While speaking at a day-long summit on food safety, Indian Minister of State for Food Processing Industries urged industry and government to collaborate to achieve food security and safety. Anwar stressed the importance of efficient postharvest management and quality control to reduce waste and contamination in food along the supply chain. http://www.fnbnews.com/article/detnews.asp?articleid=34296§ionid=1
A Story of Loss: The Dynamics of Postharvest Loss Prevention
by Grace R. Kenney As the world’s population continues to grow, the challenge of feeding a growing population becomes more crucial. The capacity to feed an additional two billion people will need to be achieved in the next two or three decades, and currently there are nearly 870 million people who are chronically hungry. […]
‘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
Running a Farm Business From Your Phone?
A Kenyan company has created an app that tracks deliveries from farm to market. The app, Agrimanagr, monitors inventory, supports mobile payments, and weighs out products with information on the cloud. http://www.bloomberg.com/video/running-a-farm-business-from-your-phone-6gEsyI5YS6u8rYZeomaPtQ.html
Course on Food Security & Grain Storage, Israel
Israel’s Agency for International Development Cooperation and partnering organizations invite professionals to participate in a training course, ‘Food Security & Grain Storage – Technologies and Management’. The course takes place from December 2-17, and is designed for professionals from academic and extension services. http://www.mladiinfo.com/2013/08/26/course-on-food-security-grain-storage-israel/
Government of Canada Invests in Technology to Reduce Waste in Grain Bins
The Canadian government plans to invest nearly $300,000 in research focused on developing imaging technology to monitor the moisture levels in grain bins. The projects aims to reduce waste, increase the competitiveness of Canadian grains, and contribute to global food security via the application of science and technology. http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/government-of-canada-invests-in-technology-to-reduce-waste-in-grain-bins-1824928.htm
Innovations for Agricultural Value Chains in Africa
The Meridian Institute received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for a project that seeks to identify out-of-the box postharvest management and processing technologies. The project will focus on African maize, cassava, and dairy chains, and will involve organized meetings between innovators and key value chain players. http://www.merid.org/Content/Projects/Innovations_for_Agricultural_Value_Chains_in_Africa.aspx
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
Innovation in Measurement: Perspective and Practice
by Steve Sonka Growing up on an Iowa dairy farm, I was introduced to the need to measure, even if informally, at an early age. In those days, we had to carry the (hopefully full) bucket of milk from the cow to the can where we collected the milk. Doing that, it was fairly easy […]
Food Security, Postharvest Loss, and Henry Kissinger
by Steve Sonka The issue of global food security has recently reemerged as an important societal concern. Factors such as the prospect of needing to feed an additional two billion people in the next two or three decades, the presence today of nearly 870 million people who are chronically hungry, and the recent social unrest […]