Global $US500 million data drive aims to end hunger by boosting harvests
Thomson Reuters Foundation A $US500 million data drive aims to improve the harvests of hundreds of millions of farmers worldwide as rising hunger levels threaten a global goal to end hunger by 2030, organisations involved in the initiative said on Tuesday. Developing countries and donors launched the ’50 X 2030′ scheme on the sidelines of […]
Hotter climate means hungrier insects will munch millions more tons of crops
Thomson Reuters Foundation A warming planet will see larger swarms of hungrier insects chomp through millions more tons of rice, maize and wheat crops globally by 2050, even if countries meet ambitious climate goals to curb carbon emissions, scientists said on Thursday. For every one degree Celsius rise in average temperatures, insects will consume an […]
Crop-munching armyworm could threaten millions of farmers in Asia, says UN
Thomson Reuters Foundation A voracious crop-chomping pest which has wrought havoc in Africa could threaten millions of farmers in Asia, UN experts warned on Tuesday, as India battles the continent’s first reported infestation of fall armyworm. The pest – a moth which devours crops in the caterpillar stage of its lifecycle – prefers maize but […]
Land degradation drives mass migration, climate change, say experts
Thomson Reuters Foundation Billions of people live on farmland that is deteriorating and producing less food, and this situation could force hundreds of millions of people to migrate over the next three decades, a major report said on Monday. The study, which is backed by the United Nations, said climate change and worsening land quality […]