The Lubin Files

Wikipedia blacked out

Have you noticed that Wikipedia is blacked out today?

Interesting to find out what is being protested and why: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:SOPA_initiative/Learn_more

Biofuel for your average man or woman.

Have you considered converting your car into a biofuel, money-saving automobile?  As fuel prices continue to rise across the world, more and more motorists are seeking ways to get around at lower cost.  It may require a bit of work on your part, but there are instructions and kits available to help you in your quest.  A recent article entitled "The Fat of the Land" in the Economist will give you some more information on creating your own biofuel from discarded restaurant oil as well as pointers on preparing your diesel engine to burn the "home-brewed" fuel. 

World Livestock 2011

By 2050 an expanded world population will be consuming two thirds more animal protein than it does today, bringing new strains to bear on the planet's natural resources, according to the World Livestock 2011 report, released by FAO on December 14, 2011.

Global Trade Atlas

FAO staff in HQ and field now have access to the Global Trade Atlas (GTA).

The FAO subscription to the GTA includes access to the monthly trade statistics of 84 reporting countries for all codes of the Harmonized System at the national breakdown level.
These figures can be browsed according to value (any currency), quantity and partner country.

United Nations annual trade figures for countries that are not included in the monthly editions of the GTA are also available.

In order to access the GTA, go through the Secure Access Gateway: https:\\home.fao.org

After logging into the gateway with your usual username and password, paste the link below into the search box at the top of the gateway home page.

http://www.gtis.com/gta/

For further assistance, contact fao-library-reference@fao.org

New flagship publication - State of the world's land and water resources

The State of Land and Water Resources (SOLAW) is FAO's first flagship publication on the global status of land and water resources. It is an 'advocacy' report, to be published every 3 to 5 years.

The first issue of SOLAW, "Managing systems at risk," was launched on 28 November, 2001.

Some of the main issues it raises are:

• The world’s cultivated area has grown by 12 percent over the last 50 years. The global irrigated area has doubled over the same period, accounting for most of the net increase in cultivated land.
• Global achievements in production in some regions have been associated with degradation of land and water resources, and the deterioration of related ecosystem goods and services.
• The potential exists to expand production efficiently to address food security and poverty while limiting impacts on other ecosystem values.
• Widespread adoption of sustainable land and water management practices will require the global community to have the political will to put in place the financial and institutional support to encourage widespread adoption of responsible agricultural practices. The negative trend in national budgets and official development assistance allocated to land and water needs to be reversed.

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."

 

Palm oil podcast

Palm oil-- which has long been a staple of diets in Africa, Southeast Asia and parts of Brazil-- is increasingly being used in food processing in the rest of the world.  It is valued for its cheapness, and its property of congealing at room temperature.

Since the discovery that oils processed through hydrogenation can be linked to heart disease, palm oil has been creeping as a substitute into processed food and food products like margarine, potato chips, cakes, and crackers.  Hydrogenation converts liquid vegetable oils to solid or semi-solid fats, whereas palm oil "hardens" naturally.

Palm oil often lurks in the ingredient description of many processed food products under the umbrella term of "vegetable oils."

It has been targeted by environmentalists for its impacts on deforestation, habitat loss of endangered species, increased greenhouse gas emissions.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was founded with the aim of promoting the growth and use of sustainable oil palm products through global standards and certification.

For more information about palm oil, listen to the Monday 31 October episode of the Food Programme podcast, sponsored by the BBC Radio 4.

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.

The link between agricultural production and nutrient consumption.

Research from IFPRI demonstrates an interesting relationship between nutrient intake, labor productivity, and agricultureal income in Uganda. This treatment of nutrition and agricultural productivity may be of interest to anyone working in predominantly agrarian countries with populations suffering malnutrition. See the abstract and link to the PDF of the article here.

Popular Science placed FAOSTAT amongst its 10 most amazing databases.

Popular Science tells why it believes that FAOSTAT is one of the most amazing databases. Click here to discover why FAOSTAT deserves this acclaim and to see the nine other databases that share this honor.