The Lubin Files

Lessons from Malawi’s Food Crisis.

After several years of success due to farming subsidy programs, Malawi finds itself unable to produce enough maize or other grains to feed its population.  For several years the country was able to export a surplus of maize to other African countries. 

In the latest issue of Africa Renewal, Masimba Tafirenyika looks at why Malawi is once again suffering from a food crisis.  His article discusses how leadership and political will are factors stronger than weather in contributing to successful agricultural programs.  It suggests that strong food policy among African Union members can greatly help alleviate the food crisis on the continent.

This article is also available in print in the David Lubin Library's reading room.  Please ask at fao-library-reference@fao.org if you would like to read it.

More about leaf concentrate and malnutrition

Last week, I posted an entry introducing leaf concentrate (LC). 

Appropriate Technology published a followup article to the one I blogged about entitled "The greatest untapped food resource on earth, part 2" 39(4)11-13. This second article discusses the variety of ways in which LC can be used to supplement the diets of undernourished populations.  LC has also provided astonishing results in helping HIV/AIDS patients suffering from malnutrition.  Some of the nutrients contained in LC are:

iron
vitamin A and B9 (folic acid)
vitamin E
vitamins B6 and B12
vitamin K
calcium
lutein
omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids
high quality protein

This article includes a recipe for cookies using LC. You can find a list of recipes that include LC as a main ingredient here.

Appropriate Technology is part of the library's print journal collection, but a scanned version of this article can be made available to FAO staff members upon request. Contact fao-library-reference@fao.org if you would like to have a copy of it.

New FAO publication: “The Impact of Climate Change and Bioenergy on Nutrition”

The recent FAO/Springer publication “The Impact of Climate Change and Bioenergy on Nutrition” examines the effects of climate change, bioenergy, and the economic crises of 2007-2010 on food and nutrition security. It shows how climate changes could affect food production through declines in crop yields, aquatic populations and forest productivity, proliferation of invasive insect and plant species and increases in desertification, soil salinization and water stress.

Similarly the pathways by which increased demands for biofuels can negatively affect food and nutrition security including by reducing physical availability and economic access to food and by increasing the risk of disease are described. Biofuel production may reduce women’s control of resources, which may in turn reduce the quality of household diets.

The book provides a unique collection of nutrition statistics, climate change projections, biofuel scenarios and food security information and offers explicit examples of adaptation and mitigation strategies for climate change and biofuel production within the agricultural sector.

World Water Day, how much do you know about the world's water supply?

CNN posted a quiz for World Water Day asking how much you know about world water security.  Take the quiz and learn a little more about water security here:

World Water Day Quiz

Farming fish and rice together in China, benefits productivity of both.

A study shows that cultivating fish and rice together provides several benefits in China.  The fish provide fertilizer for and protection from disease and insects to the rice, while the rice provides shade and attracts insects that the fish eat.  The dual crops of rice and carp (a delicacy in China) could double farmer's incomes as well as greatly increase food production.  Learn more from the article in Nature, entitled "Fish and rice flourish together in paddies."

 

Could algae crops help fight hunger?

An interesting article in Scientific American discusses several uses for algae, one being its use as a food source.  Where others have searched for an algae that can produce large quantities with few inputs, no one has found it yet.  The scientist in this article discusses genetically modifying algae in order to create the algae desired and achieve the necessary outputs.  His hope is to create algae that might provide not only food, but also fuel while also helping to combat Carbon Dioxide content in the atmosphere.  See more on the subject here.

Can "in vitro" meat contribute to FAO's mission in the future?

The BBC recently published an article entitled "Grow your own meat", that discusses the use of stem cells from farm animals to grow meat for human consumption.  Much of the article focuses on the benefits to the environment and eliminating the cruel treatment of animals raised for food.  If this "growing" of meat becomes a viable and inexpensive way of providing food, it could contribute greatly to the growing desire for meat as the world's population continues to grow.  The technique could be used on cows, pigs, chickens, fish, and presumably on any indigenous animal eaten around the world.

Javier Blas, 2011 FAO Boerma Prize winner.

Javier Blas, a commodities editor for the Financial Times, has won the 2011 FAO A.H. Boerma Award.  The prize is awarded to journalists around the world who raise awareness of the fight against hunger in the world.  His reporting since 2007 has frequently addressed issues of core concern to FAO, such as hunger and food security, the impact of food prices in developing countries, the role of speculation and bioenergy production in the food price matrix, and overseas investment in agricultural land.  (You will need to create a free account with Financial Times to read some of the articles above.)

In this video clip, Mr. Blas responds to the FAO's giving the global food market "critical status" and talks about what must be done to avoid a repeat of the Food Crisis of 2007/2008.

Biofuels as discussed at the Committee on World Food Security (CFS) meetings.

The Committee on World Food Security meetings held last week called for action against food price volatility.  Biofuel price policies in the US and Brazil were targeted as one contributing factor to the rise of food prices worldwide.  The FAO had noted in 2008 that the continued expansion of biofuel production might affect food prices as shown in this newsroom report.  You can read more about biofuel and how it can affect food prices in the Price volatility and food security report assembled by a panel of experts in July of 2011.

"Farming First" is working toward many similar goals as FAO!!!

Unlike FAO, Farming First is not an organization, but a coalition.  It is supported by 131 different organizations who all hope to further sustainable agricultural development worldwide.  Farming First was developed in response to the global challenges posed at the 2009 United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-17).

Together, this coalition highlights the importance of improving farmers’ livelihoods and agriculture’s potential contribution to global issues such as food security, climate change, and biodiversity. It also aims to build synergies amongst its supporters in promoting Farming First’s mission.

On their website, you can learn more about the six principles of their action plan: Safeguarding natural resources, Sharing knowledge, Building local access and capacity, Protecting harvests, Enabling access to markets, and Prioritising research imperatives.  Go to their Case Studies page for an interactive map that leads to links about what Farming First is doing worldwide.