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2 episodes with Tropical agriculture
2 episodes with Tropical agriculture
3 episodes with Tropical agriculture
In this episode we speak with Dean Parwinder Grewal, nine months after his appointment as Dean of the University of Hawaii's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience, where he is already starting to make his mark - like changing what CTAHR stands for! We find out about his agriculture and education backgrounds, and how he found out about and why he accepted the position in Hawaii. We hear his vision for Hawaii's resiliency and how that has shaped, and will shape, his work and that of CTAHR in the future.Brought to you by University of Hawaii College of Tropical Ag. and Human Resources (CTAHR), and the Seeds of Well-being (SOW) Project. This podcast is supported by the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Hawaii Department of Agriculture.Resources:Hawaiʻi College of Tropical AgriculturePunjab Agricultural UniversityHis publications about Nematodes and urban food self-relianceSlides from Hawaii Agricultural Conference 2024 used in presentationOur podcast with Senator Tim Richards Our podcast with Kamehameha Schools History of CTAHRFinding CTAHR locations and resourcesFind out more about us: Seeds Of Wellbeing website Seeds of Wellbeing Resource Hub All the SOW links
Laut einer Studie vom International Center for Tropical Agriculture könnte der Klimawandel bis 2050 die traditionellen Kakaoanbaugebiete stark beeinträchtigen. Wie kann die Kakaopflanze gerettet werden? Dazu der Wissenschaftler Christian Bunn (CIAT). Von WDR 5.
The second Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) in Agriculture was held in mid-November. What were the outcomes from the forum? How can China further assist Africa's Agriculture Modernization? Professor Justice Norvienyeku from School of Tropical Agriculture and Forestry, Hainan University, and Zhang Jin, associate professor with the African Studies Center, Shanghai Normal University give us more insights.
In this month's episode of the USAID Kitchen Sink Food Loss and Waste Podcast, Anesu Mawire, Project Development Specialist in the Regional Economic Growth Office and Feed the Future Coordinator for USAID South Africa, speaks with Mandla Nkomo, Chief Growth Officer at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture's Central Africa Hub. Anesu and Mandla discuss value addition at source and how this practice can reduce food loss and waste. Food is often produced at far distances from where it is consumed, so processing it where it is produced, or “at source,” can help protect the safety and quality of the food as it moves across the supply chain. By improving food safety, value addition at source can prevent food loss and waste. Anesu and Mandla also discuss how women and youth can be engaged in value addition at source and the importance of increasing access to finance. Are you interested in participating in an episode of USAID's Kitchen Sink to share how you are tackling FLW by preventing, inspiring, and repurposing? Please reach out to Nika Larian (nlarian@usaid.gov).There's no time (or food) to waste!
The unprecedented fires on Maui are blamed for a rising human toll and destroyed homes, property and cultural touchstones. The island's original kingdom capital, Lahaina, was hard hit, losing a 200 year-old church and the Hawaiian language immersion school Pūnana Leo, among other cherished structures. We'll get a picture of the destruction and what's next for residents. GUESTS Dr. Sydney Iaukea (Native Hawaiian), author of The Queen and I: A Story of Dispossessions and Reconnections in Hawai'i and Kekaʻa: The Making and Saving of North Beach West Maui. Eric Enos (Kanaka Maoli), executive director of Ka'ala Farm and Cultural Learning Center Carmen Hulu Lindsey (Kanaka Maoli), representative of Maui as a chair of the board of trustees for the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Clay Trauernicht, assistant specialist in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawaii at Manoa
In this episode we speak with Sarah Freeman and Glenn Sako, both with the County of Hawaiʻi R&D Economic Development department. We learn about how they focus on agriculture and food systems on Hawaii Island (also known as the Big Island). We spoke to each of them at different times about how Hawaii County is working to advance and support the work of agriculture producers in the CountyBrought to you by University of Hawaii College of Tropical Ag. and Human Resources, and the Seeds of Well-being (SOW) Project. This podcast is supported by the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Hawaii Department of Agriculture.Associated Links (Sarah):Hawaii County R&D Agricultural and Food ServicesHawaii Island Food AllianceHawaii Island Ag PartnershipVibrant HawaiiHIP AgricultureFarmLink OahuGarden to Cafeteria ProgramNRCS EQUIP ProgramAssociated Links (Glenn):Coqui FrogsCoconut Rhinoceros BeetleGlennʻs Email Address: Glenn.Sako@hawaiicounty.govUniversity of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human ResourcesFind out more about us: Seeds Of Wellbeing website Seeds of Wellbeing Resource Hub All the SOW links
En este episodio Martín Garrido Lepe y Beatriz Rodriguez-Satizabal conversan con Alex Urrego quien fue recientemente galardonado con el Premio Carlos Díaz Alejandro para tesis en historia económica del período 1913 a 2010 en la segunda edición del Concurso a la mejor tesis de posgrado en historia económica de América Latina otorgado por la Asociación Peruana de Historia Económica, en el marco del VII Congreso Latinoamericano de Historia Económica. En su tesis estudia los cambios en la agricultura tropical a través de su transición al modelo industrial actual, analizando las consecuencias socioecológicas de esta transformación. La tesis responde a tres preguntas: ¿cómo fue llevado a cabo el cambio agrario en Colombia desde el enfoque biofísico?, ¿cuáles fueron las fuerzas socioeconómicas causantes de estos cambios? y ¿cuáles fueron las consecuencias ambientales de esta transición socio ecológica de la agricultura?El argumento principal es que el perfil extractivo de los flujos de materia y energía en la agricultura extractiva, simplemente reflejan las características de un ambiente institucional extractivo. La Red de Historia Económica Iberoamericana (RHEI) es una organización que busca ayudar en la difusión de las investigaciones de los y las jóvenes investigadores de la Historia Económica Iberoamericana. En este espacio difundido por NBN Español realizamos una serie de entrevistas donde autores recién graduados presentan sus tesis doctorales.
En este episodio Martín Garrido Lepe y Beatriz Rodriguez-Satizabal conversan con Alex Urrego quien fue recientemente galardonado con el Premio Carlos Díaz Alejandro para tesis en historia económica del período 1913 a 2010 en la segunda edición del Concurso a la mejor tesis de posgrado en historia económica de América Latina otorgado por la Asociación Peruana de Historia Económica, en el marco del VII Congreso Latinoamericano de Historia Económica. En su tesis estudia los cambios en la agricultura tropical a través de su transición al modelo industrial actual, analizando las consecuencias socioecológicas de esta transformación. La tesis responde a tres preguntas: ¿cómo fue llevado a cabo el cambio agrario en Colombia desde el enfoque biofísico?, ¿cuáles fueron las fuerzas socioeconómicas causantes de estos cambios? y ¿cuáles fueron las consecuencias ambientales de esta transición socio ecológica de la agricultura?El argumento principal es que el perfil extractivo de los flujos de materia y energía en la agricultura extractiva, simplemente reflejan las características de un ambiente institucional extractivo. La Red de Historia Económica Iberoamericana (RHEI) es una organización que busca ayudar en la difusión de las investigaciones de los y las jóvenes investigadores de la Historia Económica Iberoamericana. En este espacio difundido por NBN Español realizamos una serie de entrevistas donde autores recién graduados presentan sus tesis doctorales.
En este episodio Martín Garrido Lepe y Beatriz Rodriguez-Satizabal conversan con Alex Urrego quien fue recientemente galardonado con el Premio Carlos Díaz Alejandro para tesis en historia económica del período 1913 a 2010 en la segunda edición del Concurso a la mejor tesis de posgrado en historia económica de América Latina otorgado por la Asociación Peruana de Historia Económica, en el marco del VII Congreso Latinoamericano de Historia Económica. En su tesis estudia los cambios en la agricultura tropical a través de su transición al modelo industrial actual, analizando las consecuencias socioecológicas de esta transformación. La tesis responde a tres preguntas: ¿cómo fue llevado a cabo el cambio agrario en Colombia desde el enfoque biofísico?, ¿cuáles fueron las fuerzas socioeconómicas causantes de estos cambios? y ¿cuáles fueron las consecuencias ambientales de esta transición socio ecológica de la agricultura?El argumento principal es que el perfil extractivo de los flujos de materia y energía en la agricultura extractiva, simplemente reflejan las características de un ambiente institucional extractivo. La Red de Historia Económica Iberoamericana (RHEI) es una organización que busca ayudar en la difusión de las investigaciones de los y las jóvenes investigadores de la Historia Económica Iberoamericana. En este espacio difundido por NBN Español realizamos una serie de entrevistas donde autores recién graduados presentan sus tesis doctorales.
In this episode, Michael speaks with Mehana Blaich Vaughan, associate professor at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. Mehana is an environmental social scientist whose work focuses on indigenous and community-based natural resource management. Michael asks Mehana about her book, Kaiaulu: Gathering Tides. In this book, Mehana describes the relationship between Hawaiian people and their land and water. Throughout this book Mehana describes how Hawaiians view nature as a partner rather than as a resource. The book is a guide to important Hawaiian concepts such as Kuleana, embodying the idea that access to the environment is partnered with obligations to it and to the one's community. Mehana talks with Michael about this and other related terms that form a network of understanding for a worldview that is quite different from the dominant bureaucratized, westernized position. During their discussion, Mehana also talks about the land dispossession that Hawaiians have faced, and how some Hawaiian communities have been trying to reassert their environmental traditions in the context of Hawaiian state bureaucracy. Mehana's website:http://mehanavaughan.huiainamomona.org/ Website for Kipuka Kuleana: https://www.kipukakuleana.org/ References: Vaughan, M. B. 2018. Kaiaulu: Gathering Tides. Oregon State University Press. Diver, S., M. Vaughan, M. Baker-Médard, and H. Lukacs. 2019. Recognizing “reciprocal relations” to restore community access to land and water. International journal of the commons 13(1):400.
In this episode we talk with Phyllis Shimabukuro-Geiser, Chair of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, about how the Department has worked supporting agriculture producers during COVID and with lands managed by the Department for producers. She also highlights key issues the Department faces, ways all of us can impact change, and some thoughts on the future of agriculture in Hawaii. Brought to you by University of Hawaii College of Tropical Ag. and Human Resources, and the Seeds of Well-being (SOW) Project. This podcast is supported by the Farm and Ranch Stress Assistance Network (FRSAN) grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Institute of Food and Agriculture and Hawaii Department of Agriculture.#wellness #mentalhealth #farming #agriculture #stress #hawaii #stressmanagement #agproducers #COVID #departmentofagriculture Resources:Hawaii Department of Agriculture, Land DivisionHawaii Double Bucks (DaBux) program Federal CARES Act Other Resources:ALL the SOW linksUniversity of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR)
Today we'll catch up with the organizers of the first tropical Ag tech conference on Hawaii Island. We'll find out what technology innovations can help small farmers improve agricultural production with the ever changing climate patterns.
Citation Adams, F., Ohene-Yankyera, K., Aidoo, R., & Wongnaa, C. A. (2021). Economic benefits of livestock management in Ghana. Agricultural and Food Economics, 9(1), 17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40100-021-00191-7Addah, W. (2010). Impact of ethnic conflicts on cattle population and production in the eastern corridor of the northern region of Ghana. International Journal of Tropical Agriculture and Food Systems, 3(1). https://doi.org/10.4314/ijotafs.v3i1.50015Balehegn, M., Kebreab, E., Tolera, A., Hunt, S., Erickson, P., Crane, T. A., & Adesogan, A. T. (2021). Livestock sustainability research in Africa with a focus on the environment. Animal Frontiers, 11(4), 47–56. https://doi.org/10.1093/af/vfab034Chebo, C., & Alemayehu, K. (n.d.). Trends of cattle genetic improvement programs in Ethiopia: Challenges and opportunities. 17.Ilemobade, A. A. (n.d.). Tsetse and trypanosomosis in Africa: The challenges, the opportunities. 6.Nyantakyi-Frimpong, H., Colecraft, E. K., Awuah, R. B., Adjorlolo, L. K., Wilson, M. L., & Jones, A. D. (2018). Leveraging smallholder livestock production to reduce anemia: A qualitative study of three agroecological zones in Ghana. Social Science & Medicine, 212, 191–202. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.07.028Otte, J., Pica-Ciamarra, U., & Morzaria, S. (2019). A Comparative Overview of the Livestock-Environment Interactions in Asia and Sub-saharan Africa. Frontiers in Veterinary Science, 6, 37. https://doi.org/10.3389/fvets.2019.00037University of Ghana, Obese, F., Acheampong, D., Darfour-Oduro, K., & Animal Research Institute, Ghana. (2013). Growth and reproductive traits of friesian X sanga crossbred cattle in the Accra plains of Ghana. African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition and Development, 13(57), 7357–7371. https://doi.org/10.18697/ajfand.57.11440The role of livestock in food security, poverty reduction and wealth creation in West Africa. (2020). FAO. https://doi.org/10.4060/ca8385enEVALUATION OF EXISTING AND POTENTIAL FEED RESOURCES FOR RUMINANT PRODUCTION IN NORTHERN GHANA. (n.d.). 36.
Genetic Engineering and Society Center GES Colloquium - Tuesdays 12-1PM (via Zoom) NC State University | http://go.ncsu.edu/ges-colloquium GES Mediasite - See videos, full abstracts, speaker bios, and slides https://go.ncsu.edu/ges-mediasite Twitter - https://twitter.com/GESCenterNCSU Pioneering Work in Genetic Engineering of Crops and It's Adoption in Africa Florence M. Wambugu, PhD, DSc., Founding Director and CEO, Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International Website | Twitter @AfricaHarvestKe & @DrFWambugu Factors influencing the adoption of GE crops in Africa, and Dr. Wambugu's pioneering work on GE sweetpotato and with the Africa Biofortified Sorghum (ABS) project. Abstract Despite huge adoption of Genetically Engineered (GE) Crops globally in the last two decades, the debate continues especially among interest groups in the public, policy makers, regulators & researchers. During the early days of GE Crops debate, anti-GE Lobby groups argued that Africa lacked capacity to regulate the GE technology and Africa policy makers feared they would lose trade with EU. These positions have changed and according to the latest report of the ISAAA Brief 55, on the Global Status of Commercialized GE Crops in 2019, Africa leads the progress among the regions of the world in adopting GE crops by doubling the number of adopting countries in 2019. Africa has been regarded as the region with the biggest potential to benefit from GE crop adoption because of the immense challenges relating to poverty, hunger, and malnutrition. However, from an initial list of limited GE crops adopters in 2018, Africa have significantly increased adopters from 2019 to harness the benefits of GE technology. Globally, different continents and regions have taken different positions, with the USA, Canada, Australia, China, and Latin America leading in adoption of GE crops, while the EU remains generally cautious on case-by-case basis by different states. However, Africa is rising from the negative influence of EU anti-GE lobby groups, based on fear of losing trade opportunities, telling by the increased GE confined field trails (CFTs) targeting food security crops. In this colloquium, Dr. Florence Wambugu will discuss the factors that earlier contributed, and continue to influence adoption of GE crops in Africa, highlighting GE Crops Research & Development by Africa Scientists using existing Biosafety laws. She will also discuss her pioneering work of GE Sweet-potato and promising GE work with Africa Biofortified Sorghum (ABS) Project in Africa. Related links: Dr. Wambugu profile on SourceWatch Speaker Bio Dr. Florence M. Wambugu is the Founding Director and Chief Executive Officer of Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International (AHBFI) — also known as Africa Harvest — in Kenya since 2002. She is a plant pathologist with specialization in virology holding a Ph.D. from the University of Bath, England (1991), Post-Doctoral Research Associate – Biotechnology with a life science company in USA, and holds an Honorary Doctor of Science from University of Bath, England (2008). For over 30 years she has dedicated her life to agricultural research where she's made significant contributions to the improvement of sorghum, maize, pyrethrum, banana and sweet potato with significant impact on the livelihoods of smallholder farmers. Dr. Wambugu has authored/co-authored over 300 papers, publications, and books in local and international journals, written two books including “Modifying Africa”- How Biotechnology Can Benefit the Poor and Hungry (2001, 2004), and Biotechnology for Africa; Emergence, Initiatives and Future (2014) by Springer. Dr. Wambugu holds several awards and honors from local and international institutions in recognition of her work in Africa including first place medal winner in Global Development Network Awards under science and technology category in Year 2000 for the TC banana project impact. Named as one of the world top 100 most influential people in biotech today by the Scientific American Worldview special report 2015, Awarded Yara Prize 2008, from the Norway-based Yara Foundation for her significant contribution to fight hunger and poverty in Africa. Dr. Wambugu was awarded the Eve Woman of the year Award by the EVE Magazine, in February 2004 in East Africa in recognition of her contribution to science and its application to combat hunger and poverty in Africa. Another award was given to Dr. Wambugu by the South African government during the commemoration of 10 years of democratic rule for her consistent support to agricultural development. In 2002 she was awarded “Woman of the Year” recognition by the American Biographical Institute for empowering the power through increased food production. She is also a recipient of International Institute of Tropical Agriculture's (IITA) award in 1981 for successful establishment of a tissue culture laboratory in support of root and tuber crops germplasm improvement; KARI's 1989 Crop Science award for excellent performance in scientific conferences; International Potato Centre's (CIP) 1989 Regional Research award, for outstanding advancements in sweet potato research; Pyrethrum Marketing Board of Kenya 1990 farmers support award for successful establishment of a rapid micro-propagation laboratory for pyrethrum (Chrysanthemum) in 1986/7. Recognized by Virology Division of Horticultural Research International in England and KARI in 1991, as exemplary Ph.D. candidate for outstanding dissertation contributions on sweet potato virus disease research work done in Kenya, Monsanto Company Outstanding Performance Award for 1992 and 1993. Participated in key boards including Member of DuPont Biotech Advisory Panel-USA, International Plant Genetic Research Institute, UN Millennium Development goals Hunger Task Force, The Science Board of Bill and Melinda Gates Global Health Challenge and as a Council Member of the Science Technology and Society of Japan. GES Colloquium is jointly taught by Drs. Jen Baltzegar and Sumit Dhole, who you may contact with any class-specific questions. Please subscribe to the GES newsletter and Twitter for updates. GES Center - Integrating scientific knowledge & diverse public values in shaping the futures of biotechnology. Find out more at https://ges-center-lectures-ncsu.pinecast.co
There are up to one billion people with low literacy globally, many of whom live in rural areas and only speak their region's local language. In Africa alone, there are an estimated 2000 local languages. Researchers are exploring new ways to make knowledge accessible to isolated communities that only speak local languages. One approach involves the use of animated educational videos, which can be dubbed in any language and can be shared in rural communities. In a study conducted in Benin, Dr Julia Bello-Bravo of Purdue University compared the effectiveness of animated educational videos to traditional presentations. This work was performed in collaboration with Benin's International Institute for Tropical Agriculture. Dr Bello-Bravo's team found that, not only did participants prefer videos, they actually learned more from them too.
Dr Clare Mukankusi, a common bean breeder at the alliance of Diversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), joins us to explain how collaboration in plant breeding can result in practical improvements for a crop's end-user. In this episode of the Plant Breeding Stories podcast, Clare shares how a missed opportunity changed her career trajectory from the medical sciences to plant sciences. She details why the common bean is one of the most critical food legumes globally and highlights its crucial importance as a significant source of protein, zinc and iron in diets across Africa. Clare discusses how research and collaboration across-disciplines improves common bean breeding outcomes for practical uses, including producing beans with faster cooking times. CIAT: https://ciat.cgiar.org/ Pan African Bean Research Alliance: https://ciat.cgiar.org/pabra/ Alliance of Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture : https://alliancebioversityciat.org/ Transcript - www.PBSInternational.com/podcast
Yemen is a nation on the brink of collapse. Devastated by more than 5 years of civil war, the humanitarian situation in Yemen is dire. Economic volatility and conflict have stretched Yemenis' ability to cope to the breaking point, leaving millions deeply vulnerable and famine a real threat. In the first half of 2021, about 16 million people face acute levels of food insecurity, with a return of famine-like conditions for the first time in two years. Over 24 million people rely on humanitarian assistance to get by. According to the 2021 Global Report on Food Crises—an analysis of global food insecurity by 16 partners including the United Nations World Food Programme—conflict remains the leading driver of hunger globally, with about 99 million severely hungry people living across 23 conflict-affected countries. If adequately funded this year, the United Nations World Food Programme aims to provide emergency food assistance to about 13 million people as well as malnutrition treatment and prevention to 3.3 million children and mothers. Join our panelists for an inside view into Yemen's hunger crisis and how the U.N. World Food Programme is feeding and assisting Yemenis and working to build resilience. About the speakers Oscar-Winning Film Maker Skye Fitzgerald Skye Fitzgerald: Member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Documentary Branch). Oscar/Emmy/IDA-Nominated Director Skye Fitzgerald is directing The Humanitarian Trilogy: HUNGER WARD (2020) documents the impact of the war and famine in Yemen on children, families, and health care workers. LIFEBOAT (2018) highlights search and rescue operations off the coast of Libya and was nominated for an Academy Award® and national Emmy® award. 50 FEET FROM SYRIA (2015) focuses on doctors working on the Syrian border and was voted onto the Oscar® shortlist. Annabel Symington – WFP Yemen, Communications Officer Annabel Symington is a Communications & Media Officer for the UN World Food Programme (WFP) in Yemen, where she acts as spokesperson for the operation, the agency's largest in the world, and heads up the communications team. She joined WFP in January 2019, flying straight to Yemen to support the operation on site. Previously, Annabel was a foreign correspondent working for leading media organizations including The Times (UK), The Wall Street Journal, BBC, and The Economist, reporting from Pakistan, India, China, Brazil, and across West Africa. She worked for Agence France-Presse for five years, first as a News Editor from Hong Kong and then moving to Kathmandu as Nepal Bureau Chief. Annabel is a British citizen and her home is London, though she is usually on the road. Chase Sova - World Food Program USA, Senior Director, Public Policy and Tought Leadership Chase Sova has professional experience in the areas of climate change and agricultural development with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, International Center for Tropical Agriculture and the CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security. Focused on agriculture policy, Chase has worked in 15 developing countries across Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. He holds a Ph.D. in political ecology on climate change and agriculture from Oxford University. Moderated by President Emeritus Jim Falk . . Do you believe in the importance of international education and connections? The nonprofit World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth is supported by gifts from people like you, who share our passion for engaging in dialogue on global affairs and building bridges of understanding. While the Council is not currently charging admission for virtual events, we ask you to please consider making a one-time or recurring gift to help us keep the conversation going through informative public programs and targeted events for students and teachers. Donate: https://www.dfwworld.org/donate
HEAR THE HEADLINES – International Tea Day | Assam Forbids Tea Workers to Isolate at Home| Nepal's First Flush is Delayed | Kagoshima May Soon Outproduce Shizuoka| GUEST – Author Chitrita Banerji, a chronicler of food history and culture| NEWSMAKER – Eva Lee, founder of Tea Hawaii, a tea farm and wholesale venture in Volcano, Hawaii| FEATURES – Tea Biz this week travels to the slopes of the Kilauea Volcano where Tea Hawaii Founder Eva Lee describes the ongoing tea harvest as unusually wet and seven weeks later than normal …and then to Massachusetts to learn how a simple beverage transformed Indian culture.Uniquely Hawaiian TeaEva Lee pioneered modern tea cultivation in Hawaii, establishing with her husband, a tea garden and nursery in the town of Volcano. The farm supplied growers with hearty cultivars first introduced in 2000 by researchers at the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources. Hawaiian tea is grown on farms producing less than 100 kilos a year. Small amounts of premium tea are exported, but most is purchased by local restaurants and tourists. In this conversation, Lee describes how the “modest but very strong tea industry” adapted during a difficult year. - By Dan BoltonTea is Both Cultural and PersonalHumans readily adapt to new foods and drink, most with little affect “we make them our own by accepting them and enjoying them” says distinguished food and culture author Chitrita Banerji. But some are transformative: “It's interesting that a foreign drink brought in by a foreign colonial power became such an important thing. We don't think of tea as a foreign drink anymore,” she tells Aravinda Anantharaman during this International Tea Day interview. - By Aravinda Anantharaman
In this episode of The Small Print, Bronwyn is joined by public policy specialist Debisi Araba to discuss Africa’s prosperity prospects. They talk about the role of agriculture in determining the continent’s economic future, the difficulty of accessing global finance, the importance of collaboration — and competition — among African countries, the need to move beyond a subsistence mindset, the tradeoffs between sustainability and growth, increasing Africa’s bargaining power through AfCFTA, and why there is cause for optimism. --- Bronwyn Williams is a futurist, economist, trend analyst and host of The Small Print. Her day job as a partner at Flux Trends involves helping business leaders to use foresight to design the future they want to live and work in. You may have seen her talking about Transhumanism or Tikok on Carte Blanche, or heard her talking about trends on 702 or CNBC Africa where she is a regular expert commentator. When she's not talking to brands and businesses about the future, you will probably find her curled up somewhere with a (preferably paperback) book. She tweets at @bronwynwilliams. Twitter: https://twitter.com/bronwynwilliams Flux Trends: https://www.fluxtrends.com/future-flux/futurist-in-residence/ Website: https://whatthefuturenow.com/ --- Dr. Debisi Araba is a member of the Malabo Montpellier Panel, a group of international agriculture experts who guide policy choices that accelerate progress towards food security and improved nutrition in Africa. Previously, he was the Africa Region Director at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture. He has also served as a Senior Technical Adviser to the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development in Nigeria. Twitter: https://twitter.com/DebisiAraba Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/debisiaraba/ Malabo Montpellier Panel: https://www.mamopanel.org/ --- Follow us on Social Media: YouTube: https://bit.ly/2u46Mdy LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/discourse-za Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/discourseza/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/discourseza Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/discourseza/ Subscribe to the Discourse ZA Podcast: iTunes: https://apple.co/2V5ckEM Stitcher: https://bit.ly/2UILooX Spotify: https://spoti.fi/2vlBwaG RSS feed: https://bit.ly/2VwsTsy Intro Animation by Cath Theo - http://www.cuzimcath.co.za/
What lessons should companies take forward into the “next normal?” How can we meaningfully support and drive inclusion at all levels of an organization? Joyce Cacho, experienced board member at Sunrise Banks NA, the World Benchmarking Alliance, and the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, discusses the importance of inclusion in 2021 and beyond.
Alliance for Science Live - Biotechnology, Agriculture, Ecology and Critical Thinking
In late 2020, Nigeria released five new cassava varieties in Nigeria. Their names indicate their attributes for the farmer, cook or consumer: Game-Changer, Hope, Obasanjo-2, Baba-70 and Poundable. Join NextGen project leader Chiedozie Egesi and International Institute of Tropical Agriculture plant breeders Ismail Rabbi and Siraj Kayondo as they talk about these new varieties of cassava and their potential to improve food security and household incomes. Tessy Madu, a research scientist at the National Root Crops Research Institute, will address the gender-specific benefits of these new varieties.
In this podcast series, which features episodes in English and French, we want to explore the strategies that different countries are using to adapt to an increasingly volatile climate. In each episode – up until the run-up to the first-ever Climate Adaptation Summit in 2021 – one of our experts will talk to a guest about their projects and ideas to maximise the potential of climate adaptation. In our third episode, Paulina Bizzotto Molina, policy officer in ECDPM’s Sustainable food systems team, talks to Caroline Mwongera, Global Leader for Policies and Institutions for Climate Action at the Alliance of Biodiversity International and the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture, and a farming systems and climate change expert. The two discuss adaptation in food systems and how digital solutions can bridge the gap between science and farmers and the most vulnerable communities.
This episode was taped live in front of a virtual audience and featured four panelists discussing the intersection of climate and security in Colombia. The experts and policymakers featured in this conversation bring diverse backgrounds and perspectives on the links between climate variability and security in an historically conflict-prone country. This episode is part of a series of episodes examining the relationship between climate and security, produced in partnership with CGIAR, the world's largest global agricultural innovation network. Panelists include: Governor Luis Fernando Suarez, is acting governor of the Antioquia department, Former Secretary of Government during several periods and a key player in the efforts city and regional governments deployed since the 90’s to counter different waves of political and criminal violence in the Department. Angelika Rettberg, professor of Political Science at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia. She was part of the government delegation that tried to negotiate with the ELN, which is one of the older insurgent groups that has not signed a peace agreement with the government. Frank Pearl, former Minister of Environment of Colombia, the High Presidential Commissioner for Reintegration, and Senior Lead Peace negotiator during the peace talks between the Colombian Government and the FARC, which lead to the Peace agreement of 2016. He was also chief negotiator with the ELN Juan Lucas Restrepo, Director General of the Alliance between Bioversity International and the International Center for Tropical Agriculture with CGIAR
Dr Jarrod Kath from USQ’s Centre for Applied Climate Sciences is investigating a variety of coffee that supplies roughly 20-40 per cent of the world’s market. It was named robusta after it was thought to be extremely resilient. What he and his colleagues are finding, however, is that the bean is not as tough as first thought and may require a range of strategies to keep it growing in South East Asia, particularly in Vietnam where millions are dependent on it for income. Examining robusta coffee crops is the beginning of a research project titled ‘De Risk South East Asia’, which is being conducted in collaboration with the World Meteorological Organisation and the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture. The project will examine how a host of South East Asian agricultural crops, such as coffee, sugar and rice, are threatened by the effects of climate change. Once the effects have been investigated, “climate management systems” will be employed to try and attenuate the negative climatic effects on yields. Kath and his colleagues have already discovered that the optimal temperature for the robusta bean is 20.5 degrees Celsius, not between 22 and 28 degrees Celsius that had once been unquestioned. Also, Kath’s research is indicating that the overnight minimum temperature might be having more of an effect on the robusta yield, not daytime temperatures. In addition to these research findings, the project is exploring ways farmers can mitigate the effects of climate change through equipping farmers with more accurate weather knowledge (and thus knowing when to irrigate more) and mulching more during hotter periods. The idea of a genetically engineering a robusta bean that can tolerate higher temperatures has also been considered.
GES Colloquium - Tuesdays 12-1PM, Via Zoom, NC State University GES Mediasite - Video w/slides https://go.ncsu.edu/ges-mediasite More info at http://go.ncsu.edu/ges-colloquium | Twitter -https://twitter.com/GESCenterNCSU Demand for animal protein is projected to rise by 54% by 2050 (40% population increase, and 14% increase on per capita consumption). Given the current use of land and the pace of agriculture production, it will be extremely challenging to satisfy that demand with the traditional sources of animal protein, while achieving environmental sustainability. Animal production accounts for 15%-25% of global emissions depending on how we account the different components that support production. Overconsumption of animal protein (and fat) is in part responsible for the increase poor health and health risks worldwide. Replacing part of the demand for animal protein by plant-based protein foods has the potential to reduce the pressure on land resources, as well as greenhouse gas emissions, while improving human nutrition and health. The PBP market is growing by double digits every year, and is expected to reach $90 billion in 2030 from $ 5 billion in 2017. Several animal protein producers have recognize the potential of PBP and they are rapidly developing the PBP divisions. While PBP are gaining presence across the country, products are still quite expensive, putting them out of reach for a vast proportion of the population who would benefit from them. North Carolina is one of the top States in animal protein production, leading the turkey meat and pork production. It can also become a leader in the PBP market if the appropriate research support helps the industry establish and develop. The State is also well located to supply the demand for PBP to the large proportion of people living in the East Coast. We will take a look at the continuum of potential protein production markets and the significance of each technology in terms of sustainability, nutritional health, consumer acceptability, and the implications for future research at institutions like NCSU. Speaker Bio Dr. Carlos Iglesias grew up in a small farming community in SW Uruguay, getting his BSc at the University of Uruguay. He got his MSc and PhD in Plant Breeding at Iowa State University. Later in his career he got a MSc in Ag Econ from Purdue University and a MBA in Food and Agribusiness from Indiana University. Carlos has experience in the public (University of Uruguay, and International Center for Tropical Agriculture in Colombia) and private sectors (Weaver Popcorn and Syngenta). He has directly worked or managed programs in different species (corn, cassava, popcorn, wheat); and has experience in more developed agriculture production systems (North America, Brazil/Argentina), as well as production in less developed regions of the world (Sub-Saharan Africa). He is the creator of several varieties and hybrids still being grown, and his major focus has been in linking plant breeding to high value markets. Recently at Syngenta he was managing the NA Wheat Business Unit, a self-sustain unit supported by royalties from the seed business ($16 M in royalties in 2019). LINKS NC State Plant Breeding Consortium - http://plantbreedingconsortium.ncsu.edu/ SYNTHESIS REPORT: Creating a Sustainable Food Future: A Menu of Solutions to Feed Nearly 10 Billion People by 2050, World Resources Institute - https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/creating-sustainable-food-future_2.pdf Find out more at https://ges-center-lectures-ncsu.pinecast.co
Welcome to the first podcast from the Adelante Initiative, dedicated to creating safe and productive work practices in the sugarcane industry. Hear partner organisations discuss its structure, aims and progress. Featuring La Isla Network’s Jason Glaser, Denis Chavarria from Ingenio San Antonio sugar mill, Nicaragua, Mario Amador from the Nicaraguan Sugar Producers Association and Joe Woodruff from Bonsucro. Host: Ian Welsh
Oyindamola Asaaju has 4 years of progressive experience in the agricultural business industry. She holds a bachelor's degree in home science and management from the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta and also a Masters in Business Administration. She worked with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) youth in the Agribusiness office as Team lead where she coordinated all activities from production to processing to capacity building. She now serves as Founder and CEO of Farm Republic, an Agribusiness Startup based in Lagos established in 2018 with the aim of creating market solutions for farmers using technology. Below is the summary of the interview Cashing Out As A Farmer with Oyindamola Asaaju While recalling childhood memories she spoke about her plans to become a nutritionist at a time but this was not possible leading to her studying home science and management. She shared her passion for kids in rural communities lacking social amenities and how she had been able to support people in such cases. She recounted that her love for Agriculture had started while working at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture where she saw that there were many opportunities in the Agricultural space. Seeing this she began by meeting with people doing well in the field and in other African countries after which she became inspired. Now she manages farms for people and deals with crops and livestock farming. She revealed that if one is to be a farmer they need to be informed on what to plant, when to plant and how to plan. She said it was important if one is to produce according to the market demands and avoid wastage while reiterating that market information was very important for farmers. She said it was also important for farmers to understand that agriculture is more than a hobby as it is a business with different areas to it. She said that before going into agriculture one needs to study their environment. Beyond having a piece of land or an idea of farming one needs to know how it is set up. She maintained that farming was a very lucrative business if one had the right technical expertise. She spoke on the common challenges farmers face like lack of market information, bad roads that make it difficult to move their produce as well as a big gap in storage facilities. For farmers who are just getting to start their business she advised against taking loans but they should instead start with what is available. This she said was not advisable, as most banks would shy away because of the risk involved and so she was of the opinion that farmers should have insurance instead of taking loans. With respect to climate changes, she advised farmers to begin to look at irrigation systems, as the rains were not predictable anymore. She shared her tip on managing losses saying that farmers could look into processing their produce and when they are not able to sell their cassava, for example, they could process it into garri or fufu. To people looking to go into farming, she advised that they have to first know the aspect of agriculture they would venture into and then they can begin to look out for experts in that area. Speaking on innovations made possible with technology she cited successes in genetics technology which speeds up the growth of cocoa seedlings from 4-5 years to 18- 24 months. She also mentioned the innovation of soil-less farming which allows crops to be grown in the air this she said has helped to minimize farming space.
Hear how Maria Gallo and her team took an innovative approach that paid off, big time! Dr. Maria Gallo is a very special interviewee for our podcast. She is president of Delaware Valley University—DelVal to many of us—in Bucks County, PA, north of Philadelphia. For much of 2018, we worked with DelVal on their Blue Ocean Strategy and are thrilled at the terrific successes they're seeing. Realizing that the demographics of students is changing, fast, Maria and her team knew DelVal needed a new strategy. What did they do? They set about finding their Blue Ocean Strategy and innovatively fulfilling today's students' unmet needs. Is it working? Like gangbusters. Take a listen. Might the lessons learned apply to your organization or business? DelVal: Seeing opportunities with fresh eyes, then capitalizing on them We began working with Dr. Gallo a short while after she became president of Delaware Valley University in Doylestown, PA. Our first task was to help her and her team identify the unmet needs of their current students, as well as the needs of nonusers (potential students) who could be attending DelVal but weren't. Next, we brainstormed about how to fulfill these unmet needs in proactive, innovative ways. This was very exciting to watch because it's what Blue Ocean Strategy is all about: creating a new market space, then building demand for your solutions to that new market's needs, not focusing on what your competition is doing. As a result of our work together and a university-wide effort on DelVal's part, there has been change. DelVal's curriculum is now heavily grounded in experiential learning, and every student completes the Experience360 Program, which may involve opportunities such as internships, research, study abroad and more. Currently, more than 93% of graduates have a job or a place in graduate school when he or she leaves the university. Moreover, those graduates' employers rave about their attitudes and their aptitudes. And there's more (a lot more). Under Dr. Gallo's leadership, DelVal announced its first endowed professorship, launched a new graduate program in criminal justice, increased its international student enrollment, and invested in hydroponics and aquaponics education. In addition, the university has hosted numerous nationally-renowned speakers, including CNN's Brian Stelter and NPR's David Folkenflik, added its first student member to the Board of Trustees, initiated new partnerships with Longwood Gardens and W. Atlee Burpee & Co, and sent more than 100 students to the LeaderShape Institute, one of the premier leadership development programs for college students in the US. Plus, DelVal’s Experience360 Program was named the 2019 Outstanding Experiential Education Program of the year by the National Society for Experiential Education, and its animal science programs are among the top 20 in the country. Now that's an innovative approach to growth! That's a Blue Ocean Strategy! Background on Dr. Gallo On July 1, 2016, Dr. Maria Gallo became the 13th president of Delaware Valley University. A plant molecular biologist specializing in crop improvement, she has authored 81 refereed journal articles and nine book chapters. She is also a Fulbright Scholar and Fellow of both the American Society of Agronomy and the Crop Science Society of America. Prior to coming to DelVal, Dr. Gallo served as dean and director for research and cooperative extension at the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa in the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (CTAHR). As dean of CTAHR, she also served as chief executive officer and worked with the Advisory Council, faculty, staff and stakeholders to create the strategic vision for the College. As CTAHR's administrative head, she was in charge of all faculty members, administrative officers and other employees statewide. And as CTAHR's chief academic, research and extension officer, she provided the vision and leadership for the College’s six interdisciplinary academic departments, four county offices and numerous research and extension facilities on 1,554 acres across Hawai`i. Prior to joining the University of Hawai`i at Mānoa, Dr. Gallo served as professor and chair of the agronomy department at the University of Florida where she led a productive teaching and research program. Dr. Gallo currently serves on the American Council on Education's Women's Network Executive Council, the Pearl S. Buck International Board, the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce's board of directors, and the Bucks County Workforce Development Board. A native New Yorker, she earned her B.S. in agronomy from Cornell University, and both her M.S. in crop science and Ph.D. in genetics from North Carolina State University. 6 blogs and podcasts on higher education and Blue Ocean Strategy you might enjoy: Who Are the Successful Innovators in Higher Education? Blue Ocean Strategy Can Really Work for Higher Education What Higher Ed Needs is a More Powerful, Blue Ocean Strategy Higher Education: Ready for Inbound Marketing? Rob Westervelt—Thinking Forward for Higher Education Seeing, Feeling and Thinking About Colleges In A Whole New Way With Ken Hoyt Additional resources: Delaware Valley University My book: "On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights" Our website: Simon Associates Management Consultants Download the 1-page synopsis of my book, "On the Brink: A Fresh Lens to Take Your Business to New Heights" here Want to be featured on an upcoming Podcast episode? Tell us more about you and you too can be on the brink of "soaring!"
Welcome to the Monday Climate Change interview with Scott Amyx. Today, I’m joined by Dr. Ngonidzashe Chirinda, a climate change scientist at the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture in Colombia. He is a lead author for the 2019 Refinement to the 2006 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories. His current research is on developing and evaluating feasible climate change mitigation options in agriculture. During the past 15 years, he has worked in Africa, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean. He is originally from Zimbabwe.
Much of the conversation about global warming and climate change focuses on the Earth’s poles and the areas outside the tropics. We understand that ice caps and glaciers are melting. However, it is urgent that we understand the effects of global warming in the tropics in general, and at the equator in particular. Normal temperature ranges in the tropics fall within a narrower range than those outside them, so any change will have more significant effects. We’re joined by Jessica Mukiri, an Environmental Modeler at the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture, to discuss global warming at the equator, with a focus on Kenya. Which human activities make us more vulnerable to climate change? What are its effects in this region? And, how can we mitigate it? Press play to find out! Resources Effects of global warming Special Report: Global Warming of 1.5 ºC Climate Change: Why the Tropical Poor Will Suffer Most Why Africa is particularly vulnerable to climate change Vulnerability to Climate Change in Africa: Challenges and Recommendations for Africa Africa is particularly vulnerable to the expected impacts of global warming Global warming: Why Kenya is among countries at crossroads Climate Risks, Vulnerability and Governance in Kenya: A review Modeling Kenya's Vulnerability to Climate Change – A Multifactor Approach Climate change making storms like Idai more severe, say experts Cyclone Idai reveals the fundamental injustice at the heart of climate change Analysis of Climate Change and Variability Risks in the Smallholder Sector Climate Change and Health in Africa: Issues and Options Climate Change Deadly Health Risk and Global Health Opportunity – Lancet Commission Climate drivers of vector-borne diseases in Africa and their relevance to control programmes Climate change and population health in Africa: where are the scientists? Herders: Why we invade Laikipia ranches Are Kenya ranch invasions driven by drought or politics? Rapid Range Shifts of Species Associated with High Levels of Climate Warming Climate change could force huge migrations for people and animals living near the equator Global warming, elevational ranges and the vulnerability of tropical biota Migration and Climate Change UN compact recognizes climate change as driver of migration for first time Study finds that global warming exacerbates refugee crises Seeds of war: Global warming helped trigger Syria's bloody civil war Climate change and the Syrian civil war revisited Making the Links: Refugees, Climate Change, and Poverty Who takes responsibility for the climate refugees? Climate Justice for a Changing Planet: A Primer for Policy Makers and NGOs Image Credit: Ventures Africa
Hosted by Ryan Slabaugh This episode is a bit unique from the others, which are usually done in the comforts of my office back in Greeley, Colorado. For most recordings, it’s me, a microphone, an interview guest and my dog snoring in the corner. If you need the full picture, I even prop a sign up in my windowed door that says, “On Air.” But that’s really just for me – it makes me feel official. But so does this scene where I am today. Today, we are broadcasting from Belize, specifically, Belmopan, Belize, at the inaugural Tropical Agriculture Festival. We first met one of the organizers, Beth Roberson, a Belizian farmer, in Columbus, Ohio, last year during our annual conference. Beth left inspired to start her own educational conference down here, picked our brains a bit, and recruited some of our speakers and former Tractor Time guests like regenerative poultry specialist Reginaldo Haslett-Marroquin and Regeneration International’s André Leu, among others. Let me set the stage a bit. Belize is a small country of about 350,000 people, just south of Mexico and east of Guatemala. It’s known for having the second largest reef in the world off its coast, and for being an English colony until the early 1980s. The country, very proud of its freedom, is still finding its feet. The Guatemalan president threatens them with invasion, and England still has a small standing army there as a reminder to their neighbors. Belmopan is a small town of a few thousand, and wears a few scars. The main roads are paved, but most are not, but a fountain roundabout greets visitors on the Western Highway. A bar-restaurant called “Cheers” greets guests as they arrive into town before a roundabout — I met the owner, and she told me she also runs a “small” farm behind it that includes horses, sheep, cattle, goats and chickens, and yes, she composts from the restaurant. On the other side of the highway, the entrance to a national park. Inside the town, a large agriculture grounds with stages, test gardens and plenty of native trees. This is where the festival was held this week. The event started with the national anthem, sung by an 8-year-old local schoolgirl. It’s clear from the anthem what the country does not want — tyrants and colonizers. And it’s clear that they want to be a free country, although they are still grappling with which economy will drive its future. The tourism economy, which favors hotels and airports and large ports, or a more local economy, where manufacturing, agriculture and other jobs will fill the gap. Agriculture, though, will have some part. It has to. Or at least, it’d be silly not to. Pineapples, mangoes, bananas, jackfruits, etc. From any city, it doesn’t take long to be in the country, where anyone would be taken in by the variety of flora, fauna and wildlife, which range from toucans to jaguars to crocodiles. Our first hour in the country, as we pulled into our hotel, the sounds of howler monkeys greeted us. (You’ll have to listen to the podcast for the full effect.) The next day, the conference began. We heard a resounding call to action from Ronnie Cummins, on the board with Regeneration International, which was followed by two days of educational speeches on five different stages, ranging from permaculture to seed saving to agritourism. All were rooted in how Belize can transform its agriculture into one of the world’s best. And no matter what, you have to give something to a country that starts its weekends on Thursday nights. Here’s what clips you can find on the podcast. Also, you’ll hear some thumping in the background, and truck noise. I apologize for that recording issue – (I wasn’t counting on so much foot stomping on stage when I set up the microphone, nor could I do much about the nearby highway traffic.) Ronnie Cummins, Board Member of Regeneration International Here’s that talk from Ronnie that opened up the conference. It’s about 16 minutes, and full of fire and fury. Taylor Walker, Biodiverse Systems Designer Next, a highlight I recorded from Taylor Walker. A jack-of-all trades who designs gardens and permaculture environments, including Naples Botanical Gardens, Inland ecology Research Group, Sanibel Sea School and others. In Belize, he is managing Tropical Agro-Forestry farms. I’ll play a few minutes of his talk, as he walks about 50-60 people in his class through specific plants that grow well in Belize, like bread fruit. Christopher Nesbitt, Regenerative Agriculturist Christopher Nesbitt, a regenerative agriculturist, has spent 30 years restoring a piece of damaged land in the Maya foothills. His land is now filled with more than 500 species of plants, all of which are harvestable. His talk was about his work. Here’s just a piece about that biodiversity. Santiago Juan, Agritourism in Belize Santiago Juan, born and raised in Cayo District Belize, owns and operates a resort farm in the country. He spoke about agritourism, and how Belize can use its organic lands, pristine wilderness, and local food production to create a unique, authentic experience. One side note: his talk was not without some controversy, as some Belizian farmers weren’t too sure they wanted hoards of camera-toting Westerners posing with their pigs. But alas, the discussion assuaged some fears, and again showed what is to be gained, or lost, in such a wonderful country, one that is still building itself into an autonomous, self-sustained citizen of the world. (And sorry for the popping on this audio. It was lunch time, and the nearby passing trucks’s jake brakes kept blowing out the microphone.) That’s it — and a few rambles from me. Thanks for reading and listening. Find the Tractor Time podcast in the iTunes store, or at www.acresusa.com, or at ecofarmingdaily.com. It’s a bunch of other places too. Thanks for helping grow our food – have a great week.
There have been various warnings of a global food crisis for almost 10 years. In fact, many believe that by 2050, worldwide production of food will have to increase by 70 percent. However, one expert feels that is not accurate, and that the food crisis could arrive as soon as 2027. Guest: Sara Menker, founder and CEO of Gro Intelligence, a company that pulls and consolidates data from around the world as it pertains to agriculture. She is also a trustee of the Mandela Institute for Development Studies and a trustee of the International Center for Tropical Agriculture. Perspective is a weekly public affairs program hosted by Richard Baker, communications professor at Kansas State University. Perspective has been continuously produced for radio stations across the nation by K-State for well over six decades. The program has included interviews with dignitaries, authors and thought leaders from around the world. Send comments, questions or requests for copies of past programs to ksrenews@ksu.edu. K‑State Research and Extension is a short name for the Kansas State University Agricultural Experiment Station and Cooperative Extension Service, a program designed to generate and distribute useful knowledge for the well‑being of Kansans. Supported by county, state, federal and private funds, the program has county Extension offices, experiment fields, area Extension offices and regional research centers statewide. Its headquarters is on the K‑State campus in Manhattan.
Winston Churchill said, "Mountaintops inspire leaders, but valleys mature them."Men and women discover themselves during their days in the valley. Those Valley experiences prepare them for the mountaintop. However, the key to successfully move through the valley is personal leadership. Sadly, when some people hear about personal leadership, they think about perfection.Personal leadership is never on the premise that you are a perfect being. The basic ideology is that your are to take responsibility for your life outcomes.It has never been an issue of acting perfect. It's recognizing that you are on a journey. And the end of the journey is greatly dependent on the decisions you take per time.It's on this note that I bring to you Lead Your Life Series.If you follow me on any of my social media channels, you would have seen me share about "Lead Your Life Series."It's a special edition of Lead Your Life Podcast. We would be sharing real life experiences of how personal struggles and seeming setbacks were turned into phenomenal stories of hope and grace.You won't be hearing my voice. I would feature different people from different works of life. Basically, I hope to inspire and empower you to begin or continue taking responsibility for your own life outcomes as you aspire to live a life of impact and fulfillment.Today, we launch Lead Your Life Series with the first episode. I have a phenomenal lady this week. About Chineze Oluwasina Chineze Oluwasina (fondly called Chichi) is a young and passionate strategist with core competence in team building and organizational structure. Chichi was born in Ibadan, Nigeria on the 24th of October. She graduated from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife with a Bachelor of Science (Agriculture) and currently rounding off her Masters Degree in Agronomy from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Chichi believes in given herself over to continuous learning, thus she has a diploma in Social Work and strategic management from the Open Training Institute. Chichi is currently involved in community development and agricultural research. She is a sought after facilitator for several profit and non- profit organizations with focus on team building, project management, leadership and communication skills. Her agricultural research aims at helping community farmers have access to improved cassava varieties. She is a Research Fellow at the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture. She was nominated to attend the Global Leadership Submit 2016 in Indonesia and the One Young World Submit 2016 in Ottawa. She obtained a MasterCard scholarship to learn Foundations for Entrepreneurial Leadership at the African Leadership Academy, Johannesburg. She is currently a cohort-2 participant of the Young African Leaders Initiative, Regional Leadership Centre, Accra, Lagos Campus. She has just been nominated as the International Coordinator for Consortium of Young African Civil Society Organizations. Her passion to see inner city girls rise above every prejudice associated with her background and gender, Chichi founded GIRL Afrique, a budding organization aimed at helping inner city girls harness their potentials by equipping them with relevant skills to make informed decisions. She enjoys facilitating, playing lawn tennis and swimming. She is happily married to her campus sweetheart who is also in the development sector. Chichi would be telling us about her struggles, What were her redefining moments, the two most important steps she took differently, what were the aftermath, and what lessons she would like you to take away from her story. Enjoy! * *Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 12:50 — 18.8MB) You can also listen on: iTunes | Android | Email | RSS Be SocialPlease share the love by sharing this post across your Facebook, Twitter and other social channels. What can you make of Chi Chi's story? Is there any part that you can relate with?
Dr. Jonathan Lynch is a Professor of Plant Nutrition at Pennsylvania State University. He received his Masters and PhD in Plant Physiology from the University of California, Davis and completed his postdoctoral training at UC Davis as well. Jonathan worked as a Senior Staff Researcher at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture before joining the faculty at Penn State. Jonathan has received many awards and honors during his career. He was named a Distinguished Professor by the Mexican Academy of Science and is a Fellow of the Crop Science Society of America. He has also received the Alex and Jessie C. Black Award for Excellence in Agricultural Research, the Howard P. Taylor lectureship in root biology research, the China Friendship Award (the highest recognition awarded foreigners by the government of China), and the Excellent Educational Work Prize from Guangdong Province in China. Jonathan is here with us today to tell us about his journey through life and science.
Clare Sullivan of Feedback Farms is currently the Environmental Coordinator of the Millennium Village project in the Tropical Agriculture and rural Environment Program of Columbia University. Before that she worked in a variety of capacities in the food service industry – running a collective bakery in St. Louis, working as a pastry chef in New York and doing agricultural research at the International Potato Center in Lima, Peru. Clare is also a serial crew leader for the Student Conservation Association and has served on it’s advisory board. She has M.A. in International Affairs with a focus on Environmental Policy from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a B.A. in Political Science from Washington University in St. Louis. Thanks to our sponsor, Heritage Foods USA. “That’s the neat thing about urban gardens- there’s so many intersections with the communities that surround them.” [6:00] — Clare Sullivan on Greenhorn Radio
University of Hawaii at Manoa art art students are among the first to create products testing the market for young koa wood. This project was a collaboration between the university's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources and the Department of Art. Read the full story at the University of Hawaii news site at http://www.hawaii.edu/news/2012/12/10/young-koa-wood/
Elementary school children participated in a University of Hawaii at Manoa outreach event called Gene-ius Day. The event was created by Ania Wieczorek director of College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources’ Biotechnology Outreach Program. More than 5,000 students have taken part in the program’s engaging, hands-on activities on topics such as human and plant genetic traits, forensic science, agriculture, insects and DNA research. Read the full story on the University of Hawaii's news site at http://www.hawaii.edu/news/2012/12/04/future-scientists-inspired-by-gene-ius-day/
The University of Hawaii at Manoa's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources and its project partners were awarded a four-year $6 million grant to increase Hawaii's energy security by creating locally produced renewable energy.The project is examining the use of fast-growing tropical grasses for biofuel production.
Pedro Sanchez is a soil scientist, Director of the Tropical Agriculture and Rural Environment Program, and Director of the Millennium Villages Project at the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Dr. Sanchez was elected into the National Academy of Sciences in 2012.TranscriptSpeaker 1: Spectrum's next [inaudible] look at this picture and typology show on k a l s Berkeley, a biweekly 30 minute program bringing you interviews featuring bay area scientists [00:00:30] and technologists as well as a calendar of local events and news. Speaker 2: Good afternoon. My name is Brad Swift. This week on spectrum. Our guest is Professor Pedro Sanchez, a soil scientist who is director of the tropical agriculture and the rural environment program. Senior research scholar and the director of the Millennium Villages Project at the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Dr. Sanchez was director general of the World Agroforestry Center headquartered [00:01:00] in Nairobi, Kenya from 1991 to 2001 and served as co-chair of the UN Millennium Project Hunger Task Force. He is also professor Ameritus of Soil Science and forestry at North Carolina State University and was a visiting professor at the University of California Berkeley. Dr Pedro Sanchez was elected into the National Academy of Sciences in 2012 in late April, 2012 Dr. Sanchez presented the [inaudible] any memorial lecture at the invitation of the UC Berkeley College of natural [00:01:30] resources. Prior to that lecture, Professor Sanchez talked with me about his life and work. Welcome to spectrum Pedro Sanchez. Thank you very much. Want to ask about how you initially got interested in soil science? Speaker 3: Oh boy. Well it goes way back. I'm from Cuba. My dad own a fairly small farm and I always liked to play with dirt. Still I'm [00:02:00] and getting paid for it. But during those days it was just playing. I always liked the, when I took a shower after being out all day to see, uh, to see the drain turn red with all the red mud. And uh, my dad, uh, wanted me to follow his steps, uh, with a farm fertilizer business he had in Cuba when he said he would send me to Cornell because uh, he had gone there and I said, fine. That was all fine with me. I started studying agronomy. [00:02:30] Ah, yeah, I'm majoring in soils. And then I changed hearing seminars from outside people, but that time telling us that Indian with 200 million people, what it's going to start on, this will be a global catastrophe. Oh. I said, well, this will be something I could dedicate my life with and I had been lucky enough to to say that I've done it. Yeah, I've dedicated my life to this. Speaker 2: How did your work, tropical agriculture Speaker 3: [00:03:00] and rural environment issues evolve? The hope was first my interest in tropical soils, not Doyle's in general, but tropical soils. Then the opportunities at Cornell offered me to go to the Philippines. I get my phd degree there. Then out of there I learned about the green revolution and I worked at my first international center, the international rice research and CCU, and from there arm became a assistant professor at North Carolina State [00:03:30] University, the first professor of tropical soil Sekai because they wanted to start a discipline on that. Send me to Peru and work on the green revolution of rice and brew and then afterwards into campus and start teaching tropical soils. You get research money and and right. The first edition of my book. Speaker 2: How do you describe and characterize world hunger and then rural poverty? How are they different? How are they similar overlap? Speaker 3: [00:04:00] They usually are the same person who suffers hunger. It's almost invariably poor. They're both rural and urban. All of the majority of the poor are, are indeed in rural areas of the world still Speaker 2: because it's only recently that the 50% of people now live in cities and that's mostly in the developed world. Speaker 3: No, and in Latin America is 75% [00:04:30] urban. Uh, a Shar is about the same sub Saharan Africa is the only large piece of land in the world where the majority of the people are still rural, about 70% but in the next 20 years they're probably going to be 50, 50 or less. Rural to urban migration continues. Cities get incredibly huge Speaker 2: hunger I guess then for you is caloric intake. Speaker 3: [00:05:00] Okay. Uh, there is a, there is a metric that it's approved by the United Nations on hunger and that is stumping Charles stunting, stunting being been short in height for your age and below a certain level you're considered stunted. That is a product of, of hunger and disease and on all sorts of things. What is the best metric we'd have for measuring hunger [00:05:30] is in children. So that's, that's the best metric. There are many other ones that can related to the amount of food you consume in terms of calories, broken vitamins and micronutrients and the amount of food you're able to, you're able to acquire by money, by buying food like most of us do, and then the utilization of food within your body. That also, that also has some same important variables. I should have. You have sites since [inaudible] and so on. [00:06:00] To me, however, hunger is the state of mind is the state of, not that I really been hungry for very long, I've been very lucky, but it's a state of powerlessness. When you're hungry, nothing else matters. You really have to satisfy that hunger and it's our survival instinct. For example, you cannot possibly think about the environment when you're hungry, so it's a mindset. That [00:06:30] brings us back to our most basic instance. Speaker 4: Today's guest on spectrum is Pedro Sanchez, director of the Millennium Villages Project at the Earth Institute. You are listening to KALX Berkeley. Speaker 3: You've been involved in the United Nations Millennium Village project. Your key part of that, [00:07:00] and can you give us an overview of that project? It's an ongoing project, isn't it? Yeah, it is an ongoing project. I'm not bashful. It was my idea. And that is after finishing all of this recommendations on the UN Millennium Development Goals, my committee working with hunger and similar committees, working on health in sanitation and the environment and poverty and and so on. I was in India, I've seen some model, uh, or they call, uh, bio abilities [00:07:30] of my co-chair, professors forming Athan. And I said to myself, why don't we do this in Africa where the situation is much worse, but how can we help in impoverish villages achieve all the millennium development goals, not only over the whole thing. So I'm talking with my wife and at that time we had received some price money. We had quarter of a million dollars we could invest. Speaker 3: So we decided to let's go invest that money and try to do [00:08:00] it in a village in western Kenya. That will be both working. But when I went to see my director, Professor Jeffrey Sachs, he says, oh no, this is such a great idea. You're not going to do it with your money. We're going to raise lots of money and do it again. He did it within four or five months. We had about a hundred billion dollars in our coffers, so to speak, mostly from private philanthropists. And then we started conceiving. Then that brought me, the program says, okay, let's look for villages of about 5,000 people. [00:08:30] English, they're more than 20% malnourished kids under the age of five. Again, that famous metric on stunting that was, and the people that are making less than a dollar a day, very hard to quantify. So we started one in western Kenya [inaudible] and then as more funds came out, I know they winter in northern Ethiopia. Speaker 3: Oh, Colorado. And within a year and a half or so, we had 80 such feels clustered [00:09:00] and uh, around the 14 sites in 10 African countries, each of them representing a major agricultural zone or farming system where hunger is coming. In other words, who didn't have any, in South Africa, for example, the villages were selected by us. We always have to go basically to the head of states, a precedent or prime minister and ask for permission. But we would make sure that they wouldn't say, well, you have to do, listen, Mike Rich and some tribe didn't succeed. [00:09:30] Basically the way it started as a bunch of us from different disciplines, people working in health, people working infrastructure, water and sanitation and so on. We went to the village how to village meeting and there was some government people who represented different than we asking, well, do you want to become a millennium villages? Speaker 3: You're going to have to work very hard because we're not going to give you any money. We're going to do is help you out with things that you don't have in kind and get a lot of training on many things and [00:10:00] you're going to be asking a zillion questions with the questionnaires that we do. So that was the deal. And then the priorities were selected working with committees of the villagers and specialists from our side on the university site balance the knowledge that the villagers had gotten by themselves with scientific, scientifically grounded idea. So the villages basically said, well, we need [00:10:30] inputs for agriculture because the yields were very low. Said, what are you needs? Well, we use better seats, hybrids, seats, and so on and we need fertilizer. Well, we agreed with that. The other thing they asked right away, in addition to agricultural inputs to grow more food was a clinic. Speaker 3: And we said, okay, but let's get the plants from the Ministry of Health. So it's a proper government clinic. You guys build it, [00:11:00] you guys make the bricks and do all the things they know how to do and we'll provide you with a, with cement, with 10 roof, iron doors and the things I couldn't buy but not a, not a dollar or any shilling change hands. And they did that on their very problem. They did that for schools and even for warehouses later using the same principle that they do most of the work and we come in and provide the necessary things like cement [00:11:30] or whatever. And that's been the rule in pretty much in all the abilities with very, very few exceptions. Nice thing about that. They said they own it, they own it. They have a sense of ownership, they take care of it. And it's very different than if the government or some NGO or some foundation bill such things and gave him the keys to it. Are they in some way cooperatives? You're surely I ended up vigil in the villages, donates the land [00:12:00] for the clinic to be built then, I don't know the ownership, but in most cases basically the clinic is part of the Minister of health and the case of fertilizers and seed. No. Speaker 2: Well and then warehouses and things like that. Speaker 3: Yeah. Warehouses on all ladders. Uh, there, there's a, there, there it's usually built on a place that is donated by a member of the community walk that line. Speaker 2: So there's a certain collective spirit. Speaker 3: Oh, very much so. I mean every farmer farms his or her piece of land [00:12:30] like blank, they harvest, they sell it, share information, all of that share a lot of information. And right now that basic learning development goal has been achieved. They're getting more into different kinds of cooperatives and they band together to sell specific high value products such as milk or tomatoes or things like that. In most cases that are already registered as formal cooperatives. I mean means they can get a line of credit from the banks. They're [00:13:00] going through the process. Now we're going from a subsidize based economy, not only to getting into irregular financial arrangements wholesale. We on other institutions stuff work with banks to convince them to lend to these people. They say they have no collateral. It's true, uh, an institution, uh, Agora, which just starts for the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa, broke ground by promising, not making a deal with it, with one of the banks and the credit guarantees they would refund [00:13:30] the bank 50% of whatever they are, who is, who? People not paying their loans out of hundreds of millions of dollars. And it has happened to have had to pay $4,000 the recovery rate of their loans from this people who have no collateral. It's the same as other people. And now banks now are beginning to look at agriculture, small holder agriculture, the bottom billion, so to speak, as SMH or source. Speaker 4: This is spectrum [00:14:00] KALX Berkeley. I'm talking with Professor Pedro Sanchez about hunger and agriculture in light of a global population of nine to 10 billion people by 2050 Speaker 2: and so does this project then in some ways answer the the critics of aid to developing nations that has failed for so long, decade after decade of just dumping money on countries as opposed to this kind of an integrated project [00:14:30] that you've, Speaker 3: well first, yeah, first let me say that this, this idea that all this money has been wasted is incorrect. I mean there are certainly a lot of wastage, but certainly not. When I started working, and it was like 40 years ago, and by that time countries like Mexico and Brazil and Korea were receiving aid and most of that America now there's no more aid and now they're our best customers in terms of and by [00:15:00] an American experts. So it has worked. The fact that that India is no longer starving, but India, so foot exporter has worked and not all the credit is, is to serve by the aid that donors select the United States gift, but also by their own resources and their own loan and work. But no aid has worked and it has worked then. Yeah, no, ideally and very subject to criticism. But by and large, I think eight in general in broad terms has work specifically [00:15:30] not Speaker 2: do you think there's an attainable rebalancing of agricultural incentives and markets in the developed world and in the developing world that would, uh, work to, you know, accommodate nine to 10 billion people in the world? Speaker 3: Well, first let me say that in either case, developed or undeveloped, there's no such a thing as a, I see ideal market or the perfect market, which my economist friends say, well, this, [00:16:00] oh, you mean you're subsidizing fertilizer? Well, that's sort of distorting the market for fertilizers. And I said, what markets one market are you talking about? It doesn't exist. Uh, I don't believe in perfect markets because I've never seen one. I'm not an economist, but mine are in economics, so knows a little bit about them and they're very distorted by, by subsidies. We subsidize very many rich farmers here who are really starting to the point of the ridiculous. The question [00:16:30] is, are we going to be able to feed 9 billion people by 2050 I would say probably yes. And a, the bigger actors there are going to be South America and Africa to be able to feed themselves. Yes. Unexplored food. Yes. The land resources are there. Of course all this has to do with politics. Nobody can predict what the politics over their specific country going to be. Right. Speaker 2: Like the molecular, like Molly, Speaker 3: Molly or reflect who's going to work [00:17:00] here. Yeah. So, uh, so I mean all this food is political presidents get reelected because it was a successful food programs in Africa, but uh, that it's perfectly feasible. It is. I don't know how much, what's your question about that? Speaker 2: And right now the percentage of land dedicated to agricultural activities, about 12%. Speaker 3: Yeah. And if you include pastures for a cow [00:17:30] production and so on, it's about 30% of the world's land area Speaker 2: and do you see that number? Being able to go up Speaker 3: little bit, maybe one or two percentage points, maybe one percentage points, but no more than that. But there will be an elements and South America on an that will be in opening new Lorenz lands that are not ecologically critical. Tropical rain forest. There's white lines or stuff like that that are [00:18:00] environmental protected. No Way. And there is additional land that can be used, but the main, the main effort is to increase the yields per acre of the land already been used and the best ways to do that in a going forward, sustainable way. What do you feel about that? You need improved plants and you need a balanced set of inputs and not too many and not too few. The genetically modified plants [00:18:30] are, in my opinion, fine. They've gotten a very bad rap, tumbled them or ecologically extremely sound like a bt corn and bt cotton. Speaker 3: They have a genes from a [inaudible] that when the insects bite and trying to suck the SAP or something, they get killed, stuck said to them so that only kill the bad bugs and lose all the other books who have no interested in getting involved with uh, with a corn crop fine as opposed to having insecticides that would kill [00:19:00] all insects. So, uh, there are a lot of good things in genetic modification anyway. We are all genetically modified organisms. We certainly are all of us and has been done by nature by, by random, but it's so much different if you do it in a, in a lab. Conceptually it's the same thing or very clear evidence study of the National Academy of Science August last year and Europe, two big studies, one in the UK and one in Switzerland and they all show [00:19:30] the same thing, that there is no harm done to the environment and to human health where the use of GMOs that have been released. Speaker 3: Then this is basically no different from the development of hybrid corn, which wasn't genetically modified in the sense of transporting one gene from one place to another one, but it was genetically modified by combining plants that would combine their own genes. So, um, we need plants that produce a lot, that have deep roots, that are told them to diseases [00:20:00] and insects and more tolerant to drought and floods because of climate change. You need better plants. And uh, without them we'd be nowhere. And the issue of inputs, agriculture is different from natural systems. Agriculture takes a tremendous amount of nutrients and energy and everything out of the system and it's not returned back and something has to be returned back. That's why we need to fertilizers, fertilizers, whether they're mineral or they're organic, we need to add additional [00:20:30] nutrients on. And there's no question about it. Speaker 3: The issue of organic versus mineral, the plant doesn't care the best way to do it. It's a combination of both, which is called conventional agriculture. Organic farming. If it produces higher premium price, go to it. But we know that the deals are lower and it requires more labor. So my view on all this is not to beat up matic you say you want to have a good balance, the, the time horizon [00:21:00] on the mineral fertilizers, phosphorus and potassium. Do you see that running out at some point in the future and not grading? Uh, the, uh, of course nitrogen is taken from the air and we live in an atmosphere of 78% nitrogen. So it's for all practical purposes, infant. But that's you comes from minds or I know there enormous research, unfortunately concentrated in two or three countries. Canada and Russia. Phosphorus is the one we worry [00:21:30] the most about. Speaker 3: But no, I've been about almost 50 years in this business and every five years or so here we're gonna run out of phosphorus in the next, uh, 50 to a hundred years. And then you keep [inaudible] in the past and best buy, there's more efficiency on the use on there, more that bus it's found. So I, I'm really not worried, not worried, frankly, not worried. I've heard that you're, you're taking a project with the gates foundation to [00:22:00] map all the soils of Africa is yes, yes. The digital soul map of Africa. Okay. And what's going to happen with the data? Um, we're doing it now. At first I saw map of Africa on a scale of a hundred by hundred meters. That's how about a Hector pixel. It will be Hector, two and a half acres of saw properties and that'll come out later in the year of the first approximation. It'll be, it'll be rough. Speaker 3: We're looking now for [00:22:30] continuation of the project for another four years to really do it better and uh, mainstream it into, into countries. And I forgot the other one too, but all the data will be accessible by the way, for the way, in a way that you can sort of like Google earth. You can pin 0.1 place and you can see a hundred by hundred meter pixels and it'll tell you how much sand has and all that. And then you can query [00:23:00] and it will give you a map of sand content. I know their map of organic matter or slow or whatever, whatever you want. Professor Sanchez, thanks very much for joining us on spectrum. You are very welcome. My pleasure. Glad to be back in Berkeley. Speaker 4: [00:23:30] Regular feature of spectrum is to highlight some of the science and technology events happening locally over the next two weeks. Here's Rick Kaneski and Lisa cabbage with the calendar on Wednesday, Speaker 5: August 29th at 6:00 PM the Commonwealth Club at five nine five market street in San Francisco. It's presenting a talk by the president of the Ocean Conservation Society, Madelina Beersy entitled Dolphin Confidential Confessions [00:24:00] of a field biologist. She'll talk about her experiences at sea from her earliest travels. You're a transformations into an advocate for conservation and dolphin protection. She takes us inside the world of a marine scientist and offer as a firsthand understanding of marine mammal behavior as well as the frustrations, delights, and creativity that makeup Dolphin research bears these fieldwork investigates Dolphin social behavior and intelligence. She shares an honest down to [00:24:30] earth analysis of what it means to be a marine biologist in the field today and the life among the dolphins and addresses the critical environmental and conservation problems they face. The lecture is $20 or $8 for Commonwealth club members or $7 for students with valid id. Visit Commonwealth club.org for more info, Speaker 6: find out what ideas are percolating in the mind of William Gibson, one of our greatest contemporary science fiction writers on Tuesday, September 4th [00:25:00] at 7:00 PM at the Jewish community center in San Francisco, 3,200 California Street, author of the groundbreaking cyberpunk novel Neuro Mansur. Gibson described the internet before it existed and coined the term cyberspace. His first collection of nonfiction writings, distrust that particular flavor, offers provocative insights on everything from the future of technology to compulsive online watch collecting to drug trafficking and Singapore. Again, [00:25:30] that's Tuesday, September 4th at 7:00 PM for tickets and more information. Go to www dot JCC s f. Dot Org Speaker 5: September. His seminar about longterm thinking from the long now foundation will be on Wednesday the fifth at 7:30 PM Tim O'Reilly is discussing the birth of the global mind. The evolution of communication and intelligence. Speech allowed us to communicate and coordinate writing allowed that coordination to spend time and space, [00:26:00] but that's not all in one breakthrough computer application. After another, we see a new kind of manmade symbiosis. The Google autonomous vehicle turns out not to be just a triumph of artificial intelligence algorithms. The car is guided by the cloud memory of roads driven before by Human Google Street view drivers augmented by powerful and precise new sensors in the same way. Crowdsource data from sensor enabled humans is leading to smarter cities, breakthroughs in healthcare and new economies. [00:26:30] The future belongs not to artificial intelligence, but the collective intelligence. This event will take place at the cal theater and San Francisco is Fort Mason. It is $10 or is free for members Speaker 6: visit long now.org for tickets and more info. The September East Bay Science Cafe Welcomes John Duber, assistant professor in the Department of bioengineering at UC Berkeley. He will talk about using synthetic biology to build microbial factories producing biofuels. [00:27:00] One promising direction for the production of liquid transportation fuels is re-engineering the metabolism of microbes like Baker's yeast to convert sugar into a chemical with desirable bio fuel characteristics. Dubar roiled described work being done to produce biofuels using the rapidly emerging approaches of synthetic biology. John Dubar was a 2012 winner of the US Department of Energy's early career research award. East Bay Science cafe is Wednesday, [00:27:30] September 5th in the [inaudible] lounge adjacent to cafe Valparaiso at La Pena Cultural Center from seven to 9:00 PM location 31 oh five Shattuck avenue in Berkeley. Now, Lisa Katovich with two new stories, science news reports that two studies find that nanoscale pollutants can intercrop roots triggering a host of changes to plants growth in health. These tiny particles can stunt plant growth, boost the plants absorption [00:28:00] of pollutants, and increase the need for crop fertilizers. Speaker 6: The new data now for Warren of agriculturally associated human and environmental risks from the accelerating use of manufactured nanomaterials. According to Patricia Holden at UC Santa Barbara and her colleagues. Their report is published online August 20th in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, nanomaterials that get released in the exhaust from diesel fueled tractors can rain down onto crop fields. Those used in fabrics, [00:28:30] sunscreens and other products collect in the solid, separated out of sewage and wastewater. The new studies offer glimpse at the toxic effects. Such nanoparticles may pose to future crops. As exposures rise, the ability of soil and other legumes to fix nitrogen is one of the most important microbial processes in agriculture. So the ability of Nano Sirium to shut this process down was the most significant and most troubling new finding. The UC Berkeley Solar Car Club [00:29:00] team, cal soul placed forth in a field of 12 cars in the 2012 American solar challenge in July, the race was run in stages from Rochester, New York, ending in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Congratulations to the castle team. Speaker 1: The [inaudible] show is by Mozcon and David. This album, [00:29:30] folk and acoustic made available [inaudible] comments, license 3.0 thank you. Listen to spectrum [inaudible] spectrum [inaudible] hi John. [inaudible]. [inaudible]. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.
Pedro Sanchez is a soil scientist, Director of the Tropical Agriculture and Rural Environment Program, and Director of the Millennium Villages Project at the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Dr. Sanchez was elected into the National Academy of Sciences in 2012.TranscriptSpeaker 1: Spectrum's next [inaudible] look at this picture and typology show on k a l s Berkeley, a biweekly 30 minute program bringing you interviews featuring bay area scientists [00:00:30] and technologists as well as a calendar of local events and news. Speaker 2: Good afternoon. My name is Brad Swift. This week on spectrum. Our guest is Professor Pedro Sanchez, a soil scientist who is director of the tropical agriculture and the rural environment program. Senior research scholar and the director of the Millennium Villages Project at the Earth Institute at Columbia University. Dr. Sanchez was director general of the World Agroforestry Center headquartered [00:01:00] in Nairobi, Kenya from 1991 to 2001 and served as co-chair of the UN Millennium Project Hunger Task Force. He is also professor Ameritus of Soil Science and forestry at North Carolina State University and was a visiting professor at the University of California Berkeley. Dr Pedro Sanchez was elected into the National Academy of Sciences in 2012 in late April, 2012 Dr. Sanchez presented the [inaudible] any memorial lecture at the invitation of the UC Berkeley College of natural [00:01:30] resources. Prior to that lecture, Professor Sanchez talked with me about his life and work. Welcome to spectrum Pedro Sanchez. Thank you very much. Want to ask about how you initially got interested in soil science? Speaker 3: Oh boy. Well it goes way back. I'm from Cuba. My dad own a fairly small farm and I always liked to play with dirt. Still I'm [00:02:00] and getting paid for it. But during those days it was just playing. I always liked the, when I took a shower after being out all day to see, uh, to see the drain turn red with all the red mud. And uh, my dad, uh, wanted me to follow his steps, uh, with a farm fertilizer business he had in Cuba when he said he would send me to Cornell because uh, he had gone there and I said, fine. That was all fine with me. I started studying agronomy. [00:02:30] Ah, yeah, I'm majoring in soils. And then I changed hearing seminars from outside people, but that time telling us that Indian with 200 million people, what it's going to start on, this will be a global catastrophe. Oh. I said, well, this will be something I could dedicate my life with and I had been lucky enough to to say that I've done it. Yeah, I've dedicated my life to this. Speaker 2: How did your work, tropical agriculture Speaker 3: [00:03:00] and rural environment issues evolve? The hope was first my interest in tropical soils, not Doyle's in general, but tropical soils. Then the opportunities at Cornell offered me to go to the Philippines. I get my phd degree there. Then out of there I learned about the green revolution and I worked at my first international center, the international rice research and CCU, and from there arm became a assistant professor at North Carolina State [00:03:30] University, the first professor of tropical soil Sekai because they wanted to start a discipline on that. Send me to Peru and work on the green revolution of rice and brew and then afterwards into campus and start teaching tropical soils. You get research money and and right. The first edition of my book. Speaker 2: How do you describe and characterize world hunger and then rural poverty? How are they different? How are they similar overlap? Speaker 3: [00:04:00] They usually are the same person who suffers hunger. It's almost invariably poor. They're both rural and urban. All of the majority of the poor are, are indeed in rural areas of the world still Speaker 2: because it's only recently that the 50% of people now live in cities and that's mostly in the developed world. Speaker 3: No, and in Latin America is 75% [00:04:30] urban. Uh, a Shar is about the same sub Saharan Africa is the only large piece of land in the world where the majority of the people are still rural, about 70% but in the next 20 years they're probably going to be 50, 50 or less. Rural to urban migration continues. Cities get incredibly huge Speaker 2: hunger I guess then for you is caloric intake. Speaker 3: [00:05:00] Okay. Uh, there is a, there is a metric that it's approved by the United Nations on hunger and that is stumping Charles stunting, stunting being been short in height for your age and below a certain level you're considered stunted. That is a product of, of hunger and disease and on all sorts of things. What is the best metric we'd have for measuring hunger [00:05:30] is in children. So that's, that's the best metric. There are many other ones that can related to the amount of food you consume in terms of calories, broken vitamins and micronutrients and the amount of food you're able to, you're able to acquire by money, by buying food like most of us do, and then the utilization of food within your body. That also, that also has some same important variables. I should have. You have sites since [inaudible] and so on. [00:06:00] To me, however, hunger is the state of mind is the state of, not that I really been hungry for very long, I've been very lucky, but it's a state of powerlessness. When you're hungry, nothing else matters. You really have to satisfy that hunger and it's our survival instinct. For example, you cannot possibly think about the environment when you're hungry, so it's a mindset. That [00:06:30] brings us back to our most basic instance. Speaker 4: Today's guest on spectrum is Pedro Sanchez, director of the Millennium Villages Project at the Earth Institute. You are listening to KALX Berkeley. Speaker 3: You've been involved in the United Nations Millennium Village project. Your key part of that, [00:07:00] and can you give us an overview of that project? It's an ongoing project, isn't it? Yeah, it is an ongoing project. I'm not bashful. It was my idea. And that is after finishing all of this recommendations on the UN Millennium Development Goals, my committee working with hunger and similar committees, working on health in sanitation and the environment and poverty and and so on. I was in India, I've seen some model, uh, or they call, uh, bio abilities [00:07:30] of my co-chair, professors forming Athan. And I said to myself, why don't we do this in Africa where the situation is much worse, but how can we help in impoverish villages achieve all the millennium development goals, not only over the whole thing. So I'm talking with my wife and at that time we had received some price money. We had quarter of a million dollars we could invest. Speaker 3: So we decided to let's go invest that money and try to do [00:08:00] it in a village in western Kenya. That will be both working. But when I went to see my director, Professor Jeffrey Sachs, he says, oh no, this is such a great idea. You're not going to do it with your money. We're going to raise lots of money and do it again. He did it within four or five months. We had about a hundred billion dollars in our coffers, so to speak, mostly from private philanthropists. And then we started conceiving. Then that brought me, the program says, okay, let's look for villages of about 5,000 people. [00:08:30] English, they're more than 20% malnourished kids under the age of five. Again, that famous metric on stunting that was, and the people that are making less than a dollar a day, very hard to quantify. So we started one in western Kenya [inaudible] and then as more funds came out, I know they winter in northern Ethiopia. Speaker 3: Oh, Colorado. And within a year and a half or so, we had 80 such feels clustered [00:09:00] and uh, around the 14 sites in 10 African countries, each of them representing a major agricultural zone or farming system where hunger is coming. In other words, who didn't have any, in South Africa, for example, the villages were selected by us. We always have to go basically to the head of states, a precedent or prime minister and ask for permission. But we would make sure that they wouldn't say, well, you have to do, listen, Mike Rich and some tribe didn't succeed. [00:09:30] Basically the way it started as a bunch of us from different disciplines, people working in health, people working infrastructure, water and sanitation and so on. We went to the village how to village meeting and there was some government people who represented different than we asking, well, do you want to become a millennium villages? Speaker 3: You're going to have to work very hard because we're not going to give you any money. We're going to do is help you out with things that you don't have in kind and get a lot of training on many things and [00:10:00] you're going to be asking a zillion questions with the questionnaires that we do. So that was the deal. And then the priorities were selected working with committees of the villagers and specialists from our side on the university site balance the knowledge that the villagers had gotten by themselves with scientific, scientifically grounded idea. So the villages basically said, well, we need [00:10:30] inputs for agriculture because the yields were very low. Said, what are you needs? Well, we use better seats, hybrids, seats, and so on and we need fertilizer. Well, we agreed with that. The other thing they asked right away, in addition to agricultural inputs to grow more food was a clinic. Speaker 3: And we said, okay, but let's get the plants from the Ministry of Health. So it's a proper government clinic. You guys build it, [00:11:00] you guys make the bricks and do all the things they know how to do and we'll provide you with a, with cement, with 10 roof, iron doors and the things I couldn't buy but not a, not a dollar or any shilling change hands. And they did that on their very problem. They did that for schools and even for warehouses later using the same principle that they do most of the work and we come in and provide the necessary things like cement [00:11:30] or whatever. And that's been the rule in pretty much in all the abilities with very, very few exceptions. Nice thing about that. They said they own it, they own it. They have a sense of ownership, they take care of it. And it's very different than if the government or some NGO or some foundation bill such things and gave him the keys to it. Are they in some way cooperatives? You're surely I ended up vigil in the villages, donates the land [00:12:00] for the clinic to be built then, I don't know the ownership, but in most cases basically the clinic is part of the Minister of health and the case of fertilizers and seed. No. Speaker 2: Well and then warehouses and things like that. Speaker 3: Yeah. Warehouses on all ladders. Uh, there, there's a, there, there it's usually built on a place that is donated by a member of the community walk that line. Speaker 2: So there's a certain collective spirit. Speaker 3: Oh, very much so. I mean every farmer farms his or her piece of land [00:12:30] like blank, they harvest, they sell it, share information, all of that share a lot of information. And right now that basic learning development goal has been achieved. They're getting more into different kinds of cooperatives and they band together to sell specific high value products such as milk or tomatoes or things like that. In most cases that are already registered as formal cooperatives. I mean means they can get a line of credit from the banks. They're [00:13:00] going through the process. Now we're going from a subsidize based economy, not only to getting into irregular financial arrangements wholesale. We on other institutions stuff work with banks to convince them to lend to these people. They say they have no collateral. It's true, uh, an institution, uh, Agora, which just starts for the Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa, broke ground by promising, not making a deal with it, with one of the banks and the credit guarantees they would refund [00:13:30] the bank 50% of whatever they are, who is, who? People not paying their loans out of hundreds of millions of dollars. And it has happened to have had to pay $4,000 the recovery rate of their loans from this people who have no collateral. It's the same as other people. And now banks now are beginning to look at agriculture, small holder agriculture, the bottom billion, so to speak, as SMH or source. Speaker 4: This is spectrum [00:14:00] KALX Berkeley. I'm talking with Professor Pedro Sanchez about hunger and agriculture in light of a global population of nine to 10 billion people by 2050 Speaker 2: and so does this project then in some ways answer the the critics of aid to developing nations that has failed for so long, decade after decade of just dumping money on countries as opposed to this kind of an integrated project [00:14:30] that you've, Speaker 3: well first, yeah, first let me say that this, this idea that all this money has been wasted is incorrect. I mean there are certainly a lot of wastage, but certainly not. When I started working, and it was like 40 years ago, and by that time countries like Mexico and Brazil and Korea were receiving aid and most of that America now there's no more aid and now they're our best customers in terms of and by [00:15:00] an American experts. So it has worked. The fact that that India is no longer starving, but India, so foot exporter has worked and not all the credit is, is to serve by the aid that donors select the United States gift, but also by their own resources and their own loan and work. But no aid has worked and it has worked then. Yeah, no, ideally and very subject to criticism. But by and large, I think eight in general in broad terms has work specifically [00:15:30] not Speaker 2: do you think there's an attainable rebalancing of agricultural incentives and markets in the developed world and in the developing world that would, uh, work to, you know, accommodate nine to 10 billion people in the world? Speaker 3: Well, first let me say that in either case, developed or undeveloped, there's no such a thing as a, I see ideal market or the perfect market, which my economist friends say, well, this, [00:16:00] oh, you mean you're subsidizing fertilizer? Well, that's sort of distorting the market for fertilizers. And I said, what markets one market are you talking about? It doesn't exist. Uh, I don't believe in perfect markets because I've never seen one. I'm not an economist, but mine are in economics, so knows a little bit about them and they're very distorted by, by subsidies. We subsidize very many rich farmers here who are really starting to the point of the ridiculous. The question [00:16:30] is, are we going to be able to feed 9 billion people by 2050 I would say probably yes. And a, the bigger actors there are going to be South America and Africa to be able to feed themselves. Yes. Unexplored food. Yes. The land resources are there. Of course all this has to do with politics. Nobody can predict what the politics over their specific country going to be. Right. Speaker 2: Like the molecular, like Molly, Speaker 3: Molly or reflect who's going to work [00:17:00] here. Yeah. So, uh, so I mean all this food is political presidents get reelected because it was a successful food programs in Africa, but uh, that it's perfectly feasible. It is. I don't know how much, what's your question about that? Speaker 2: And right now the percentage of land dedicated to agricultural activities, about 12%. Speaker 3: Yeah. And if you include pastures for a cow [00:17:30] production and so on, it's about 30% of the world's land area Speaker 2: and do you see that number? Being able to go up Speaker 3: little bit, maybe one or two percentage points, maybe one percentage points, but no more than that. But there will be an elements and South America on an that will be in opening new Lorenz lands that are not ecologically critical. Tropical rain forest. There's white lines or stuff like that that are [00:18:00] environmental protected. No Way. And there is additional land that can be used, but the main, the main effort is to increase the yields per acre of the land already been used and the best ways to do that in a going forward, sustainable way. What do you feel about that? You need improved plants and you need a balanced set of inputs and not too many and not too few. The genetically modified plants [00:18:30] are, in my opinion, fine. They've gotten a very bad rap, tumbled them or ecologically extremely sound like a bt corn and bt cotton. Speaker 3: They have a genes from a [inaudible] that when the insects bite and trying to suck the SAP or something, they get killed, stuck said to them so that only kill the bad bugs and lose all the other books who have no interested in getting involved with uh, with a corn crop fine as opposed to having insecticides that would kill [00:19:00] all insects. So, uh, there are a lot of good things in genetic modification anyway. We are all genetically modified organisms. We certainly are all of us and has been done by nature by, by random, but it's so much different if you do it in a, in a lab. Conceptually it's the same thing or very clear evidence study of the National Academy of Science August last year and Europe, two big studies, one in the UK and one in Switzerland and they all show [00:19:30] the same thing, that there is no harm done to the environment and to human health where the use of GMOs that have been released. Speaker 3: Then this is basically no different from the development of hybrid corn, which wasn't genetically modified in the sense of transporting one gene from one place to another one, but it was genetically modified by combining plants that would combine their own genes. So, um, we need plants that produce a lot, that have deep roots, that are told them to diseases [00:20:00] and insects and more tolerant to drought and floods because of climate change. You need better plants. And uh, without them we'd be nowhere. And the issue of inputs, agriculture is different from natural systems. Agriculture takes a tremendous amount of nutrients and energy and everything out of the system and it's not returned back and something has to be returned back. That's why we need to fertilizers, fertilizers, whether they're mineral or they're organic, we need to add additional [00:20:30] nutrients on. And there's no question about it. Speaker 3: The issue of organic versus mineral, the plant doesn't care the best way to do it. It's a combination of both, which is called conventional agriculture. Organic farming. If it produces higher premium price, go to it. But we know that the deals are lower and it requires more labor. So my view on all this is not to beat up matic you say you want to have a good balance, the, the time horizon [00:21:00] on the mineral fertilizers, phosphorus and potassium. Do you see that running out at some point in the future and not grading? Uh, the, uh, of course nitrogen is taken from the air and we live in an atmosphere of 78% nitrogen. So it's for all practical purposes, infant. But that's you comes from minds or I know there enormous research, unfortunately concentrated in two or three countries. Canada and Russia. Phosphorus is the one we worry [00:21:30] the most about. Speaker 3: But no, I've been about almost 50 years in this business and every five years or so here we're gonna run out of phosphorus in the next, uh, 50 to a hundred years. And then you keep [inaudible] in the past and best buy, there's more efficiency on the use on there, more that bus it's found. So I, I'm really not worried, not worried, frankly, not worried. I've heard that you're, you're taking a project with the gates foundation to [00:22:00] map all the soils of Africa is yes, yes. The digital soul map of Africa. Okay. And what's going to happen with the data? Um, we're doing it now. At first I saw map of Africa on a scale of a hundred by hundred meters. That's how about a Hector pixel. It will be Hector, two and a half acres of saw properties and that'll come out later in the year of the first approximation. It'll be, it'll be rough. Speaker 3: We're looking now for [00:22:30] continuation of the project for another four years to really do it better and uh, mainstream it into, into countries. And I forgot the other one too, but all the data will be accessible by the way, for the way, in a way that you can sort of like Google earth. You can pin 0.1 place and you can see a hundred by hundred meter pixels and it'll tell you how much sand has and all that. And then you can query [00:23:00] and it will give you a map of sand content. I know their map of organic matter or slow or whatever, whatever you want. Professor Sanchez, thanks very much for joining us on spectrum. You are very welcome. My pleasure. Glad to be back in Berkeley. Speaker 4: [00:23:30] Regular feature of spectrum is to highlight some of the science and technology events happening locally over the next two weeks. Here's Rick Kaneski and Lisa cabbage with the calendar on Wednesday, Speaker 5: August 29th at 6:00 PM the Commonwealth Club at five nine five market street in San Francisco. It's presenting a talk by the president of the Ocean Conservation Society, Madelina Beersy entitled Dolphin Confidential Confessions [00:24:00] of a field biologist. She'll talk about her experiences at sea from her earliest travels. You're a transformations into an advocate for conservation and dolphin protection. She takes us inside the world of a marine scientist and offer as a firsthand understanding of marine mammal behavior as well as the frustrations, delights, and creativity that makeup Dolphin research bears these fieldwork investigates Dolphin social behavior and intelligence. She shares an honest down to [00:24:30] earth analysis of what it means to be a marine biologist in the field today and the life among the dolphins and addresses the critical environmental and conservation problems they face. The lecture is $20 or $8 for Commonwealth club members or $7 for students with valid id. Visit Commonwealth club.org for more info, Speaker 6: find out what ideas are percolating in the mind of William Gibson, one of our greatest contemporary science fiction writers on Tuesday, September 4th [00:25:00] at 7:00 PM at the Jewish community center in San Francisco, 3,200 California Street, author of the groundbreaking cyberpunk novel Neuro Mansur. Gibson described the internet before it existed and coined the term cyberspace. His first collection of nonfiction writings, distrust that particular flavor, offers provocative insights on everything from the future of technology to compulsive online watch collecting to drug trafficking and Singapore. Again, [00:25:30] that's Tuesday, September 4th at 7:00 PM for tickets and more information. Go to www dot JCC s f. Dot Org Speaker 5: September. His seminar about longterm thinking from the long now foundation will be on Wednesday the fifth at 7:30 PM Tim O'Reilly is discussing the birth of the global mind. The evolution of communication and intelligence. Speech allowed us to communicate and coordinate writing allowed that coordination to spend time and space, [00:26:00] but that's not all in one breakthrough computer application. After another, we see a new kind of manmade symbiosis. The Google autonomous vehicle turns out not to be just a triumph of artificial intelligence algorithms. The car is guided by the cloud memory of roads driven before by Human Google Street view drivers augmented by powerful and precise new sensors in the same way. Crowdsource data from sensor enabled humans is leading to smarter cities, breakthroughs in healthcare and new economies. [00:26:30] The future belongs not to artificial intelligence, but the collective intelligence. This event will take place at the cal theater and San Francisco is Fort Mason. It is $10 or is free for members Speaker 6: visit long now.org for tickets and more info. The September East Bay Science Cafe Welcomes John Duber, assistant professor in the Department of bioengineering at UC Berkeley. He will talk about using synthetic biology to build microbial factories producing biofuels. [00:27:00] One promising direction for the production of liquid transportation fuels is re-engineering the metabolism of microbes like Baker's yeast to convert sugar into a chemical with desirable bio fuel characteristics. Dubar roiled described work being done to produce biofuels using the rapidly emerging approaches of synthetic biology. John Dubar was a 2012 winner of the US Department of Energy's early career research award. East Bay Science cafe is Wednesday, [00:27:30] September 5th in the [inaudible] lounge adjacent to cafe Valparaiso at La Pena Cultural Center from seven to 9:00 PM location 31 oh five Shattuck avenue in Berkeley. Now, Lisa Katovich with two new stories, science news reports that two studies find that nanoscale pollutants can intercrop roots triggering a host of changes to plants growth in health. These tiny particles can stunt plant growth, boost the plants absorption [00:28:00] of pollutants, and increase the need for crop fertilizers. Speaker 6: The new data now for Warren of agriculturally associated human and environmental risks from the accelerating use of manufactured nanomaterials. According to Patricia Holden at UC Santa Barbara and her colleagues. Their report is published online August 20th in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, nanomaterials that get released in the exhaust from diesel fueled tractors can rain down onto crop fields. Those used in fabrics, [00:28:30] sunscreens and other products collect in the solid, separated out of sewage and wastewater. The new studies offer glimpse at the toxic effects. Such nanoparticles may pose to future crops. As exposures rise, the ability of soil and other legumes to fix nitrogen is one of the most important microbial processes in agriculture. So the ability of Nano Sirium to shut this process down was the most significant and most troubling new finding. The UC Berkeley Solar Car Club [00:29:00] team, cal soul placed forth in a field of 12 cars in the 2012 American solar challenge in July, the race was run in stages from Rochester, New York, ending in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Congratulations to the castle team. Speaker 1: The [inaudible] show is by Mozcon and David. This album, [00:29:30] folk and acoustic made available [inaudible] comments, license 3.0 thank you. Listen to spectrum [inaudible] spectrum [inaudible] hi John. [inaudible]. [inaudible]. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jorg Meyer-Stamer interviews Mark Lundy of the Agribusiness Group at the Center for Tropical Agriculture, www.ciat.cgiar.org. They talk about CIAT's "learning community" around value chain development, surprising experiences with powerful buyers, and what often goes wrong in value chain initiatives.
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