Global Food and Water Crises
African Drought Causing Food Shortages and Early Migration
Persistent drought has reduced the harvest yield in the Sahel belt of Africa, which will lead to a severe shortage of food. Worried farmers in the worst affected areas are migrating with their families to ensure they have access to food. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies warns of an impending humanitarian crisis if urgent action is not taken.
India Records Bumper Crop, Though Problems Remain
India is expected to pull in a record crop this year, following favourable rains. Estimates suggest that foodgrain output could reach more than 250 million tonnes, with rice reaching 100 million tonnes for the first time. The wheat output will top the government forecast, with a record 88 million tonnes expected. Yet, food insecurity remains.
“How-to” Flood Management Guide for Cities
Around the world, urban flooding is a growing development challenge, as Australia experienced first-hand in Brisbane last year. This month saw the release of a report from the World Bank and the Global Faculty for Disaster Reduction and Recovery, titled ‘Cities and Flooding: A Guide to Integrated Urban Flood Risk Management for the 21st Century’.
The Challenge of Global Degradation and Scarcity
Key points
- Degradation and scarcity of land and water are a growing threat to sustainable food security.
- Agricultural systems are at risk throughout the world.
- There will be significant limitations on land and water resources by 2050.
- 25 per cent of global land is already highly degraded.
- The intensification of agriculture, alongside improved efficiency in irrigation, is the optimum path toward mitigating this threat and any future damage.
India’s Water Plight
Water management will play a key role in determining the state of food security in India in the coming decades, according to speakers at a symposium titled “India and the Age of Crisis: A Symposium on the Local Politics of Global Economic and Ecological Fragility”, held at the University of Western Australia last week.
India Conference: Food Security Worsened by Government Policy
FDI recently attended a symposium held at the University of Western Australia. The two day programme, titled “India and the Age of Crisis”, covered issues of governance and how these affect access to food and water. In attendance was journalist Palagummi Sainath – Rural Affairs Editor for the influential Indian daily, The Hindu – and Dr Swapna Banerjee-Guha – Professor for Development Studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. Both speakers have written extensively on the critical situation in India, including the damaging policies of the government.
UN Report Calls For New Ways to Tackle Food and Water Security
The report ‘Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future worth Choosing’, has been released by the high-level United Nations Panel on Global Sustainability. It contains 56 recommendations, which seek to put into practice sustainable development around the world.
Asian Food Security Road Map Released
In August 2011, the inaugural international conference on Asian Food Security took place in Singapore to discuss the way forward for Asian food security. It was attended by Future Directions International and organised by the RSIS Centre for Non-Traditional Security Studies and the South-East Asian Regional Centre for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture. The final conclusions from the conference have just been published.
Legitimate Concerns in Canadian Withdrawal from Kyoto Protocol
Canada’s withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol in December 2011, in the wake of the Durban climate talks, provoked a steady stream of criticism among Canadian environmentalists and the international community. Ottawa intimated that Kyoto was not the way forward for action on climate change. Certainly not alone in its doubts – Japan and Russia refused the prospect of new commitments under the treaty in 2010 – Canada is nevertheless the only country to withdraw from the pact completely.
Broadened Focus the Challenge of Berlin Water Initiative
From 20-21 January 2012, the second Berlin Water Dialogues will be held in the city’s fairgrounds. It will be an extension of the Bonn2011 Nexus conference held last November, convened by the German Federal Ministry of Economic Co-operation and Development, which focussed on integrated solutions ‘for the Green Economy’. To go one step further, the Dialogues aim to approach the twin challenges of water and food security from different angles, with a host of international representatives taking part.