If you would like to have the Global Food for Thought news brief delivered to your inbox, please sign up here.

 TOP STORY

Locusts Travel Further

The FAO reported a desert locust swarm in Eritrea, as well as multiple locust swarm sightings in Oman and Yemen as the insects continue their rampage through east Africa. Officials warn that food-insecure countries such as South Sudan are at a heightened risk and require additional funds to deploy the only viable solution – spray planes.

Prior to the locust invasion, almost 11 million people in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya were food insecure, and malnutrition and drought in Eritrea, Kenya, and Ethiopia were recently included in Care International's report on underreported humanitarian crises. These crises could be severely worsened by the spread of desert locusts.

PHOTO OF THE WEEK

BIG ACTORS 

Squatters’ Rights: The Brazilian government is beginning a new approach to the issue of deforestation—giving land to squatting farmers. The hope is that land ownership will encourage responsible land usage and discourage further deforestation if the land they are using is depleted. 300,000 land deeds will begin to be given out this month.

Calls for Aid: Government authorities and UN officials in Somalia have issued a call for increased assistance as they predict more than 690,000 children could face acute malnourishment by the end of this year. The country’s food crisis has been compounded by the ongoing invasion of locusts that has devastated farmland across east Africa.

COUNCIL INSIGHTS

Investing in Soil: The most extensive data on soils in Africa is grounded in soil mapping done in the 1950s and 1960s—60 to 70 years ago—which suggests that soil degradation could be even worse than currently known. A new paper from David Nielson diagnoses the challenges faced by governments, international organizations and research institutions in mitigating and reversing the decline of soil quality in Africa. The paper argues for a new soil initiative that is organized around workstreams that prioritize establishing soil information systems, understanding the economic costs and consequences of soil degradation, and enhancing human and institutional capacity towards soil science.

FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL ISSUES

Flu Season: In addition to the spread of Swine fever and Coronavirus, China announced the outbreak of H5N1 bird flu. The disease has killed 4500 chickens and pushed authorities to cull 17,828 birds so far. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia reported its cases of the H5N8 strain have killed 22,700 birds.
SEE ALSO: Greece Reports First Case of Swine Fever

Smoke in Your Shiraz: Australia’s vineyards, which make up the fourth largest exporter of wine in the world, are feeling the effects of the wildfires despite little direct damage. While most vineyards have been spared from the wildfires, smoke contamination is raising concerns. Grapes, a type of fruit able to absorb smoke, can release the smoke compounds during the fermentation process resulting in tainted flavor of the wine.

Cocoa 2.0: Cocoa farmers in Cameroon are thriving after using new seed varieties developed by the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development and funded by the African Development Bank. The new seeds produce twice the yield per hectare as older generations of cocoa seed varieties.

DEEPER DIVE

Cocoa or Cacao? Although sometimes used interchangeably, cocoa and cacao aren't necessarily the same thing. The cacao tree (Theobroma cacao) produces pods, the seeds in which are processed into a fluid paste, called liquor, which in turn becomes cocoa powder and chocolate. Some experts use "cacao" to refer to the pods, beans, and ground beans. Others refer to unprocessed pods and beans as cacao, and to the fermented pods (which become chocolate) as cocoa beans.

DATA CRUNCH

The More You Know: Researchers are conducting surveys to get a better sense of the gender gap in food security. While there is considerable data on food security and nutrition for the household level, there is little information available on intrahousehold differences. Depending on the geographic location, women could be up to 4.7 percent more likely than men to experience food insecurity.

RESILIENCE

Conflict Hurting Communities: Three UN agencies have raised concerns of food security in the Central Sahel. Conflict in the region has led to drastic increases in internally displaced people and disrupted rural communities, putting an estimated 3.3 million people at risk for food insecurity. The FAO, UNICEF, and the WFP are all calling for immediate assistance for the region.

BIG IDEAS

Ancient Agriculture: Scientists in Israel have successfully planted and grown dates using 2000-year old seeds that were discovered at an archaeological site in the Judean desert. The seeds, named Adam, Jonah, Uriel, Boaz, Judith and Hannah, will give insight into the ancient agriculture of the Levant.

DC REPORT

One More Time: The USDA issued its third and final tranche of 2019 Market Facilitation Program (MFP) payments this week. Farmers should expect the payments in their accounts as early as Friday. The MFP payments were set up to aid farmers in response to the trade war with China that began in 2018. Secretary Perdue has expressed optimism about an initial 2020 phase one deal with China that would prevent the need for future MFP payments.

TRADE & COMMODITIES

Supply-chain Scaries: Global trade and supply chains are in a flux as countries lock down borders to protect against the spread of the novel Coronavirus. Companies across East Asia are slowing down production due to lack of supplies and labor while uncertainty clouds US exports that are en route. However, not all countries have reported disruption – Ukraine and Russia continue to maintain standard agricultural trade.

 UPCOMING EVENTS

Food Talk Live
Date: 18 February
Location: Chicago, IL

Interdrought 2020
Date: 9-13 March
Location: Mexico City, Mexico

World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit
Date: 17-18 March
Location: San Francisco, CA

Global Food Security Symposium
Date: 26 March
Location: Washington, DC

Please share any tips or thoughts on what we can do better here.