Efita Newsletter 1081, dated October 30, 2023

Châtenay-Malabry (FR - 92290), October 30, 2023


EFITA newsletter / 1081 - European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment


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Winning R&D partnerships announced for new on-farm innovations (UK)
…/…
Successful projects
>>> Agri-Opencore project
The Agri-Opencore project, led by APS Produce, has been awarded £3.8 million to accelerate the delivery of robotic crop systems for horticulture.

With labour shortages affecting the horticulture sector around the world, there are huge opportunities to reduce costs and labour requirements in the sector.

The funding will help the project create the world’s first open development platform (software and hardware) for agri-robotic crop harvesting.

The open development platform will enable multiple organisations to contribute and exploit the platform to accelerate the development and adoption of robotic harvesting of crops in England.

>>> AG ARC project
The AG ARC project, led by Garnett Farms Engineering, has been awarded £2.5 million towards the development of an autonomous cow cubicle bedding unit.

Cow comfort is a key factor in reducing the chances of cows suffering from mastitis, a fatal inflammation of their mammary gland, with dry and clean bedding and careful management of cubicles being vital.

Currently, this must be done manually by farmers, but this project will develop an intelligent robotic cubicle bedder.

The robotic cubicle bedder will autonomously and safely navigate the cubicle shed to monitor and respond to key sensor data of moisture and temperature on the cubicle bed to optimise dispensing of bedding.

This will help to boost animals’ health and welfare costs, improve farms’ productivity and reduce costs through efficient use of bedding.

>>> Potato-LITE project
The Potato-LITE project, led by PepsiCo, has been awarded £2.8 million to explore better systems of potato cultivation.

Current systems of potato cultivation require intense and frequent disturbance of the soil, with deep, destoned seedbeds necessary to avoid tuber damage.

And while reduced tillage technologies are enabling regenerative agriculture in cereal systems, this technology has not been developed for root crop production, such as potatoes.

Potato-Lite aims to develop new cultivation equipment and systems with farmers and the wider supply chain, focusing on reducing the depth, intensity and number of operations required.

Therefore, it will not only improve soil health and reduce the environmental impact of the sector, but it will also reduce costs to make the £824 million potato sector more resilient.

Three successful projects will share £9.13m funding to develop their novel solutions in crop harvesting, cow health and robotics to tackle on-farm issues.
See ukri.org


7 fun facts about apples

There is an apple variety for every use, including new ones each year, genetically modified apples that don’t brown, and even crabapples.
See agdaily.com


Leaving mass / Sortie de messe à Gourin, par Jeanne Marie Barbey (1876-1960)

01 - 30/10/2023

Livestock market / Marché aux bestiaux, par Joseph-Félix Bouchor (1853–1937)

02 - 30/10/2023

FutureFarming.com

> Turbulent times for indoor farming, but experts remain bullish
The indoor farming industry has seen a series of closures and financial struggles among some of its heavyweights and early movers.

> Seeding: Ultra precision planting with wood pulp fiber tapes: a opportunity for fine-seeded crops
In the realm of precision agriculture, a novel approach is gaining attention—seeding with wood pulp fiber tapes.

> Robot software: Krone Big M mower with robot software prevents dead animals
The German machinery manufacturer Krone, in collaboration with software supplier Lacos, offers software for the Krone Big M Mower.

> Regenerative: 12 ventures can apply for Regenerative Farming Accelerator Programme
A new initiative wants to transform the landscape of sustainable agriculture as we know it.

> Drones: Sowing cover crops in maize with a drone
Pieter van Leeuwen Boomkamp, anticipating the harvest in mid-September, had the cover crop sown in his silage maize using a drone.

> Acquisitions: CNH completes purchase of Hemisphere GNSS
CNH Industrial has completed its purchase of the global satellite navigation technology leader Hemisphere GNSS.

> Electrifying fields: Dutch farmer tests 200 HP electric Fendt tractor
Dutch arable farmer Koninklijke Maatschap de Wilhelminapolder (KMWP), is putting the 200 HP Fendt 700 Vario Electric tractor to a test.

> The power of precision farming
In today's rapidly evolving agricultural landscape, technology plays a crucial role in empowering farmers to meet the challenges they face. What makes precision farming important for future farming? Jesper Riber Nielsen, Director, SEGES Innovation P/S, points out six main reasons why precision farming is important now and in the future.

> Indoor farming: New crops and higher yields in indoor vertical farming
Israeli startup Grow-tec combines new technology with plant science to add new crops to indoor vertical farming.

> Weed control: Continental tackles weeds with high-pressure boiling water
Tire manufacturer Continental will be showing a chemical-free method of combating weeds at the Agritechica trade fair in November.

> Getting started smoothly with unmanned tractors through proper preparation
Stef Ruiter from the flower bulb company Ruiter-Wever in the Netherlands quickly became intrigued by the possibilities of an unmanned tractor.

> Precision agriculture: Why a farmer adopts – or doesn’t adopt – precision technology?
A new study gives farmers' viewpoints on the most influential factor behind adopting new technologies and practices: profitability.

> Field robots: VTE field robot can be towed by a tractor
The VTE field robot by machine manufacturers Krone and Lemken is getting a new version in 2024: version 3.0.

> Weed control: Zocon build a 15-meter-wide precision harrow
Dutch machine manufacturer Zocon has built a 15-meter-wide precision harrow with a tine spacing of 2.2 centimeter.

> Indoor farming: Artisan Green and Siemens accelerate indoor food production in Singapore
Artisan Green, a leading indoor farming company, has partnered with Siemens, a global technology leader, to revolutionize sustainable food production in Singapore.

> The power of precision farming
More than 90 % of Denmark’s agricultural land is managed using digital tools for crop and cultivation planning – and 76 % is, to some extent, cultivated with the use of precision technology. Want to know why? With precision farming, farmers can not only reduce their environmental footprint, they can also maximise their profits by making decisions based on data-driven insights. Meet us at Agritechnica and get started.

> Fertilizer: Iowa Nitrogen Initiative to bring more precision to fertilizer rates
A state-funded Iowa State University research project is collecting data from trials across Iowa to build models that offer far more granular guidance.

> Electric tractors: Electrifying fields: Dutch farmer tests 200 HP electric Fendt tractor
Dutch arable farmer Koninklijke Maatschap de Wilhelminapolder (KMWP), is putting the 200 HP Fendt 700 Vario Electric tractor to a test.

> Indoor farming: New crops and higher yields in indoor vertical farming
Israeli startup Grow-tec combines new technology with plant science to add new crops to indoor vertical farming.

> Turbulent times for indoor farming, but experts remain bullish
The indoor farming industry has seen a series of closures and financial struggles among some of its heavyweights and early movers.

> Autonomous systems: IPA robots demonstrate autonomous route planning capability
The autonomous outdoor navigation technology developed at Fraunhofer IPA in Stuttgart, Germany, can cope with all challenges for outdoor navigation.

> Drones: Sowing cover crops in maize with a drone
Pieter van Leeuwen Boomkamp, anticipating the harvest in mid-September, had the cover crop sown in his silage maize using a drone.

> Direct-seeded rice: Bayer introduces agricultural system for direct-seeded rice
Bayer plans to bring direct-seeded rice to one million hectares, supporting two million early adopter-smallholder farmers and their families in India.

> Fertilizer spreader: Valtra keeps fertilizer spreader automatically horizontal
The idea of the Finnish machinery manufacturer Valtra is to automatically maintain the horizontal position of the fertilizer spreader.

> indoor farming: Stacked Farm to build indoor farms in each capital city of Australia
Stacked Farm expects its modular design of indoor farms will enable a rapid expansion.

> Electric propulsion: Claas tests partially electric propulsion for Lexion combines
The German machinery manufacturer Claas is working on a hybrid propulsion system for Lexion combines.

See futurefarming.com


The pig market / Le marché aux cochons d'Auray, par Joseph-Félix Bouchor (1853-1937), Vannes, musée des Beaux-Arts La Cohue

03 - 30/10/2023

Portrait of an Fouesnant inhabitant women / Portrait d’une Fouesnantaise par John Recknagel (USA, 1870-1940)

04 - 30/10/2023

The Signal / globalagtechinitiative.com

> AMVAC: Trending Forward in Ag Technology
Discover how AMVAC is shaping the future of agriculture with its forward-thinking approach to technology.

> How Digital Farm Technology at This U.S. Ag College Is Fostering Advancements in Research and Innovation
The College of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources at Prairie View A&M University has adopted the FarmERP smart farm management platform.

> CropX Technologies Unveils Its Inaugural Sustainability Report
This report highlights CropX's dedication to sustainability and showcases the company's global impact.

> AquaSpy: Maximizing Yield, Minimizing Costs in AgTech
Dive into the world of AquaSpy, where technology meets agriculture to optimize water usage and increase yields. With innovative soil moisture monitoring and data-driven insights, farmers can achieve maximum results while minimizing input expenses. AquaSpy is reshaping the future of irrigation.

> IFAD, Grow Asia to Support Farmers with Digital Tools to Modernize Agriculture in Southeast Asia
The SEEDS project aims to accelerate economic development for small-scale farming families through digital and ICT solutions.

> North Dakota Grant Awarded to Bushel to Build Digital Tools to Boost Sustainability Program Enrollment
Bushel to bring additional functionality to Bushel Farm to improve the farmer and agribusiness experience for sustainability programs.

> CEA Startup Cuts Water Use by 92% with Autonomous Mobile Robots
Hippo Harvest deploys Zebra Technologies’ robotics automation and ML solution in greenhouses to reduce water consumption and food waste.

> Corteva Agriscience: Laser Focused on Innovation and Sustainability
Corteva Agriscience leverages data and technology to help farmers produce more with less.

> Intelinair Revolutionizes Crop Intelligence: A Game-Changer in AgTech
Intelinair is reshaping the future of agriculture through its cutting-edge technology.

> State of the Ag Tech Industry: Experts Share 2023 Advancements and 2024 Forecasts
Five ag tech experts explored the trends for 2023 for advancing ag tech and what to lookout for in 2024 during our recent webinar.

> Voices of Women in Ag Tech: Ambassador Profile on Mineral's Erica Bliss
We bring you exclusive insights from our inspirational ambassadors and other women leading the way forward in ag tech.

> Intelinair Revolutionizes Crop Intelligence: A Game-Changer in AgTech
Intelinair is reshaping the future of agriculture through its cutting-edge technology. By providing real-time and actionable insights into crop health, nutrient levels, and growth patterns, Intelinair is empowering farmers to make informed decisions and optimize their yields like never before.

> Computer Imaging For Early Detection of Greenhouse Diseases
Computer vision and AI are proving themselves as valuable tools in many areas of CEA, particularly for the early detection of pests and diseases.

> FIRA USA 2023 Establishes Itself As the Must-Attend Event for North American Agricultural Robotics Industry
FIRA USA, held September 19-21 in Salinas, CA, welcomed more than 1,700 participants from 40 U.S. states and 30-plus countries.

> 5 Ways AI Technology Will Improve Agriculture in 2024
Contributing writer Reinder Prins shares five ways AI has the highest potential to continue improving agriculture in 2024.

> How Satellite Communications Company Iridium Helps Manage the Flow of Crop Inputs
Iridium’s Greg Malakoff explains how the ag community uses the company’s network of satellites to ensure data collected is available at all times.

See globalagtechinitiative.com


Persistent heat / Chaleur persistante

01 - 30/10/2023

New Speaker: Most conservative speaker / un nouveau Président de la Chambre des représentants extrêment conservateur

02 - 30/10/2023

Indonesian dynasty / Dynastie présidentielle en Indonésie

03 - 30/10/2023

Less sex, less children in Hong-Kong / Plus d’envie d’avoir des enfants à Hong-Kong

04 - 30/10/2023

Japanese elderly people are working very late / Les japonais travaillent jusqu’à très tard dans leur vie

05 - 30/10/2023

The power of precision farming
…/…
More than 90 % of Denmark’s agricultural land is managed using digital tools for crop and cultivation planning – and 76 % is, to some extent, cultivated with the use of precision technology. Want to know why? With precision farming, farmers can not only reduce their environmental footprint, they can also maximise their profits by making decisions based on data-driven insights.
…/…
See futurefarming.com


How Agriculture Can Capture the Carbon Market Opportunity, by Association of Equipment Manufacturers

As the trend toward carbon emissions reduction continues, American farmers are being presented with a new opportunity. By adopting certain climate-smart agriculture practices, farmers can not only help protect the environment and reduce operating costs, but also create a new income stream by selling carbon offset credits on a carbon market.

What is a carbon market? To put it simply, when a company avoids, reduces or captures more carbon than it creates, that company creates carbon offsets. Those offsets are valuable to other companies that are unable to reach carbon neutrality. A carbon market facilitates the sale of carbon offsets by those who have them to those who need them.

Some industries are well-positioned to create carbon offsets. Agriculture is one of them, particularly when it comes to crop farming.
.../...
See globalagtechinitiative.com


CarbonFarm Technology lands $2.6m to decarbonize rice through satellite-verified carbon credits

- Paris, France-based CarbonFarm Technology has raised a €2.5 million ($2.6 million) seed round to help decarbonize rice farming through satellite-verified carbon credits.
- The round included participation from Racine2, operated by Serena and makesense; TechMind, Ponderosa, AgFunder, Climate Capital, and BPI France.
- CarbonFarm Technology will use the new funds to expand across the world’s biggest regions for rice cultivation including Asia, Africa and South America.

>>> Simpler tech, stronger data

Rice, which is both a cause and casualty of climate change, accounts for about 12% of global methane emissions. At the same time, it has enormous potential to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions through practices such as increasing nutrient efficiency and the Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) method, which can reduce methane emissions from rice by as much as 48%.

“In terms of mitigation potential, it’s actually higher than other categories in agriculture,” CarbonFarm cofounder and CEO Vassily Carantino tells AgFunderNews.

Even so, when Carantino and his colleagues founded the company in 2021, few were working to decarbonize rice production, let alone issuing carbon credits for mitigation.

“We looked into it and realized MRV [measuring, reporting and verification] was really hard to perform,” says Carantino. “It was really hard to bring the proof that farmers had changed their practices and that this change led to a reduction in emissions.”

Adequately measuring emissions reductions over thousands of hectares requires continuous monitoring of new practices. Farm logbooks are one way of doing this, but these are often cumbersome and produce low-quality results.

CarbonFarm turned to satellites because they offered both a simpler way of monitoring practices and stronger data.

“It’s difficult to ask farmers to be the judge and the one providing this information to the buyer,” says Carantino. “When you’re using satellites, you’re using information that is independent by nature, unbiased. It’s a scientific way to observe what farming practices have been employed in very large areas.

>>> How CarbonFarm works

CarbonFarm offers what Carantino calls “end-to-end services” that include satellite monitoring of practices, quantifying greenhouse gas emissions, managing the carbon certification process, and finally, brokering the credits on voluntary carbon markets.

When rice farmers implement sustainable practices into their operation, CarbonFarm can verify the change in practice via satellite observation from space. “That brings us proof of change by every participating party within a project,” he notes.

From satellite observations, CarbonFarm’s AI model observes the practices to estimate emissions coming from that exact location. This in turn acts as evidence of emissions reductions and allows the farmer to claim a carbon credit.

“We handle the certification process with [carbon offset programs] Verra and Gold Standard. And then we handle the sale of the certified credits,” adds Carantino. “So this is an end-to-end service that allows farmers to benefit from additional revenues, which are pretty substantial — the farmer can can earn up to 20% additional profits per year.”

CarbonFarm doesn’t work directly with farmers, but instead with agribusinesses, rice buyers, carbon credit developers, governments and others that have direct access to farmers and built-in trust from them.

“We work with local partners that have an existing trusted relationship with smallholder farmers. It can be a rice-buyer working with contract farmers, a rice mill, extension services from the local government, or a local NGO,” Carantino notes.

To date, some of CarbonFarm’s largest customers include the United Nations Development Programme, Danone, Mars, and many others.

The company also does Scope 3 emissions qualification for some of the world’s largest rice buyers, including Mars and Ebro, says Carantino.

Finally, CarbonTech supports Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, which provides a framework for the transfer of carbon credits from country to country, state to state, or even among private sector companies. For example, the company is providing MRV for the first Article 6.2 project on rice methane, which was implemented by the UNDP in Ghana.
.../...
See agfundernews.com


Fascinating Maine legislative work / Dans le Maine, un travail législatif un peu baroque

06 - 30/10/2023

More and more mass shooting in USA / De plus en plus de crimes de masse aux USA

07 - 30/10/2023

Buying firearms to protect yourself or to kill yourself? / Acheter des armes pour se protéger et se suicider au besoin

08 - 30/10/2023

Ukrain needs more help / L’Ukraine mérite toujours toute notre aide

09 - 30/10/2023

USA Homeownership by age / Propriétaires US et leur âge

10 - 30/10/2023

Farm management software adoption still low in Africa despite need for it, by John Njiraini, October 18, 2023

Smallholder farmers dominate African agriculture, producing 70% of the continent’s food supply on an estimated 33 million farms. With agriculture becoming increasingly vulnerable to climate change, accelerated land degradation and declining farming land due to population growth, these groups need more smart farming solutions.

Yet adoption of smart farming and livestock management solutions, and on-farm and remote sensors, remains extremely low across African agriculture — leading to low productivity and perennial food insecurity.

In 2022, venture capitalists pumped a paltry $3.2 million in farm management software & sensing internet of things (IoT), according to AgFunder’s new Africa AgriFoodTech Investment Report produced in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, FMO Ventures Program, and Mercy Corps Ventures.

However, this number is up from the previous year, which saw startups in the category raise just $335,000.

South Africa and Egypt, two countries that have made strides in modernizing agriculture, attracted over 80% of the funding.
.../...

See agfundernews.com

See agfundernews.com

Talking farming robots with Muddy Machines at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, October 13, 2023

It’s no secret labor is one of the top challenges for agriculture across most types of crops, and one area where ag robotics could play a major role. UK-based farm automation startup Muddy Machines is tackling that problem starting with asparagus.

“For every worker that an asparagus farm is short [of], they’re losing up to 25,000 pounds of crop per season,” Muddy Machines founder and CEO Florian Richter recently told AgFunderNews managing editor Louisa Burwood-Taylor.
.../...
See agfundernews.com


Farm management software adoption still low in Africa: Why is adoption of smart farming and livestock management solutions so low in Africa? By John Njiraini

Smallholder farmers dominate African agriculture, producing 70% of the continent’s food supply on an estimated 33 million farms. With agriculture becoming increasingly vulnerable to climate change, accelerated land degradation and declining farming land due to population growth, these groups need more smart farming solutions.

Yet adoption of smart farming and livestock management solutions, and on-farm and remote sensors, remains extremely low across African agriculture — leading to low productivity and perennial food insecurity.

In 2022, venture capitalists pumped a paltry $3.2 million in farm management software & sensing internet of things (IoT), according to AgFunder’s new Africa AgriFoodTech Investment Report produced in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, FMO Ventures Program, and Mercy Corps Ventures.

However, this number is up from the previous year, which saw startups in the category raise just $335,000.

South Africa and Egypt, two countries that have made strides in modernizing agriculture, attracted over 80% of the funding.
.../...
See agfundernews.com

Gazette de vitisphere.com, portail vitivinicole

Talking farming robots with Muddy Machines at the Goodwood Festival of Speed​, by Louisa Burwood-Taylor

It’s no secret labor is one of the top challenges for agriculture across most types of crops, and one area where ag robotics could play a major role. UK-based farm automation startup Muddy Machines is tackling that problem starting with asparagus.

“For every worker that an asparagus farm is short [of], they’re losing up to 25,000 pounds of crop per season,” Muddy Machines founder and CEO Florian Richter recently told AgFunderNews managing editor Louisa Burwood-Taylor.

Not that Muddy Machines is limiting its Sprout field robot to just one crop. Courgette [a.k.a. zucchini] harvesting, lettuce harvesting, weeding and beans are just a few of the other areas Sprout will take on in the future.

“We really want to be the company that solves the problem of how to get more robots into the field,” said Richter.

At the Goodwood Festival of Speed this year, he explained how Muddy Machines plans to do that. He also shared his thoughts on the AI and whether it will take jobs, as well as how farm robotics startups can collaborate more productively.
…/…
See agfundernews.com


Farm robotics startups face a talent shortage. Academia and tech are working together to change that, by Jennifer Marston, October 5, 2023

Startups have made strides in the last few years turning the theoretical benefits of ag robotics and automation into actual realities for farmers. But there’s still a ton of work to be done when it comes to making tools that are complex enough for smart spraying and laser weeding, but don’t also require a PhD to operate.

Ergo, startups will have a lot of new hires to make in the coming years, many of them from the growing pool of talent coming out of college, said many at the FIRA USA 2023 farm robotics show in Salinas, California.

Enter the annual Farm Robotics Challenge organized by the AI Institute for Next Gen Food Systems (AIFS), University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) initiative the VINE, the Fresno-Merced Future of Food (F3) coalition, and robotics company farm-ng.

The three-month-long challenge aims to give students hands-on experience developing practical applications for farm robotics while also training up the next wave of talent for the agtech industry to hire.

“We always had this mission to bring tech and agriculture and education together in a creative ways,” says Gabe Youtsey, CIO at UC ANR and cofounder of the VINE.

At FIRA, Youtsey announced the launch of the second annual Farm Robotics Challenge, which is currently taking registrations. In conversation with AgFunderNews at the show, he laid out the benefits of such a program for students and startups alike.
.../...
See agfundernews.com

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05 - 30/10/2023

Old Breton Man (1910), par Charles Rivière (1848-1920)

06 - 30/10/2023

Old Breton Woman / Veille Bretonne (1910), par Henri Guinier (1867-1927)

07 - 30/10/2023

Canadian cattle industry has a beef with British trade deal

This week, the Canadian Cattle Association, Canadian Meat Council, and National Cattle Feeders’ Association launched the “Say No To A Bad Deal” campaign and website. The associations’ goal is to pressure the Canadian government into keeping Britain out of the Comprehensive Progressive Trans-Pacific Partnership — at least until a trade deal is made that they feel is more fair to Canadian producers.

The partnership was announced in July, welcoming Britain, the 12th member of the pact. Although International Trade Minister Mary Ng supports the addition, Canada’s red meat sector is vehemently opposed to the addition, saying that Britain hasn’t met the standards of the free trade agreement.

The problem is that Britain won’t permit Canadian pork or beef imports because the United Kingdom does not accept Canadian food safety systems.
.../...
See agdaily.com


Plant-Based Yogurt? By Chuck Dinerstein, MD, MBA — September 4, 2023

Remember plant-based meats? Ok, then how about plant-based yogurt? Roughly 6.3% of the dairy consumed finds its way into yogurt. The environmental footprint of the producers of that yogurt is significant. How does plant-based yogurt measure up nutritionally against the classic?
.../...
Plant and dairy-based yogurts are similar, not the same, and that is alright. If you must use solely plant-based yogurts because of your dietary choices, you will need supplements, but you already knew that. Adding plant-based yogurts into an already balanced, diverse diet is nutritionally sound for most of us. Whether we can eat our way to significantly fewer greenhouse gases by switching to plant-based yogurts is more aspirational than real.
See acsh.org


In agricultural advocacy, choose unification, not more division, by Michelle Miller, Farm Babe

When your passion is public speaking, it is disappointing to lose an opportunity. A few months ago, I reserved a date in November to be a keynote speaker with the University of Wisconsin Extension, but due to a single compliant directly to the university, I had been removed from the agenda. It’s sad to not be able to address an audience in my home state, but such cancellations also have significant financial impact, as I had to pass on other opportunities in order to speak at UW.

Why would an academic institution like University of Wisconsin cancel my presentation? What kind of complaint was it?

The complaint originated from Pam Janke, a well-known, award-winning farm broadcaster in Southwest Wisconsin. She’s been hosting a regional morning farm report for decades.
.../...
See agdaily.com


Arizona National Livestock Show: A visual walk through livestock show trends from 1990s to 2020s

Like many other competitions, showing livestock has undoubtedly changed over the years from the breeds shown to the type of animals exhibited, and more.
See agdaily.com


Killing yourself by Fentanyl / Se tuer avec le Fentanyl

11 - 30/10/2023

Rent burden / Coût des loyers

12- 30/10/2023

Increasing Interest rates

13 - 30/10/2023

To learn or not to learn about climate change? Apprendre ou non ce qu’est le changement climatique

14 - 30/10/2023

Progress on girls’ access to education: What the new UNESCO data reveals

New UNESCO data reveals that 50 million more girls have been enrolled in school globally since 2015.
…/…
New data drawing from the UNESCO Institute for Statistics shows that there are 22.5 million more girls in primary school, 14.6 million more in lower secondary and 13 million in upper secondary education now than in 2015. Completion rates of girls increased from 86% to 89% in primary education, from 74% to 79% in lower secondary and 54% to 61% in upper secondary education. That means that 5 million more girls are completing each level of education from primary to upper secondary education now than there were in 2015.

As a global average, girls are now outperforming boys in reading across all education levels and country income groups. They are also performing the same as boys in mathematics.
…/…
See unesco.org


Reduce synthetic fertilizers and improve yields? The microbiome revolution comes to agriculture, by Henry Miller, Kathleen Hefferon, August 29, 2023
.../...
An intricate relationship like that between humans and microorganisms also exists between microorganisms and our soil. Mimicking the impact of deciphering the microbiome on human health, could an improved comprehension of the soil microbiome lead to a better understanding of complex environmental problems, and perhaps offer new solutions? Might knowing more about the soil microbiome even provide us with new approaches to the formidable problem of climate change? Could this research lead to a sharp reduction in the use of polluting synthetic fertilizers?
.../...
See geneticliteracyproject.org


Drought-resistant millets could help the Midwest survive climate change, By Eva Tesfaye, Harvest Public Media, August 31, 2023
.../...
More research is needed to really advance millets, said Myers of the University of Missouri.

“If you spend an extra $1 million on corn research, you don’t necessarily advance the state of corn science very much,” he said, “but if you spent a million dollars on millet research, you might suddenly create a whole lot of new information that we didn’t have before.”

For example, millet yields would be easier to improve than getting corn to take up less water, according to James Schnable, a professor at the University of Nebraska. He and his father, Patrick Schnable, a professor at Iowa State University, co-founded the start-up, Dryland Genetics. A lack of funding for research is partly why they started a company to research and breed proso millet.

“[Proso millet] is in this weird hole in the federal funding schemes, which is part of why we ended up using private money to start Dryland Genetics. Because it’s a grain, it doesn’t qualify for a lot of the specialty crop grants,” said James Schnable.

In Ames, Iowa, farmer Jeff Taylor said he started growing proso millet about six years ago, with the help of Dryland Genetics. He thinks more farmers would try new crops if federal programs would shoulder some of the risk.

“It would be wonderful if crops like proso millet were researched more and there were some incentives for farmers to consider planting alternative crops outside of just corn and soybeans,” he said.
See agdaily.com


Insights Into The European Approach To PFAS, By Susan Goldhaber MPH — October 17, 2023

I have previously authored many articles about per- and polyfluroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as “forever chemicals,” and the misinformation and lack of scientific credibility surrounding them. However, Europe has outdone the U.S. on the absurdity of their proposed regulations on these chemicals. On February 7, 2023, the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) proposed to ban all PFAS, which would affect more than 12,000 chemicals. To do this, they used a definition of PFAS so broad that it includes almost any chemical that contains fluorine [1]. What is going on?
See acsh.org


Taylor Swift performance / La performance extraordinaire de Taylor Swift

15 - 30/10/2023

USA : Hiring More People of Color / Embaucher des gens de couleur aux USA

16 - 30/10/2023

We've massively reduced the amount of land required to feed a person / Nous avons besoin de moins en moins de terre pour nourrir l’humanité
Agriculture Land Use per capita for the latest 2000 years…

17 - 30/10/2023

Land use of energy sources per unit of electricity / La consommation de surface par la production d’énergies

18 - 30/10/2023

Ireland: a territory dedicated to multinational companies / Le sort de l’Irlande lié à celui des multinationales qui y ont leur siège européen

19 - 30/10/2023

Situation not as bad as thought / La situation n’est pas “si pire”

20 - 30/10/2023

Leaving mass at Faouët / Sortie de messe au Faouët (détail) de Henri Barnoin (1882-1940), Collection musée du Faouët

08 - 30/10/2023

Bigoudène women at work / La Bigoudène au travail (huile sur toile, 1926), par Henri Guinier (1867-1927), musée départemental breton de Quimper

09 - 30/10/2023

The miraculous fountain / La fontaine miraculeuse, pardon des aveugles, chapelle de La Clarté à Combrit, Pays Bigouden (1914), de Henri Guinier (1867-1927), musée départemental breton de Quimper

10 - 30/10/2023

Peasant woman from Concarneau / Paysanne de Concarneau (vers 1920), de Henri Guinier (1867-1927), musée départemental breton de Quimper

11 - 30/10/2023

The old earthman / Le vieux terrien (Salon de 1921), de Henri Guinier (1867-1927)

12 - 30/10/2023

Woman with red flowered headdress / Femme à la coiffe rouge à fleurs (pastel), de Henri Guinier (1867-1927), Musée du Faouët

13 - 30/10/2023

"Bad" Joke

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"Our World in Data" has launched a major redesign of our interactive data visualizations

Interactive data visualizations are at the heart of our work. The Our World in Data “Grapher” is the software we’ve developed in-house to let you, our readers, explore and visualize data. It powers all the interactive charts on our website.

You can also find our Grapher charts elsewhere, such as embedded in news articles or other websites; reusability is at the core of its design.

Maintaining and improving this software is a significant part of our team’s work. But the latest round of changes marks a more substantial and concerted effort over the past few months to rethink and improve the layout and functionality of our charts.

In this article, we show the changes we’ve made and talk about why we made them, our plans to improve things further, and how you can help.

See ourworldindata.org OWID - 01 - 30/10/2023

Guinea worm disease is close to being eradicated — how was this progress achieved?

Guinea worm disease is a painful and debilitating disease that was once common in Asia, the Middle East, and many countries in Africa. In 1989, almost 900,000 cases were recorded globally.

In 2022, the number of cases had fallen to just 13. Guinea worm disease is now close to being eradicated.

Although there is no vaccine, this much progress has been possible because we know how to prevent the disease's spread: by preventing people from drinking contaminated water. The eradication program has therefore focused on water treatment and filtration, public education, and providing safe sources of drinking water.

In this article, we explain what guinea worm disease is, which countries have eliminated it, and the challenges that remain to eradicate the disease once and for all.

See ourworldindata.org OWID - 02 - 30/10/2023

How does the land use of different electricity sources compare?

All energy sources have an environmental impact. Whether it’s coal or gas, nuclear or renewables, every energy source takes up land, uses water, and needs natural resources for fuel or manufacturing.

But there are vast differences in these impacts between sources. Fossil fuels emit much more greenhouse gasses per unit of energy than nuclear or renewables. They kill many more people from air pollution, too.

How do these energy sources stack up when it comes to land use?

In this article, we describe how the land use of different sources is measured by taking the full life-cycle of an energy source into account.

See ourworldindata.org OWID - 03 - 30/10/2023

A Man goes to see the rabbi

“Rabbi, something terrible is happening and I have to talk to you about it.”

The Rabbi asked,

“What”s wrong?”

The man replied,

“My wife is poisoning me.”

The Rabbi, very surprised by this, asks,

“How can that be?”

The man then pleads,

“I”m telling you, I”m certain she”s poisoning me, what should I do?”

The Rabbi then offers,

“Tell you what. Let me talk to her, I”ll see what I can find out and I”ll let you know.”

A week later, the Rabbi calls the man and says,

“Well, I spoke to your wife. I spoke to her on the phone for three hours. You want my advice?”

The man said YES and the Rabbi replied, “Take the poison.”