La Niña seen fading between March and May

La Niña, a weather phenomenon usually linked to heavy rains and flooding in Asia-Pacific and South America and drought in Africa, seems to have reached its peak and is expected to fade between March and May, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said Feb. 10. A weak to moderate La Niña pattern has cooled the tropical


Top global weather stories for 2011

Ask and you shall receive. I asked you, the readers, to send in any questions you would like me to answer and over the last couple of weeks I have received a record number of questions. For those of you who sent in a question I will either email you back an answer right away,

Closing gender gap seen key in food security fight

Apolicy aimed at ensuring future security of food supplies must centre around the world’s 500 million smallholder producers, many of whom are women who farm less than two hectares of land, a leading United Nations official said Dec. 14. “Unless they are at the centre of the future strategies for food security, we will not


New FAO chief says food prices may ease in 2012

Jose Graziano da Silva, the Brazilian who replaced Senegal’s Jacques Diouf at the helm of the FAO at the start of 2012, said volatility in food markets was likely to continue and that, “Prices will not be going up as in the sense of the last two to three years but will also not drop

UN calls for more efficient livestock

World meat consumption will rise 73 per cent by 2050 Milan / Reuters / Livestock farms should use natural resources more efficiently to meet ever-growing demand for meat and dairy products in a way friendly to the environment, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said Dec. 14. Global meat consumption is projected to



Seven Billion And Growing

To me this is the major problem facing the world, said Michael Trevan, dean of the faculty of agricultural and food sciences at the University of Manitoba. Climate change may come and go… but we ve got a bigger problem on our hands. He noted world population is expected to reach 9.5 billion in the


UN Body Delays Efforts To Regulate “Land Grabs”

AUN intergovernmental body on food security has failed to adopt international guidelines on land governance, delaying efforts to regulate so-called land grabbing as investors race to snap up agricultural land. A voluntary code of conduct has been in the works since 2008, driven by concerns that countries such as China and Gulf Arab states are

Compost Co-Operative Among New Co-Ops Starting Up In Manitoba

One of Manitoba s newest cooperatives hits the road this week and is hoping to recruit new members as it demonstrates the services it offers. The Compo-Stages Manitoba Services Co-op was expected to be out doing on-farm demos at St. Pierre, Marchand, La Broquerie, Notre Dame du Lourdes and Steinbach with its newly purchased windrow