Efita Newsletter 1015, dated November 29, 2021

Efita Newsletter 1015, dated November 29, 2021
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Châtenay-Malabry (FR - 92290), November 29, 2021

EFITA newsletter / 1015 - European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment


Do not miss the Virus Jokes in English and French

Blagues de janvier – février 2021
Coronavirus 1 
Coronavirus 3
Ant joke
Virus 1
Virus 3
Virus 5 
Histoires drôles de l'oncle Paul (Jamet)
Dernières histoires de Michel Gil-Antoli
Et encore... 
Et celles de mars-avril 2021
Special "Biblical studies"
Celles de juillet 2021 en français et en anglais, dont 17 sur le virus en bas de page)
Blague d'octobre 2021

Suite des blagues d'octobre 2021

Coronavirus 2
Coronavirus 4
Virus et autres sujets
Virus 2
Virus 4
Virus 6
Histoires drôles de Georges Larroque

Les dernières histoires de Jean Pinon
Et encore

Tout sur le vaccin
Celles de mail 2021
Celles de juin 2021
Celles d'août

Celles de septembre
Le dico de Paul J.
Blagues de novembre 2021 (Nouveau)


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The mission of Our World in Data is to make data and research on the world’s largest problems understandable and accessible for everyone

Our World in Data
Global Change Data Lab
Oxford, OX2 - United Kingdom
See ourworldindata.org


Weekly newsletters about ICT in Agriculture in English and French
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Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: A Year on the Medieval Farm - Medievalists.net

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The importance of personal relations for economic outcomes

After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, West German families that had relatives in East Germany saw an increase in their incomes — and this growth in incomes was significantly higher than that of similar West German families without such family ties to the East.

Why did this happen? Are personal and family ties really so important to our economic outcomes that they result in systematic differences in income growth?

In this article from November 2019, we describe how social connections matter hugely for economic outcomes — from finding a job to international trade. These connections can have positive consequences that extend beyond those directly involved, bringing benefits to society as a whole.



Gender wage gap

The gender wage gap is defined as the difference between median earnings of men and women relative to median earnings of men. Data refer to full-time employees on the one hand and to self-employed on the other.



Wage levels (OECD) / Low paid workers (OECD)

Wage levels are divided by low pay and high pay. The incidence of low pay refers to the share of workers earning less than two-thirds of median earnings. The incidence of high pay refers to the share of workers earning more than one-and-a-half time median earnings. Data refer to full-time employees. This indicator is measured in percentages.



Thanksgiving is bound to cause a spike in America’s covid infections

Blame resistance to getting jabbed and a lack of home testing.
.../...
Britain lets each person order packs of seven rapid tests free. “In other countries, we see it’s become the norm for friends and family to get tested before a party, before dinner, before celebrations,” says Leana Wen, a former health commissioner of Baltimore. “We need to get to that point in this country.”
.../...
See economist.com


Futurefarming.com

> World Fira 2021 to explore role of ag robots in the future
In the World FIRA 2021 roundtable discussion “Automation and the new ways of organizing agricultural work worldwide,” panelists from around the globe will discuss how a dynamic ag robotics market provides new opportunities for the industry to evolve.

> Wiferion automates charging of field robots in outdoor areas

> Agricultural robots market worth $ 11.9 billion by 2026

> Last chance to register for the Best Field Robot Concept Award 2021!

> The CIMAT project develops autonomous multi-purpose field robot

> Kubota and Yamaha invest in robotic strawberry harvester

> Yanmar launches autonomous vineyard spraying robot

> Autonomous weeding – a year of tests
Three autonomous weeding robots were put through the ringer in Ontario this year – and with good results. Overall, and despite occasional hiccups, those running the trials said the robots’ performance exceeded expectations.

> The tests occurred at a variety of farm sites in Southwestern Ontario

> Interview:.. Burro CEO: “United States has great potential for field robots”
What does the future of field robots look like? We spoke to Charlie Andersen, CEO of Burro, maker of so-called collaborative farm robots.

> Video: How does a fixed bed plough work?
Steverink's fixed bed plough still requires some precision adjustment to achieve an optimal soil

> Expert Opinion: Gene editing to lead a new agricultural revolution
Non-GMO gene editing will enable farmers to have a better workplace and a more sustainable future.

> Carbon storage: Hydrogel to stimulate carbon storage in soils
A group of Brazilian researchers is developing a “hydrogel” that is able to capture carbon from the atmosphere and fixate it in the soil.

> Data: ATLAS project to integrate and connect farm data sources
The EU funded “ATLAS” project aims to create interoperability structures for data-driven agriculture.

> Electric tractors: Trimble invests in Monarch Tractor
Trimble’s corporate venture capital fund Trimble Ventures, announced its investment in Monarch Tractor

> Tools & data: Bayer and Microsoft partner to develop digital farming tools
Bayer announced a strategic partnership with Microsoft to build a new cloud-based set of digital tools and data science solutions.
See futurefarming.com


Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: The Labours of the Months, January: Dinner Scene, Da Costa Hours, in Latin, Illuminated by Simon Bening (1483/84–1561)

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Archives of our newsletters in French and English
Voir Afia
Voir Efita

 


xarvio FIELD MANAGER Expands Weather Station Connectivity

Enabling the connection of weather station devices from METOS by Pessl Instruments and Sencrop increases choice among compatible weather stations for xarvio FIELD MANAGER customers.
See precisionag.com


Bayer, Microsoft Enter into Strategic Partnership to Advance Digital Capabilities for Food, Feed, Fuel, Fiber Value Chain

The partnership will help build a new cloud-based set of digital tools and data science solutions for use in agriculture and adjacent industries.
See precisionag.com


Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: The Labours of the Months, February: Pruning Vines, Breaking Ground

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Agrology Closes Capital Raised via Harvest Returns Platform

Agrology is a fast-growing developer of predictive agriculture technologies to help growers maximize profits with minimal input costs and environmental impact.
See precisionag.com


EarthOptics Launches New Soil Carbon Project Labeling to Help Consumers Choose Climate-Smart Products

Calls on CPG companies to display on packaging amount of carbon removed from atmosphere and stored in soil to demonstrate positive impact on climate change.
See precisionag.com


Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: The Labours of the Months, March: Two Workmen in a Garden

4  


Big Agriculture and Consolidation: The Good, the Bad, and the Fabulous

As the industry continues to get bigger through mergers and acquisitions, it may be setting itself up for big efficiency gains derived from big data analysis.
See precisionag.com


Satellite Industry Grows as Investors Bet Billions on Space-Derived Data

Remote-sensing companies project robust growth; some executives anticipate consolidation in sector.
See wsj.com


Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: The Labours of the Months, April: Farmyard Scene

5  


10 amazing tractor innovations throughout history, by Brian Boyce Published: October 27, 2021

As 21st-century farmers click instructions onto touchscreens using their tractor’s artificial intelligence (AI) driven systems, pictures of old man John Deere’s 1837 model steel walking plow may loom in their mind. Even the grandparents of modern producers, members of the World War II generation, would consider today’s agricultural equipment to be the stuff of science-fiction films. From horse-pulled machinery to steam, to gasoline, diesel, and even electric, the technology behind tractors has come a long way — leading to a bevy of amazing tractor innovations in nearly two centuries of history. And all fans of the field are excited about the future yet to come.

Below are 10 of some of the most significant advances in the history of the tractor. That said, no such list could ever hope to be exhaustive as developments in tractor technology date back to the early 1800s. In broad terms though, it’s clear some contributions marked milestones in the fields of history, providing a starting point for a multiplicity of offshoot inventions and improvements.

Agriculture remains a mainstay of not just commerce, but technology, serving as the base from which so much science is created. Upon these 10 advancements, everything now considered a tractor was built — and great expectations remain for what lies ahead.
See agdaily.com


EIP-AGRI

The agricultural European Innovation Partnership (EIP-AGRI) works to foster competitive and sustainable farming and forestry that 'achieves more and better from less'. It contributes to ensuring a steady supply of food, feed and biomaterials, developing its work in harmony with the essential natural resources on which farming depends.
See ec.europa.eu
See EIP-AGRI Newsletter


Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory (?????): The Labours of the Months, May: Boating Party

6  


Asia will lead agrifood’s ‘future of breakthrough innovations,’ says Cargill strategy chief, AFN, by Jack Ellis

Last week delegates descended — albeit virtually — on Singapore for SWITCH, the city-state’s annual tech festival. And in a refreshing turn for an event historically dominated by discussion of fintech, e-commerce, and enterprise software, agtech and foodtech featured more prominently on the agenda than ever before.

Part of the reason for this is that Singapore, which imports over 90% of its nutritional needs, has placed more of an emphasis on food security and resiliency in recent years. This trend was only accelerated by Covid-19 and resulting supply chain breakdowns.

Indicative of agrifood’s ascendancy in Singapore and the wider world of tech was the choice of speaker to deliver the opening keynote at SWITCH: Marcel Smits, Asia-Pacific chairman and global head of corporate strategy at Cargill.

That the US agribusiness major has appointed Smits to hold both those roles concurrently speaks volumes about its outlook when it comes to Asia.

“Today [Asian markets] are not looking to play catchup to their Western counterparts anymore; instead, they are looking to leapfrog in terms of growth and development, and will be the backbone of global innovation for many years to come,” he said, noting the region’s contributions in areas such as AI, blockchain, and augmented reality as examples..

However, “while the region is thriving, sectors such as agriculture have somewhat lagged in adopting and fully leveraging these new technologies,” he continued.

“Innovation in all its forms — technology, digitalization, and R&D — provides the means to address some of the greatest challenges facing the Asian food ecosystem. And while there are several challenges that pose a serious threat to the region’s food supply, they’re also creating opportunities for innovation.”

In Asia, some of the innovation opportunities being explored by Cargill include alternative proteins, vertical farming, drone-enabled crop surveillance, and facial recognition tech for livestock, Smits said.

Tech is “disrupting Cargill’s businesses like never before” and is “key to our growth strategy,” which comprises three pillars: people, partnership, and product, he explained.
.../...
See agfundernews.com


Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory (?????): The Labours of the Months, June: Shearing Sheep

7  


Sizing up America’s Thanksgiving food waste problem, AFN, by Jennifer Marston

Tis the season for wasting food. In America, that season usually starts with the Thanksgiving holiday.

Food waste may be extra pronounced this year as this is the first Thanksgiving many families are getting together since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and travel is expected to skyrocket and with it, greenhouse gas emissions. So too is the amount of Thanksgiving food waste thrown out.

Food waste think tank and nonprofit ReFed estimates that 305 million pounds of food from Thanksgiving dinner will be thrown out this year. Production of this food generates more than 1.1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, which is the same as driving 169,000 cars for a full year. More than 1 billion gallons of water go into producing this amount of food; the same amount of water used by everyone in New York City for three and a half months.

See agfundernews.com


Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory:
The Labours of the Months, July: Making Hay

8  


John Deere posts record profit despite strike, CNN, by Chris Isidore

John Deere posted record annual income Wednesday despite the recently concluded five-week worker strike, and it predicted another record year ahead.

The Midwest farm and construction equipment maker posted annual net income of nearly $6 billion, more than double the $2.8 billion it earned a year earlier and easily clearing its previous fiscal year record earnings of $3.5 billion reached in 2013. The company said it anticipates earning between $6.5 billion to $7 billion in the current fiscal year.
…/…
See cnn.com


Agriculture can be climate leader with 'build back' funding, says Vilsack, in Successful Farming, by Chuck Abbott

The farm sector would gain $27 billion for climate mitigation, including payments for planting cover crops, from the social welfare and climate change bill passed by the House, said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “Agriculture can lead the way in the fight on climate with climate-smart agriculture and forestry practices that sequester carbon, reduce emissions and create new and better market opportunities for producers.”

The bill, sent to the Senate on a House vote that followed party lines, allots $5 billion for the cover crop program, with payments of $25 an acre for up to 1,000 acres per farmer.

Also earmarked were $10 billion to expand food programs for school children, $27 billion for forest restoration and wildfire prevention and $6 billion for debt relief to economically distressed farmers in high-poverty areas. It also would grant employment and travel authorization to undocumented immigrants, including farmworkers, who have been in the United States since at least 2011 if they apply for parole, pay a processing fee and pass background and security checks.
.../...
See agriculture.com/


 
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Agtech innovation will be key to Kenya’s Covid-19 economic recovery, AFN, by John Njiraini

Kenya has emerged as a hotspot for agtech innovation in sub-Saharan Africa, with more than 100 solutions in the market driving growth, productivity, and sustainability in the agrifood value chain.

Companies like Twiga Foods, Apollo Agriculture, iProcure, Safaricom‘s DigiFarm, and Farmers Pride are igniting a digital revolution in agriculture with services like procurement, last-mile distribution, access to finance and quality inputs, weather monitoring, and yield predictions. Such technologies have the potential to drive the country’s economic rebound from Covid-19, according to a new report from Gatsby, Msingi and Kenya Markets Trust.

“The expanding footprint of Kenya’s tech firms and the country’s emergence as a tech gateway to East Africa represent a major opportunity for the region,” states the ‘Horizon Kenya’ report.
See agfundernews.com


Why cellular agriculture could be the future of farming

Raising livestock contributes a significant proportion of the food industry's climate emissions, but scientists and a growing number of companies are hoping that growing meat – everything from beef to turkey and even fish – from cell cultures in laboratories may offer a solution.
See bbc.com


Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: The Labours of the Months, August: Moving Wheat, Binding Sheaves

9  



COVID-19 update: How does the number of confirmed COVID deaths compare to excess deaths?

Excess deaths measure the difference between how many people died during the pandemic, from any cause, and how many deaths would have been expected had there been no pandemic. Excess deaths give a more comprehensive picture of the total impact of the pandemic on deaths than confirmed COVID deaths alone.

How do these two metrics compare?

In many countries the number of excess deaths is much higher than the number of confirmed COVID deaths. In Russia, for instance, the official COVID death toll stands at 253,000, while excess deaths are nearly 3.5-times higher at 871,000.

This shows that in many countries the impact of the pandemic on deaths has been far worse than what is suggested by the official COVID death toll.

Explore our global vaccination dataset, alongside cases, deaths, hospitalizations, testing, and other metrics by country in our COVID Data Explorer.



Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccinations

- 53.9% of the world population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
- 7.85 billion doses have been administered globally, and 29.4 million are now administered each day.
- Only 5.6% of people in low-income countries have received at least one dose.

Hannah Ritchie, Edouard Mathieu, Lucas Rodés-Guirao, Cameron Appel, Charlie Giattino, Esteban Ortiz-Ospina, Joe Hasell, Bobbie Macdonald, Diana Beltekian and Max Roser (2020) - "Coronavirus Pandemic (COVID-19)". Published online at OurWorldInData.org. Retrieved from: ' [Online Resource]
See ourworldindata.org


Bloomberg Newsletter: employment in USA, People leaving their jobs: not that many...


 


Bloomberg Newsletter: shipping costs not increasing


 


Bloomberg Newsletter: Living with the parents


 


Bloomberg Newsletter: Young adults are moving back out


 



Advocates of a strong state want everyone to think that China’s economic success is due to its large government

However, the work of Chinese economist Weiying Zhang proves that the opposite is true:

"China has grown fast not because of, but in spite of the unlimited government and the large inefficient state sector."
See humanprogress.org


Correlating Genetically Modified Crops, Glyphosate Use and Increased Carbon Sequestration, by Chelsea Sutherland, Savannah Gleim and Stuart J. Smyth, 22 October 2021

In the early 1990s, tillage was the leading form of weed control, with minimum/zero-tillage management practices incapable of long-term continuation. Presently, weed control through tillage has virtually disappeared as cropland management systems have transitioned largely to continuous cropping, with zero to minimal soil disturbance. Research was undertaken to examine what was driving this land management transition.

A carbon accounting framework incorporating coefficients derived from the Century Model was used to estimate carbon sequestration in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The results quantify the transition from farmland being a net carbon emitter to being a net carbon sequesterer over the past 30 years. This evidence confirms the correlation between genetically modified, herbicide-tolerant crops and glyphosate use is a driver of the increased soil carbon sequestration.

The removal of tillage and adoption of minimal soil disturbances has reduced the amount of carbon released from tillage and increased the sequestration of carbon through continuous crop production. Countries that ban genetically modified crops and are enacting legislation restricting glyphosate use are implementing policies that Canadian farm evidence indicates will not contribute to increasing agricultural sustainability.
See geneticliteracyproject.org


The Adoption of Organic Agriculture by Sri Lanka Was a Debacle.  (Others, take note.)
See europeanscientist.com


Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: The Labours of the Months, September: Plowing and Sowing Seed

10  


The populist right is regretting its encouragement of Covid conspiracists, by Paolo Gerbaudo

Extremists are being pitted against moderate centre-right voters in the next chapter of the culture wars.
See theguardian.com


Support for populist sentiment falls across Europe, survey finds, by Jon Henley, Europe correspondent

YouGov/Guardian poll finds ‘clear pattern of decreasing support for populism’ in European countries



Majority of public in Europe support Covid vaccine passports – survey

Exclusive: Survey also found people are frustrated with governments’ pandemic response and restrictions.




Has innovation improved kitchen appliances?

To answer this question, we looked at the prices of six kitchen appliances in 1980 and 2020.

After adjusting for wages, we found that kitchen appliances have become 87.9 percent cheaper over the last 40 years.
See humanprogress.org


Fears about climate change and overpopulation are making young people in many rich countries hesitant to have children.

In this episode of the Human Progress Podcast, British journalist Madeleine Kearns joins Chelsea Follett to discuss this misguided eco-anxiety.
See video
See humanprogress.org


Which vaccine is the most effective against the Delta variant?

The mRNA jabs seem best—but all offer protection.



Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: The Labours of the Months, October: Sale of a Bull

11  


Un país 100% ecológico reduce sus emisiones, pero las genera fuera, para Miguel Ángel Criado, 27 oct 2019

La agricultura y ganadería orgánicas rinden casi la mitad de energía y proteínas con la misma tierra.

"En los actuales sistemas alimentarios, al menos en los países industrializados como Reino Unido, generamos también mucho excedente (alrededor del 30% de la producción acaba en la basura) y producimos una gran cantidad de alimento que convertimos en piensos de forma ineficiente para obtener comida de origen animal. El 40% de la producción de cereales y enormes extensiones de maíz y soja son para piensos", comenta Müller. "Así que si reducimos el desperdicio y los cultivos dedicados a pienso, tendríamos que producir mucho menos, lo que se podría hacer sin usar más tierra o sistemas más intensivos que los orgánicos", añade.

El mexicano Hernández-Medrano coincide con el suizo: "la mejor manera de disminuir el impacto es mediante un consumo racional de proteína de origen animal, disminuyendo su desperdicio". Así que, para ambos, no se trataría tanto de agricultura sostenible como de sistemas alimentarios sostenibles, trasladando la responsabilidad al consumidor. Como dice Müller: "la agricultura sostenible solo se puede lograr si cambiamos radicalmente nuestros hábitos de consumo".
Ver elpais.com


Los clientes podrán exigir que sea una persona y no una máquina quien preste la atención telefónica, para Miguel Ángel Medin

Consumo prepara una ley para regular estos servicios. Las asociaciones de consumidores consideran que la norma se queda corta.
Ver elpais.com


El negacionismo es cosa de 'boomers'

El discurso antivacunas y la conspiranoia parecen haber calado más en la mediana edad que en los nativos digitales. ¿Por qué? Inmersos en la cotidianidad online, los jóvenes filtran de manera intuitiva.
Ver elpais.com


Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: The Labours of the Months, November: Carding Wool

12  


El sentido de la vida es amar”, con María Belón · Médico y psicoterapeuta
Ver aprendemosjuntos.elpais.com


España insiste en atraer a los jubilados europeos, para Sandra López Letón, 20 nov 2021

Los complejos residenciales para personas mayores autónomas comienzan a despertar el interés de los inversores extranjeros.
Ver elpais.com


‘Sicilia 1943′, de James Holland: aviadores ardiendo, infantería masacrada y tanques Tiger cerca de la playa, para Jacinto Antón

El historiador británico publica una emocionante revisión de la invasión Aliada de la isla italiana durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial.
Ver elpais.com


Nothing is more responsible for the good old days than a bad memory: The Labours of the Months, December: Slaughtering a Pig

13  


Biofueling Our Future with Agriculture

There are many challenges to producing biofuels from agricultural crops. Dr. Ryan Stoklosa and other scientists with the ARS Sustainable Biofuels and Co-products Research Unit in Wyndmoor, PA, are researching second-generation biofuels—liquid transportation fuels generated from plant biomass such as perennial grasses, trees, or agricultural waste residues.
See ars.usda.gov


Big Winners From Natural-Gas Crunch: Coal Power Plants in Europe

Profit margins are far and away the highest they have been in years. Under Europe’s climate policies, this shouldn’t be happening.
See wsj.com


Je AfD, desto Corona, Von Holger Dambeck und Peter Maxwill

Wo die AfD stark ist, vermehrt sich das Coronavirus rasant. Ein Zufall? Forscher haben das Phänomen genauer untersucht – und sind von den Ergebnissen selbst überrascht.



Así afronta España el cierre del gasoducto del Magreb,

Existen muchas alternativas que garantizan el abastecimiento, pero todas pasan por un aumento en el precio.
Ver elpais.com


 


A man goes out of prison after twenty years

He decides to go back to the neighborhood where he lived.

When he gets there, he cannot recognize the place. Everything has changed a lot. The places he used to visit have all disappeared. Even the pub has disappeared.

He is very tired and would like to have something to eat. He goes into a small café and has a coffee and a sandwich.

When he takes out his wallet, he finds a shoemaker ticket in it. He then remembers that the last thing he had done before being arrested was to take a pair of shoes to the shoemaker's. He decides to go there and try.

What a wonderful thing! The shoemaker is still at the same place. He gets into the shop and tells the shoemaker that about twenty years before he had left him a pair of shoes to have them repaired.

The shoemaker has a look at the ticket and says:

"O.K. Come back tomorrow. They will be ready then."

Some things never change.


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Contact: Guy WAKSMAN
E-mail: guy.waksman(a)laposte.net


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