Full Coverage: Agriculture

31.10.2007 NEW YORK, Oct 31 (OneWorld) - Traditionally, it's the kids who receive sweets from the elders on Halloween, but that years-old ritual is getting a makeover this year in hundreds of communities across North America.

31.10.2007 PARIS, October 30 (IPS) - A new project to develop an integrated sugarcane facility in Kenya could be a boost for biofuels production in east Africa.

30.10.2007 The Jatropha scrub weed can weather droughts, stop soil erosion, transform barren lands into lush greenery, while providing self-sufficient energy for rural communities – all at the same time. While India has plans to make the plant its chief biofuel source, there is little knowledge on the environmental impact of its cultivation.

29.10.2007 Recognising the huge potential of agriculture sector in raising income levels for people living in absolute poverty, the World Bank calls for increased investment in agriculture. If that happens, it will benefit 75% of the world’s poor living in rural areas of developing countries.

29.10.2007 Agrarian tragedy is taking a new form in rural Vidarbha, in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Spiraling medical costs and the lack of a basic health care system are making farmers mortgage their lands.

26.10.2007 Nearly 80 percent of Bangladesh's people live in rural areas, with more than half comprising its poor. The latest World Bank Development Report says the country needs to increase its productivity in staple foods while also improve its rural services through better physical and social infrastructure.

24.10.2007 Drains stretching over dozens of miles were built to solve the problems of flooding along the Indus in the Punjab and Sindh provinces of Pakistan, but have brought their own social and ecological problems. The World Bank claims to have spent 18 million dollars in 2004-2006 on improving living conditions in areas harmed by the National Drainage Project (NDP). They proposed further measures through 2016 to combat flooding and improve irrigation and drainage

23.10.2007 ‘Agriculture for development’ is the new mantra of the World Bank. The latest WB Development Report calls for greater investment in agriculture in developing countries, claiming its GDP growth is four times more effective in reducing poverty than GDP growth originating outside the sector.

11.10.2007

09.10.2007 Reuters Market Light (RML), a mobile phone-based service launched by Reuters, will connect India's 250 million farmers with buyers and traders and offer updated pricing information, news and weather updates. So far, 7,500 farmers have signed up for the service.

08.10.2007 Over 25,000 people are marching 350 kilometres from Gwalior to Delhi, the Indian capital, demanding their land rights. Janadesh 2007 is a non-violent and civil disobedience campaign that focuses on restoring people’s basic self-worth and dignity through issues about their livelihood resources.

04.10.2007 Water activists from different parts of India gathered at Rajghat, New Delhi, the memorial of Mahatma Gandhi on October 2. Marking the day as one of dedication to Gandhi's values, the activists protested against the concretization of the Yamuna flood plains - the largest water recharge zones of the capital.

01.10.2007 FAO’s new web platform will help users exchange personal experiences, opinions and best agricultural practices. This global initiative will bring policymakers, rural service providers, development practitioners, farmers, researchers and ICT specialists together to help promote rural development.