Hilary Benn, the UK Environment Secretary, visited the US for meetings with Ban Ki-Moon and US Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. According to a DEFRA statement, They discussed the topics of climate change adaptation, food security, and the green economy.
He said:
These threats are real, they are immediate, and they will affect us all. Environmental degradation
One of the lead stories in this week’s Economist discusses how water is used and managed around the world.
Many development experts are flagging the potential for a global water crisis if better management of our the earth’s water resources is not given more attention. This includes wider application of existing knowledge as well as further
Biotech crops, such as more nitrogen efficient crops, can help preserve water resources by increasing nutrient efficiency and limiting run-offs.
Most plants use less than half of the nitrogen applied to them through fertilizers. Increasing the nitrogen efficiency in a plant allows farmers to use less fertilizer, which in turns reduces the risk of leaching.
Furthermore, unused
Improving the formulation of pesticides and moving towards more precise irrigation and applications systems can help increase water efficiency.
For example, the use of air induction nozzles, which mix air with the spray liquid, can reduce water volumes used from 1,500-2,000 liters with conventional sprayers to 200-800 litres.
If the water-based sprays are combined with high precision
Losses to crops can also come from excess water rather than drought or damage from pests.
In areas prone to flooding, the development of ‘waterproof rice’ could make a dramatic difference.
Scientist at IRRI have identified a gene which allows rice plants to withstand be submerged for two weeks without damage. The gene has already been transferred
Around 90% of the agricultural water in use in Asia is used for rice production.
It takes about 5,000 litres to produce 1 kg of rice. Practices such as seeding pre-germinated rice have saved about 15-20% water compared with the traditional transplanting method.
