Rome | Thomson Reuters Foundation — Planting more lentils, chickpeas and other pulses will improve the health of the world’s soils that have reached critical levels, threatening to worsen hunger and poverty levels, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Monday. About a third of the world’s soils are degraded because of soil […] Read more
Lentils, chickpeas can help reverse soil erosion trend, U.N. says
Ignoring Trump, UN talks seek to turn climate pledges into action
Morocco/Reuters – Almost 200 nations began work on Monday to turn promises for fighting climate change into action at a UN conference that played down threats to a 2015 global agreement if Republican Donald Trump wins the U.S. presidency. At the start of two-week talks in Morocco, many delegates wore badges with a smiling picture […] Read more
World food markets set for stable year: FAO
Rome | Reuters — Global food commodity markets are likely to remain stable in the coming year, the United Nations’ food agency said on Thursday, even as prices rose for the fourth straight month. Solid output prospects and abundant stocks should keep prices and supplies stable, while lower prices than those seen last year are […] Read more
U.N. experts find glyphosate unlikely to cause cancer
London | Reuters — The herbicide glyphosate, sold by Monsanto in its Roundup product and widely used in agriculture and by gardeners, is unlikely to cause cancer in people, according to a new safety review by United Nations health, agriculture and food experts. In a statement likely to intensify a row over its potential health […] Read more
Germany looks set to abstain in EU glyphosate vote
Reuters — Germany looks set to abstain in a European Union vote next week on the continued use of glyphosate in weed killers because ministries run by different parties remain at odds over the chemical which some experts say could be carcinogenic. Glyphosate is used in many herbicides including Monsanto’s Roundup, despite a dispute between […] Read more
World food prices edge up in April
Rome | Reuters — World food prices rose slightly in April, up for the third month in a row but they remained almost 10 per cent lower than a year earlier, the United Nations food agency said on Thursday. The Food and Agriculture Organization’s (FAO) food price index, which measures monthly changes for a basket […] Read more
FAO seeks help for drought-ravaged Ethiopia
Rome | Reuters — Ethiopia faces its worst drought in decades, leading the United Nations’ food agency to call on Friday for an emergency cash injection of US$50 million to help the country overcome the crisis. Crop production has fallen up to 90 per cent in some regions and failed completely in the country’s east, […] Read more
UN international year to showcase pulses
Chair of Alberta Pulse Growers says event will boost competition and prompt more research and breeding
Reading Time: 2 minutes The United Nations International Year of Pulses is underway, and that’s good news for the province’s pulse producers, says the chair of Alberta Pulse Growers. “As IYP draws attention to big global issues like nutrition, food security, and environmental sustainability, this crop — which is a Canadian success story — is only going to get […] Read more
El Nino strengthening, to be among biggest on record: WMO
Geneva | Reuters — The El Nino weather pattern, a phenomenon associated with extreme droughts, storms and floods, is expected to strengthen before the end of the year and become one of the strongest on record, the United Nations’ weather agency said Monday. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said this El Nino was already “strong […] Read more
Pulses: Pulse Australia recruits top scientist
CNS Canada –– Following are a few highlights in the Canadian and world pulse markets on Wednesday morning, Oct. 14. • Pulse Australia has announced that world-renowned agronomist Paul McIntosh, who has vast experience working with crops in Queensland, will be joining their organization. • Due to rising pulse prices in India, the government says […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
