Irrigators News
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Engineering rice that needs less fertiliser
Genetic modification (GM) of crops is one of the more recent technological advances in agriculture designed to meet increasing demand for food. New research reveals that rice can be modified to use nitrogen more efficiently, thus reducing the need for nitrogen fertilisers while increasing yields. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has estimated that food production ...
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Farming must change to feed the world
The world's farmers must quickly switch to more sustainable and productive farming systems to grow the food needed by a swelling world population and respond to climate change, FAO's top crops expert told an international farm congress here today. In a keynote speech to 1,000 participants at the IVth World Congress on Conservation Agriculture (CA) in New Delhi, Shivaji Pandey, Director of FAO's ...
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Renewed cooperation between CIHEAM and FAO
The International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies (CIHEAM) based in Paris and FAO will strengthen their cooperation under an agreement signed at FAO's Rome headquarters this week. The Agreement of Cooperation was signed by Bertrand Hervieu, Secretary General of CIHEAM and Hervé Lejeune, FAO Assistant Director-General and Directeur de Cabinet. In it, both organizations agreed ...
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Helping canneries make better use of leftover water
With the help of a well-stocked kitchen cupboard, a can opener, and a microwave oven, a steaming-hot bowl of your favorite tomato soup can be ready to savor in just minutes. For decades America's canneries have helped make soups—as well as vegetables, fruits, juices and other familiar foods—more convenient for us to enjoy. Now, Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists are helping ...
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Strategic organic matter throughput helps to build soil carbon and boost crop yields
Potential improvement in crop yields and reduced greenhouse gas emissions were among the benefits of increased soil organic matter throughput according to the findings of a project funded by growers and the Australian Government through the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and the Victorian Department of Primary Industries (DPI). The relationships between organic matter inputs ...
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Irrigation key for Africa’s food security – Diouf
Water management is 'a key element' in food security, FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf told a ministerial conference on Water for Agriculture and Energy in Africa: the Challenges of Climate Change which opened this week. The conference is organized by FAO, as the Chair of UN Water, together with the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya Government and in collaboration with stakeholders including the African ...
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Bolivia expands watershed-based irrigation
IDB finances construction of new infrastructure and systems for sustainably managing scarce water resources. Bolivia will build 33 community irrigation systems covering 9,000 hectares in seven Departments throughout the country under a US$34 million program financed by the Inter-American Development Bank. Drawing on lessons from past irrigation programs in Bolivia’s arid and semi-arid regions, ...
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ADB to help Afghanistan rebuild agriculture sector
Afghanistan's agriculture sector, battered by years of war and drought, is getting support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). ADB is extending a US$30 million grant from its Special Funds for the Agriculture Market Infrastructure Project to build facilities and standards in the livestock and horticulture industries. The Afghan government will make an in-kind contribution of $1 million. ...
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Experiment demonstrates 110 years of sustainable agriculture
A plot of land on the campus of Auburn University shows that 110 years of sustainable farming practices can produce similar cotton crops to those using other methods. In 1896, Professor J.F. Duggar at the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama (now Auburn University) started an experiment to test his theories that sustainable cotton production was possible on Alabama soils if growers ...
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Saltwater solution to save crops
Technology under development at the University of New South Wales could offer new hope to farmers in drought-affected and marginal areas by enabling crops to grow using salty groundwater. Associate Professor Greg Leslie, a chemical engineer at UNSW's UNESCO Centre for Membrane Science and Technology, is working with the University of Sydney on technology which uses reverse-osmosis membranes to ...
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A little nitrogen can go a long way
Varying the rate of crop production inputs such as fertilizer and seed makes intuitive sense, as farmers have long observed differences in crop yield in various areas of a single field. The availability of spatial yield information from combines equipped with yield monitors has provided a good resource for improved management. So, optimizing inputs to match yield potential of different areas ...
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Japan & ADB to help Viet Nam improve water management and irrigation systems
Japan and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) are helping Viet Nam improve its water management and modernize its irrigation systems. The Japan Special Fund, through ADB, will provide a $1 million grant to help design a project to upgrade the quality of water-related public services and improve the management of Viet Nam’s water resources used for irrigation. For its part, Viet Nam will contribute ...
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The realm of earthworms: NASA gets down to the nitty-gritty
When you hear the word 'NASA,' do visions of rocket ships dance in your head? Well think again. From now on, it's 'earthworms.' That's right. Using space technology, NASA is now studying the realm of earthworms, millipedes, and springtails -- the soil beneath your feet -- with a project called OMEGA (Observing Microwave Emissions for Geophysical Applications). Why would an agency whose cosmic ...
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Wastewater fears for urban farms
Urgent action is needed to remove pollutants from urban wastewater, which is often used in cities to grow food, an international study has warned. Data collected by the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) found that 85% of cities discharged the water without any appropriate treatment. With many developing nations swiftly urbanising, the authors said people were at increasing risk of ...
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EUR 130m funds for development aid project in Swaziland
The European Union has allocated EUR 130 million for development projects over the next eight years. These monies come as part of the new 10th European Development Fund (EDF) and National Indicative Programme (NIP) for the year 2008-2013. Swaziland, a small landlocked kingdom in Southern Africa, has recently come under focus as part of the EU’s Development Fund. Statistically Europe is the ...
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A Cost Effective Way of Installing Irrigation Pipe
Are you tired of the major investment in equipment, trailers to haul it, and large gas guzzling trucks to pull it all? Why not look at another way of doing business. The TRENCH'N edge trencher is a portable, cost effective way of installing irrigation pipe. It fits in the back of the smallest fuel efficient pick-ups or mini-vans. Don't tear down fences to get your large equipment into the ...
By Edge Inc.
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The Groundwater Foundation to celebrate the past, present, and future
Friends and colleagues of The Groundwater Foundation will gather for the “Celebrate!” dinner at The Lodge at wilderness Ridge Golf Course on Thursday, June 19, 2008 to celebrate and recognize Susan Seacrest’s 24 years of dedication to the Foundation. We will be celebrating the past successes of the Groundwater Foundation, our work to make our community and nation a greener world, and the future ...
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Soaring food prices put further pressure on African agriculture
Food insecurity has been exacerbated in Africa by the current rapid rise in food prices together with challenges such as climate change, greater demand for food products in emerging economies, agricultural production used for biofuels, rapid population and urbanization as well as transboundary animal and plant diseases, said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf on June 19th at the 25th FAO Regional ...
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Holistic study approach expands understanding of agricultural chemicals in the environment
An understanding how environmental processes and agricultural practices interact to determine the transport and fate of agricultural chemicals in the environment is essential for effectively addressing the widespread degradation of surface and ground waters from past, present, and future agricultural activities. While considerable research has been conducted at field or smaller scales, the ...
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New satellite sensing tool for improving agricultural land use observation
FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) data indicate that annually 2500 km3 of freshwater are used for agricultural production, which amounts to 70% of the water resources the whole of humanity consumes in a year. With the global population continuing to grow at a high pace, it is essential to optimize the use of water resources and to increase agricultural production in ...
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