Tag Archives | World

‘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

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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

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Using ICT to Enhance Marketing for Small Agricultural Producers

This USAID briefing paper serves to identify appropriate and effective information communication technologies (ICT) for agricultural value chain interventions. Relevant topics discussed include marketing, traceability, production management and data analytics, value addition, technical literacy, gender dynamics, and others. http://agrilinks.org/sites/default/files/resource/files/Using_ICT_to_Enhance_Marketing_for_Small_Agricultural_Producers.pdf

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Rice spilling from jute bags in a processing facility near Chennai, India © ADM Institute for the Prevention of Postharvest Loss

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 […]

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Technology and Innovation Aim at Greater Food Security

Kansas State University is home of the new Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sorghum & Millet. In partnership with USAID, the lab will focus on finding new technologies and techniques for smallholder farmers to maintain and increase productivity in times of climate change. http://www.ipsnews.net/2013/07/technology-and-innovation-aim-at-greater-food-security/  

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Food Security Strategies Need to Focus on Demand

Public debate over the future of food security has spiked as comments made by Tesco CEO Philip Clarke and UK Global Food Security programme Professor Tim Benton raise concerns over availability and affordability of food in coming decades. This post echoes the message of Benton and others that food waste and food loss must be […]

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Strategies to Address Mycotoxin Problems

The United States National Institute of Food and Agriculture National Program Leader, Kitty Cardwell, speaks in a Virtual Briefing on options to reduce mycotoxin contamination at preharvest and postharvest levels. Cardwell overviews challenges for mycotoxin management from farmer, consumer, marketer, and government perspectives. http://www.donorplatform.org/postharvest-losses/virtual-briefings/1060-kitty-cardwell-strategies-to-address-mycotoxin-problems.html  

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How to Prevent Hunger in Upcoming Decades? Try Precision Agriculture

IBM Chief Scientist says precision agriculture can help change the future of farming to feed a population of 9.2 billion in 2050. An IBM technology, Deep Thunder, can forecast future weather conditions and help farmers decide the best time to plant, irrigate, and harvest. Precise and predictive information can prevent losses in ways such as […]

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Commentary – Let a Hundred Flowers Bloom: Promoting a New Era of Innovation for Agricultural Development

Michael Howevel, Deputy Director for Agriculture for Impact, remarks on the presence of a ‘quiet revolution’ in the agricultural sector, with the ‘science-technology-innovation nexus’ that will be the future of agricultural development. His graphic shows the two-sided nature of innovation, which includes development and education, access and feedback. http://globalfoodforthought.typepad.com/global-food-for-thought/2013/06/commentary-let-a-hundred-flowers-bloom-promoting-a-new-era-of-innovation-for-agricultural-developmen.html

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Waste Not Want Not: A Weapon for Food Security

Betty Bugusu, Ph.D., Managing Director of the International Food Technology Center at Purdue University, gave a TED talk focused around food security and reducing loss. The talk featured Purdue’s dissemination of ‘Incubation Centers’. http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2013/06/29/waste-not-want-not-a-weapon-for-food-security/  

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