agriculture policy News
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EU launches new computer model for policy changes on agriculture
Researchers from 15 European countries have come together to build a computer model that can evaluate the effects of policy changes on agriculture. This new model allows policy makers to investigate the likely effects of policy change on agriculture. Importantly, the model will allow the effects of policy to be examined at all scales, from farming in a single region to the whole European and ...
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Q&A: Bruce Campbell on the need to focus on farming
Farmers in countries that are vulnerable to climate are severely affected by changes in temperature, erratic weather and shifting seasons caused by global warming. Local adaptation policies are important, but most international aid is currently intended for mitigation. In this podcast, Bruce Campbell of global agricultural research partnership CGIAR explains the risks of neglecting adaptation ...
By SciDev.Net
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South Asia nips on agricultural research funding
South Asian countries significantly increased funding for agricultural research and development (R&D) in the last decade but the numbers fell short of set targets, says a new report. South Asia as a whole more than doubled agricultural R&D spending between 1996 and 2009, riding largely on increased research allocation in India, the largest economy in the region. But, in Bangladesh, ...
By SciDev.Net
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Europe can improve decision making by better monitoring of agriculture
The greening and cross-compliance measures that have been introduced in Europe's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) pose challenges to policy evaluators. Policy makers lack good data to monitor if their measures are effective and efficient. In a large pilot a consortium of researchers with 1,100 farmers from nine European countries have showed that it is possible to collect indicators on ...
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UF/IFAS hosting Florida Agricultural Policy Outlook Conference in January
Florida agriculture and food industries are among the largest economic contributors in the state. Agricultural producers manage 9.5 million acres, growing more than 300 commodities, including everything from citrus and cows to peanuts and potatoes. Agricultural products are shipped to national and international markets. On January 28, some of the state’s top agriculture thinkers will ...
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Economics Professor Named Center for Agricultural and Rural Development Director
AMES, Iowa — Cathy Kling has been named the new director of Iowa State University’s Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD). Kling, a Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Agriculture and Life Sciences and a professor of economics, has served as interim director of the center for almost two years. She has served as head of CARD’s Environmental and Resource ...
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Economist Analyzes Farm Bill to Kick Off College’s 2013-2014 Agricultural Policy and Outlook Conference Series
As negotiations on the farm bill have adjourned until after a congressional recess, major differences still exist in the House and Senate versions of the bill, including several provisions in crop safety net programs, an economist at Ohio State’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences said. Carl Zulauf, an agricultural economist in the college’s Department of ...
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The European Commission and the European Investment Bank facilitate access to credit for farmers
The European Commission and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have today presented a model guarantee instrument for agriculture, the first new product developed in the framework of their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on co-operation in agriculture and rural development within the EU, signed in July 2014. The model instrument aims to help ease access to finance for farmers and other rural ...
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Rice yields targetted in first CGIAR `mega-programme`
Farmers could benefit from increased rice yields and new varieties of the staple crop adapted to climate change, with the launch of a global research programme that aims to lift millions out of hunger and poverty by 2035. The Global Rice Science Partnership (GRiSP) was launched by the Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research (CGIAR) at the 3rd International Rice Congress in ...
By SciDev.Net
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Huge opportunities for agricultural growth in West Africa
West Africa has unprecedented opportunities for agricultural growth, but making the most of them will require more effective regional integration, says a new report by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). To be competitive with large global actors, West African ...
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Rooftop farming: The next steps for development
Urban agriculture is becoming increasingly popular. A recent assessment of rooftop farming in Barcelona shows differing attitudes towards the practice, and provides important recommendations for the development of agricultural policy for the 21st century, such as including food production as a potential use of rooftops in planning legislation. Urban agriculture, defined by the Food and ...
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The hidden environmental costs of meat production
The meat industry involves global trading of feed, live animals and processed meat. A new study suggests that environmental costs are not necessarily expressed in the price paid by the consumers benefiting from cheap meat, but as environmental damage further back up the supply chain. Global meat consumption has increased by 75 per cent in 20 years, with consumers becoming increasingly removed ...
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Plácido Plaza elected CIHEAM Secretary General
On 22 February 2019, at the 42nd Governing Board meeting of the International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) held in Paris, Plácido Plaza was elected unanimously as new Secretary General of the CIHEAM. The Spanish authorities’ candidate will take up office on 1st March 2019, for a first term of four years, after completing an interim period. With his ...
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Ohio State Economist Offers 2016 Grain Market Outlook
Grain prices aren’t likely to rise next year thanks to stagnant demand growth and ample grain supplies, says an agricultural economist with the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University. With the slowing Chinese economy contributing to stagnant demand growth and the ample supply thanks to large harvests in major production nations the past two ...
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Farmland Value Expected to Take Direction from Crop Margins and Interest Rates in 2015
While cropland values in Ohio increased in each of the past three years, several factors, including continued low interest rates, low debt-to-asset ratios and lower profit margins, are likely going to make for a relatively flat land market in 2015, an economist from Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences said. Ohio cropland value rose 8.9 percent ...
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Mapping livestock water requirements to inform EU water policy
Ecosystems provide a range of valuable services relevant to water. Lakes and rivers contribute to water supply, whilst forests and wetlands help protect against flooding and can also remove pollutants such as heavy metals and pesticides. The importance of ESSs is highlighted in the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 2 , while the Blueprint to Safeguard Europe’s Water Resources aims to improve ...
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Life cycle study demonstrates the long-term costs of everyday crops
The environmental and economic costs of a selection of common crops have been determined by a new study, which hopes to improve agricultural sustainability assessments in Europe. The researchers used life cycle analysis on organically farmed tomatoes and pears, and intensively farmed wheat, apples, and lettuce to show the overall impact of agricultural methods. Agriculture accounts for 45% of ...
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Indian Ocean islands link up via agriculture web portal
As part of a new project to improve biodiversity and agriculture science reporting within the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), a group of 11 press officers were trained last month (24–25 May) in Mauritius. The press officers come from the agriculture ministries of the IOC islands — Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion and the Seychelles — as well as Zanzibar. The ...
By SciDev.Net
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Opinion: Helping Rural America Feed All of America
Every American has a part to play in slowing the spread of the coronavirus. While many are working from home, an important few are working overtime on farms and ranches to make sure grocery store shelves are stocked. From harvesting wheat in Kansas to picking blueberries in Georgia, producers are getting up before the sun every day, while also adapting their operations to keep workers safe. They ...
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Fertiliser can offset heat for African farmers
[NAIROBI] African smallholders in dry areas can overcome climate change and even double crop yields if they invest in fertiliser use and harvest rainwater, researchers have found. Farmers in arid and semi-arid areas usually protect themselves from climate-related losses by investing as little as possible in farm inputs such as fertilisers. But in doing so they fail to grab opportunities for ...
By SciDev.Net
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