24th International Congress on Irrigation and Drainage and 71st International Executive Council (IEC) Meetings will be organized by Irrigation Australia’s Committee on Irrigation and Drainage (IACID) in co-operation with ICID during 22-28 September 2020 at Sydney, Australia. The main theme of the Congress is ‘Innovation and Research in Agricultural Water Management to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals’.

Trade agreement would be ‘big win’ for agriculture
14 December 2019
Though the 2019 farming season started off with excessive rains that negatively impacted some crops, area farmers are looking ahead to a new year with positive impact from a new national trade agreement with the U.S., Mexico and Canada.
https://www.indeonline.com/news/20191214/stark-farmers-trade-agreement-would-be-big-win-for-agriculture

Microsoft offers AI for agriculture
13 December 2019
"Who would have thought, just a few years back, that we would be talking about artificial intelligence at an ag conference?" asked the leadoff speaker for the 31st annual Texas Plant Protection Association Conference.
https://www.farmprogress.com/technology/microsoft-offers-ai-agriculture

[Top] 

CLIMATE CHANGE 








Climate change: Call for 'flexibility' to reach consensus at talks
15 December 2019
The Chilean official leading UN climate talks in Madrid has called on delegates to show flexibility, as they struggle to reach agreement on crucial measures needed to tackle climate change.
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-50795294

How Africa will be affected by climate change
15 December 2019
Africa is more vulnerable than any other region to the world's changing weather patterns, explains climate specialist Richard Washington. The African continent will be hardest hit by climate change.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-50726701

Highlights from the UN climate change summit in Madrid
14 December 2019
The 2019 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP25) kicked off in Madrid on December 2. Delegates from across the globe worked to come up with a concrete plan to implement the Paris Agreement.

[Top] 

DROUGHTS 







Five years of thirst: S.Africa's Eastern Cape battles brutal drought
14 December 2019
In South Africa's Eastern Cape province, no one can remember the last proper downpour. Some say it was five years ago, others six. "This is a disaster," said Bothma, 51, who in his three decades working the land has never seen such dry weather.
https://phys.org/news/2019-12-years-thirst-safrica-eastern-cape.html

Dry man of Europe, Poland strives to save water
14 December 2019
Poland - hit by back-to-back droughts - is on a mission to save water and end its reputation as dry man of Europe. Crop yields have shrunk. Taps have run dry.
https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/14/12/2019/Dry-man-of-Europe,-Poland-strives-to-save-water

Drought and flooding hit South Sudan
13 December 2019
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) needed $270 million urgently to provide food to hungry South Sudanese in the first half of 2020 and avert mass starvation in the world’s youngest country.
https://www.defenceweb.co.za/security/human-security/drought-and-flooding-hit-south-sudan/


[Top] 

 FLOODS






Record-setting rainfall swells rivers, floods roads across southern Maine
14 December 2019
A total of 3.37 inches is recorded at Portland International Jetport, breaking the previous Dec. 14 record of 1.74 inches, set in 1917. Along the Riverwalk near Bridge Street in Westbrook, onlookers watched, mouths agape, as torrents of muddy brown water gushed over the remnants of the Saccarappa Falls dam structure, which crews have been working to remove since June.
https://www.centralmaine.com/2019/12/14/nws-issues-flash-flood-warning-for-southern-maine/

Atmospheric river storms create $1 billion-a-year flood damage
12 December 2019
The team led by Scripps postdoctoral researcher Tom Corringham found that flooding has caused nearly $51 billion in damages to western states in the last 40 years. More than 84 percent of these damages were caused by atmospheric rivers (ARs), which are long narrow corridors of water vapor in the atmosphere capable of carrying more than twice the volume of the Amazon river through the sky.
https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/atmospheric-river-storms-create-1-billion-year-flood-damage

Flood-Hit Iranian Farmers Receive Nearly $100mln in Compensation
11 December 2019
Those farmers whose farmlands and crops were submerged by unexpected floods which came after torrential rainfalls in April and March across most of the country’s provinces were paid nearly $100 million in relief by the Iranian government.
https://en.farsnews.com/newstext.aspx?nn=13980920000359

[Top]

FOOD SECURITY 







UAE climbs 10 spots on food security index
15 December 2019
The UAE has ranked 21st on the Global Food Security Index this year - a 10-place leap from last year's 31st place - reflecting how far the country has come in establishing itself as a world leader in innovation-driven food security.
https://www.khaleejtimes.com/news/general/uae-climbs-10-spots-on-food-security-index-

Vietnam scoops fourth in Southeast Asia food security ranking
15 December 2019
Fourth in Southeast Asia and 54th in the world, Vietnam performs well on Economist Intelligence Unit food security index. A top world rice exporter, the country scored an overall 64.6 out of 100 points, higher than the 62.9 average among 113 countries and territories.
https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/vietnam-scoops-fourth-in-southeast-asia-food-security-ranking-4026839.html

Agriculture biotech termed vital for food security
14 December 2019
Pakistan Biotechnology Information Centre (PABIC), in collaboration with Forman Christian College University (FCCU) and United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), organised the National Dialogue on Agricultural Biotechnology.
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/583354-agriculture-biotech-termed-vital-for-food-security

[Top]

IRRIGATION






Smart Irrigation Market Growth Insight Analysis 2019-2028
15 December 2019
Global Smart Irrigation market size will reach xx million US$ by 2025, from xx million US$ in 2018, at a CAGR of xx% during the forecast period. In this study, 2018 has been considered as the base year and 2019-2025 as the forecast period to estimate the market size for Smart Irrigation.
https://downeymagazine.com/2019/12/15/smart-irrigation-market-growth-insight-analysis-2019-2028/957738/

Will oil field wastewater be used for irrigation
15 December 2019
The state of Oklahoma could gain approval from the Environmental Protection Agency to issue permits that would allow oil producers to dispose of oil field production water in above-ground waterways.
https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/local/will-oil-field-wastewater-be-used-for-irrigation-or-other/article_52af70d8-a186-5d9a-bab3-50fe916bc8b6.html

Irrigation technology continues to evolve
11 December 2019
"We see growers rapidly adopting FieldNET which allows them to remotely control and monitor their machines. Three years ago we launched FieldNET Adviser which is an irrigation scheduling tool. Just this last year we've partnered with Farmers Edge and we've integrated aerial imagery into FieldNET Adviser."

 

[Top]

WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT 

Germany facilitates Mekong basin management with additional funding
13 December 2019
The German government will provide an additional $2.2 million to bolster cross-border water cooperation and environmental monitoring in the Mekong River Basin.
https://e.vnexpress.net/news/news/germany-facilitates-mekong-basin-management-with-additional-funding-4026942.html

FAO conducts water resource accounting exercise
13 December 2019
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations in collaboration with the local partners conducted a water accounting exercise for improved management of water resources in the country.
https://www.app.com.pk/fao-conducts-water-resource-accounting-exercise/

[Top]

Water Pollution 2020: 15th International Conference on Monitoring, Modelling and Management of Water Pollution, 13-15 May 2020, Valencia, Spain. For more details, please visit: https://www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences/2020-conferences/water-pollution-2020; Email: wit@wessex.ac.uk

MinWat 2020: 3rd International Multidisciplinary Conference on Mineral Waters: Genesis, Exploitation, Protection and Valorisation, 31 March-3 April 2020, Caserta, Italy. For more details, please visit: https://iah.org/events/minwat-2020; Email: segratario@iahitaly.it

6th IWA International Symposium on Water, Wastewater and Environment in Ancient Civilizations: Traditions and Cultures
28-30 April 2020
the 6th IWA International Symposium which will be Co-organized by the Bogazici University, Istanbul, Turkey and the Hellenic Open University, Patra, Greece. It will take place at the Bogazici University (28 & 29 April) and in the Conference Hall of the Theological School of Halki in the island of Heybeliada, Istanbul, Turkey (30 April).
https://iwa-network.org/events/iwa-regional-symposium-on-water-wastewater-and-environment-traditions-and-cultures/
 

[Top]

IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land 08 August 2019 Land is already under growing human pressure and climate change is adding to these pressures. At the same time, keeping global warming to well below 2ºC can be achieved only by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from all sectors including land and food, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in its latest report on Thursday. Link: https://www.ipcc.ch/2019/08/08/land-is-a-critical-resource_srccl/