Nigeria’s federal government recently explained the rationale behind the proposed ministry of livestock development, saying that it is needed to enhance protein production, increase employment opportunities and government revenue. President Bola Tinubu had announced the establishment of the ministry from the current ministry of agriculture. Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef
The Taliban-ordered crash in opium production in Afghanistan, long the world’s dominant supplier, could drive up overdose deaths as heroin users switch to synthetic opioids already proving deadly in Europe, a UN report has said. The cultivation of opium, from which heroin is made, fell by 95% in Afghanistan last year after the Taliban banned
In a jungled corner of Indonesia’s Papua, the Awyu tribe await a Supreme Court verdict that will determine whether thousands of hectares of rainforest will be cleared for a vast palm oil concession to be planted atop the graves of their ancestors. “Birds of paradise, cassowaries… sacred places, and the paths of our ancestors are
Italian agricultural production shrank last year as wine, fruit and olive oil output all took a hit from extreme weather events linked to climate change, national statistics bureau ISTAT has said. Europe suffered its hottest summer in 2,000 years in 2023 — a finding based in part on an analysis of tree rings — and
In a significant policy reversal, New Zealand’s centre-right government has announced it is scrapping a scheme to price greenhouse gas emissions from livestock, effectively shelving a so-called “burp tax”. The government said new legislation will be introduced to parliament this month to remove the agriculture sector from a planned emissions pricing plan. “The government is
Mark Tuttle planted more soy and less corn on his northern Illinois farm this spring as prices for both crops hover near three-year lows and soybeans’ lower production costs offered him the best chance of turning a profit in the USA’s top soy producing state. He even planted soybeans in one of his fields for
Artificial intelligence (AI) remains light years away from displacing the farmer or agronomist in the agronomic decision-making process, but when it comes to crop scouting, AI is proving to be useful. Today, there are a handful of mobile-based crop monitoring programmes that use AI and machine-learning algorithms to convert data sets into actionable insights —
Hexafarms, a pioneer in agricultural tech leveraging AI to optimise greenhouses to power the future of food production, announced the successful close of a €1.3 million pre-seed funding round led by leading European early-stage investors Speedinvest with participation from Mudcake and techstars. With this fresh capital, Hexafarms will further develop its AI and machine learning
Falling crop prices are leaving agriculture equipment sellers with an excess of unsold tractors and combines. To cope with the surplus, dealers are discounting machines, suspending new orders, and even auctioning off equipment at reduced prices. The slower equipment sales are a knock-on effect of corn and soy prices dropping to more than three-year lows
Specialists in the West Kazakhstan Region are carrying out the safe passage of flood waters, as the region experiences its second wave of floods. The region’s four large reservoirs are 90% full. The ministry diverted 400 million cubic metres of flood water to the Ural-Kushum irrigation and water supply system of the West Kazakhstan Region.
