Showing results for: agriculture research News
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Expert IPM decision support system
The synopsis for this grant opportunity is detailed below, following this paragraph. This synopsis contains all of the updates to this document that have been posted as of 05/28/2010 . If updates have been made to the opportunity synopsis, update information is provided below the synopsis. If you would like to receive notifications of changes to the grant opportunity click send me change ...
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Australia to share farming lessons with Africa
The Australian government will establish an international food security centre to offer research and technical expertise to willing governments and institutions in Africa. The Australia International Centre for Food Security (AICFS) will be established in the second quarter of next year. Australian prime minister Julia Gillard announced the establishment of the centre last month (28 October). ...
By SciDev.Net
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Putting family farmers first to eradicate hunger
Nine out of ten of the world's 570 million farms are managed by families, making the family farm the predominant form of agriculture, and consequently a potentially crucial agent of change in achieving sustainable food security and in eradicating hunger in the future, according to a new U.N. report released today. Family farms produce about 80 percent of the world's food. Their prevalence and ...
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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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Ancient crops preserved for future generations in Arctic seed vault
Varieties of one of the world's most important staple crops will be stored for perpetuity deep in the Arctic ice today. José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is joining scientific experts and delegations from Peru, Costa Rica and Norway to witness a ceremony here this afternoon that will help to preserve these vital ...
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Irrigation threatening steppe birds in Mediterranean wetlands
Intensive irrigation of agricultural land in a Mediterranean water basin is altering the habitats of associated wetlands and changing the balance of the bird population living there, according to a recent study. The Mar Menor coastal lagoon is located in the Southeast of Spain. Inland there are an associated series of wetlands of ecological interest, protected by the Natura 2000 Network1. The ...
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Patches of flowers boost pollinator diversity and lead to higher crop yields
Falling levels of insect pollination are causing declining yields of important agricultural crops. However, new research from South Africa now indicates that planting small patches of native flowers in agricultural fields can be a profitable and sustainable method of increasing pollination and yield. Insect pollination is a vital ecosystem service as animal-pollinated crops form an essential ...
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Loss of wild pollinators would hit crops, finds study
The loss of wild pollinators from agricultural landscapes could threaten global crop yields, a study has found. Led by Lucas Garibaldi, an assistant professor at the National University of Río Negro inArgentina, a team of researchers compared fields containing many wild pollinators — mostly insects — with those containing few. They studied 41 crop systems across all continents ...
By SciDev.Net
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Can one-time tillage improve no-till?
A one-time tillage has no adverse effects on yield or soil properties on no-till land, according to field research conducted at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Although tillage is another expense for farmers and generally increases the risk of soil erosion, a one-time tillage may be performed to correct some problem, such as a perennial weed problem. The feasibility study was conducted for ...
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New Fertilizer Rule Protects Florida`s Liquid Heart
TALAHASSEE, Florida, August 30, 2007 (ENS) - The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services today adopted a final rule limiting the phosphorus and nitrogen content in fertilizers for urban turf and lawns. The Urban Turf Fertilizer Rule will reduce the amount of nitrogen and phosphorus applied in urban areas, limiting the amount of those compounds reaching Florida waters , including ...
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FAO’s State of the World’s Forests Calls for Positive Interactions Between Agriculture and Forestry
It is not necessary to cut down forests to produce more food. Promoting more positive interactions between agriculture and forestry can stop deforestation, build sustainable agricultural systems and improve food security. This is the key message of 'The State of the World's Forests' (SOFO), the flagship publication of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), presented at the opening ...
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Let`s add climate knowledge to agroforestry plans
We need to know more about how smallholder agroforestry can help farmers adapt to climate change, write James Roshetko and Rodel Lasco. Much is known about agroforestry — the mixing of tree species with crops and livestock to enrich farmers' livelihoods. But less is known about how it can help farmers adapt to climate change. This gap in our knowledge is increasingly worrisome. With ...
By SciDev.Net
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Traditional farming methods in India protect birds
Under the right conditions, traditional agricultural practices can support significant biodiversity in farmed areas over the long term. A new study shows that arecanut plantations combined with forest areas support bird life. The researchers studied bird communities in arecanut plantations found in southwest India to assess whether biodiversity could be sustained in an agriculturally developed ...
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Nitrogen fertilizer works way into sea and destroys marine habitats - EC
Substantial increases in the flow of nitrogen into the sea have raised concerns about marine pollution. New research shows that commercial fishing is playing an important, but now declining, role in transferring this nitrogen back onto land. Enormous amounts of nitrogen fertilizer are applied to agricultural land to increase crop productivity. However, the use of such fertilisers can be damaging ...
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Compost and climate change: a novel mitigation strategy?
Native soils are thought to take up more of the greenhouse gas methane than land used for farming. This study shows that, while agriculture can exert an adverse impact on soil methane uptake, the application of soil conditioners like compost may compensate for loss of the methane sink function. The researchers propose new land management strategies based on this finding. Agriculture has become ...
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Donation of 100 vintage cars and trucks the largest in Olds College 99-year history
Calgary area businessman and rancher J. C. (Jack) Anderson will be donating the proceeds from the sale of his collection of 100 vintage cars and trucks to Olds College during its 2013 Centennial year. (Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120118/TO290) Planning for the "100 Cars and Trucks For Our 100th Year" auction is underway. Mr. Anderson's prized collection will be auctioned ...
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Abandoned farmland widespread in central and eastern Europe
A new study suggests that abandoned farmland is widespread in Europe and that not all land that has been abandoned is unsuitable for farming. Understanding how abandoned farmland is distributed may be important for making land management decisions – for instance, recultivation versus reversion to forest. To meet the future demands of a growing population, it may be necessary to increase ...
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Techniques to reduce spray drift pollution from vineyards
Several mitigation techniques can greatly reduce spray drift pollution from pesticide spraying in agricultural systems, shows a new study. Researchers tested the effectiveness of several strategies; results ranged from a 38% reduction in spray drift using low-drift equipment to a 98% reduction when hedgerows are present alongside fields. When pesticides are sprayed on agricultural fields, some ...
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Rainfall and manure application timing affect organic carbon losses
Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) losses from tile drains are an underquantified portion of the terrestrial carbon cycle. This is particularly important in the eastern corn belt where tile drainage dominates the agricultural landscape. Specific land management practices, such as manure application, can play a large role in the export of DOC as soluble organic carbon is applied to or injected into ...
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