Today's top stories on global agricultural development and food security issues.
March 28
By Sung Lee
Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation, IPCC, March 28
Extreme weather and climate events, interacting with exposed and vulnerable human and natural systems, can lead to disasters. This Special Report explores the social as well as physical dimensions of weather- and climate-related disasters, considering opportunities for managing risks at local to international scales.
African agriculture: Dirt poor, Opinion, Natasha Gilbert, Nature, March 28
Fertilizers make such a profound difference here because the rusty red soil, as in many parts of Africa, is deficient in organic matter and in key nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. By farming intensively without replenishing soil nutrients, farmers across sub-Saharan Africa have lost an average of 22 kilograms of nitrogen, 2.5 kilograms of phosphorus, and 15 kilograms of potassium per hectare annually over the past 30 years. Agricultural experts worry that Africa's soil problems are heading towards a crisis.
Kenya to host sub-Saharan Africa's largest windfarm, Guardian, March 28
The ambitious project, which is backed by the African Development Bank, marks the largest single private investment in Kenya's history, and should allow the country to diversify from hydroelectric power, which provides around 60% of its electricity needs but is prone to drought and irregular rainfall, leading to blackouts and shortages that dampen economic growth.
How to Eradicate Hunger: Economically Empowering Rural Women, Forbes, March 27
Prior to joining FAO, Tutwiler served as Coordinator of Global Food Security in the Office of the US Secretary of Agriculture. Previously, she served as Senior Advisor for the Africa Bureau of the US Agency for International Development and prior to that, from 2006 to 2009, was the Managing Director for Agricultural Markets at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
Military Leaders’ Letter to Congress, USGLC, March 27
We firmly believe the development and diplomacy programs in the International Affairs Budget are critical to America’s national security. Development and diplomacy keep us safer by addressing threats in the most dangerous corners of the world and by preventing conflicts before they occur.
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