By: Kari Wozniak & Elizabeth Engele, ADM Institute True to its mission as a land-grant university, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is a renowned leader in research, extension, and public engagement. Its long-standing tradition of making high-quality knowledge available to the public is enhanced by news ways of communicating and innovative technologies in today’s […]
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Research Funding and Skills Key to Food for Post-2015
Public spending on agricultural research must double in the next decade if the world is to successfully move to sustainable methods of food production, says a UN-backed report. http://www.scidev.net/global/funding/news/research-funding-and-skills-key-to-food-for-post-2015.html
Food Waste Within Global Systems
This report was commissioned by the UK’s Global Food Security (GFS) programme to better understand the issues surrounding food waste in developing and developed countries, with a particular focus on understanding where new approaches and new research may be instrumental in reducing waste. http://www.foodsecurity.ac.uk/assets/pdfs/food-waste-report.pdf
Italy Calls for Food Security to Be U.N. Priority
Italy wants to lead efforts to make food security a priority for global policy makers, Prime Minister Enrico Letta said in his recent debut speech at the United Nations General Assembly. http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20130925-709988.html
To Feed the World in 2050, We Need to Discuss Agriculture at UN Climate Change Talks
Farming First, a multi-stakeholder coalition of organizations promoting sustainable agriculture, advocates the discussion of agriculture at upcoming UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Warsaw, Poland this November. Farming First has published a guide designed as an aid for those taking part in climate change discussions. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anette-engelund-friis/to-feed-the-world-in-2050_b_3901000.html
Food Waste Statistics Leave A Bad Taste
An opinion editorial in The Nation comments on the negative impacts of global food loss and food waste. MS Swaminathan, famous for his work in spurring the Indian ‘green revolution’, remarks that issues of loss and waste are becoming central to discussions on food security and sustainable development. http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Food-waste-statistics-leave-a-bad-taste-30213623.html
Guiding Value Chain Development: Comparing Approaches
The World AgroForestry Centre and The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation released a report that reviews 11 guides for value chain development (VCD). The tool is meant for practitioners and field workers implementing VCD programs and activities. http://clippings.ilri.org/2013/09/02/vcd-reviews/
Smallholder Farmers’ Highway to Food Markets
A July 2013 FAO report, “Smallholder Integration in Changing Markets”, emphasizes the heterogeneity of subsistence farmers, concluding there is no one-size-fits-all approach. It also emphasizes the reluctance of farmers to increase production when proper postharvest facilities and infrastructure are non-existent. http://www.rural21.com//nc/english/news/detail/article/smallholder-farmers-highway-to-food-markets-0000806/
‘Big Data’ Will Change the Way You Farm
Big data, or the large amounts of information being generated around the world at faster-than-ever rates, is said to already have significant impacts on the farming industry in ways that will only increase. The high levels of farm efficiency needed to feed 9 billion people by midcentury will require data-driven mechanization and technological adaptations. http://southeastfarmpress.com/management/big-data-will-change-way-you-farm?page=1
ADM Institute for the Prevention of Postharvest Loss: Measurement and Technology Development Videos
The ADM Institute published a blog post on the AgriLinks Knowledge-Driven International Development (KDID) site about the benefits and obstacles of conducting international research on measurement and technology development. Three researcher videos were highlighted as well. http://agrilinks.kdid.org/blog/adm-institute-prevention-postharvest-loss-measurement-and-technology-development-videos