(A man walks before a rainstorm in Kogelo village, Kenya. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya)
Another Milestone Toward Making Cell Phones the Future of Weather Observations
Scientists have found that it is possible to monitor global rainfall using the telephone antenna network. With the lack of weather data in many technology-poor locations, this could prove be a game-changer in the future of global weather observations and forecasting. A new study details how simple measurement of the loss in signal between telephone antennae can predict whether it’s raining.
5 Futuristic Food Wrappers That You Don’t Have to Throw Away
Swedish design group Tomorrow Machine has a novel approach to sustainable packaging: food wrappers that are meant to be composted or washed down the drain. It hints of a Jetsonian pantry-of-the-future, but the inspirations behind Tomorrow Machine’s designs are very, very, old: fruit and eggs.
Cool Planet: Can Biochar Fertilize Soil and Help Fight Climate Change?
Napa Valley grower Eckhard Kaesekamp believes his grapevines have achieved a 5% higher yield than expected thanks to a soil treatment called CoolTerra—a product made from a carbon-rich substance called “biochar.” Biochar results from the carbonization from plant matter, which is supposed to improve soil fertility and increase water and nutrient retention.
Exploring a Tree One Cell at a Time
Michael Knoblauch, a plant cell biologist, is seeking to prove the longstanding hypothesis that what drives the flow of nutrients in the phloem of plants is pressure differential. Proving the hypothesis is more than an academic exercise. Fully understanding how plants function could lead to improvements in crop yields or resistance to pests and disease.
About
The Global Food and Agriculture Program aims to inform the development of US policy on global agricultural development and food security by raising awareness and providing resources, information, and policy analysis to the US Administration, Congress, and interested experts and organizations.
The Global Food and Agriculture Program is housed within the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, an independent, nonpartisan organization that provides insight – and influences the public discourse – on critical global issues. The Council on Global Affairs convenes leading global voices and conducts independent research to bring clarity and offer solutions to challenges and opportunities across the globe. The Council is committed to engaging the public and raising global awareness of issues that transcend borders and transform how people, business, and governments engage the world.
Support for the Global Food and Agriculture Program is generously provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Arlene Mitchell, Executive Director of the Global Child Nutrition Foundation, explains that food safety requires vigilance and good practice throughout the value chain– from farm to fork– all around the world.
The Chicago Council’s recent report, Grow Markets, Fight Hunger: a Food Security Framework for US-Africa Trade Relations, is currently featured on Republic 3.0 and Ideas Lab.
Marc Albertsen, ABS Research Lead and Research Director at DuPont Pioneer, explains how the African Biofortified Sorghum public-private collaboration is working to help improve nutrition.
The next installment in the Healthy Food for a Healthy World series explores how climate change puts global nutrition at risk- and how smallholder farmers' climate resilience will be crucial.
In this guest post, Frieder Haenisch and Anna Gould discuss how a new generation of dynamic, well-connected leaders can build a better, food-secure future.
Frank Rijsberman, Jeremy Bird, and Andrew Noble discussion the innovations in water use, particularly in agriculture, that will help sustainably provide healthy and nutritious food to a global community.
Clayton Yeutter, former US Secretary of Agriculture, former US Trade Representative, and lifelong advocate of global food security and international trade issues, has been recognized and heralded for his extensive contributions to the field.
Farm Journal Foundation's Stephanie Mercier discusses the ways that farmers can use innovative practices to improve water use efficiency in the face of growing competition for water.
In the latest installment in the Healthy Food for a Healthy World series, Senior Fellow Roger Thurow highlights the importance of clean water, proper sanitation, and good hygiene for improving global nutrition.
In The Hill, former Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.), Peter McPherson and Dan Glickman discuss the essential role of US and foreign universities for global food security.
For World Water Day, Food Tank's Sarah Small and Danielle Nierenberg honor the projects, people, and programs working tirelessly to achieve more with less water and creating innovative systems for the future.
