Showing results for: agriculture cover News
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Ag Attorney Sheds Light on Manure Handling, Application Regulations
Although the Lake Erie algae problems that contaminated Toledo’s water supply in early August have subsided, the crisis raised questions about animal manure application on farmland in Ohio and how it may have contributed to the problem. In response, Ohio State University Extension’s agricultural and resource law field specialist has written a summary of Ohio laws relating to ...
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Third world climate conference
With climate change increasing the incidence and severity of weather events, agriculture, one of the most climate dependent of all human activities, depends heavily on effective meteorological services which are vital to climate change mitigation and adaptation, said an FAO expert today. “The economic costs associated with natural disasters, including extreme weather events, have increased ...
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New framework aids identification and assessment of High Nature Value farmland from local to EU-scales
With over half of Europe’s species dependent on agricultural habitats, protecting ‘high nature value’ farmland is vital to biodiversity conservation. However, the identification and assessment of such farmland requires careful co-ordination, concludes a recent study. The researchers present a framework to help with this process and make a set of key recommendations. Almost 40% ...
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FAO warns of the risk of a double tragedy in the Philippines
Immediate assistance from the international community for Philippine farmers is critical to avoid a double tragedy befalling rural survivors of Typhoon Haiyan, FAO announced today. FAO is calling on the donor community to urgently step forward and provide more than $11 million to get money to rural people to help clean and clear agricultural land and de-silt irrigation canals in the aftermath of ...
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Birds could provide a simple means of identifying high nature value farmland
New research from central Italy shows that high nature value farmland in the region can be accurately identified by the presence of just four bird species. Once such groups of species have been identified for different regions, they can provide a quick and inexpensive tool for assessing the ecological value of farmland, the researchers say. Agriculture is a major land use across Europe and ...
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Protecting forests alone would not halt land-use change emissions
Global forest conservation measures meant to mitigate climate change are likely to drive massive cropland expansion into shrublands or savannahs to satisfy the ever-growing hunger for arable land. The consequent changes in land use could cause substantial greenhouse gas emissions, a new study in the journal Nature Climate Change shows. In contrast to previous assumptions, conservation schemes ...
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Property tax incentives for forest conservation in the U.S. South
Development pressure on the outskirts of cities throughout the southern United States drives up land values and makes it more difficult for private landowners to keep their forestland. On average, in the South, short term returns for development can be $36,000 per acre. And for private landowners who want to keep their forest, rising property taxes can also provide a perverse incentive, because ...
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Herbicide reduction can preserve crop yields as well as biodiversity benefits of weeds
Pesticide-sparing approaches to farming do not have to compromise on crop yields, new research suggests. A study that explored the impact of reduced herbicide use across a variety of different farming contexts found that herbicideefficient systems could be just as productive as conventional systems — and more so than organic systems — whilst having other important environmental ...
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Challenges in soil and water conservation
Productive soils and clean water are essential elements for economic and social prosperity and environmental sustainability. Throughout history, civilizations have thrived or collapsed based on the availability of these vital resources. The lack of arable land and evidence of soil degradation have been identified as causes for the fall of many ancient civilizations, such as those in Mesopotamia, ...
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Focus on Disability: Changing agricultural attitudes
Low-tech projects are overturning prejudices and leaving disabled people free to farm, says Sue Coe. Two recent SciDev.Net stories covered important current food provision issues: farming methods for smallholders and the need for more agricultural research funding in the post-2015 global development goals. Agriculture is a vital sector for many living in poverty across the developing world, but ...
By SciDev.Net
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Efficiency as competitive edge
In a scenario for the year 2050 described by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), a world population of around nine billion (i.e. one-third more than today) will need to be supplied with food, raw materials and energy. To keep pace, food production must increase by about 70 percent – a massive challenge that is aggravated by the impacts of climate change, water ...
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Crop-mapping drones win MIT $100K
Original story at MIT News Drones are positioned to change people’s lives, with tech giants building unpiloted aerial vehicles to deliver packages to homes or provide Internet access across the globe. Using that idea as a jumping-off point, RaptorMaps, an MIT team designing drones that monitor crop health to boost yields, cast the winning pitch at last night’s MIT $100K ...
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CAP Reform – an explanation of the main elements
The Commission, the Council and the European Parliament (EP) have reached a political agreement on the reform of the Common Agriculture Policy – subject to formal approval by the Council and the EP as a 1streading Agreement. Most elements were agreed in trilogue on June 26, and the last remaining issues (linked to the Multi-Annual Financial framework package) were finalised on September 24. ...
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