11 times more than zero-emission cars. Investments in plant-based alternatives to meat delivered this high impact on emissions because of the big difference between the greenhouse gases emitted when producing conventional meat and dairy products, and when growing plants. Beef, for example, results in six-to-30 times more emissions than tofu. Investment in alternative proteins, also including fermented products and cell-based meat, has jumped from $1 billion (£830m) in 2019 to $5 billion in 2021, BCG said. Alternatives make up 2 percent of meat, egg, and dairy products sold but will rise to 11 percent in 2035 on current growth trends, the report said. This would reduce emissions by an amount almost equivalent to global aviation’s output. But BCG said meat alternatives could grow much faster with technological progress resulting in better products, scaled-up production, and regulatory changes making marketing and sales easier. “Widespread adoption of alternative proteins can play a critical role in tackling climate change,” said Malte Clausen, a partner at BCG. “We call it the untapped climate opportunity—you’re getting more impact from your investment in alternative proteins than in any other sector of the economy.” “There’s been a lot of investments into electric vehicles, wind turbines, and solar panels, which is all great and helpful to reduce emissions, but we have not seen comparable investment yet [in alternative proteins], even though it’s rising rapidly,” he said. “If you really care about impact as an investor, this is an area that you definitely need to understand.” Meat and dairy production uses 83 percent of farmland and causes 60 percent of agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions, but provides only 18 percent of calories and 37 percent of protein. Moving human diets from meat to plants means less forest is destroyed for pasture and fodder growing and fewer emissions of the potent greenhouse gas methane produced by cattle and sheep. Europe and North America will reach “peak meat” by 2025, at which point consumption of conventional meat starts to fall, according to a separate BCG report in 2021. Another consultancy, AT Kearney, predicted in 2019 that most of the meat products people eat in 2040 will not come from slaughtered animals. Scientists have concluded that avoiding meat and dairy products is the single biggest way to reduce your environmental impact on the planet and that large cuts in meat consumption in rich nations are essential to ending the climate crisis. The Project Drawdown group, which assesses climate solutions, places plant-based diets in the top three of almost 100 options. “Alternative proteins have received only a fraction of the investment deployed in other sectors,” the BCG report said. “Buildings have received 4.4 times more mitigation capital than food production, even though building emissions are 57% lower than those tied to food production.” Switching from conventional meat to alternatives is also much less disruptive to consumers than flying less or retrofitting their homes, the report said. The estimates of the differing emissions cuts resulting from investments in different sectors were made by BCG using a methodology developed by the Global Financial Markets Association. Blue Horizon, an investor in alternative proteins, also contributed to the new report. Bjoern Witte, at Blue Horizon, said: “The products consumers are seeing on the shelves today will be followed by a wave of cleaner, healthier and tastier alternative proteins, as technology allows for increasing innovation. We’re just at the beginning, really.” Dr Jonathan Foley, at Project Drawdown, said: “About a quarter of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions comes from food, land use, and agriculture and more than half of that is from beef alone. So this is a very big area to focus on, and one that has been relatively under-invested in.” “[Alternative proteins] are a potentially large climate solution,” Foley said. “But it shouldn’t be seen as a stand-alone solution and could be combined with many others, including cutting food waste overall, shifting to more plant-rich diets, and farming the meat and dairy products we still might eat better.” Malte said a move towards plant-based meats could also help alleviate food crises. “You are cutting out the ‘middleman’, whether it’s a cow, a pig, or a chicken. It’s just mathematics: if instead of feeding all of these crops to animals, and then eating the animals, you just use the crops directly for human consumption, you need fewer crops overall and therefore alleviate the constraints on the system.” The report also included a survey of more than 3,700 people in the UK, US, China, France, Germany, Spain, and the United Arab Emirates. It found 30 percent of consumers would switch to alternative protein products if they had a positive climate impact. About 90 percent of people said they liked at least some of the alternative-protein products they had tried. But the survey found that consumers expected the products to cost no more than those they were replacing.

Agriculture

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! A fourth-generation dairy farmer fears that possible climate initiatives could threaten independent farmers and their ability to provide for the U.S. food supply.Several nations have imposed regulations on the agriculture industry, such as limits on nitrogen emissions, which have sparked backlash from farmers in those countries. The Biden administration, too, has indicated that it aims to push changes on the industry to tackle climate change."Americans are feeding into this lie that climate change is because of agriculture and climate change is not going to get better until farmers and ranchers do better," Stephanie Nash, a fourth-generation dairy farmer, told Fox News.In 2020 the EPA estimated that at 11% of the U.S.'s total greenhouse gas emissions came from the agriculture sector, compared to 27% from transportation, 25% from energy, and 24% from industry.CLIMATE CHANGE IS HERE AND CONGRESS MUST ACT NOW TO CREATE A CLEANER, HEALTHIER WORLDPresident Biden, in his first congressional address, floated paying farmers to grow cover crops, which are planted to cover the soil rather than for harvesting, to reduce carbon dioxide and improve soil health. It also encouraged the Department of Agriculture to use farm aid funding to incentivize carbon emission reduction on farms.Most recently, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released a new ESG proposal in March which would require companies to report the environmental impact of its practices. If enacted, American farmers and ranchers would be left vulnerable as major food-production corporations could look toward buying small farms or importing animal products to preserve their ESG rating. Nash fears the effort to implement green policies across the globe will continue to kill off an already struggling farming industry that's faced with skyrocketing costs for labor, fuel, seed and fertilizer. She said institutions like the World Economic Forum are "scaring us" with its prediction that by 2050 the global population will demand 70% more food than is consumed today and advocates for an overhaul of food production to meet that supply.WORKING AMERICANS 'ARE GOING TO PAY THE PRICE' FOR BIDEN'S CLIMATE CHANGE AGENDA: THE BIG SUNDAY SHOW Nash Farms is a fourth generation dairy farm located in Tennessee (Fox News )"Well, if you continue to kill off our food supply and our American farmers, yeah, we're not going to have enough food," she said. The Inflation Reduction Act introduced last week would spend $369 billion on various climate change initiatives. The bill claims it would reduce carbon emissions by roughly 40% by 2030 (CAN YOU LINK TO THE BILL?) , primarily through investing in renewable energy production and practices. FOOD BANKS IN AMERICA EXPERIENCE SURGING DEMAND: 'NO SIGN OF IT SLOWING DOWN ANY TIME SOON'The Dutch government announced its plan to reduce nitrogen emissions by 50% in June, causing a major backlash among the nation's farmers. To meet its goal, the plan requires a 30% reduction in the number of Dutch livestock, whose manure produces nitrogen oxide, forcing many farms out of business. Farmers gather with their vehicles next to a Germany/Netherlands border sign to protest climate initiatives (Photo by VINCENT JANNINK/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)  (VINCENT JANNINK/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)Similarly, the Canadian government proposed a 30% cut to nitrogen emissions from fertilizer by 2030 as part of a plan to get to net zero in the next three decades, sparking backlash from farmers. And New Zealand proposed a plan to tax farmers for the emissions from their livestock’s farts and burps. Nash, who said her family moved their century-old dairy farm from California to Tennessee in 2015 due to the Golden State’s restrictive agriculture policies limiting water usage, fears the U.S. will follow suit in implementing restrictive policies on livestock farmers already struggling to stay afloat amid increasing production costs and existing regulatory restrictions.FARMERS, CONSUMERS SCRAMBLE AS FOOD PRICES EXPECTED TO SURGE HIGHERShe said the push by corporations and wealthy individuals like Bill Gates to shift away from animal products toward plant-based food is rooted in misinformation and ulterior motives.  Dutch farmers line up tractors for a national day of protest to demand more respect for their profession. (AP Photo/Mike Corder) "They can say it's for the future, and they want to feed Americans, but honestly, they're putting chemically grown food into our bodies," she said. Imitation meats like Beyond Meat contain synthetic preservatives and Red #3 food dye which was banned by the FDA for use in cosmetics in 1990, according to the Center for Consumer Freedom. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLooking ahead, Nash said to look out for the 2025 Farm Bill, legislation passed roughly once every five years, which she fears will be used to give the EPA more access to and control over independent farmers."There's not a backbone in Washington, D.C. and there's not enough family farmers and ranchers in office to protect us around the United States," she said.  Teny Sahakian is an Associate Producer/Writer for Fox News. Follow Teny on Twitter at @tenysahakian.

Agriculture

Brahman cattle are seen on a ranch in Texas, U.S., April 30, 2020. REUTERS/Adrees LatifRegister now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comCROCKETT, Texas, Aug 24 (Reuters) - With almost all of Texas in drought, ranchers are sending ever more cattle off to slaughter, a trend likely to increase beef prices over the long term due to dwindling supply from the largest cattle region in the United States.Since mid-July, more than 93% of Texas has been in drought, according to the United States Drought Monitor. As of mid-August, more than 26% of Texas was at the highest level, characterized by widespread loss of pastures and crops as well as water shortages.While conditions are especially acute in Texas, about 54% of all U.S. cattle were in some form of drought as of Aug. 16, up from 36% a year earlier. Cattle slaughter is high nationwide, temporarily increasing supply but portending tighter supplies in future years. read more Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comPaul Craycraft, co-owner of the East Texas Livestock Auction in Crockett, said dry pastures are depriving cattle of an important food source, while making it more expensive for ranchers to supplement their herds' diet with hay and feed."We've had I don't how many 100-degree (38 C) days and you can see out here, you know, the grass is gone," Craycraft said. "The cows are beginning to lose weight. The cows are weak because there's no protein. So we're getting rid of a lot of cows."About 75% of the cows sold at auction the past two months have been sent to the slaughterhouse, Craycraft said, up from 30% to 40% in normal years.Wesley Ratcliff, founder of Caney Creek Ranch in Oakwood, said he got an early start selling 50 of his 500 cows this year as the drought worsened."They were older mama cows and they might have gone and had another baby for us," Ratcliff said. "But rather than wait on them to have another baby, we went on to ship them to the meat factory."Texas A&M University agricultural economist David Anderson said consumers can expect higher prices long-term due to what is happening in Texas, which according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture has more than 4.5 million beef cows, or 14% of the U.S. inventory."The pressure will be on for higher prices, higher cattle prices, higher beef prices over the next several years as the effects of this are felt," Anderson said. "We're going to face tighter supplies of beef. And tighter supplies of beef, with nothing else going on, means higher prices."Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.comReporting by Evan Garcia in Crockett, Texas Editing by Daniel Trotta, Donna Bryson and Matthew LewisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Agriculture

Soybeans pour from a combine during harvest in a field in Rippey, Iowa, in 2019. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Joe Raedle/Getty Images Soybeans pour from a combine during harvest in a field in Rippey, Iowa, in 2019. Joe Raedle/Getty Images If you ask Iowa farmer Robb Ewoldt about the federal dollars he's received over the last few years to help make his land more sustainable, it's clear he's a big fan. "It works out really well in our operation," says Ewoldt, who farms corn and soybeans on "just shy of 2,000 acres" near Davenport, Iowa. "We see tremendous benefits in conservation, water quality and carbon sequestration." He's been involved with the Conservation Stewardship Program, or CSP, for about eight years now. The program aims to help farmers improve yields, increase the resilience of their fields to extreme weather and maintain and improve their conservation systems — such as no-till and cover crops. On his farm in that time, "soil health [has] improved to a point where we see a yield advantage in our farming practices. ...We can watch those yields go up year after year. That's where the real benefit comes in," he says. The government's conservation programs are meant to bolster farmers' response to climate change, as Ewoldt and others like him are forced to confront worsening droughts on the one hand, and unprecedented rainfall and flooding on the other. But even with billions more in federal assistance on the way, there is little sign the massive infusion of money from Democrats' recently passed Inflation Reduction Act will reshape politics in the solidly Republican state of Iowa, nor move the dial for farmers in other rural areas where the GOP maintains a seemingly irreversible foothold. Farmers will be getting billions more for conservation The CSP was enacted as part of the 2008 Farm Bill, but the Biden administration's Inflation Reduction Act, passed by Democrats on a straight party-line vote, has added a whopping $20 billion to it and other conservation programs specifically aimed at helping farmers combat the effects of climate change. "This is a big chunk of funding relative to what they've had in recent years," says Cathy Day, climate policy coordinator with the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition. She says in the past, the programs have been stretched so thin that "we generally have somewhere in the range of 3 to 4 times the farmers applying compared to those who actually get contracts." The programs can have a huge impact for farmers and the environment, says Sara Nicholas, a policy strategist at the Pennsylvania-based nonprofit Pasa Sustainable Agriculture. She cites a 2015 study by the Natural Resources Defense Council showing that "for every additional 1% of organic matter that gets into the soil, which is what a lot of these CSP programs' practices are trying to do, those soils can capture an additional 20,000 gallons of rain per acre." "If you think about a flood-prone state like Pennsylvania ... it would just make all the difference if you can capture that much additional rainfall before it runs off the fields, into creeks, cascading down and tearing out bridges and culverts and infrastructure," she says. Ewoldt, who accepts climate change and says farmers "need to do things to mitigate it," acknowledges that his farming practices have "allowed my soil to hold more water during drought conditions." The additional government funding is a good thing, he says. But Ewoldt's congressional representative, Mariannette Miller-Meeks, sided with her fellow Republicans in unanimously rejecting the Inflation Reduction Act. "Now is not the time to pass a $740 billion spending bill, let alone one filled with partisan priorities," she said in a statement. Ewoldt plans to vote for her anyway. "I know her," he says. "And there's other things that come into it besides the economics." More farmers are bucking the GOP on climate Ewoldt's attitude toward climate change reflects a growing trend among farmers. A survey published in 2021 indicates that about 80% of farmers now believe climate change is occurring. That's a huge shift from just eight years ago, when a four-state survey indicated that most did not accept the concept of climate change nor believe its impact would reduce their crop yields. The time period over which that switch has occurred coincides with the warmest seven years on record globally, as well as climate-fueled fires, floods and heat waves in the U.S. Even so, as a group, farmers have remained steadfast in their support of Republicans, despite the party's history of being closely associated with denying the scientific consensus on climate change. (Although among Republican voters in general, there's been a significant shift from just a decade ago). Farmers have also been rock steady supporters of former President Donald Trump, despite a trade war with Beijing that led agricultural exports to China to plunge by more than 60%, according to the U.S. International Trade Administration. And this summer, Republicans on the House Agriculture Committee have already called for cutting commodity and conservation programs in the new Farm Bill, which will come up in Congress next year. A farmer praises President Trump as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy looks on during a legislation signing rally with local farmers, in February 2020 in Bakersfield, Calif. David McNew/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption David McNew/Getty Images A farmer praises President Trump as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy looks on during a legislation signing rally with local farmers, in February 2020 in Bakersfield, Calif. David McNew/Getty Images Ewoldt, who says he's a lifelong Republican, voted twice for Trump even though the years 2017 through 2019 were "miserable for farm production" due in large part to the then-president's trade war. Ahead of the 2020 election, he told NPR that Trump represented "the devil I know and not the devil I don't know." Tim Dufault, 62, works 1,600 acres in northwestern Minnesota, near the town of Crookston. He's seen a lot of changes in farm fields in the state in the past several decades that he attributes to climate change. "It's hard to refute that the world is getting warmer," he says. The mix of crops in his corner of the state is a lot different than when he started farming four decades ago. "There's hardly any barley, sunflowers, [or] potatoes anymore because it's gotten warmer and wetter and it's harder to get a good quality crop," he says. "In the meantime, warm season crops like soybeans and corn have moved up into this area. So, you know, that kind of really tells the story," says Dufault, who describes himself as "a moderate, but mostly Democrat." Trade often outweighs worries about the climate South Dakota Farm Bureau President Scott VanderWal counts himself among those who see that climate — or at least the weather — is changing, but disagree with the scientific consensus on the cause. "The climate has been changing since the Earth was created and we've been through cycles before," he says. VanderWal says Trump's trade dispute with China hurt farmers in South Dakota, but now his frustration with President Biden is in not moving past his predecessor's policies. In 2020, Phase 1 of a new trade agreement with China went into effect, with Beijing agreeing to purchase $80 billion worth of U.S. agricultural products in the first year. VanderWal wonders what comes next. "We've asked them what the future [is]," he says. "It's almost two years now, and we've heard almost nothing about international trade." Democrats face a steep challenge winning rural votes President Biden speaks during a visit to Menlo, Iowa, in April. The Inflation Reduction Act, passed by Democrats on a party-line vote, has added $20 billion to conservation programs aimed at helping farmers combat climate change. Scott Olson/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Scott Olson/Getty Images President Biden speaks during a visit to Menlo, Iowa, in April. The Inflation Reduction Act, passed by Democrats on a party-line vote, has added $20 billion to conservation programs aimed at helping farmers combat climate change. Scott Olson/Getty Images Given rural voting patterns, which heavily favor Republicans in more rural states, shifting farmers to the blue column may seem impossible for Democrats. It's a task made even harder by Trump's undisputed dominance of his party. "Rural America has been mostly Republican for a couple of generations," says David Hopkins, a political science professor at Boston College. "But Trump did significantly better." Lots of rural counties in states like Wisconsin and Pennsylvania that used to be 60-40 Republican "all of a sudden were 70-30 Republican or more" for Trump, he says. Even so, Democrats don't need to win over a majority of farmers. Instead, "if they can cut those margins back [and] regain some of their lost ground over the last 10 years in rural areas, that might actually be important in some of those battleground states," he says. Isaac Wright, co-founder of the Rural Voter Institute, a progressive research firm, says to get there, Democrats need a lesson in how to talk to voters outside their urban base. "Our values are not the issue," he insists. "It's how we communicate and often how we fail to communicate." "For one thing, I would de-emphasize using the phrase 'climate change,'" Wright says. "I would talk about how [these programs] help build our farm communities, especially our small farms, with investment for stewardship. And for clean air and clean water investments for the long term." Timothy Hagle, an associate professor of political science at the University of Iowa, says it's also important for Democrats to realize that just hitting economic issues won't be enough. "Yes, a farmer is going to be concerned about crop prices," he says. "But ... [farmers] also care about immigration or what's happening in the schools with my kids." "They're not necessarily only voting on one issue, even though that one issue would seem to be pretty important, since it deals with the way they make a living."

Agriculture

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.When Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine in February, the economic fallout could be felt thousands of miles away. Syrians saw prices for bulgur rise by as much as 44 percent within weeks; by April, in the Horn of Africa, heavily reliant on wheat imports from the Black Sea region, the cost of food staples leapt by 66 percent in Ethiopia and 36 percent in Somalia. The conflict propelled global food prices to their highest level since the United Nations started keeping track in 1961. Add in climate chaos—more frequent droughts and megastorms in the world’s key farming regions—and you have a recipe for growing volatility in global food markets, at a time when up to 811 million people face chronic hunger. It doesn’t have to be this way. There’s an elegant, well-tested method for buffering against these kinds of shocks. Simply put, societies can hold back a portion of durable food staples like wheat, rice, and corn during bumper harvest years, and release it when times are lean. This rainy day strategy has a long history. In first-century BC China, the Han dynasty developed the “ever-normal granary,” a government-run reserve designed to stabilize prices for farmers and stave off famine for city dwellers. The institution has more or less functioned ever since—the 20th-century Great Chinese Famine was partially driven by the government’s failure to release stored grain—and unlike most other nations, China today has at its disposal robust reserves of wheat, corn, rice, and other crops, protecting its populace from the effects of the current price spikes. In other places, the practice has been less formal. Before British rule, India had a “traditional system of household and village grain reserves” that tended to keep occasional crop failures from transforming into widespread crises, argues the historian Mike Davis in his book Late Victorian Holocausts: El Niño Famines and the Making of the Third World. But then imperial British rulers pushed merchants to instead sell off the surplus grain and subjected Indian farmers to the fluctuations of the global market, leading to famines that killed millions when drought hit. The US government once kept reserves, too. In 1938, Henry A. Wallace, an Iowa farmer and the secretary of agriculture under Franklin Delano Roosevelt, spearheaded the passage of a bill that created our own version of an ever-normal granary. Wallace pitched the idea as a way to smooth out extremes in food prices for farmers and eaters. The previous years, he argued, saw two brutal Midwestern droughts that decimated crop yields and inflated food prices, as well as a bumper year that made “corn so super-abundant” as to be “almost worthless,” he noted in a 1937 New York Times essay. “We want to make it impossible for either a 1932 abundance or a 1936 drought to do us great harm.” Wallace’s granary lasted for decades, but as the rise of hybrid seeds, mechanized tractors, and synthetic fertilizers and pesticides jacked up the productivity of US farming, overproduction became a chronic problem. US policymakers decided to sell off the reserves and focus on finding foreign markets for any excess crops that farmers would generate in the future. The pivot from government-managed reserves to the “magic of the market” has helped create a world where many poor nations rely on imports from agricultural powerhouses like the United States, Russia, and Brazil for their sustenance, says Sophia Murphy, the executive director of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. “There’s no resilience in the system, because we don’t have the mechanisms that should help buffer us” from shocks, she says. Wealthy exporting nations should band together to create reserves of key staple crops, she argues, that can be released in coordinated fashion in times of crisis, which will help prices drift lower. This tactic would reduce global hunger and spook investors from speculating in food commodities in times of scarcity. The idea was floated in global policy circles during two recent world hunger spikes, starting in 2007 and 2011, but quickly faded when crop prices plunged and stayed low for nearly a decade. Now, global hunger is spiraling again. The idea of saving grain for lean times should come back, too. In the Old Testament, Joseph doled out a bit of sage advice: He counseled Egypt’s pharaoh to set aside a fifth of Egypt’s harvest during abundant years. “This food should be held in reserve,” he declared, “so that the country may not be ruined by the famine.” We Recommend Latest

Agriculture

FAIRMEAD, Calif. (AP) — As California’s drought deepens, Elaine Moore’s family is running out of an increasingly precious resource: water. READ MORE: Northern California wildfire destroys 100 homes and buildings amid deep drought The Central Valley almond growers had two wells go dry this summer. Two of her adult children are now getting water from a new well the family drilled after the old one went dry last year. She’s even supplying water to a neighbor whose well dried up. “It’s been so dry this last year. We didn’t get much rain. We didn’t get much snowpack,” Moore said, standing next to a dry well on her property in Chowchilla, California. “Everybody’s very careful with what water they’re using. In fact, my granddaughter is emptying the kids’ little pool to flush the toilets.” Amid a megadrought plaguing the American West, more rural communities are losing access to groundwater as heavy pumping depletes underground aquifers that aren’t being replenished by rain and snow. More than 1,200 wells have run dry this year statewide, a nearly 50 percent increase over the same period last year, according to the California Department of Water Resources. By contrast, fewer than 100 dry wells were reported annually in 2018, 2019 and 2020. The groundwater crisis is most severe in the San Joaquin Valley, California’s agricultural heartland, which exports fruits, vegetables and nuts around the world. Shrinking groundwater supplies reflect the severity of California’s drought, which is now entering its fourth year. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, more than 94 percent of the state is in severe, extreme or exceptional drought. California just experienced its three driest years on record, and state water officials said Monday they’re preparing for another dry year because the weather phenomenon known as La Nina is expected to occur for the third consecutive year. Farmers are getting little surface water from the state’s depleted reservoirs, so they’re pumping more groundwater to irrigate their crops. That’s causing water tables to drop across California. State data shows that 64 percent of wells are at below-normal water levels. Water shortages are already reducing the region’s agricultural production as farmers are forced to fallow fields and let orchards wither. An estimated 531,00 acres (215,000 hectares) of farmland went unplanted this year because of a lack of irrigation water, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As climate change brings hotter temperatures and more severe droughts, cities and states around the world are facing water shortages as lakes and rivers dry up. Many communities are pumping more groundwater and depleting aquifers at an alarming pace. “This is a key challenge not just for California, but for communities across the West moving forward in adapting to climate change,” said Andrew Ayres, a water researcher at the Public Policy Institute of California. Madera County, north of Fresno, has been hit particularly hard because it relies heavily on groundwater. The county has reported about 430 dry wells so far this year. In recent years, the county has seen the rapid expansion of thirsty almond and pistachio orchards that are typically irrigated by agricultural wells that run deeper than domestic wells. WATCH: Climate change increasing chance of ‘mega storm’ in California, scientists say “The bigger straw is going to suck the water from right beneath the little straw,” said Madeline Harris, a policy manager with the advocacy group Leadership Council for Justice and Accountability. She stood next to a municipal well that’s run dry in Fairmead, a town of 1,200 surrounded by nut orchards. “Municipal wells like this one are being put at risk and are going dry because of the groundwater overdraft problems from agriculture,” Harris said. “There are families who don’t have access to running water right now because they have dry domestic wells.” Residents with dry wells can get help from a state program that provides bottled water as well as storage tanks regularly filled by water delivery trucks. The state also provides money to replace dry wells, but there’s a long wait to get a new one. Not everyone is getting assistance. Livestock is seen in a dry field while extreme weather conditions, including record-breaking heat waves, are the latest sign of climate change in the western United States, where wildfires and severe drought have emerged as a growing threat, near Sacramento, California, U.S., August 15, 2022. REUTERS/Carlos Barria Thomas Chairez said his Fairmead property, which he rents to a family of eight, used to get water from his neighbor’s well. But when it went dry two years ago, his tenants lost access to running water. Chairez is trying to get the county to provide a storage tank and water delivery service. For now, his tenants have to fill up 5-gallon (19-liter) buckets at a friend’s home and transport water by car each day. They use the water to cook and take showers. They have portable toilets in the backyard. “They’re surviving,” Chairez said. “In Mexico, I used to do that. I used to carry two buckets myself from far away. So we got to survive somehow. This is an emergency.” Well drillers are in high demand as water pumps stop working across the San Joaquin Valley. Ethan Bowles and his colleagues were recently drilling a new well at a ranch house in the Madera Ranchos neighborhood, where many wells have gone dry this year. “It’s been almost nonstop phone calls just due to the water table dropping constantly,” said Bowles, who works for Chowchilla-based Drew and Hefner Well Drilling. “Most residents have had their wells for many years and all of a sudden the water stops flowing.” His company must now drill down 500 and 600 feet (152 to 183 meters) to get clients a steady supply of groundwater. That’s a couple hundred feet deeper than older wells. “The wells just have to go deeper,” Bowles said. “You have to hit a different aquifer and get them a different part of that water table so they can actually have fresh water for their house.” In March, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to slow a frenzy of well-drilling over the past few years. The temporary measure prohibits local agencies from issuing permits for new wells that could harm nearby wells or structures. WATCH: Droughts reveal forgotten histories around the world California’s groundwater troubles come as local agencies seek to comply with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which Gov. Jerry Brown signed in 2014 to prevent groundwater overpumping during the last drought. The law requires regional agencies to manage their aquifers sustainably by 2042. Water experts believe the law will lead to more sustainable groundwater supplies over the next two decades, but the road will be bumpy. The Public Policy Institute of California estimates that about 500,000 acres (202,000 hectares) of agricultural land, about 10 percent of the current total, will have to come out of production over the next two decades. “These communities are going to be impacted from drinking water supplies and loss of jobs,” said Isaya Kisekka, a groundwater expert at the University of California, Davis. “There’s a lot of migration of farmworkers as this land gets fallowed.” Farmers and residents in the Valley are hoping for help from above. “Hopefully we get a lot of rain,” Chairez said. “There’s a big need: water. We need water, water, water.” The Associated Press receives support from the Walton Family Foundation for coverage of water and environmental policy. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Agriculture

In the midst of the UK’s worst drought in living memory, a host of unfamiliar experiences assault our senses in a Devon valley. Before us is a field of lush green grass. To one side is a bush of blackberries swollen huge by perfect growing conditions. Squelch, squelch go our feet through the grass. There’s sticky black mud! Hang on, I’ve got wet feet.Despite a few drops of rain earlier in the week, the rolling hills of the West Country are parched yellow. And yet this small valley, where a tributary leads to the River Otter, is deep green.“This is super-wet and lush because water is coming out of the drainage ditch, and the reason water is coming out of the drainage ditch is because of the beavers,” says Richard Brazier, a professor of Earth surface processes at the University of Exeter and my guide through this drought-defying corner of east Devon. “The flood plain is wetter because of the beaver activity.”An aerial photograph shows how beavers’ construction activities on and around the River Otter have helped to maintain an area of wetland. Photograph: Clinton Devon EstatesOf the beaver’s many superpowers, flood-fighting is the one that has led to it being brought back to large fenced enclosures by dozens of landowners across England. By building dams across streams, and creating dozens of new ponds and channels across a valley bottom, the beaver holds back huge volumes of water, slowing the flow in times of heavy rain. Now, in a drought, comes a new benefit: the same slowing effect keeps rivers and their aquatic plants and animals alive.Beaver supporters argue that this can benefit agriculture, too. But many farmers are still sceptical. The National Farmers’ Union strongly criticised the announcement earlier this summer that beavers will be protected. Are beavers really the salve for a drought-stricken landscape?In this corner of Devon, the beavers have been busy since they mysteriously reappeared on the River Otter in 2008. When they first returned after being hunted to extinction in Britain 400 years ago, the government initially planned to remove them. Devon Wildlife Trust and other local people campaigned to allow them to stay – as they were in Scotland – and a five-year scientific trial began. Brazier and his team studied their impact and found that beavers brought measurable benefits to people and wildlife, alleviating flooding, reducing pollution and boosting populations of fish, amphibians and other wildlife. Two years ago, the government announced that beavers could stay. From 1 October, the animal will finally be recognised as a native species again with legal protection – paving the way for many more releases into the wild.Brazier, who is as busy as a proverbial beaver studying these animals, takes me deeper into beaver country to see how they are reshaping our drought-hit countryside.We think of the flat green bottoms of river valleys as natural but Brazier explains that this one, like so many in southern England, has been reshaped by people: we’ve straightened the stream and moved it to the edge of the flood plain so we can farm the rich soils of the valley bottom. “This is so typical of so many of our small rivers. We moved the water off the flood plain for our convenience but we disconnected that river from the flood plain and interrupted the efficiency of the hydrological cycle. Whenever it rained heavily, the water flashed through. When you get the dry times, the water is already out at sea. The beavers have immediately set about changing that.”When the beavers arrived at this valley bottom five years ago, they built a 2-metre-wide dam across the stream, pushing the water on to the former flood plain. A little water leaks through the bottom of the dam and into the old channel. We walk along the top of the dam, a solid mix of branches and mud. “The dam is gently porous. It’s never going to totally stop the flow but it will release water incredibly slowly,” says Brazier. “Being beavers, they didn’t just stop there. They’ve carried on building.”The dam is now 80 metres wide. Behind it is a vast pond, 60cm-80cm deep – the beavers’ preferred depth – storing a million litres of water. Upstream are another 15 smaller beaver ponds, linked by channels dug by the animals, which feel more secure when they can swim underwater rather than walk between feeding spots.This new wetland has been created on a disused poplar plantation. There were 30 or 40 old poplars when the beavers arrived, so they got to work. We push through the thick undergrowth – Himalayan balsam is thriving in the beavers’ wake – and find piles of woodchips – chipped by the beavers – and felled trees. The trees are larders for the vegetarian beavers: the felled trees shoot up again, providing a supply of fresh green shoots. Important large trees have been protected from the beaver-fellers here: an oak has wire netting around its trunk.What happens immediately downstream of all this activity is dramatic, and challenges our idea of what a river is, says Brazier. The water slowly leaks from the bottom of the dam in different places, and seeks a way around the side, and a single-channel stream is converted into a braided river of up to 15 little channels wiggling across the valley bottom. Brazier delves into one small channel and pulls out water-rounded stones, worn by water in ancient history. “It tells us the stream was here in the past. The beaver damming just exposes that. People point to the old channel and say: ‘That’s where the stream should be.’ But if you allow it, it will be in all sorts of places. That’s inconvenient if you want to farm across the flood plain, but it shows you what a flood plain is.”An information board informing people about the beavers’ presence in the River Otter. Photograph: Paul Martin/AlamyThere are obvious benefits for wildlife and natural ecosystems from what Brazier rather delightedly calls this “chaos”. Felled trees attract myriad beetles and other invertebrates. Ponds produce an explosion in amphibian life as well as dragonflies and other aquatic creatures. Fish find their way into new ponds, sometimes via eggs stuck to the feet of wading birds. Birds flock in, and we see swallows dipping to feed above the beaver pond. Locals have noticed an explosion in vanishing wetland-loving bird species including woodcock and snipe. It’s a vast carbon store, too. “Like any wetland, if you get it functioning properly it’s going to store way more carbon than if you drained it. We’re nearly shoulder-high in carbon, and that’s got to be good.”England’s chalk streams are particularly precious – 85% of the world’s known chalk streams are found here – and dry up in drought, but beavers in fenced enclosures in the headwaters of the River Glaven in Norfolk and a chalk stream in Dorset are helping sustain the flow and keep the river alive in drought. “Where the beaver dams are holding back water they are storing it on land and it’s coming through the system nicely, rather than running off down to the sea quickly,” says Steve Oliver, the rivers conservation officer of Dorset Wildlife Trust.In Devon, the beaver activity is also providing a clear benefit for the village less than a mile downstream in wetter times, holding back flood water where about 40 houses are at risk of inundation. But could beavers benefit farmers? Brazier points out the benefits and costs. Here, the farmer has lost one acre of productive farmland and had the hassle of relocating a field gateway because the beavers flooded the old one. The beavers are snaffling a bit of his maize. But downstream of the dam, a swath of pasture – grazed by young cows – has long green grass in this driest of summers. And the new beaver ponds could be used to provide drinking water for livestock or irrigation for crops, or both.“If you look downstream, it’s productive farming. If you look up, it’s wild and messy biodiversity. In this case, I think everyone’s happy,” says Brazier. The key, he argues, is to make sure it is planned. If beavers suddenly arrive and flood a potato field – as happened in Scotland – a farmer loses a lot of money. But if a farmer plans to relinquish the wet corners of their fields to beaver ponds, widening the strip of unfarmed land beside a river, and if there is support for the farmer to do this, then Brazier argues it is a win-win. “If it’s all planned and thought through, it’s not going to hit your bottom line at all,” he says.‘The beaver is not going to provide the answer’: farmers are calling for a better water management strategy. Photograph: Credit: Nick Upton / Alamy Stock Photo/AlamyFarmers are more fearful. Richard Bramley, an arable farmer who is chair of the NFU’s environmental forum, says most of the arguments for beavers are about improving biodiversity – not making farmland more drought-resilient. Bramley would rather manage water in times of flood and drought in a more controlled way. “I’ve always taken the view that if you want to ‘rewet’ an upland area to benefit wildlife or reduce flood-risk downstream, you can do it without beavers – you can put in a leaky dam or a more solid structure without the variable that is the beaver. You can’t control what it does or how it does it.”Beavers may slow the flow of water downstream when they build dams higher up river valleys but if they get to work in larger, flat valley bottoms, their dams could flood large expanses of productive farmland. Bramley farms on the flood-prone lowlands close to York. While beavers in the hills might help slow the flow in times of flood, “I can think of an area near me where a beaver could set itself and cause issues for thousands of acres of quality arable land that’s producing high-value crops.”What the current drought illustrates, argues Bramley, is Britain’s urgent need to address the question of better water management in extremes of flood and drought. “The beaver is not going to provide the answer,” he says. “Anybody who thinks beavers are going to solve our water-management strategy in the UK is down a bit of a blind alley. There will be areas where they will work but the caveat is when they start to be successful and breed and move out of those areas we’ve got to have an ability to deal with the negative side of them, as they found to their cost in Scotland.”The problem now, he says, is that the government has announced beavers will be protected without yet providing details of how landowners will be allowed to manage them and move them out of areas where they cause problems. “We need to have some very clear management rules around how and who manages beavers and where the money is going to come from when it comes to dealing with these creatures. The management plan has got to have enough flexibility in it – anything from relocation to adjusting how a dam is performing to euthanasia.”“Farmers are sceptical and the debate is polarised – it’s farming or conservation. I don’t think it’s ever as simple as that,” says Ben Eardley, a project manager at the National Trust’s Holnicote Estate in Somerset, where beavers were reintroduced into two three-hectare fenced enclosures in 2020. Here, wetland habitats are thriving despite low river levels. “The beaver enclosures are both full of water and the surrounding landscape is parched,” says Eardley. For the National Trust, the beavers are a key part of restoring upland river systems in this part of Exmoor. “We’ve removed a lot of the hydromorphological complexity so we have a very simplified landscape. Beavers are a way of putting that lost complexity back, which increases the resilience of a landscape in extreme weather conditions.”But Eardley accepts that beavers won’t be welcome everywhere. “You probably wouldn’t want beavers rewetting large swaths of high-grade agricultural land, but if we could use new farm subsidy systems such as the Environmental Land Management scheme to pay farmers for wilder river corridors with more space for water and nature then perhaps farmers would be happier. It just needs a commonsense approach so the farmers’ concerns are addressed.”As part of his research, Eardley visited intensively farmed Bavaria. Farmers there opposed the return of beavers 30 years ago, but today live and farm alongside them (assisted by a compensation fund when problems arise). “Speaking to farmers in Bavaria, they are like: ‘What’s the problem?’ When they were talking about beavers returning 30 years ago there was a lot of resistance. It’s not just about mitigating the impact of beavers. It’s about creating good habitats where they want to be. It’s carrot and stick – if you create good areas of river catchment for them, that’s where they will want to be.”Brazier says that to better cope with extremes of floods and droughts, we need to rethink how we use many of our farmed flood plains (the clue is in the name). In the River Otter, where at least 100 beavers now roam wild, the key to managing conflicts with landowners has been to have a “beaver officer”, so farmers can report any problems and get an immediate response.“Overall, beaver reintroduction is hugely positive in loads of different ways but the benefits don’t always accrue to some of those who bear the costs,” says Brazier. While little that emanates from central government seems well planned at the moment, he still hopes for a sensible national strategy to ensure beavers are “managed out of intensive farm habitats” so there is a “mutually beneficial renewed coexistence” between people and the animals. “There has got to be some flow back from society that benefits from beavers to the person who bears the cost in a well-thought-out, strategic way.”

Agriculture

TURLOCK, Calif. — Amid intense heat waves that strained the California energy system this month, attention has been placed on efforts to build on renewable energy in the country’s most populous state. At the state level, California is gradually taking steps to run on carbon-free electricity by 2045, and legislation pushing for that calls on retail and state-run electricity sold to come from renewable sources. The transition has reached the automotive industry, with recent legislation pushing for more electric vehicles to be sold and the slow phasing out of sales of gasoline-powered cars. Large investments in clean energy infrastructure will be needed to meet California’s renewable energy goals, but some, like the state’s oldest irrigation district, are getting creative in how to get there. Irrigation districts are tasked with the distribution and management of water that has beneficial uses like agriculture or drinking. Last year, a study published in Nature Sustainability by researchers from University of California at Santa Cruz along with UC Merced found that it may be possible to tap into the network of public water delivery canals as a way to both conserve water and advance the state’s renewable energy efforts. The researchers studied the concept of “solar canals,” which includes assembling a canopy of solar panels to prevent evaporation while also generating electric energy. The idea is being put to the test in an experiment called Project Nexus. Brandi McKuin, the lead researcher on the study and current assistant project scientist at UC Merced, said the amount of evaporation from canals in California varies by location and time of year. Placing solar panels over the water channels would not only help reduce a percentage of evaporation, but could also boost energy production, she said, since water cools slower than land. READ MORE: California’s electricity demand breaks all-time record during severe heat wave For now, Project Nexus is starting small and is mainly a test of whether the research can hold true in practice, McKuin said. But the project views the state’s canals as a gold mine for not just energy, but information that can inform future energy projects. Those involved are going in with more questions than answers. The research suggests that covering all of California’s canals – spanning roughly 4,000 miles – with solar panels could save up to 63 billion gallons of water and generate 13 gigawatts of renewable power annually. One gigawatt is equal to the energy consumption of 100 million LEDs, or as others put it, enough to power 750,000 homes. Other benefits include reducing weed growth in the canals and replacing diesel-powered irrigation pumps with solar-powered engines, which lessens the impact on air quality from nitrogen oxide and tiny particulate matter given off by the diesel pumps. While the solar canal idea is new for the region, it’s a sign that “out-of-the-box” ideas are worth exploring to meet the state’s renewable energy capacity, McKuin said. But she said more research is needed, as well as policy, to drive new types of solutions. “There isn’t a single silver bullet solution to our water crisis,” McKuin told the PBS NewsHour. “California is facing a challenging water future, and it’s our job as researchers to find solutions wherever we can, and solar canals is just one of the solutions that can contribute to drought resilience for the state.” The project has a $20 million backing in the state’s current budget, and construction is expected to be completed in 2023. Eye on local, statewide benefits The idea of solar canals struck a chord with the Turlock Irrigation District, which operates about 90 miles north of Fresno. The agency provides both water and electricity – a rare operation in the state. Most irrigation districts just deliver seasonal water to farms and communities, but the Turlock Irrigation District is one of eight “electric balancing authorities” in the state, which help maintain “consistent electric frequency” of the grid, according to the California Energy Commission. The Turlock district’s venture into electric utility began in 1923 after the Don Pedro Dam was built at the Don Pedro Reservoir in the foothills east of the city of Turlock, giving the district an opportunity to generate its own electricity. The following year, the district supported more than 3,000 customers with electricity. Today, nearly 250,000 customers are provided electricity by the district. The largest balancing authority in California is the Independent System Operator, providing 80 percent of the state’s power load. During the heat wave in early September, which brought record triple-digit temperatures to much of the West, the California ISO issued a Flex Alert to cellphones calling on consumers to conserve energy by shutting down appliances in order to avert an energy shortage. The Turlock Irrigation District also saw historic energy peaks, but it did not issue similar urgent calls to conserve energy, said Josh Weimer, a spokesperson for the district, mainly because the district has been able to carefully manage its own water and power distribution, as it has always done in its 135-year history. However, in recent years, the district, like many other agencies, has had to reconsider how much water it is able to deliver to its customers as it faces the increasing challenges of drought and heat. Sustained drought in the West has led to dwindling water supply in recent years, leaving key reservoirs like Lake Mead at historically low levels. A rendering of a “solar canal” shows solar panels over a small section of a canal in California. Photo from AquaGrid LLC The growing uncertainties that come with climate change are hitting in many places and pose tough questions about California’s Sierra Nevada snowpack, where the irrigation district’s water begins to form. Forecasts suggest the Sierra will have less snowpack in coming years due to the effects of greenhouse emissions, and rainstorms have the potential to be wetter than usual. Those events could have effects downstream for communities. “We’re not left out of being impacted by a change in climate and multi-year consecutive drought,” Weimer told the NewsHour. It’s why the idea of placing solar panels over roughly two miles of its more than 250 miles of canals in the middle of California seemed worth exploring, Weimer said. His district could use more water to grow walnuts, peaches and almonds and feed its dairy industry in addition to examining an idea that could potentially improve the district and state’s energy supply. And though the district will be the first in the nation to jump into the solar canals idea, “it’s worth changing the status quo and how we operate our system because of the potential benefit,” Weimer said. The solar canal study suggests conserving water in the canals could reduce groundwater pumping and lead to fewer deserted fields due to water shortages. Communities in the San Joaquin Valley have routinely dealt with unreliable water supply from drought and overpumping. The state’s Department of Water Resources supports the project, and if the test run at the Turlock Irrigation District is able to produce the intended results, the agency will be a crucial body to extend the project to the state’s water systems. “As California prepares for a possible fourth dry year, the state is excited to examine new ways that will improve water conservation, provide a clean energy resource, and build drought resilience,” Karla Nemeth, director of the Department of Water Resources, said in a statement. Origins of the idea Inspiration for placing solar panels over canals came from a similar project in Gujarat, India, in 2014. The developers of Project Nexus and founders of Solar AquaGrid LLC commissioned the study of solar canals with support from Texas-based NRG Energy and Bay Area-based Citizen Group. The India project informed U.S. researchers. Jordan Harris, co-founder and CEO of AquaGrid, said the new solar canals can use 50 percent less raw material than the India project, in addition to allowing for more space around the panels for easy maintenance. Project Nexus will include various solar canopies designed for the shapes and sizes of different canals within the experiment to study the impact of each type of canopy, Harris said. The Turlock district’s operation as a water and electricity provider gave the founders of AquaGrid extra interest because searching for land to build solar farms can be expensive and difficult. Placing solar panels over existing waterways and property is not only cost-effective, but removes the possibility of building on unused land that could negatively impact the environment. WATCH: Droughts reveal forgotten histories around the world Solar farms take up a large area, and sometimes the problem is finding enough space to construct them. “There simply isn’t enough land to build that much solar and wind,” Harris said. “So the idea of looking at already disturbed space [like] in every rooftop, every parking lot and 4,000 miles of canals and reservoirs, is a huge opportunity to solve problems.” Ultimately, Harris said he hopes a project like Project Nexus in California’s Central Valley will help reimagine the way people think of canals and other infrastructure in the move toward renewable energy. He added the state’s engineering of thousands of miles of canals that divert water to major cities and industries will have a chance to adapt to the changing climate conditions, if the project were expanded. If California were its own country, it would have the fifth-largest economy in the world, but Harris said such prosperity can’t continue if the environment is ignored. “In our quest to satisfy human needs, we’ve often been irresponsible, and built big cities where there aren’t the natural resources so we figure out how to bring the resources. I think there’s a way to honor the landscape and the land, and show responsibility and respect, and I think that’s what this type of innovation can do,” Harris said.

Agriculture

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Fox News host Bret Baier analyzes China's ambitions to claim the top spot in world agriculture dominance as it ramps up efforts to increase agriculture production.BRET BAIER: We continue our series on the global food crisis and turn our attention to China. As we told you in part two of our series. China is America's largest agricultural export partner. The US sent around $26.5 billion dollars worth of food there in 2020. But since then, China has enacted stricter laws for food imports while continuing to invest in the latest advances in agriculture technology. Tonight, we take a look at what these changes mean for the U.S. and the balance between business and competition with one of our largest trade partners… One of China's latest tactics to control trade, increasingly refusing to accept food shipments bought from other countries. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP …Between 2006 and 2019, China rejected less than 1% of those shipments. But after 2020, refusals increased as Beijing implemented COVID-19 protocols. And in 2022, new customs requirements placed additional regulations on even the lowest risk items, including wine, flour and olive oil. Just in the last month, China's drills near Taiwan have threatened the international market… Over the past decade, China has spent trillions of dollars for agriculture technology. It's also invested in some of the most high tech agriculture equipment. Drones used to spray pesticides, A.I. technology and genetic research to increase its pig population and pork production and greenhouses and indoor farming to grow crops year round… Vertical farming has also grown in popularity in China. With the world's largest population, space can be limited in urban areas. Farmers have resorted to growing up rather than out. Sen. Cotton sounds alarm on Chinese investors buying US farmland: 'This is a national security threat'WATCH THE FULL SEGMENT BELOW: This article was written by Fox News staff.

Agriculture

By Tom PolansekCHICAGO (Reuters) - U.S. farmers have cut back on using common weedkillers, hunted for substitutes to popular fungicides and changed planting plans over persistent shortages of agricultural chemicals that threaten to trim harvests.Spraying smaller volumes of herbicides and turning to less-effective fungicides increase the risk for weeds and diseases to dent crop production at a time when global grain supplies are already tight because the Ukraine war is reducing the country's exports.Interviews with more than a dozen chemical dealers, manufacturers, farmers and weed specialists showed shortages disrupted U.S. growers' production strategies and raised their costs.Shawn Inman, owner of distributor Spinner Ag Incorporated in Zionsville, Indiana, said supplies are the tightest in his 24-year career."This is off the charts," Inman said. "Everything was delayed, delayed, delayed."Shortages further reduce options for farmers battling weeds that developed resistance to glyphosate, the key ingredient in the commonly used Roundup herbicide, after decades of overuse in the United Sates.Prices for glyphosate and glufosinate, another widely used herbicide sold under the brand Liberty, jumped more than 50% from last year, dealers said, padding profit at companies like Bayer AG, BASF SE and Corteva Inc.The U.S. Agriculture Department said it heard from farmers and food companies concerned about whether agribusinesses are hiking prices for goods like chemicals, seeds and fertilizer to boost profit, not simply because of supply and demand factors. The agency has launched an inquiry into competition in the sector, and some watchdog groups said it is moving too slowly.Agrichemical companies blame the COVID-19 pandemic, transportation delays, a lack of workers and extreme weather for shortages. Fertilizer and some seeds are also in short supply globally.SUPPLY CHAIN STALLEDMore difficulties are on the horizon, as BASF, which formulates glufosinate, told Reuters the supply situation will not improve significantly next year."It's going to take more time than what our customers, farmers and retailers would have thought," said Scott Kay, vice president of U.S. crops for BASF.Tennessee farmer Jason Birdsong said he abandoned plans to plant soybeans on 100 acres after waiting months to receive Liberty he ordered from Nutrien Ag Solutions. He ultimately received less than half his order for 125 gallons and planted corn on the land instead. Birdsong said he is better able to control weeds in corn than soybeans.Nutrien said numerous events stalled the supply chain during the pandemic and the company provided alternate solutions to customers.Birdsong said he needed Liberty to fight weeds that are resistant to glyphosate in soy fields. He said he ruled out a third option, a dicamba-based herbicide from Bayer, because of extensive federal restrictions on when and where dicamba can be sprayed."With the dicamba technology being so strict, Liberty is the go-to," Birdsong said.The Environmental Protection Agency approved new restrictions on dicamba use this year in Iowa and Minnesota, two major farm states. The herbicide, approved in 2016, faces stricter regulations because it drifts onto neighboring farms and damages crops other than Bayer soybeans engineered to resist dicamba.The rise of a rival Corteva soybean variety, Enlist, is further adding to glufosinate demand because the crop can be sprayed with glufosinate, among other chemicals, dealers said.Generic versions of glufosinate-based Liberty sold for about $100 a gallon, up from $32 a gallon last year, said Dion Letcher, owner of Letcher Farm Supply in Garden City, Minnesota. The increase reduces farmers' profits from lofty crop prices.Shortages of Liberty and other products began last year as distributors used backup supplies to offset supply disruptions in 2021, Letcher said. Now, there are no reserves, he said."Anything from BASF is short this year," Letcher said. "I'm worried about next year."AGRICHEMICAL PROFITS CLIMBFor glyphosate, prices reached $50 a gallon to $60 a gallon, up from less than $20 a gallon in mid-2021, said Inman, the owner of Spinner Ag Incorporated.Bayer reported sales of glyphosate-based products were "particularly strong" in the first quarter as prices increased and volumes declined. Overall, its herbicide sales soared 67% from a year earlier to 2.5 billion euros ($2.64 billion).BASF's agricultural solutions unit posted quarterly sales of 3.4 billion euros, up 21% from a year earlier. Corteva also sold more than $2 billion worth of crop-protection products, up 23% from a year earlier, as prices rose 11%.BASF is seeking to acquire raw materials earlier to avoid future shortages, Kay said. Bayer said it broadened its supplier base for raw ingredients and added bulk trucks to deliver products more efficiently. Farmers who cannot find glyphosate and glufosinate are switching to alternatives, Corteva said.The supply limitations have caused practical headaches for growers.Indiana farmer Denny Bell said he did not receive Liberty in his usual 250-gallon containers. Instead, he spent seven hours emptying 2.5-gallon jugs into a larger vat before spraying. Bell said he also waited six months for a popular BASF fungicide, Veltyma.Reduced usage of herbicides this summer could allow weeds that escape crucial early sprayings to grow and spread their seeds in fields, leaving farmers with more weeds to fight for the next two years as the seeds sprout, said Scott Nolte, Texas A&M University weed specialist.Iowa corn and soy grower Brent Swart said he is opting to use less glyphosate in the mix of chemicals he sprays due to short supplies, but does not expect it to hurt yields."There's definitely a different feel to this year," Swart said. "We've never seen as much supply issue."($1 = 0.9488 euro)(Reporting by Tom Polansek in Chicago; Editing by Caroline Stauffer and Matthew Lewis)

Agriculture

VALLE DE GUADALUPE, BAJA CALIFORNIA, MEXICOAt first glance, the neat rows of wiry grapevines planted in a pinwheel at the Viñas del Tigre vineyard in Baja California don't seem remarkable. But to Aldo Quesada, the grower and winemaker, the rows are a map to the future.On one side of the pinwheel, tempranillo, merlot, granache, and other classic wine grapes look withered and anemic. Over the past few years they have been baked by unprecedented heat waves and parched by record-breaking drought—the brutal new normal climate conditions here at the southernmost tip of North America’s wine-growing range.But one row looks different. Quesada's misión grapes, descendants of the first grape varietal carried to North America by Spanish missionaries 500 years ago (and called "mission" in English), are not just surviving but thriving. Lush, palm-sized leaves flutter in the salty sea breeze. Grapes left on the vine after the recent harvest are still plump and sweet. “This is an absolutely amazing grape, really really strong,” says Quesada. And because of that vigor, they're a key part of his and other local winemakers' plans to make wine in an even more climate-changed future.The mission of misiónQuesada is young—in his early 30s, and relatively green in the wine world—but the vines he’s working with are very, very old.Mission grapes evolved in the high, dry steppes of central Spain’s Castilla la Mancha region and were grown in Spanish missions. Hardy, drought tolerant, and vigorous growers, they were a natural choice to load onto Spanish explorers’ ships headed to the New World in the early 1500s.The explorers were not about to leave beloved wine and wine grapes behind. Wine played a critical part in Catholic ceremony and was often consumed instead of water, making up a hefty part of daily calories. So just a few years after Hernan Cortez’s ships arrived in Mexico in 1522, he decreed that 1,000 vines should be planted for each 100 people in Spanish-colonized settlements. By 1531, ships arriving from Spain were required to deliver grapevines, wines, and olives.“The colonizers were far from dumb,” says Jaime Palafox, the owner of Palafox Wines, based in Baja (and the maker of an excellent mission rosé). “They brought the strongest grapes they could find.”The grapes, from the genus Vitus vinifera, landed in Florida, Cuba, and mainland Mexico. But it wasn’t until the early 1700s, when Jesuit priests set up a trail of missions along the coast of Baja California in the wake of the earlier explorers, that Spaniards found wine-making heaven. In the sun-drenched valleys cooled by coastal fog, fed with water coursing out of the low snow-capturing sierras to the east, the mission grapes thrived, quickly establishing the Baja missions as the beating heart of wine production along the West Coast of North America.The padres took grape growing seriously: They wanted to make enough wine to drink themselves and use for Mass—but also to sell. From their abundant mission harvest they made sacramental wines, sweet white wines, a few different kinds of reds, and a distilled brandy-like concoction called aguardiente. But it wasn’t until Mexican independence, in 1821, that production started to ramp up; seeking to unlink themselves from Spanish imported wine, leaders in the newly formed country called on locals to produce more of their own.The first commercial winery, Bodegas Santo Tomas, opened in 1888, selling white and red wines, as well as muscatel and port. Within decades, more opened—providing plenty of booze to the region and even to bootleggers coming from the United States during Prohibition.It wasn’t until the 1970s that the region started to develop in earnest, and a handful of producers made most of the region’s wines. But within the last decade the winemaking scene here has exploded. In 2014 there were about 60 winemakers in the Valle de Guadalupe, about two hours from San Diego; today, there are at least 170. Now, about 70 percent of all wine made in Mexico is from Baja.“The project is, how to develop the vineyards of the future,” says Camilo Magoni, a winemaker in the region for more than 50 years, “and not make mistakes that we will give to our children.”Climate struggles“We’re in a giant experiment of climate change and wine,” says Cesar Valenzuela, a scientist with Mexico’s National Institute of Research for Forests, Agriculture, and Livestock. He published an alarming set of studies in 2014 and 2018 showing the long-term climate risks to Baja’s wine industry, “and we’re in the moment of seeing what we predicted come true.”Baja is wracked by the same “megadrought” that has gripped the U.S. Southwest since 2000, the intensity of which is unmatched in at least 1,200 years. Extreme heat, extreme weather—like a recent hurricane that swept the region—and big shifts in expected rain and snow patterns have put harvest after harvest at risk.“There hasn’t been what I would call a ‘normal’ year since 2010,” says Palafox.Tonio Baro, the viticulturist at Bodegas Santo Tomas, thinks the climactic changes kicked in as early as the late 1980s. Now, the even more intense summer heat is ripening the grapes sooner and he routinely harvests three weeks earlier than when he started his job more than 40 years ago.But winemakers and farmers are the quintessential troubleshooters; they know how to make the best of a rotten season. During the four heat waves this summer, for example, Santo Tomas’s winemaker Cristina Pino stayed in constant communication with Tonio, tracking the grapes’ sugar and acid levels and gaming out her enological responses—when to pick, how she’d blend different grapes to adjust for flavors, and so on.The heat waves caused the grapes to ripen too quickly, pushing harvest up about 20 days. A shorter, hotter time on the vine tilts the grapes’ flavor profile: When the sugar content is right for picking, the flavor-making phenols haven’t necessarily had enough time to develop, upping the difficulty of producing an excellent wine. It’s not an insurmountable challenge, Pino says, but it definitely makes it trickier to balance the wine correctly.In Santo Tomas’s four-story facility, a round tower perched on the tallest hill in the valley, Pino opens a valve on a 5,000-liter tank and splashes grape juice into a wineglass. She sips, swishing it forcefully in her mouth. Just pressed from this summer’s mission grapes, it hasn’t finished fermenting, so it’s still a little sweet with a red berry nose. “You can taste the heat,” she says.Skilled winemakers like Pino can handle the challenges of making wine from overheated grapes. What they can’t handle indefinitely is the falta de agua—drought.“With too much heat, it’s hard. But with no water, there are no grapes,” says Magoni. “That is problem number one for us now.”Unlike California’s winegrowing regions, which receive water from more precipitation-rich parts of the state, the Baja peninsula—part of Mexico—has access to essentially no source of water outside its bounds. So growers rely on winter snows in nearby mountains to fill streams and rivers, and on groundwater pumped from below.Both have dwindled alarmingly. Precipitation patterns are changing, says Tereza Cavazos, a climate scientist at the Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education of Ensenada (CICESE). Overall, less water is falling from the sky. When it does arrive, it’s in shorter, more intense bursts and at different times of year than historically—less reliably in the winter, but sometimes now in unexpected summer storms. The classic El Niño and La Niña weather patterns are becoming less predictable—a big problem for growers who need to plan for next year’s water needs.“The hardest thing since 2010 is the uncertainty; you can’t plan the same as before,” she says.That puts even more pressure on the groundwater, which provides on average about 60 percent of all the water used for agriculture in the valley; in dry years, that can spike. At last measure in 2020, people were pumping about twice as much out of the aquifer each year as was going back in—too many straws sucking from the same emptying glass. Many wells in the valley are already running dry.And the demand is growing. Wine tourism in the region is booming; nearly every dusty road crisscrossing the Valle de Guadalupe is dotted with in-construction new hotels and guest houses and wine tasting rooms—and tourists want showers, hot tubs, and plenty of wine.The return of the classic Old-timers and newcomers alike are clear-eyed: There’s no escaping the Valle’s water and climate problems, nor any easy solution.Some, like Magoni, have ripped out whole vineyards of less-popular varietals to save water, directing it to more beloved or profitable grapes. He and others are also advocating for a new source of water—either a desalination plant offshore that would pump water up to the valley, or a pipe carrying thoroughly treated wastewater from Tijuana, 75 miles north (the pipe plan has support from the governmental state but is mired in logistics and controversy).Others come at the problem differently. At Vinas del Tigre, Quesada has terraformed his little uber-organic rancho in a tributary of the Valle de Guadalupe and less than a mile from the coast, into a water-retaining haven. A stream cuts through the property and thick fog wafts over most days. He built swales and planted willows, whose roots slow any water that flows through the riverbed, and dotted around native oaks and other tall native species to capture fog and drip it to the soil below. The herd of goats that roams the property don’t help capture water, but they add entertainment, he says.And perhaps more importantly, he, like some other creative winemakers across the region, are turning to the past: to misión. Aldo didn’t expect to see such a pronounced difference in his experimental vineyard, but it was striking. This year, for example, he watered his few rows of tempranillo grapes twice a week for five months; after all that they produced just a few anemic bunches. The mission? He watered them only five times all year and still had plenty to fill a whole wooden press.On a hundred-degree day in September, he suctions some opaque fuchsia mission juice, mid-fermentation, out of a huge glass jug and into a glass. He swirls it in his mouth and prounounces it still sweet, not very acidic, with a swish of cherry. He’ll balance it in his red wine blend with some higher-acid grapes and then will stop fiddling with it, in the custom of natural winemakers. Aldo savors the idea that the wine will express this exact year, this exact combination of drought and heat and optimism despite the mad rush to harvest before the grapes turned to raisins on the vine.“This is the theme of climate change. We have to learn to use less or make more things with the same amount,” he says, which is exactly what mission lets him do. With less water, he could get a few bunches of tempranillo or a whole press of misión.A few minutes away, another young winemaker is also going in hard on mission grapes. Silvana Pijoan, who is managing her family’s winemaking production and vineyard, took out a whole hillside of old, underperforming vines and replaced it with mission. Considering the ever-intensifying climate and water pressures, “it’s definitively the direction we should go,” she says.Pijoan and others are plugged into a growing group of young winemakers curious to try wines made from this grape with such history, with a unique profile and flavor and adaptation to the difficult present and more difficult climate-changed future.Bichi, the first winery to focus on natural wines in Mexico, is based about 40 miles away from the valley in the boulder-studded valleys of Tecate. When they started in 2014, nearly all Baja producers were making traditional European-style wines, says Noel Tellez, Bichi’s winemaker and one of the owners. Bichi preferred to experiment, making sometimes-strange wines that expressed the uniqueness of each specific vineyard in which the grapes were grown. Their creative, intensely localized wines made waves, ushering in a whole new generation of people in Mexico, the U.S., and beyond interested in Mexican wines, says Tellez.“In many ways I think we helped to open up people’s ideas of what wine could be,” he says—and he thinks that openness could help the region adapt. “Why not value the things that work here, that thrive here in Mexican terroir?”Bichi also makes a mission wine—though they call theirs listán prieto, a nod to the grape’s peripatetic history: Geneticists recently figured out the grape known in Spain as listán prieto, país in Chile, criolla chica in Argentina, and misión in Mexico are all actually the same plant. Bichi’s version comes from 80-year-old vines grown in the traditional “goblet” style, each standing alone like a squat, six-foot-tall tree—another historical adaptation that could help today’s grapes, says Tellez, since the spreading canopy helps shade the grapes from the over-intense sun. It certainly seems to be working: Even without a drop of irrigation, the wide field glows lush in the hot autumn sun.And the wine tastes great. Light bodied, gently fruity, and slightly herbal, it encapsulates Baja’s past, present, and climate-changed future.This story was produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center.

Agriculture