FAO in North America

Growing energy and food

Submitted by Rachel Friedman on December 28, 2011

Biofuel crops are not the only sources of renewable energy that farmers can cultivate. A National Geographic Magazine article discusses the emerging practice of constructing wind turbines on Mid-western farmland and the implications for crop productivity. According to research cited in the article, wind turbines could help mitigate extreme temperatures on the farm, keeping crops from overheating or freezing. But this area of study is still in its infancy, and scientists say that more data is needed to present a complete picture of the trade-offs for farmers. If wind farms turn out to be a beneficial fixture on farms, the U.S. Corn Belt could soon be producing a new crop for the market – wind energy.

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From the Amazon to La Pergola – an appreciation of forest food

Submitted by Teresa Buerkle on December 21, 2011

As the International Year of Forests winds to a close, a new FAO study released this week shows how plants and fruits from Amazonian forests can be used to improve people’s diets and livelihoods. Written in easy-to-grasp language, Fruit Trees and Useful Plants in Amazonian Life seeks to take science out of the ivory tower and put it to work on the ground, in the hands of people.

While we’re on the subject of forest food, check out what’s cooking in chef Heinz Beck’s kitchen in this video from our friends at the International Year of Forests:

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Mind the gap

Submitted by Teresa Buerkle on December 21, 2011

FAO has just launched a new website dedicated to the organization’s latest research and knowledge about closing the gender gap in agriculture to achieve food security for all.

Men and women in agriculture: closing the gap features the findings and policy recommendations of the State of Food and Agriculture 2011 (SOFA): “Women in agriculture: Closing the gender gap for development”, and will be regularly updated with FAO’s latest research on the subject.

The site offers a topical approach to closing the gender gap in access to agricultural resources, with key facts and policy recommendations broken down by themes, including education, financial services, information and extension, land, livestock, rural employment, farm labour and technologies.

“Policy-makers, FAO, development agencies, everyone needs to understand that agricultural policy is gender policy because women are everywhere in this sector, virtually any intervention in agriculture is going to have gender impacts so agriculture is gender and gender is agriculture,” explains Terri Raney, the team leader and FAO Senior Economist behind SOFA 2011.

According to SOFA 2011, the agriculture sector is underperforming in many developing countries in part because women have consistently less access than men to agricultural assets, inputs and services and to rural employment opportunities. Increasing women’s access to land, livestock, education, financial services, extension, technology and rural employment would boost their productivity by 20 to 30 percent, which alone could lift 100–150 million people out of hunger, and generate gains in food security, economic growth and social welfare, the report says.

“We want to share our knowledge as widely and efficiently as possible in order to accelerate progress in women’s access to agricultural resources, which is imperative to achieve global food security,” explains Marcella Villareal, Director of FAO’s Gender, Rural Employment and Equity.

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Moving conservation forward: a role for agriculture?

Submitted by Rachel Friedman on December 19, 2011

In celebration of its 50th anniversary, the World Wildlife Fund U.S. recently held its sixth annual Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Symposium. Themed Conservation Forward: Ideas that Work and how Science can Effect Change, the two-day event covered many topics from alternative mechanisms to promote conservation to ways to communicate environmental challenges. The first two speakers, Lester Brown from the Earth Policy Institute and Jon Foley of the University of Minnesota, focused much of their talks on food security and global change.

Lester Brown began the symposium revisiting the drought in Russia in the summer of 2010, during which the country lost 40% of its grain harvest from wild fires. He posited that if instead, the major grain exporting “U.S. had lost 40% of its grain harvest of 400 million tons,” there would have been resounding impacts on the price, trade and consumption of food. Citing the collapse of past civilizations such as the Mayans, Brown noted that ”for a long time I’ve rejected that food could be the weak link in our society…but now I think it is.” Following this assertion, he outlined three indicators of future food security:

  • Economic: price of grain
  • Social: number of hungry people
  • Political: number of failed states

Jon Foley built upon this foundation by laying out three big challenges for agriculture:

  • Meeting current demands for food
  • Meeting future demands for food, with more people and shifting diets
  • Becoming truly sustainable, with agriculture encompassing 40% of the Earth’s land surface under cultivation, 80-90% of water consumption, and at least 35% of greenhouse gas emissions.

One of his papers in the journal Nature lays out five recommendations for moving towards addressing these challenges. However, he ultimately concluded by arguing for a new type of agriculture – “terraculture” – in which agriculture and food security are approached holistically.

Watch videos of all the presentations on the symposium website.

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Celebrity auction for Horn of Africa

Submitted by Steve Hirsch on December 16, 2011

The U.S. Agency for International Development, Ad Council and MTV Act have launched a celebrity auction to raise awareness and money for the Horn of Africa crisis.

According to USAID, the auction, which runs through 18 December, “features exclusive items and experiences from MTV artists and show talent” such as Snooki, Rob Dyrdek, Nick Jonas and Kelly Clarkson.

Proceeds will go to a group of eight organizations, including the American Refugee Committee, CARE, Catholic Relief Services, Mercy Corps, Save the Children, World Vision, UNICEF USA, and World Food Program USA.

The auction is part of the USAID and Ad Council FWD (Famine, War, Drought) Campaign. Launched in September, it is aimed at raising awareness of the crisis in the Horn of Africa and linking Americans to actions that can help those in need.

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USDA step aimed at improving nutrient management

Submitted by Steve Hirsch on December 15, 2011

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has moved to improve the management of the application of nutrients on farm land, which could save money and yield environmental benefits.

The step came 13 December as USDA revised its national conservation practice standard on nutrient management. The department said, proper application of nitrogen and phosphorus can save producers money and offers protection or improvement of ground and surface water, air quality, soil quality and agricultural sustainability.

Staff of the department’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NCRS) – which offers technical and financial assistance to producers to plan and implement nutrient management plans or to help meet federal, state or other environmental regulations – use the nutrient management conservation practice to help farmers and ranchers apply nutrients more effectively.

Proper management of nitrogen and phosphorus, including use of such organic nitrogen sources as manure, legumes and cover crops, can save money, and the standard offers a roadmap to assist producers in applying nutrient sources in the right amount, from the right source, in the right place, at the right time for the best agricultural and environmental benefits.

The standard was developed with the help of universities, nongovernmental organizations, industry and others.  Key changes include expanding the use of technology to speed the nutrient management process and allowing states more flexibility in providing site-specific nutrient management planning using local information.

NCRS staff offices will have until the beginning of 2013 to comply with erosion, nitrogen and phosphorus criteria for their state nutrient management standards.

The revised standard comes as the NCRS is working with other entities to address nutrient concerns identified in three recent studies assessing the effectiveness of conservation practices in the Upper Mississippi Basin, the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and the Great Lakes Basin.

The studies all pointed to loss of nitrogen and phosphorus from cropland as a significant concern. Most nitrogen losses are attributed to nitrate leaching through the soil to groundwater, while most phosphorus is lost because of erosion, as phosphorus attaches itself to soil particles that are carried by runoff to waterways.

Improved nutrient management and effective erosion control reduce loss of nutrients from agricultural land, improving downstream water quality. The revised standard will provide tools and strategies to help producers address the natural resource concerns relating to excess nutrients on agricultural land.

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Livestock and food security

Submitted by Teresa Buerkle on December 14, 2011

Photo: ©FAO/Ishara Kodikara Meat consumption is projected to rise nearly 73 percent by 2050 – but how will the world deal with the greenhouse gas emissions and groundwater pollution that will result from intensive livestock production?

A new FAO report – World Livestock 2011 – proposes measures to make intensive production “more environmentally benign”.

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Generation Organic

Submitted by Teresa Buerkle on December 14, 2011

While many young people in the United States have been leaving family farms behind, and the average age of farmers continues to rise, NPR’s All Things Considered explores a surge in interest in organic farming among young people. Read more or listen to the story: Who are the Young Farmers of ‘Generation Organic‘.

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Farm byproducts could be key Midwest energy source, report says

Submitted by Steve Hirsch on December 12, 2011

Residual biomass energy sources – such as manure and corn “stover” (cobs, leaves, etc.) or other byproducts of farming or other activities – could be an important energy source for the U.S. Midwest, according to a report sponsored by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

Harnessing the Power of Biomass Residuals: Opportunities and Challenges for Midwestern Renewable Energy is partly based on the hope that such residual biomass might be less controversial than biofuels, which raise environmental concerns or issues related to competition with food needs.

Among the study’s findings are that ecologically sustainable residual biomass could produce 17 percent of regional gasoline needs or 14 percent of electricity requirements, that these resources are concentrated in certain areas, that a broad “landscape-based” framework should be used to evaluate the costs and benefits of bioenergy use, and that non-energy benefits may be as important as energy benefits in using these resources.

The report also found that technology now exists to produce bioenergy from animal manure, while technology to produce ethanol from corn stover and similar feedstocks is not yet ready for the market.

In addition, it said, most bioenergy systems using residuals are not competitive, and subsidies and other public actions will be needed if they are to become practical.

The study recommended that manure resources be utilized by increasing farms’ use of anaerobic digesters – which produce bioenergy while helping to eliminate odors and providing other benefits – and developing watershed-based nutrient trading systems.

It also called for regional corn farmers to be prepared to participate in a cellulose market by increased research on stover harvesting and how different tillage systems affect grain and stover production.

Finally, it recommended that a landscape-based perspective be used to analyze biofuel feedstock potential.

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Is it safe?

Submitted by Rachel Friedman on December 12, 2011

News21′s Food Safety Project has provided an opportunity for journalism students and fellows at Arizona State University and University of Maryland to investigate different facets of food safety in the country. Topics range from high-risk foods to inspection and regulation to local food systems, presented with videos, articles, and interactive infographics. Citing recent outbreaks of food-borne illness, the project introduces shortcomings and new innovations to ensure food safety.

Check out the News21 Food Safety Project.

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