The archives of this newsletter
See: http://www.informatique-agricole.org/category/gazette-efita/


Animal Welfare goes China: XVIth ISAH-Congress in Nanjing
5‐9 May 2013 - NANJING
Extension of the deadline for abstract submission to 20th of November 2012.
See: http://isah2013.njau.edu.cn


5 Questions on the AGROVOC Community of Practice
This month the leader of the AGROVOC Community of Practice, Gudrun Johannsen, answers the following 5 questions about the use, benefits and challenges of this community:
1. Who is involved in the AGROVOC community and who is invited to participate?
2. What are the main developments within the community?
3. What are the main advantages of being member of the AGROVOC community?
4. What are the main developments within the community?
5. What are the challenges of the AGROVOC community?
See: http://aims.fao.org/interview/agrovoc-community


22,000 pigs create clean energy in Australia’s first carbon farming piggery
See: http://www.sustainabilitymatters.net.au/news/56750


The US must take biofuel action to prevent a food crisis by José Graziano da Silva (FAO)
See: http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/85a36b26-e22a-11e1-b3ff-00144feab49a.html#axzz24FrfRdeA


International Food Policy Research Institute’s magazine, Insights
Here are a few highlights to whet your appetite, so to speak:
- The Meat of the Issue: Large-scale meat production and consumption are harming human health and the environment in wealthy countries. But in poor countries, raising livestock boosts wealth and nutrition. How much meat is enough?
- The Indian Enigma: studying the disconnect between agriculture and nutrition in India.
- The tricky business of managing grain reserves.
- Kenyan Triple Play: Identifying promising farming practices in Kenya that improve agricultural productivity, help adapt to climate change, and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
- Land Rush: Large-scale land deals are increasingly common in some developing regions. What happens to the poor people who are already there? And what happens to women?

See: http://insights.ifpri.info/


Publication of the ASTI Global Assessment of Agricultural R&D Spending, produced by the International Food Policy Research Institute and the Agricultural Science and Technology Indicators (ASTI) initiative
This global assessment of spending in agricultural research and development, covering trends from 1981 to 2008, highlights the need for continued and scaled-up investments in agricultural R&D, particularly in the wake of the recent food and financial crises and climate change.
Although global public spending on agricultural R&D increased by 21 percent, much of that growth is driven by more middle-income countries such as China and Brazil, where long-term government commitment to agriculture R&D and a supportive policy environment have paid off with increased agricultural productivity and economic growth.
Many smaller, poorer, and technologically challenged countries—that are most in need of agriculture-led economic growth—are suffering from stagnating, falling, and short-term investments in agricultural research, often the result of short-term, project-oriented donor and development bank funding.
The report is released in advance of the Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development, taking place next week in Punta del Este, Uruguay.
See: http://www.ifpri.org/pressroom/briefing/global-trends-agricultural-rd-spending
Contact: Marcia MACNEIL
E-mail: m.macneil(a)cgiar.org


9 unexpectedly cool features in Windows Phone 8
See: http://venturebeat.com/2012/10/29/windows-phone-8-features/


So What’s Wrong With The States?
See: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20121104195154-108843352-so-what-s-wrong-with-the-states


Bigger is better: Large companies good for the economy, study finds
Large companies contribute disproportionately more to a country’s economic performance than smaller ones, according to a new EU-funded survey.
Bigger corporations are more productive, they pay higher wages, enjoy higher profits, and are more successful in international markets, said the report by European Firms in a Global Economy (EFIGE), an EU-funded project.
Therefore, a country's economic performance can be linked to its number of big corporations, says the survey, which was carried out under the supervision of Brussels-based think tank Bruegel.
See: http://www.euractiv.com/innovation-enterprise/bigger-better-case-firms-contrib-news-514484
See: http://www.bruegel.org/publications/publication-detail/publication/
744-breaking-down-the-barriers-to-firmgrowth-in-europe-the-fourth-efige-policy-report/


There is a lesson in here... Be very careful how you say things: nations have gone to war over things like this

An elderly couple, who were both widowed, had been going out with each other for a long time. Urged on by their friends, they decided it was finally time to get married. Before the wedding, they went out to dinner and had a long conversation regarding how their marriage might work.

They discussed finances, living arrangements and so on.

Finally, the elderly gentleman decided it was time to broach the subject of their physical relationship.

"How do you feel about s e x?" he asked, rather tentatively.

"I would like it infrequently," she replied.

The old gentleman sat quietly for a moment, adjusted his glasses, leaned over towards her and whispered:

"Infrequently ... is that one word or two?"

Contact: Mick HARKIN
Mél : harkin(a)iol.ie


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