Today's top stories on global agricultural development and food security issues.
February 9, 2012
By Sung Lee
According to the latest FAO Food Price Index, global food price rose nearly 2 percent (4 points) up from December, marking its first increase since July 2011. International prices of all major cereals with the exception of rice rose in January. FAO Food Price Index measures the monthly change in international prices of several food commodities. The latest figures are available here.
World Food Prices Rose Most in 11 Months, Bloomberg, February 9
Global food prices rose 1.9 percent in January, the biggest gain in 11 months as the cost of oilseeds, dairy and grains increased. An index of 55 food items climbed to 214.3 points from a restated 210.3 points in December, the Rome-based FAO said on its website today. All commodity groups in the index advanced, according to the UN agency.
US soldiers train for agricultural mission in Afghanistan, Fox News, February 8
Before they're deployed to help stabilize Afghanistan, hundreds of U.S. Army troops, Marines, and other government personnel head to Fresno, Calif., for a crash course on that war-torn country's most vital industry: agriculture. The program is called ADAPT: The Agricultural Development for the Afghanistan Pre-deployment Training.
The Fanciful World of Foreign Aid, New York Times, February 8
Robert Zoellick, President of the World Bank, recently said, “The flow of knowledge is no longer North to South, West to East, rich to poor.” The same is true of aid. Foreign aid is no longer a transaction of rich countries giving to the poor. The categories of donor and recipient have blurred. A donor one moment may be a recipient the next. Like Brazil, Russia, and China, India both receives and gives aid.
In Ethiopia: Agricultural growth a multifaceted challenge, Grain News, February 7
The Ethiopian government has embarked on an ambitious plan to increase its agricultural productivity and reduce or eliminate the reliance on humanitarian aid. And it is making progress. Growth in the agricultural sector neared eight percent in recent years. Industrial scale farms are seen not only as an important economic driver, but a source of employment.
Investing in African agriculture: four key success factors, How We Made It in Africa, February 7
There are various challenges associated with successfully investing in Africa’s agribusiness sector, including, political instability, security of tenure, inadequate transport systems, few financial risk guarantee bodies and corruption, to name a few. So says Omri van Zyl, associate director at Deloitte Africa Agribusiness, in a report titled, Prosper and grow. However, according to Van Zyl, investors are becoming aware of the potential upside of investing in African agriculture.
Hershey pledges $10 million to improve West African cocoa farming, fight child labor, CNN, January 31
The Hershey company, one of the United States' leading chocolate producers, says it's pledged $10 million over the next five years to educate West African cocoa farmers on improving their trade and combating child labor. Rainforest Alliance, a New York-based conservation group with whom Hershey has partnered, says it employs monitors in West Africa to conduct random audits of cocoa farms to ensure they are pursuing sustainable practices without the use of child labor.
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