Today's top stories on global agricultural development and food security issues.
January 30, 2012
By Sung Lee
Multiplying Agriculture by the Power of Mobile, World Economic Forum, January 2012
The World Economic Forum’s new report, Multiplying Agriculture by the Power of Mobile, highlights the current revolution in mobile communications in developing world and how this technology can benefit farmers by providing information they need to grow their production and standard of living. The report states, “mobile platforms can make farming a more sustainable and profitable occupation with the potential to lift millions out of poverty.”
To Feed a Billion Mouths, Opinion, Himanshu, India Forbes Magazine, January 30
Agriculture today may contribute less than 15 percent of national GDP, but it still employs two-thirds of rural workers and more than half of all workers in the country. It is this livelihood issue which misses out from most of the discussions on agrarian revival. But the livelihood issue is key to not only agricultural production, but also to what happens to incomes to the bottom half of the population.
Trade barriers imperil African food security, Alertnet, January 30
Export bans are just one example of the problems that constrain regional trade, with a significant impact on regional food security for millions. Climate change will have a significant impact on the region’s already vulnerable food security, environmental experts warn.
Drought in West Africa threatens millions, Globe and Mail, January 27
Failed harvests and lack of rain are affecting millions of people in the Sahel region of eight countries in West Africa. Now the question is whether the world’s wealthy nations will respond in time – or whether they will repeat the disaster of the Somalia famine, when early warnings were ignored for nearly a year before massive aid was finally sent.
Business expertise tapped for smarter disaster aid, Reuters, January 26
The private sector has given more cash, with corporate donations tending to rise sharply when big natural disasters hit the headlines. In recent years, funding from private sources -- businesses, individuals, foundations and trusts -- has accounted for about a quarter of all humanitarian aid, rising to $4.3 billion in 2010 from $2.7 billion in 2006, according to Global Humanitarian Assistance, a British-based group that monitors aid flows.
What Does A "Day of Nutrition" Look Like?, Opinion, Ellen Piwoz, Impatient Optimists, January 26
Investing in nutrition during this early phase of a child’s life can significantly reduce malnutrition and its consequences. Innovations in health, nutrition, and agriculture have already saved millions of lives and can improve many more. There must be a renewed commitment to adequate food, good nutrition, and sustainable agricultural growth.
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