UN Food And Agriculture Organization Dubs 2023 "The Year Of Millets"
Image Source: AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi
Quick-growing, drought-resistant millets have become the darling of rural grain farmers around the globe. While the pandemic and the Ukraine war upended grain prices and supplies, farmers in Africa, India, and China pivoted from wheat and corn to planting hardy millets like fonio, sorghum, teff, and finger millet. Millets make up only 3% of the global grain trade but have helped reduce food insecurity enough in places like Zimbabwe that the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization is supporting millet farmers with various initiatives, naming 2023 "The Year of Millets."
First Successful Indoor Wheat Crop Grown In Germany
Image Source: Courtesy of Infarm
While vertical farms can produce mounds of lettuce, tomatoes and strawberries, calorie-dense grains have been more challenging. By optimizing its growth environment and crop cycle time, German company Infarm has now produced the first successful crop of indoor-grown wheat. At scale, the crop is the equivalent of 117 tonnes per hectare (52.2 US tons per acre) per year, 26 times the average open-field farming yields. It's a significant agricultural milestone that may help improve global food security.
Washington State Bans Open Pen Fish Farming
Image Source: David Bergvall/Washington State DNR
Washington has joined California, Oregon, and Alaska in outlawing net-pen aquaculture in West Coast waters. British Columbia also plans to phase out the practice by 2025. Critics say the concentrated animal feed operations spread disease to native stocks and reduce wild fish populations. Supporters argue that fish farming is critical to feeding the globe's growing population. Currently, salmon aquaculture accounts for about 70% of the US market. Can wild salmon fisheries be managed well enough to feed the world's hunger for this popular fish? We shall see.
USDA Announces $1 Billion Debt Relief For 36,000 Farmers
Image Source: Charlie Neibergall/AP
Thousands of farmers and livestock producers are behind on USDA loan payments due to recent natural disasters, drought, and transportation bottlenecks. To keep America's farmers farming, the USDA rolled out a program providing $1.3 billion in debt relief to about 36,000 farmers. The debt forgiveness adds to the Agriculture Department's $31 billion farmer payout to help offset lower sales and other losses due to the coronavirus pandemic. The new relief also aims to keep the US food supply stocked and prevent food prices from skyrocketing further.
More Agriculture News
Illinois GMO Researchers Improve Plant Photosynthesis, Increasing Crop Yields
Mexico Proceeds With GMO Corn Ban
Hurricane Ian Demolishes Florida Orange Crop, Driving Up Prices
Justice Department Investigates Poultry Companies' Unfair Pay To Farmers
New Farm Tech Reimagines The Plough To Improve Soil Health
What The Historic Climate Bill Means For Farmers
Image Source: Montinique Monroe
The recently passed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) allocates about $40 billion for USDA conservation programs to incentivize climate-friendly practices such as reduced tillage, cover crop planting, and renewable energy infrastructure on farms. It also earmarks $2.2 billion to compensate Black farmers who had been subject to discrimination by other USDA programs and $3.1 billion in loans for farmers in serious financial distress. Experts estimate the IRA could cut emissions to 40% below 2005 levels by 2030, which falls short of the 50% goal but puts it within reach if other measures are taken.
