2012 Annual Letter from Bill Gates

Via Scoop.it – Fertilizers industry

2012 Annual Letter from Bill Gates…
Via www.thegatesnotes.com

Biodiversity in danger without swift action, MEPs say | EurActiv

Via Scoop.it – Fertilizers industry

With Europe facing a “silent crisis” of biodiversity loss, MEPs are considering ways to strengthen protections for habitats and species but are divided over how to compel EU national governments to live up to their commitments.
Via www.euractiv.com

Croats say ‘yes’ to EU membership

Via Scoop.it – Fertilizers industry

Croatians voted Sunday in favor of joining the European Union amid a record small referendum turnout — a sign of how much the debt-stricken 27-nation bloc has lost in its appeal within the aspiring members states.
Via news.yahoo.com

Spelman outlines UK plans to re-write CAP greening proposal | News | Farmers Guardian

Via Scoop.it – Fertilizers industry

DEFRA Secretary Caroline Spelman has outlined Government plans to re-write the European Commission’s controversial Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) ‘greening’ proposals.
Via www.farmersguardian.com

BBC – Democracy Live – Report on food production prices

Via Scoop.it – Fertilizers industry

An MEP has warned that the food and farming sectors in the EU face “destruction” unless action is taken to tackle rising food production costs.
Via news.bbc.co.uk

Commission reshuffles senior management

Via Scoop.it – Fertilizers industry

New Director General for DG Enterprise and Industry.
Via www.europeanvoice.com

Bill Gates on Growing Enough Food to Feed the World

Via Scoop.it – Fertilizers industry

How can we feed a growing population in the midst of climate change and an appetite for more meat? These factors and more are straining the world’s agricultural capacity and pushing up the cost of food, which makes it difficult for the world’s poorest people to grow enough to feed their families.
If you’ve ever gone on a fast, you know that by the end of the first day, about the only thing you can think about is food. That’s what it’s like pretty much every day for a billion people—15 percent of the world’s population—who are living in extreme poverty.
Via www.thegatesnotes.com

How smart is Climate Smart Agriculture?

Via Scoop.it – The #Agvocate

In 2010 a cluster of United Nations and pan-African organizations released a little book entitled Climate Smart Agriculture (PDF).   Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) “seeks to increase sustainable productivity, strengthen farmers’ resilience, reduce agriculture’s greenhouse gas emissions and increase carbon sequestration.” The little book and the concept are getting a lot of attention here at COP17.   I’ve attended two side events on the topic so far. CSA seems to resonate with the programs and priorities of donors. For example, a representative of the Norwegian Government explained that CSA fit perfectly with their two development priorities of climate change and food security. The French food giant, Danone, explained how Climate Smart Agriculture resonates with their multi-million dollar Corporate Social Responsibility initiative that seeks to improve the well-being of smallholder farmers well-being while reducing GHG emissions. The World Agroforestry Center is delighted with the concept: planting and protecting trees in agricultural systems is one main practices that is promoted in CSA initiatives. In their CSA initiative, the Government of Ethiopia is providing farmers with seedlings for 100 million Faidherbia albida, a tree that is remarkably well-suited for integration with crops.   But people are asking the questions: how smart is Climate Smart Agriculture?
Via ccafs.cgiar.org

China report spells out grim climate change risks

Via Scoop.it – Fertilizers industry

BEIJING (Reuters) – Assuming no measures to counter global warming, grain output in the world’s most populous nation could fall from 5 to 20 percent by 2050, depending on whether a “fertilization effect” from more carbon dioxide in the air offsets losses, says the report. But that possible fall can be held in check by improved crop choice and farming practices, as well as increased irrigation and fertilizer use.
Via www.reuters.com

New president heralds a more political Parliament | EurActiv

Via Scoop.it – Fertilizers industry

Martin Schulz, a German MEP and former Socialists and Democrats leader, was elected president of the European Parliament yesterday (January 17) in Strasbourg, promising a more assertive and controversial Parliament in the face of MEPs’ marginalisation in the eurozone crisis.
Via www.euractiv.com