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Agriculture and Food Security

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The mission of this Working Group is explore new directions in Agriculture and Food Security.

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This Working Group is focused on Agriculture and Food Security.
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admin Albert Gomez Anthony Carrielaj ChrisAllen Corey Watts
efrost Elhadj Drame gsharma Hank Rappaport John.R.Falco.VMD jranck
Kathy Gilbeaux Maeryn Obley mdmcdonald MDMcDonald_me_com philippe.neeser samanthadas
SmithShawn SmShako TacarraB TheresaBernardo

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Estimating Food Consumption and Poverty Indices with Mobile Phone Data

submitted by George Hurlburt

arxiv.org - November 22, 2014
Adeline Decuyper, Alex Rutherford, Amit Wadhwa, Jean-Martin Bauer, Gautier Krings, Thoralf Gutierrez, Vincent D. Blondel, Miguel A. Luengo-Oroz
arXiv:1412.2595 [cs.CY]

Recent studies have shown the value of mobile phone data to tackle problems related to economic development and humanitarian action. In this research, we assess the suitability of indicators derived from mobile phone data as a proxy for food security indicators. We compare the measures extracted from call detail records and airtime credit purchases to the results of a nationwide household survey conducted at the same time. Results show high correlations (> .8) between mobile phone data derived indicators and several relevant food security variables such as expenditure on food or vegetable consumption. This correspondence suggests that, in the future, proxies derived from mobile phone data could be used to provide valuable up-to-date operational information on food security throughout low and middle income countries.

CLICK HERE - RESEARCH - Estimating Food Consumption and Poverty Indices with Mobile Phone Data

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Ebola Cases Drop as Food Crisis is Sparked

         

Many agricultural fields have been abandoned as people retreat from Ebola. Image via World Bank.

zmescience.com - by Livia Rusu - January 15, 2015

The World Health Organization reports a drop in the Ebola cases in the three Western African countries hit most by the disease. However, as farmers abandon their fields in the infected areas, a new problem seems to emerge: a food crisis. . .

. . . The International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), a UN body that finances agriculture in poor countries has warned that if quick action isn’t taken soon, a food crisis is set to take place in the area.

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What killed the Maya? 'Blue Hole' offers clues

Sediment analysis of Belize's Blue Hole indicates that a first-millennium drought may have led to Mayan decline.

Image: Sediment analysis of Belize's Blue Hole indicates that a first-millennium drought may have led to Mayan decline.

edition.cnn.com - January 2nd 2015 - Todd Leopold

To scuba divers and tourists, Belize's famous "Blue Hole" underwater cave is a wonder, one of the "10 most amazing places on Earth," according to the Discovery Channel.

To scientists, it's something more: evidence of the drought that is suspected to have led to the demise of the Mayan civilization.

New research reinforces that theory, Rice University Earth scientist Andre Droxler told LiveScience.

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Food Security

submitted by Gary Vroegindewey - September 24, 2014
Mike,
WFP has increased food availability
http://www.wfp.org/news/news-release/international-financial-institutions-provide-us217-million-help-meet-food-needs-eb
http://www.wfp.org/countries/sierra-leone/stories/wfp-steps-up-assistance-to-meet-urgent-food-needs-of-families-and-communities-affected-by-ebola
Global Food Security Index will provide baseline Sierra Leone as an example.
http://foodsecurityindex.eiu.com/Country/Details#Sierra%20Leone
Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS)
tracks marketing prices and other indicators of food insecurity Sierra Leone as an example
http://www.fews.net/west-africa/sierra-leone/remote-monitoring-report/september-2014

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Get Smarter on Agriculture and Climate

David Cleary Director of Agriculture Nature ConservancyBy David Cleary - Sep 22, 2014 - environmentalleader.com

In a somber scene-setter for the upcoming climate summit in New York, the UN’s meteorological office, The World Meteorological Organization, released a report showing that world carbon emissions in 2013 reached a record high, and atmospheric carbon is increasing at the fastest rate seen in over thirty years. Some hard questions are facing the international order, which has spent much of that period in an interminable round of meetings meant to combat climate change. Against this backdrop, the pertinent question the UN report raises is: why bother? If we appear to be losing the battle, what difference does yet another meeting and round of press conferences make, other than to traffic conditions in lower Manhattan?

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AFRIQUE DE L'OUEST : ÉPIDÉMIE D'EBOLA DE RÉCOLTES MET EN DANGER, LES PRIX ALIMENTAIRES ENVOIE TIR VERS LE HAUT

Source : http://www.einnews.com/pr_news/221531226/west-africa-ebola-outbreak-puts-harvests-at-risk-sends-food-prices-shooting-up

2 septembre 2014, Rome - perturbations dans le commerce alimentaire et la commercialisation dans les trois pays ouest-africains les plus touchés par le virus Ebola ont fait alimentaire toujours plus coûteux et difficile à trouver, alors que les pénuries de main-d'œuvre mettent la saison des récoltes à venir en grave danger, avertit la FAO aujourd'hui.

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Ebola menace la sécurité alimentaire en Afrique de l'Ouest - FAO

un marché de rue vide dans le district de West Point de Monrovia, 20 août 2014.

* Les pénuries de main-d'œuvre devraient atteindre la saison de récolte principale

* Prix de manioc à Monrovia ont augmenté de 150 pct en août

* La FAO a besoin de $ 20 millions pour le plan d'intervention

FAO.org - af.reuters.com-

ROME/DAKAR, le 2 septembre (Reuters) - Ebola pire le monde épidémie a mis en danger des récoltes et des prix des denrées alimentaires envoyés flambée en Afrique de l'Ouest, la nourriture de l'ONU et l'Agriculture (FAO) a déclaré mardi, attention le problème s'intensifier dans les mois à venir.

par Isla Binnie et Emma Farge - 2 septembre 2014

La FAO a publié une alerte spéciale pour le Libéria, la Sierra Leone et Guinée, trois pays les plus touchés par l'épidémie, qui a tué au moins 1 550 personnes étant donné que le virus a été détecté dans les jungles distants de Guinée du sud-est en mars.

Restrictions sur les mouvements populaires et la création de zones de quarantaine pour contenir la propagation de la fièvre hémorragique ont conduit à des pénuries alimentaires achat, panique et des hausses de prix dans les pays mal préparés pour absorber les chocs.

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Ebola Patient échappe Libéria quarantaine, chassé au marché

< embed src = "http://c.brightcove.com/services/viewer/federated_f9?
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Grain Harvest Fact Sheet

Rice grains.

Image: Rice grains.

earth-policy.org - August 19th, 2014

With grain providing much of the calories that sustain humanity, the status of the world grain harvest is a good indicator of the adequacy of the food supply.

More than 2 billion tons of grain are produced each year worldwide, nearly half of it in just three countries: China, the United States, and India.

Corn, wheat, and rice account for most of the world’s grain harvest.

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Nigeria Food Security Alert August 8, 2014

fews.net - August 8, 2014

Summary

A food security crisis persists in northeast Nigeria as the ongoing Boko Haram conflict continues to displace populations and disrupt markets, livelihoods and nutrition services. An estimated three quarters of people living in areas worst affected by conflict have fled their homes due to violence since 2013. In Borno, Yobe and northern Adamawa States, Crisis (IPC Phase 3) acute food insecurity will persist through December, despite the main harvest beginning in October. Approximately one million people in areas worst affected by conflict will continue to face food consumption gaps. Access to households affected and/or displaced by conflict needs to improve in order to ensure that food and nonfood assistance reaches food insecure households.

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