World Food Day: Stakeholders Call For More Investment In Agriculture

Stakeholders in the agriculture sector have called on the Federal Government to invest more in the sector for increased food production and direct access to food.
They made the call in separate in Abuja on Friday to mark 2015 World Food Day.

Dr Tunde Arosanyin, the National Technical Adviser, All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), said that most of the world’s poor and hungry people today belonged to rural families who depended on agriculture for their daily livelihood.

“Government needs to invest heavily in agriculture by increasing its budget from the current eight per cent to at least 20 per cent to make food available for rural dwellers.

“Presently, the vacuum created in our agricultural practice as a nation has led to social security challenges all over the country such as the Boko Haram, kidnapping and cattle rustling.”

He added that the challenges needed to be addressed to allow farmers to farm, stating that “you do not expect farmers to be in farm while they are being attacked on a daily basis”.

Arosanyin said that unstable policies were also part of the constraints militating against food security attainment in the country.

He said the way forward was for government to return the salient features of Operation Feed the Nation (OPC) policies of 1977 with river basin authorities.

According to him, Operation Feed the Nation failed because it was not properly articulated. It just followed the political class and disappeared.

He explained that the programme intended to make agriculture a profitable business venture, not only to make the nation food sufficient but also tackle the challenges of youth unemployment.

“The policy also encouraged farmers from all stages of production through extension services and if a farmer doesn’t have a competitive market to sell after producing, the river basins were on ground to buy.

“They bought from farmers at market price which encouraged production to be totally complete and this lead to good harvest.

“If Federal Government buys into these ideas, I am sure agriculture can create job to about 40 million people.

“We have a blueprint on this on ground which we are going to send to the Federal Government once a new minister is on board to review, ” he added.

Arosanyin said that the World Food Day was significant in so many ways to human existence, adding that the UN Charter guaranteed the right of every human to food at all times.

He added that the day was set aside to create awareness on hunger and encourage people to take action in the fight against hunger.

Mr Ajiboye Daniel, AFAN Chairman in Kwara, frowned at the manual system of agriculture in the country which discouraged a lot of youths taking agriculture as business.

Daniel said that food was a foundation of life given by God, and urged government to make it interesting by making hoes and cutlasses a thing of past.

He, therefore, commended the agricultural Transformation Agenda of the last administration such as the e-Wallet System and urged the current administration to do more.

He called for provision of social amenities in the rural areas to control the problem of rural-urban migration to achieve food sufficiency soon.

The theme for this year is, “Social safety and agriculture: Breaking the cycle of poverty in rural areas.”

Nutritional Values of Peanuts

Peanuts

Peanut, also known as groundnut (Arachis hypogaea) is a crop of global importance. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, being important to both smallholder and large commercial producers. It is classified as both a grain legume, and, because of its high oil content, an oil crop. World annual production is about 46 million tonnes per year.

As a legume, peanut belongs to the botanical family Fabaceae (also known as Leguminosae, and commonly known as the bean or pea family). Like most other legumes, peanuts harbor symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in root nodules. This capacity to fix nitrogen means peanuts require less nitrogen-containing fertilizer and improve soil fertility, making them valuable in crop rotations.

Peanuts are similar in taste and nutritional profile to tree nuts such as walnuts and almonds, and are often served in similar ways in Western cuisines. The botanical definition of a “nut” is a fruit whose ovary wall becomes very hard at maturity. Using this criterion, the peanut is not a nut, but rather a legume. However, for culinary purposes and in common English language usage, peanuts are usually referred to as nuts.
 
Peanuts originated in South America where they have existed for thousands of years. They played an important role in the diet of the Aztecs and other Native Indians in South America and Mexico.

The Spanish and Portuguese explorers who found peanuts growing in the New World brought them on their voyages to Africa. They flourished in many African countries and were incorporated into local traditional food cultures. Since they were revered as a sacred food, they were placed aboard African boats traveling to North America during the beginning of the slave trade, which is how they were first introduced into this region.

In the 19th century, peanuts experienced a great gain in popularity in the U.S. thanks to the efforts of two specific people. The first was George Washington Carver, who not only suggested that farmers plant peanuts to replace their cotton fields that were destroyed by the boll weevil following the Civil War, but also invented more than 300 uses for this legume. At the end of the 19th century, a physician practicing in St. Louis, Missouri, created a ground up paste made from peanuts and prescribed this nutritious high protein, low carbohydrate food to his patients. While he may not have actually “invented” peanut butter since peanut paste had probably used by many cultures for centuries, his new discovery quickly caught on and became, and still remains, a very popular food.

Today, the leading commercial producers of peanuts are India, China, Nigeria, Indonesia and the United States.
Let’s take a quick look at the nutritional values of peanuts while munching that favorite snack.

Substitute for meat
For those looking for excellent and cheap alternatives to meats, peanut is one of them. Like other legumes and dried beans, peanuts contain protein of lower biological value than meats but when eaten with cereals, the total protein value approaches that of meat and thus, costs less.

About 1 cup raw peanuts may be substituted for a serving of meat or fish. For vegetarians, dried beans, legumes and nuts are the primary protein source of their diet.

Vitamin-B to boost energy
Dried beans and legumes such as peanuts are rich in vitamin-B namely thiamin, riboflavin and niacin which help release energy from nutrients. Thiamin supports normal appetite and nerve function. Riboflavin supports skin health, cracks and redness at the corners of mouth, inflammation of the tongue and dermatitis. Niacin also supports the skin, nervous and digestive systems.

Cholesterol-lowering property
Peanut is rich in dietary fiber, a food component that has been associated with the prevention of several chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, colon cancer, and control of diabetes. According to a recent study, among the legumes consumed, peanut showed a marked decrease in the total cholesterol levels of the subjects. Dietary fiber lowers the blood cholesterol levels by binding the bile acids in the intestines.
It is then excreted from the body via the feces, preventing the re-absorption of bile acids in the liver to become cholesterol again, thus lowers cholesterol levels.

Likewise, peanut’s fat content contributes to more energy and thus, is one of the foods added in supplementary foods for children to give a high-calorie, high-protein dish like banana-peanut mix and in disaster foods such as the food bar.

Peanuts Rival Fruit as a Source of Antioxidants
Not only do peanuts contain oleic acid, the healthful fat found in olive oil, but new research shows these tasty legumes are also as rich in antioxidants as many fruits. While unable to boast an antioxidant content that can compare with the fruits highest in antioxidants, such as pomegranate, roasted peanuts do rival the antioxidant content of blackberries and strawberries, and are far richer in antioxidants than apples, carrots or beets.

Research conducted by a team of University of Florida scientists,  shows that peanuts contain high concentrations of antioxidant polyphenols, primarily a compound called p-coumaric acid, and that roasting can increase peanuts’ p-coumaric acid levels, boosting their overall antioxidant content by as much as 22%.

Peanuts Protective, but Pickled Foods Increase Risk of Colon Cancer
A number of studies have shown that nutrients found in peanuts, including folic acid, phytosterols, phytic acid (inositol hexaphosphate) and resveratrol, may have anti-cancer effects. A rich source all these nutrients—including the phytosterol beta-sisterol, which has demonstrated anti-cancer actions—peanuts have long been considered a likely candidate as a colon cancer-preventive food.

Colorectal cancer is the second most fatal malignancy in developed countries and the third most frequent cancer worldwide. In Taiwan, not only has incidence of colon cancer increased, but the likelihood of dying from the disease rose 74% from 1993 to 2002.

Taiwanese researchers decided to examine peanuts’ anti-colon cancer potential and conducted a 10-year study involving 12,026 men and 11,917 women to see if eating peanuts might affect risk of colon cancer.(Yeh CC, You SL, et al., World J Gastroenterol)
Researchers tracked study participants’ weekly food intake, collecting data on frequently consumed foods and folk dishes such as sweet potato, bean products, peanut products, pickled foods, and foods that contained nitrates or were smoked.

Risk of colon cancer was found to be highly correlated with both peanuts, which greatly lessened risk, and pickled foods, which greatly increased risk, particularly in women.

Eating peanuts just 2 or more times each week was associated with a 58% lowered risk of colon cancer in women and a 27% lowered risk in men.

Help Prevent Gallstones
Twenty years of dietary data collected on over 80,000 women from the Nurses’ Health Study shows that women who eat least 1 ounce of nuts, peanuts or peanut butter each week have a 25% lower risk of developing gallstones. Since 1 ounce is only 28.6 nuts or about 2 tablespoons of nut butter, preventing gallbladder disease may be as easy as packing one peanut butter and jelly sandwich (be sure to use whole wheat bread for its fiber, vitamins and minerals) for lunch each week, having a handful of peanuts as an afternoon pick me up, or tossing some peanuts on your oatmeal or salad.

Eating Nuts Lowers Risk of Weight Gain
Although nuts are known to provide a variety of cardio-protective benefits, many avoid them for fear of weight gain. A prospective study published in the journal Obesity shows such fears are groundless. In fact, people who eat nuts at least twice a week are much less likely to gain weight than those who almost never eat nuts.

The 28-month study involving 8,865 adult men and women in Spain, found that participants who ate nuts at least two times per week were 31% less likely to gain weight than were participants who never or almost never ate nuts.

And, among the study participants who gained weight, those who never or almost never ate nuts gained more (an average of 424 g more) than those who ate nuts at least twice weekly.
 
Study authors concluded, “Frequent nut consumption was associated with a reduced risk of weight gain (5 kg or more). These results support the recommendation of nut consumption as an important component of a cardio-protective diet and also allay fears of possible weight gain.”

USDA Invests in Global Food Security

USDA

Today, 795 million people around the world do not have access to a sufficient supply of safe and nutritious food. The United Nations estimates that worldwide demand for food will increase 70 percent by 2050. To meet this need, production in developing countries will need to almost double.

Establishing global food security is important not only to hundreds of millions of hungry people, but also to the sustainable economic growth of developing nations and the long-term economic prosperity of the United States. As we help countries become more food secure and raise incomes, we also expand markets for American producers. For example, between fiscal years 2010 and 2014, U.S. agricultural exports to developing countries grew 44.3 percent for developing countries, significantly outpacing the 33.4 percent for developed countries. Exports to Southeast Asia grew 56.5 percent.

In 2009, G8 nations committed to act with the scale and urgency needed to achieve sustainable global food security and to be accountable and coordinate with country development plans. In the subsequent years, the United States has invested over $3.75 billion to address global food security, exceeding the President's commitment, and launched his Feed the Future Initiative.

 USDA is a key member of the whole of government effort on Feed the Future and supports global food security through in-country capacity building, basic and applied research, and support for improved market information, statistics and analysis. Around the world, USDA has helped to train small farmers and foreign officials on plant and animal health systems, risk analysis, and avoiding post-harvest loss; completed assessments on climate change; and helped to increase agricultural productivity.

Building Local Capacity, Increasing Productivity, and Improving Markets and Trade
USDA staff members are strategically placed to monitor agricultural matters globally in more than 160 countries and assist in USDA's efforts to build local capacity. Since 2010, USDA has aligned its program with the Feed the Future Initiative to support agriculture development in select focus countries and regions—Ghana, Kenya, East Africa, Bangladesh, Haiti, Guatemala and Central America—and worked in all 19 of the Initiative's priority countries.

• Over the past six years, USDA's international food aid programs benefited approximately 48.3 million individuals globally, with assistance valued at nearly $2.2 billion.
• Over the past six years, USDA's McGovern- Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program supported the education, child development, and food security of some 26 million of the world's poorest children in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
• With the support of the McGovern Dole program, the United Nations World Food Program provides a daily breakfast of rice, canned fish, vitamin A-fortified vegetable oil, and yellow split peas to feed pre- and primary school students in Siem Reap and two other provinces in Cambodia. The project also provides food scholarships, in the form of take home rations, to poor students as an income-based incentive to encourage poor food-insecure households to send their children to school regularly to increase student attendance and retention rates.
• The McGovern Dole Food for Education program provided training to over 132,000 people on child health and nutrition. Projects have trained health professionals, primary health care workers, community health workers, volunteers, and non-health personnel such as teachers, school administrators and parents.
• In Mali, for example, as part of USDA's partnership with Catholic Relief Services over 2,000 people have been trained in basic health and nutrition practices such as child growth and development, malnutrition, and how to prepare nutritious foods using locally available foods such as millet, peanuts and beans.
• In order support the sustainability of McGovern Dole efforts, projects aim to create long-lasting public-private partnerships with businesses and producers. While USDA has just started to track these efforts, in the past year, 258 public-private partnerships have been formed. Many of the public-private partnerships formed under the McGovern Dole program are partnerships between producer groups who commit to providing food to local schools, supplementing food provided by USDA.
• In Malawi, for example, the USDA McGovern Dole project implemented by WFP has developed 90 partnerships with farmer group associations that provide a diverse selection of local produce, such as maize, beans and vegetables to their local primary schools as part of the Government of Malawi-supported pilot Home Grown School Feeding model.

USDA's Food for Progress program helps developing countries and emerging democracies modernize and strengthen their agricultural sectors. The two principle objectives of Food for Progress are increasing agricultural productivity and expanding trade of agricultural products. In fiscal year 2014, nearly 223, 337 individuals in the Feed the Future countries and regions received USDA's agricultural productivity or food security training.

• Food for Progress projects have trained farmers in animal and plant health and improved techniques and technologies on and off farm. In 2014, over 220,000 producers received training on agricultural sector productivity or food security training as a result of USDA assistance.
• In Honduras, the Food for Progress program implemented by USDA's partner TechnoServe, Inc., and focused on the coffee and bean sector, trained 13,406 men and 3,357 women in improved agricultural techniques and technologies. In the coffee sector, training was provided in areas such as Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), post-harvest handling, and helping farmers better understand the causes of common coffee bean defects and expectations of international buyers making purchasing decisions.
• As a result of USDA training in improved techniques and technologies, over 80,000 producers in fiscal year 2014 have adopted one or more improved techniques or management practices. Through USDA's partner, National Cooperative Business Association, more than 19,000 Ugandans have adopted conservation farming practices to their maize, pulse and soybean cultivation. Adopting these practices has led to an average increase in yields of about 47%.
• Farmers adopting improved techniques or technologies in their farming practices have resulted in almost 64,000 hectares of land cultivated under USDA-promoted improved techniques or management practices in nine countries in fiscal year 2014 in Africa and Latin America.
• Counterpart International, in coordination with the Guatemalan Ministry of Agriculture's formal extension agents, has held over 83 trainings for agricultural producers in Huehuetenango and San Marcos on topics such as soil conservation, water management, integrated pest management, and post-harvest management. While still early in the project, these trainings have resulted in over 2,426 hectares of land cultivated under USDA-promoted improved techniques and technologies.
• USDA programs often support increased access to and utilization of financial services in order to expand agricultural productivity and markets and trade. Making more financial loans shows that there is improved access to business development for producers, cooperatives, MSMEs and business enterprises including producers, service providers and manufacturers. In fiscal year 2014, USDA supported $12.6 million in agricultural and rural loans in Bangladesh, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mali and Tanzania.
• Last year, USDA's Food for Progress program efforts resulted in close to 10,000 jobs. In Honduras, for example, this has meant that 1,670 new on-farm full-time jobs and 215 new post-production jobs in the coffee and bean sector were attributed to USDA's work through its partnership with TechnoServe, Inc.

Two of USDA's premier trade and scientific exchange programs play an important role in USDA's food security initiatives:

• The Norman E. Borlaug International Agricultural Science and Technology Fellowship Program (Borlaug Fellowship Program or BFP) promotes food security and economic growth by providing training and collaborative research opportunities to fellows from developing and middle-income countries. Borlaug fellows are scientists, researchers, or policymakers who are in the early or middle stages of their careers.
• Over the past six years, USDA's Borlaug Fellowship Program provided training and collaborative research opportunities to 440 scientists and policymakers from developing and middle-income countries, focusing on a wide range of agriculture-related topics including agronomy, veterinary science, nutrition, food safety, sanitary and phytosanitary issues, natural resource management, and biotechnology.
• The Cochran Fellowship Program strengthens and enhances trade linkages between eligible middle-income and emerging market countries and agricultural interest in the U.S. The Cochran program also assists eligible countries to develop agricultural systems necessary to meet the food and fiber needs of their domestic populations by providing training opportunities for senior and mid-level specialists and administrators working in agricultural trade and policy, agribusiness development, management, animal, plant, and food sciences, extension services, agricultural marketing, and many other areas.
• Over the past six years, USDA's Cochran Fellowship Program trained 3,148 agricultural professionals worldwide in areas related to agricultural trade, agribusiness development, management, policy, and marketing.

Driving Innovation through Research and Technologies
Since 2009, USDA has expanded analysis and reporting to increase core data, statistics, and analysis of global agricultural systems. In 2011, USDA expanded its annual Food Security Assessment to include 77 countries; completed assessments of agricultural statistics and market information in ten Feed the Future countries and identified key areas where improvement is needed; and conducted in-depth assessments of the capacity of the statistical systems of Ghana, Haiti, Malawi, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Bangladesh.

• In 2014, USDA conducted in-depth country assessments of agricultural statistics and market information systems in Benin, Malawi, and Senegal. An on-going agricultural statistics project in Haiti resulted in the first country wide agricultural production survey data release. Tanzania conducted a cognitive pre-test of point sample area frame methodology for an Annual Agricultural Sample Survey.

Important research on solving food production issues continues:

• USDA researchers sequenced the genome of wheat and the wheat stem rust pathogen, which threatens to destroy wheat crops worldwide, and distributed new wheat germplasm globally to reduce the risk of unproductive harvests.
• USDA continues research to combat aflatoxin (mycotoxins can be lethally toxic in high dosages or cause dilatory health effects over the long-term in smaller dosages) through genetic resistance in maize and using RNAi approaches in peanut.
• In partnership with USAID, USDA is part of an international consortium to develop a safe and economically sustainable vaccine for the pathogen that causes East Coast Fever (ECF), a devastating disease of cattle of eastern Africa.
• USDA is cooperating with over a dozen institutions in the United States and developing countries to provide resource poor farmers with dry bean cultivars with improved productivity and quality. Researchers have identified broad spectrum resistance to rust in large seeded landrace cultivars that originate from Tanzania. These landraces, with confirmed resistance in field trials in Africa and the United States, provide breeders with a valuable source of rust resistance for improving large-seeded African cultivars used by small-holder farmers.
• In 2013, the United States, along with the United Kingdom, launched the Global Open Data for Agriculture and Nutrition initiative, which seeks to support global efforts to make agricultural and nutritionally relevant data available, accessible, and usable for unrestricted use worldwide. The initiative encourages collaboration and cooperation among existing agriculture and open data activities. Open access to research, and open publication of data, are vital resources for food security and nutrition, driven by farmers, farmer organizations, researchers, extension experts, policy makers, governments, and other private sector and civil society stakeholders participating in "innovation systems" and along value chains.

Industry Experts Set to Speak at the National Advanced Biofuels Conference

National Advanced Biofuels Conference & Expo (NABCE)

The 2015 National Advanced Biofuels Conference & Expo (NABCE) will be taking place October 26-28 in Omaha, Nebraska. Renowned as the largest advanced biofuels event of the year, NABCE will provide attendees with insight on the current and future efforts regarding the production and development of alternative energy. With two comprehensive program tracks titled Feedstocks & Feedstock Supply Chains and Technologies, Plant Design, Construction & Operation, this year's event will feature nearly 70 advanced biofuels presentations on technology scale-up, bolt-on considerations, emerging feedstock opportunities, project development, policy, RIN markets and more -- with a core focus on opportunities for America's existing fleet of biofuels plants to produce advanced biofuels in the near term.

Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a content-rich industry tour, featuring two stops that each will offer a hands-on look at both pilot-scale next generation biofuels production and the manufacturer of crucial biomass handling systems. Experts will share their insight on the biofuels industry through a variety of presentations.
Presentation topics include:

• Project Updates
• Feedstock Cultivation, Harvest, Storage and Transport
• Biomass Pretreatment Strategies
• Enzyme Design & Optimization
• Integrating Cellulosic Production at Existing Facilities
• Thermochemical Conversion Approaches
• Waste based Biofuels Production
• Strategic Partnerships
• Enzyme Development and Biological Pathways
• Thermochemical Pathways
• Dedicated Energy Inputs
• Drop In Fuels
• Policy & Legislative Goals

"We couldn't have picked a better venue to hold the National Advanced Biofuels Conference & Expo," says Tim Portz, vice president of content at BBI International. "Within 200 miles of Omaha, there is a massive amount of activity dealing with the progress of advanced biofuels." Portz adds, "Last year's event was a huge success and we are incredibly excited to bring together the leading experts of this industry to discuss the future of sustainable energy."

"This event provides a unique opportunity to network with those involved in the biofuels industry. Last year's conference hosted attendees from around the globe that connected with current and potential customers," says John Nelson, marketing & sales director at BBI International.

Attendees and exhibitors will include 200+ professionals in key sectors including biofuels and biobased chemicals production; agribusiness; petroleum and petrochemical refining; pulp and paper milling; food processing; waste management; finance; aviation; government/military; research and academia.
To view online agenda visit: www.AdvancedBiofuelsConference.com

Governors Push for Rice Importation Ban By 2017

Gov. Yari and Gov Bindo

State governors recently pushed for the ban of rice importation by 2017 when the country would have developed sufficient capacity to produce enough to meet local consumption.

This was the position of governors of the front line states producing rice in the country at a meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on a new policy on agriculture and food sustainability with a view to banning importation of rice into Nigeria in the next two years.

After the meeting which was also attended by other stakeholders and governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Zamfara State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), Governor Alhaji Abdulazeez Yari said with the population of the country, it was regrettable that it still had issues of food security.

According to Yari, the meeting which held at the Vice President’s wing of the Villa discussed with relevant government agencies, policies on agriculture and food sustainability to be put in place in order to ensure self sufficiency in rice production, so as to make further importation unnecessary.

He said: “We discussed how we can boost rice production in Nigeria and start thinking about how we are going to put policies in place on how rice importation will be banned in the country.

“We have the potential, we have the human resources, and we have the arable land to grow rice. In the next two years, we will not need to bring rice from outside Nigeria. We are going to ban it.

“It is only in Nigeria, a country of millions of people, that there is no food security. We discussed the policy with the relevant permanent secretaries and CBN governor. The policy is going to be in place and we gave our commitment that we are ready to support the government policy in ensuring that Nigeria becomes self-sufficient in food production in the next two years.

“Nigeria is currently a major importer of rice. Now, the political will is in place to stop it. About nine states are going to be seriously engaged in massive rice production, so we are hoping that in the next two years, rice importation into Nigeria will be banned.  We are committed and the political will is in place.”

It would be recalled that the Federal Government had recently removed rice from import restriction list.

Ekiti State Farmers Receives N5m Support

farmers

As part of effort to encourage farmers to return to agriculture, foremost educationist and founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD, Aare Afe Babalola, has provided N5 million to some farmers in Ekiti State.

Speaking at the maiden edition of the Aare Afe Babalola Food Security Expo, ABAFEX 2015, Babalola said the donation, being an annual event, would see the best farmer in the state carting away N1 million while the best farmer in each of the state’s 16 local government areas would take home N250, 000.

He said: “Today we are here in fulfillment of the promise we made. I can see an array of farmers with their farm produce. I can see jubilant farmers dancing all the way. I am not only happy, but thrilled that people are still happy being involved in agriculture. This Expo will be on for four days and at the end of it all, I will be physically and personally present to present the cheques to the winners and this will subsequently become an annual event”.

According to the founder, this approach will enable the country retrace its steps back to the pre-oil era.
On the place of ABUAD in the Food Security Expo, Babalola said “ABUAD is established to change things for the better. We make things happen. We are equally here to set standards and we are the first University in Nigeria to engage in this kind of venture.

“We will not stop here. We will not stop thinking. We will be devising ways of improving. That is one of the essential ele­ments of a modern university”, he added

In his remarks, Governor Fayose while commending Ba­balola for his immense contri­butions in all facets of human endeavours, also pledged to sup­port the programme with N1 million annually.

It would be recalled that Babalola had earlier made the promise of 5 million naira to farmers in Ekiti State during his investiture as Africa’s Man of the Year in Food Security by the Forum for International Green Sustainability, FIGS.

With Eggs, the Choices Are Many

When purchasing eggs

When purchasing eggs, many people read the carton to help understand how the hens were housed when producing those eggs. But is the label on the egg carton a good indicator of the hens' well-being?

The variety of options can make determining the eggs best for you and your family difficult. To help support consumer choice and provide information to sort through the confusion, the Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply recently completed a three-year research study. Researchers assessed hens' well-being, egg safety and quality, affordability, worker health and safety, and environmental impact as elements of sustainability in cage-free, conventional and enriched colony hen housing.

What the researchers found might be surprising, with positive and negative aspects associated with each housing system. For instance, while conventional cage housing limits the ability of hens to exhibit natural behaviors, it also has the lowest mortality rate. Conversely, cage-free housing allows hens to nest, perch and even attempt flying, though hen mortality was more than double that of the other housing options researched. By understanding which findings are most important to them, shoppers can be confident in choosing eggs that are right for them.

"Hen well-being is an important aspect of producing eggs, but it should be considered along with many other elements of egg production," said Darrin Karcher, Extension Specialist in the Department of Animal Science at Michigan State University and CSES Project Director. "This research allows us to better understand how each housing system affects not only the well-being of the hens, but a variety of other factors. This is a valuable tool consumers, restaurants and retailers can use to make more informed decisions about which eggs are best for them."

When choosing what's best for you and your family, whether you prioritize egg cost, hens being able to exhibit natural behaviors, environmental impact or another element of sustainability, making an informed choice begins with understanding which eggs best meet your needs.

Sightlines Study Finds $8.4 Billion in Deferred Maintenance at Schools of Agriculture in U.S.

Sightlines and the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) today released a comprehensive study that found there is a collective total of $8.4 billion in deferred maintenance at the buildings and supporting facilities at schools of agriculture authorized to receive U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) funding. Perhaps even more alarming, the study found that 29 percent of the asset value of these campus buildings has deteriorated as a result of deferred maintenance.

The study was conducted for APLU by Sightlines, a leader in helping academic institutions better manage their facilities and capital investment strategies.

Deferred maintenance refers to the postponement of maintenance activities and capital investments - such as repairs on property, facilities and machinery -- in order to match limited budgets or realign available resources.

“These study results confirm the suspected magnitude of a problem that must be addressed if our institutions are going to continue to be able to conduct the high-quality research that is at the cutting edges of the science and education enterprises,” said Ian L. Maw, Vice President of Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources at APLU. “While specific strategies to address this issue are suggested in this report, it is also clear that the responsibility to ameliorate it resides with no single entity, but rather a coalition of federal and state governments, as well as campus leadership.”

Founded in 1887, APLU is a research, policy and advocacy organization of public research universities, land-grant institutions, state university systems and higher education organizations. Sightlines studied deferred maintenance in buildings on campuses that house agriculture, forestry, veterinary sciences, food sciences and human sciences academic programs, and agriculture extension sites. These buildings are used to conduct major research funded by the USDA, as well as other public and private entities.

The Sightlines/APLU study assessed more than 15,000 buildings that have a combined current replacement value of $29 billion. Sightlines used a methodology that included a survey of 101 colleges and universities, accompanied by a comprehensive building-by-building inventory of agriculture and agriculture-related space, and detailed reports on deferred maintenance in those buildings. The survey received a 90 percent participation rate (91 responding institutions).

“The scope and breadth of this study makes it the largest and most comprehensive study of U.S. schools of agriculture research, academic and support facilities ever completed,” said James Kadamus, vice president at Sightlines and the principal executive for the study. “There are a number of warning signs that we identified for the APLU member institutions, one of which is the discovery that they are facing an average of $95 per gross square feet in deferred maintenance. The Sightlines benchmark for critical level when system failures become more likely is $100 per gross square feet, so this is also a major operational concern.”

The Sightlines report warns that, without substantial additional investment, the schools of agriculture can be expected to experience buildings with: roofs that leak, foundations that crack and doors and windows that don’t keep the heat in or cold out; HVAC, electrical and plumbing systems that fail; laboratories that cannot function; animal care that is compromised; and health and safety problems for building occupants.

According to Kadamus, more than half (57 percent) of the space in the buildings surveyed is dedicated to teaching and research, the core academic missions of colleges and universities.

For more information about the report and to review Sightlines’ recommendations for how schools of agriculture can address the deferred maintenance problem, please go to www.sightlines.com.

Help Women Farmers; Feed the World

women in Agric

A call has gone to organizations investing in agricultural development to take into consideration the untapped role that female farmers can play as they create and implement their programs and policies.

This was made known by the U.S Government’s Hunger and Food Security Initiative, “Feed the Future”, whose main aim is to improve the lives of smallholder farmers by increasing food production, improving nutrition, expanding access to markets, and boosting incomes.

It is a known fact that many our farmers are women who play vital roles in agriculture and food security.

Around the world, female farmers play an important role in agricultural productivity.  However, women in agriculture face many more challenges than their male counterparts, including barriers related to land ownership, access to technology and machinery, training, decision-making powers, and participation in value chains.  As a result, female farmers are unable to reach their full potential.

AgroNigeria International Correspondent reports that this is taken into cognizance, the theme of this year’s International Women Day focused on Women Empowerment and Service to Humanity.

If women farmers who are less productive than men because they have a harder time getting land, tools, credit and training, were to have the same access to these resources as men, they could increase farm yields by 20 to 30 percent.

Bearing this in mind, if the barriers faced by women farmers can be removed, it would boost agricultural output, strengthen women’s abilities to feed themselves and their families, improve their economic situation, and further promote greater global food security.

By empowering rural women — with access to credit, the means to transport crops to market and, most fundamentally, the basic right to make decisions about the use of their land and resources — we will help feed the world and spark important social advances.

Through its Feed the Future initiative and other programs, the United States works to improve agriculture in 19 partner countries in Central America, Africa and South Asia – AgroNigeria Correspondent reports.

Specialty Crop Grant Awards Announced to Boost Michigan's Food and Agriculture Industry

Michigan's Food and Agriculture Industry

LANSING, Mich. – Michigan has received $1.9 million in federal dollars to create, enhance, or expand specialty crop agriculture development ventures across the state. The grants will further expand the marketing, research and education of these vital crops to our state’s economy.

“These grants help fuel the development and expansion of specialty crop production in our state, while strengthening Michigan’s economic reinvention," said Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development Director Jamie Clover Adams. “Michigan’s diverse food and agriculture sector continues to play a critical role in the state.”

MDARD’s allocation from the United States Department of Agriculture is similar to that of last year due to previous changes in the Farm Bill where the funding originates. Projects have a maximum award of $100,000 based on criteria established by USDA.

The department received a variety of proposals from throughout the specialty crop industry. Grant applications were evaluated, scored, and ranked by a Joint Evaluation Committee composed of MDARD and industry representatives not directly involved in any grant proposals.

Projects selected to receive funding are: Cherry Marketing Institute, of DeWitt, Development and Implementation of IPM Decision Support Tools for Michigan Fruit Growers - $72,709
Cherry Marketing Institute, of DeWitt, Run on Red - $100,000

FarmLogix, LLC, of Evanston, IL, Technology Tools for Administration of the USDA Pilot Project for Procurement of Unprocessed Fruits/Vegetable in Michigan - $50,000

Institute for Sustainable Living, of Bellaire, Specialty Crop Producer Education in Honey, Mushrooms and Agroforestry at the NMSFC and Farm School - $38,903

Lakeshore Environmental Inc., of Grand Rapids, Water Repurpose and Use Reduction at Michigan Food Processors - $60,517

Lakeshore Environmental Inc., of Grand Haven, Treatment and Disposal of Food Processing Wastewater through Aspiration and Evaporation - $41,820

Marquette Food Co-op, of Marquette, Marquette Food Co-op Specialty Crop Cooking Classes - $21,806
Michigan Agritourism Association, of Three Rivers, Farm-based Education to Enhance the Competitiveness of Specialty Crops - $58,375

Michigan Apple Committee, of Lansing, Building on Progress:  Engaging Local Fresh Apple Consumers via Social Media and In-Store Activities - $100,000

Michigan Apple Committee, of Lansing, Advertising to Promote Michigan Apples - $55,535   Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board, of DeWitt, Increasing Consumer Awareness of Michigan Asparagus through Print, Web, and Internet Based Promotion - $36,269

Michigan Bean Commission, of Frankenmuth, Constraints Associated with High Performance Production Systems - $99,995

Michigan Carrot Committee, of DeWitt, Aster Yellows Detection in Leafhoppers to Provide Management Solutions to Michigan Carrot and Celery - $29,495

Michigan Carrot Committee, of DeWitt, Optimizing Cover Crops for Weed, Nematode and Nitrogen Management - $81,677

Michigan Christmas Tree Association, of Howell, Promoting the Use of Fresh Michigan Christmas Trees through Care and Handling Informational Program - $59,050

Michigan Grape & Wine Industry Council, of Lansing, Michigan Sustainable Wine Grape Industry:  Education and Engagement - $59,725

Michigan Integrated Food & Farming Systems, of East Lansing, Growing a Food Safety Culture with Beginning Farmers - $99,624

Michigan Nursery and Landscape Association, of Okemos, Development of Innovative Weed Control Programs for Michigan Nurseries - $75,000

Michigan Onion Committee, of DeWitt, Creating a Website to Promote Michigan Onion Consumption - $8,000

Michigan Potato Industry Commission, of East Lansing, Bettering the School Nutrition Platform for Students in Michigan through Increasing Accessibility to Potatoes - $92,130

Michigan State University Extension, of Clinton Township, Increasing Capacity in the Institutional Use of Michigan Specialty Crops - $66,498

Michigan Vegetable Council, of Erie, Cucurbit Downy Mildew Management Strategies:  Facing New Challenges - $99,042

Michigan Vegetable Council, of Erie, Developing Strategies to Protect Squash and Pumpkin from Phytophthora Blight - $62,510

National Grape Cooperative Association, Inc., of Berrien Springs, Development of Vineyards for Maximum Production of Juice Grapes-Economic Impact Analysis and Grower and Industry Outreach - $26,800
Pickle Packers International, Inc., of Washington, DC, Promotion of Industry-Wide GAP Food Safety Program and Audit Scheme for Processed Pickles and Peppers in Michigan - $100,000