Efita Newsletter 1077, dated August 28, 2023

03 - 28/08/2023

The Harrow by Harold Septimus Power (1878-1951) , Australian

04 - 28/08/2023

Agfundernews.com

> Africa’s smallholder farmers need access to irrigation technologies before 4IR (i.e. Fourth Industrial Revolution and Precision Agriculture) agtech solutions can take off​, by guest contributor Prosper Chikomo

> Clearing the air: Neoplants disrupts air purification market with bioengineered houseplants​, by Elaine Watson

> Africa’s smallholder farmers need access to irrigation technologies before 4IR (fourth industrial revolution) agtech solutions can take off, by guest contributor Prosper Chikomo

> ‘Boil the weed inside out’: RootWave launches high-frequency, ‘regen ag-friendly’ weed zapper for orchards, by Jennifer Marston

> The Week in AgriFoodTech: BP invests in green hydrogen, Toyota funds carbon measurement, Bushel gleans $26m, by Jennifer Marston

> Data snapshot: 5 years of agrifoodtech investment in India​, by Jennifer Marston

> Entocycle & Bühler partner to cut the ‘trial and error’ phase from large-scale BSF (Black Soldier Fly) production, by Jennifer Marston

> Grain-trading platform Bushel raises $26m to build up ‘the Holy Grail’ of agrifintech software, by Jennifer Marston

> The Week in AgriFoodTech: Bayer & Shell tackle rice farming emissions, Mosaic launches biologicals business, by Jennifer Marston

See agfundernews.com


A spell by Harold Septimus Power (1878-1951), Australian

America’s Farmers Are Bogged Down by Data, by Belle Lin, WSJ, Aug. 22, 2023

Uptake of agtech tools has been tepid, and even many farmers who do use them struggle with the software and a flood of data from their farms.

A decade after data analytics promised to revolutionize agriculture, most farmers still aren’t using data tools or specialized software, and of those who do, many are swamped in a deluge of data.

In 2013, seed and pesticide giant Monsanto acquired agriculture-data firm Climate Corporation for $1 billion, helping spur the industry’s mania for data-driven farming. The hope was that by outfitting farmers with software and tools capable of ingesting and analyzing troves of data on things from weather patterns to soil conditions, they could more efficiently use their land.

Many are still waiting for the technology to pay off.

In the U.S., less than half of farmers surveyed by consulting firm McKinsey are using farm management software, and 25% are using remote-sensing and precision agriculture hardware.

That software is a foundational technology in enabling the autonomous machinery and AI-enabled equipment of the future, analysts say, and unless farmers start using it, some will be left behind in the next decade of farm innovation. At the moment, 3% of American farmers said they plan to adopt software or precision agriculture hardware over the next two years, according to McKinsey.
.../...
Data privacy is a concern for farmers, too—some are reluctant to share detailed information on their farm’s operations with startups and agribusinesses, fearing those businesses could raise prices or otherwise monetize their data, said agribusiness analyst and consultant Shane Thomas.

Meanwhile, farms of all sizes are pressured by the higher costs of seed, pesticides and fertilizer, an intensifying labor shortage and adverse weather events. The country’s smallest farms have been increasingly driven out of business by larger operations, which can more efficiently use technology and pay for upfront investment costs.

Still, it’s possible the newer tech could help smaller growers keep up against their larger competitors, according to USDA researchers.

Jerry Seuntjens, a corn and soybean farmer in Kingsley, Iowa, who works about 2,200 acres, said farm management software has helped his farm -“a one-man show”- mitigate the impact of labor shortages and higher costs.

Iowa is in its third year of a drought, Seuntjens said. But technology has improved his per-acre yield by eight to 18 bushels on corn, and three to 12 bushels on soybeans.

“If I can gain more yield and not have to make an extra pass going across a field, or use extra equipment, why wouldn’t you?” he said.

See wsj.com


How artificial intelligence could help us talk to animals, By Kathryn Hulick, August 17, 2023

What might sperm whales and other animals be saying to each other?

A sperm whale surfaces, exhaling a cloud of misty air. Its calf comes in close to drink milk. When the baby has had its fill, mom flicks her tail. Then, together the pair dive down deep. Gašper Beguš watches from a boat nearby. “You get this sense of how vast and different their world is when they dive,” he says. “But in some ways, they are so similar to us.”

Sperm whales have families and other important social relationships. They also use loud clicking sounds to communicate. It seems as if they might be talking to each other.

Beguš is a linguist at the University of California, Berkeley. He got the chance, last summer, to observe sperm whales in their wild Caribbean habitat off the coast of the island nation of Dominica. With him were marine biologists and roboticists. There were also cryptographers and experts in other fields. All have been working together to listen to sperm whales and figure out what they might be saying.
.../...
See snexplores.org


What is Precision Agriculture and How is it Revolutionizing Farming for a Sustainable Future?  By Frank Kettey, July 2, 2023

In an era of rapidly advancing technology, the agricultural industry is undergoing a major transformation. Precision Agriculture, also known as precision farming or smart farming, is at the forefront of this revolution. This innovative approach integrates technology, data analytics, and advanced tools to optimize farming practices, improve productivity, and reduce environmental impact. In this post, we will delve into the concept of Precision Agriculture, its key components, and the significant benefits it offers for farmers and the global food system.

Contents
1 What is Precision Agriculture
2 Key Components of Precision Agriculture
3 Benefits of Precision Agriculture
4 Future Trends and Innovations
5 Conclusion

See nobowa.com


Precision Farming Achieved 3 Million Downloads!

Highlighting innovations in sustainable agriculture and food production, the Precision Farming DLC has become the most popular serious gaming downloads for Farming Simulator 22.

Initiated by John Deere and the EIT Food, and developed in cooperation with the Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research of the Polska Akademia Nauk, Grupo AN in Spain, the Universität Hohenheim(Germany), University of Reading(UK), this EU funded project has the goal to showcase and educate about modern solutions in farming within an easily accessible setting.

Players can download and install the free Precision Farming DLC (DownLoadable Content) and learn using sensors to measure soil characteristics, and employ this information to optimize returns while preserving resources.

You can find out more about the game and the free DLC on our webpage.

No Chinese post-Covid rebound

Chinese EV Market Up (1)


Chinese EV Market Up (2)

Chinese crisis?


High 10-year Treasury yield, reflecting little confidence in the future of the Chinese economy


Chinese Economy and Its Property Sector

Polluting China


Chinese economy down


Drunk US male and female students (USA)


Available money (USA)

Climate czar John Kerry goes viral for ‘attack on American farmers’

John Kerry, the former Democratic presidential candidate and current U.S. special presidential envoy for climate, is going viral for comments he made criticizing food production’s contribution to carbon emissions — something some have called “an attack on American farmers.”

In a video first shared to the platform X (formerly Twitter), Kerry says that, globally, agriculture accounts for anywhere from 26 percent to 33 percent of greenhouse gases (though he zeros in primarily on the 33 percent number), and that “we can’t get to net zero — we don’t get this job done — unless agriculture is front and center as part of the solution.”

Perhaps Mr. Kerry doesn’t realize that agriculture has been among the most active parts of the climate solution for years?
…/…
See agdaily.com


Why is healthy food so expensive in America? Blame the Farm Bill that Congress always renews to make burgers cheaper than salad, by Gene Baur, July 21, 2023
See fortune.com


'Farm Bill programs should be revised to incentivize fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods and to make them more accessible and affordable.'
See fortune-com.cdn.ampproject.org.


Freeing American Families: Fertility and Family Policy (a very conservative and unproductive discourse refusing any compromise e.g. to tackle climate change - GW)

As birth rates fall around the world, many policymakers are considering new and expensive programs to encourage procreation. But is social spending the best way to increase fertility?
This week, our managing editor Chelsea Follett joined other experts to discuss her recent research that suggests supporting families means getting the government out of the way.

See cato.org


Removing Government Barriers to Fertility, by Chelsea Follett, August 15, 2023

Larger populations of free people create more economic prosperity through innovation, so policymakers shouldn’t make it harder for people to become parents and raise children.
…/…
See cato.org


My feeling about the above papers that may address real problems (GW): I think this type of confrontation is profoundly unnecessary. It seems obvious to me that ecologists were right to warn us about the climate change. They were right before many of us. As far as I am concerned, I have always looked favorably on the warnings from environmentalists on the climate, thinking that saving fossil fuels will always be positive. I never imagined that the climate could change as quickly as it does.

Today I think we need to work on measures to address the climate change by recognizing the contribution of environmentalists. Is it possible to depolarize the ecological debate?


What Could Go Right? How to depolarize?

With the 2024 election looming, we can still turn toward our fellow citizens.

On Monday, the day that former president Donald Trump was indicted in Georgia for efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election, I got into an argument with a close friend who is considering voting for him again.

This friend is patriotic, a true lover of the United States. I told him I didn’t understand why he would vote for someone who so clearly doesn’t have the US’ best interests at heart. He told me that his vote is none of my business. Emotions rose. Eventually, he said, “It’s not right that you wouldn’t be friends with me anymore if I vote for Trump.”

I was taken aback. “I never said that,” I responded. “Of course we would still be friends.”

So much has been written about polarization in the US that writing about it again feels passé. I’m uncertain how much the US has passed through the trend of cutting off people we disagree with. But since the 2024 election looks, at least for now, like it will be a Trump-Biden rematch, it also feels necessary to continue to talk about depolarization.
.../...
Another way to depolarize is to remember that our experiences are far greater than what we’re able to convey about them, as are everyone’s.

Climate doomerism is dangerous. Climate optimism is even worse...

Hope is crucial in effecting change. Blind optimism is not.
.../...
A recent Wall Street Journal piece calls “climate change obsession” a “mental disorder.” It’s just one piece of an aggressive gaslighting campaign—a term that’s overused but absolutely applicable in this context. For reasons ranging from economic to emotional, very legitimate fears are recast as not only inaccurate but also delusional, even a sign of insanity. If only that were true. The reality is that catastrophic thinking is completely appropriate in this case, when the effects of climate change—not only the predicted effects but the ones we’re already witnessing—are the definition of catastrophic.

When climate optimists critique panic-stricken climate-related communications as irresponsible, they of course have a point: If we’re paralyzed with fear and don’t believe that better outcomes are possible, we set ourselves up to succumb to despair rather than take action. This will mean something different for everyone, depending upon their interests and talents—organizing a protest, asking a school cafeteria to offer a vegan option, donating to an environmental charity, running for office, etc. All that matters is that we remain at least a little bit hopeful and do something.

As Michael E. Mann, professor and director of the Center for Science, Sustainability, and the Media at the University of Pennsylvania recently tweeted: “Concern, worry and alarm are often motivating. Doom and despair are not.” The sentiment of doom is that there is no hope, and that’s neither true nor useful. Sober, honest discussion about the climate should inspire concern, worry, and alarm—not enough to paralyze us, but enough to motivate us to take dramatic, unprecedented action.

See fastcompany.com


True Environmentalists Should Prioritize Economic Prosperity, by Alexander C. R. Hammond

Prosperity frees people to protect the environment.
…/…
The World Economic Forum recently acknowledged that the significant increase in bushmeat harvesting and wildlife trafficking in Africa “is directly linked to COVID-19-related lockdowns.” Similarly, the UK-based wildlife charity called People’s Trust for Endangered Species has warned that “unintended consequences” of lockdowns could undo “decades of work” devoted to animal protection.

Fortunately for mother nature, as economies begin to recover from the government-mandated lockdowns, the number of people who rely on illegal activities will decrease, and biodiversity will slowly recover. However, the EKC and the wretched impact of lockdowns on poverty and biodiversity teaches us an important lesson – true environmentalists should seek to prioritize economic growth, not lower it. Poverty-reducing policies, such as strong property rights, freedom to trade, lower regulation, and few burdensome taxes, as shown annually in the Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom of the World Report, remain some of the most reliable ways of raising economic prosperity for all.

In conclusion, poor people depend on mother nature to survive. Rich people, in contrast, can decouple themselves from the environment, protect wildlife for future generations, and return vast swathes of land to nature. Now, what environmentalist wouldn’t want that?

See humanprogress.org

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01 - See ourworldindata.org

02 - See ourworldindata.org

03 - See ourworldindata.org

04 - See ourworldindata.org

05 - See ourworldindata.org

06 - See ourworldindata.org

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


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