Efita Newsletter 1084, dated December 11, 2023

Châtenay-Malabry (FR - 92290), December 11, 2023


EFITA newsletter / 1084 - European Federation for Information Technology in Agriculture, Food and the Environment


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Voir Loucrup 11/12//2023

"Katastrophe!" Since I changed my email address, I am not receiving the EFITA Newsletters… Ian Housemann alias “Casa Hombre”

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El primo de mi tía: Gerardo Budowski (I owe to Gerardo my interest in farming, forestry and agriculture)
Ver researchgate.net


2024 Tech Hub LIVE: Call for Speakers Now OPEN!

The 2024 Tech Hub LIVE Conference & Expo will take place July 29-31 in Des Moines, Iowa.

Deadline to Submit: January 12, 2024

We are now accepting presentation proposals for the 2024 Tech Hub LIVE Conference & Expo taking place July 29-31 in Des Moines, Iowa.

The Tech Hub LIVE Conference & Expo is the premier event convening the ag tech and ag retail communities to connect, engage, and share insights and experiences with the latest innovations to deploy data-driven, tech-enabled agriculture solutions. The 2024 Tech Hub LIVE Conference & Expo will provide an unparalleled experience for both delegates, commercial clients, and allied constituents.

Prospective speakers are encouraged to submit detailed proposals including: the session format – whether a slide presentation, a panel discussion, a pre-conference workshop, a facilitated small group discussion, or other proposed format; session specifics – the title, description, and intended attendee takeaways or an articulation of the actionability of the session; as well as speaker specifics – including contact information, a professional biography, and a headshot.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

- Optimizing on-farm efficiency
- Ag data standardization and data security
- Drone and autonomous equipment’s relationship with profitability
- AI models’ impact on Ag
- Digital strategy – implementation case studies
- Evaluating risk versus reward for insuring and financing new technologies
- Streamlining your ag tech department
- Catalyzing the NextGen of Ag – solutions for gaps
- Innovation in application equipment, operator efficiency, scouting, remote sensing
- Soil health and climate smart agriculture
- Geospatial data
- Improving retailer, agronomist, and grower communications for better ROI for all
- Equipment dealer and ag retailer collaborations to better serve the grower
- What other global regions’ ag tech practices can teach us
- What other industries’ tech practices can teach ag

The program committee will give priority to submissions featuring retailer and/or producer speakers. Sessions and panels featuring clear elements for audience engagement and participation are strongly encouraged. Please note that suppliers selected to present at Tech Hub LIVE will be required to support the event by exhibiting.

See techhublive.com


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FutureFarming.com

> Hoes and harrows at Agritechnica 2023
Hoes and Harrows at Agritechnica Increasingly, machinery manufacturers are focusing on the market for mechanical weed control.

> Spraying technology: Kubota’s AI precision spraying system wins bronze award at Sitevi trade fair
The Japanese machinery manufacturer Kubota has won the bronze medal at the Sitevi trade fair.

> Weed control: A selection of start-ups with precision weeders
Artificial intelligence forms the foundation of an increasing number of precision weeders, whether chemical or not.

> Climate change: New strategies needed to help farmers recover from climate shocks
Smallholder farmers in the tropics are particularly vulnerable to extreme weather impacts from climate change.

> AI overlays in compressed video streams
IDS NXT malibu combines consumer technology from Ambarella - known from action cams - with industrial quality from IDS. The result is a new class of intelligent industrial cameras that generate AI overlays in the video live stream as edge devices. This opens up new possibilities for smart farming.

> Drones: Fast growing Chinese Huida Tech moves into Vietnam and Mexico
Chinese company Huida Tech has partnered with dealers in Mexico and Vietnam to deploy its HD540Pro agricultural drone in both countries.

> Electric tractors: Start-ups also focus on electric tractors
Electric propulsion and autonomous vehicles have caught the attention of many companies, including start-ups.

> Field robots: Agricultural robotics take centre stage at Agritechnica
In a span of four years since the last Agritechnica in 2019, where robots were a novelty, the 2023 edition witnessed a remarkable shift.

> Field robots: The new TRAXX vineyard robot: a surprising first feedback + Video
Wine grower Stéphane Dubreuil shares his experience after the first 100 hours with his TRAXX robot.

> Tools & data: Bayer collaboration with Microsoft connects farm data
Bayer announced an update on the strategic collaboration with Microsoft.

> Ag-Robot Buying Guide 2024 is out now, 60 field and harvest robots to choose from
For the fourth consecutive year, Future Farming magazine has compiled the most comprehensive overview of field and harvest robots for outdoor crop production.

> Partner feature: Digital services – McCormick has them all
A partnership with Agrirouter, the multi-format data exchange Cloud platform, has opened the door to wider-ranging digital services and solutions for McCormick users. Could we have imagined this 20 or even 10 years ago?

> Weed control: Tensorfield eradicates weeds using heated vegetable oil
US startup Tensorfield Agriculture is pioneering the commercial adoption of thermal micro dosing for weed control in vegetable crops with its machine Jetty.

> Fertilizer technology: Giga Fertilizer Spreader Horsch Leeb Xeric 14FS
The German machinery manufacturer Horsch introduced a pneumatic fertilizer spreader with a working width of 48 meters and a hopper capacity of 14 cubic meters.

> Digital farming: Farmtopia – European project paving the way for Digital Farming accessible to all
Farmtopia, a Horizon Europe project running from September 2023 to August 2026, aims to democratise digital farming, focusing on small-scale farmers.

> Autonomy: AGCO’s vision for autonomy accelerates with FarmFacts acquisition
AGCO is taking next steps with the acquisition of FarmFacts' German data platform and the launch of AGCO Ventures.

> Weed control: MoonDino has wheels that also act as weeding tools
The ArvaTec MoonDino is able to autonomously carry out weeding and padding operations in rice fields.

> Vision + Robotics: WUR Agro Food Robotics embarks as Vision + Robotics
The Agro Food Robotics programme at Dutch Wageningen University Research (WUR) has officially rebranded itself as 'Vision + Robotics.'

> Field robots: Microspraying with UK’s SRC Tomv4 hits the target
Small Robot Company develop a robot system for monitoring, analysing and treating weeds, pests and diseases in maize and wheat crops.

> Unmanned tractors: ‘Machinery manufacturer must prepare for unmanned tractors’
Dutch arable farmer Gert Sterenborg in the north of the Netherlands has tested an unmanned autonomous Steyr tractor.

> Hydrogen+electricity: Indian Tafe presents tractors powered by hydrogen and electricity
The Indian tractor manufacturer Tafe displays two innovations at Agritechnica: an electric tractor and a hydrogen-powered tractor.

> Connectivity: Jacto steps forward to delivery connectivity to Brazilian farmers
Connectivity is a huge obstacle for Brazilian farms to climb the level of digital agriculture.

> Chinese tractors: Green and white Chinese Lovol tractors now with CVT at Agritechnica
At Agritechnica there are again green and white tractors from China. The name Arbos is no longer on the hood, but now it's Lovol.

> Electric tractors: Test drive with the electric narrow-track tractor Fendt e107V
It's four years later than originally planned, but next year Fendt will finally start (limited) production of an electric narrow-track tractor.

> Spraying technology: Bayer is also working on a carried spot sprayer
The German company Bayer Crop Science took the opportunity at the Agritechnica trade fair to showcase a prototype of its spot sprayer.

> Innovations DLG: DLG Agrifuture Concept Winner 2023 unveils promising innovations for farmers
The DLG (German Agricultural Society) has announced the winners of the prestigious DLG-Agrifuture Concept Winner award.

> Working with an unmanned autonomous tractor? Bulb grower is cautiously optimistic
Dutch bulb grower Sjaak Huetink is interested in automation and autonomy. He tested an autonomous Steyr Expert 4130 CVT for two days on his fields.

> Autonomous vehicles: U.S. sugar beet farmers pioneer autonomous transport from field to factory
The cooperative collaborated with Florida-based military company Kratos Defense to implement the innovative slave-follower system in their existing fleet of trucks.

> Indoor Farming: New possibilities for vertical farming with high-wire crops
Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) patented vertical farming solution enables the production of high-wire crops in vertical farming.

> Connectivity: Trimble introduces automatic stream switching for corrections
Trimble announced stream switching - a new feature allowing farmers to seamlessly stream Trimble CenterPoint® RTX, RangePoint® RTX and ViewPoint RTX®, over IP or satellite.

> Safety issues : How safe are autonomous agricultural machines?
Protecting people plays a crucial role in self-driving machines. With his doctorate Dr. Christian Meltebrink paved the way for their use in the field and on the farm.

> Yield: Higher crop yields possible thanks to disease-resistant fungi
Spreading fungi that cooperate with plants in soil over infected farmland can save or even increase crop yields.

> Field robots: Alberta’s Olds College builds Pan-Canadian Smart Farm Network
Olds College in Alberta, Canada, has launched a cross-country Smart Farm network designed to trial and develop agriculture technologies.

> Drones: Agritechnica launch pad for new drones
At Agritechnica the market leading Chinese drone makers faced new challengers designed and built in European countries.

> AGRI-PV: BayWa fusing solar power and agriculture in 5 countries with EU funding
BayWa r.e. has secured €6.5 million in which will be used to develop six projects across five countries by 2027, combining agriculture with solar power generation.
https://sp-ao.shortpixel.ai/client/to_webp,q_glossy,ret_img,w_1080/https://www.futurefarming.com/app/uploads/2023/12/IMG_BayWar.e._Harvester.jpg

> Ag-Robot Buying Guide 2024 is out now, 60 field and harvest robots to choose from
For the fourth consecutive year, Future Farming magazine has compiled the most comprehensive overview of field and harvest robots for outdoor crop production.

> Partner feature: Digital services – McCormick has them all
A partnership with Agrirouter, the multi-format data exchange Cloud platform, has opened the door to wider-ranging digital services and solutions for McCormick users. Could we have imagined this 20 or even 10 years ago?

> Weed control: Tensorfield eradicates weeds using heated vegetable oil
US startup Tensorfield Agriculture is pioneering the commercial adoption of thermal micro dosing for weed control in vegetable crops with its machine Jetty.

> Fertilizer technology: Giga Fertilizer Spreader Horsch Leeb Xeric 14FS
The German machinery manufacturer Horsch introduced a pneumatic fertilizer spreader with a working width of 48 meters and a hopper capacity of 14 cubic meters.

> Digital Farming: Farmtopia – European project paving the way for Digital Farming accessible to all
Farmtopia, a Horizon Europe project running from September 2023 to August 2026, aims to democratise digital farming, focusing on small-scale farmers.

> Autonomy: AGCO’s vision for autonomy accelerates with FarmFacts acquisition
AGCO is taking next steps with the acquisition of FarmFacts' German data platform and the launch of AGCO Ventures.

> Weed control: MoonDino has wheels that also act as weeding tools
The ArvaTec MoonDino is able to autonomously carry out weeding and padding operations in rice fields.

> Vision + Robotics: WUR Agro Food Robotics embarks as Vision + Robotics
The Agro Food Robotics programme at Dutch Wageningen University Research (WUR) has officially rebranded itself as 'Vision + Robotics.'

See futurefarming.com


Lunch at a Farm in Karlshaven near Delden, 1885 / Mittagessen auf einem Bauernhof in Karlshaven bei Delden, 1885, by Isaac Israels (NL, 1865, 1934)

01 - 11/12/2023

Préparation du repas dans la cuisine de Ker Loÿs, par Georges Boisselier (1876-1943)

02 - 11/12/2023

globalagtechinitiative.com

> From Robot Tractors to Tomato Imaging: What Are the Use Cases of ML and AI in Agriculture?
Contributor Arjun Chandar dives deep into some of the most important AI and ML (Machine Learning) applications in ag, and some future possibilities.

> Verge, GRDC Form Partnership to Accelerate Transition to Autonomous Farming
At the heart of this partnership is an innovative on-farm operations optimization project, led by Verge Technologies Australia Pty Ltd.

> 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.

> Report: AI and Analytics to Boost Efficiency in Indian Agriculture
A new study underscores the transformative potential of AI and analytics in contributing to overall efficiency in the agricultural sector.

> Bayer Collaboration with Microsoft Connects Farm Data to Address Lack of Data Interoperability
New connectors allow secure, compliant data exchange, enabling farmers to make better use of agricultural data

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

> What's Shaping Ag Equipment Trends in Key Global Markets?
Agrievolution leaders highlighted important equipment trends shaping the future of agriculture at Agritechnica.

> AquaSpy: Maximizing Yield, Minimizing Costs in AgTech
Dive into the world of AquaSpy, where technology meets agriculture to optimize water usage and increase yields.

> How NVIDIA Is Bringing AI to Agriculture
Accelerated computing company NVIDIA identifies farming’s biggest issues and develops the right technologies to help solve them.

> eAgronom Launches Trials With Farmers Across Europe to Merge Profitability and Sustainability Efforts
Trials led by the agritech startup will begin in Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, and Spain, and will expand into Latvia, Czechia, and Romania in 2024.

> 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.

> Topcon Positioning Systems Announces New Global Sustainability Initiatives
As VP of Global Sustainability and CSR, Michael Gomes will lead a team dedicated to sustainability for all markets and product lines.

> Keeping Grain Fresh With Proper Temperature and Moisture Control
With careful temperature and humidity control, farmers can store their grain for years without it succumbing to serious issues.

> From Robot Tractors to Tomato Imaging: What Are the Use Cases of ML and AI in Agriculture?
Contributor Arjun Chandar dives deep into some of the most important AI and ML applications in ag, and some future possibilities.

> Verge, GRDC Form Partnership to Accelerate Transition to Autonomous Farming
At the heart of this partnership is an innovative on-farm operations optimization project, led by Verge Technologies Australia Pty Ltd.

See globalagtechinitiative.com


Trimble Addresses Rural Connectivity with Automatic Stream Switching for Corrections

Trimble has announced stream switching — a new feature allowing farmers to seamlessly stream Trimble CenterPoint RTX, RangePoint RTX, and ViewPoint RTX, over IP or satellite. Available for farmers using a NAV-900 or NAV-500 receiver, this new feature delivers less down time and performance comparable to RTK without the complexity of base stations.

Given the importance of uptime in farming operations, this solution was designed to provide farmers with the optimal GNSS corrections stream, delivered via IP or satellite, depending on signal strength. In areas prone to satellite cutoffs due to elevation changes or canopy, the signal switches to the modem and stays on IP. For regions with bad cellular connection, the streaming automatically switches to satellite. Through this seamless stream switch, farmers gain improved guidance uptime, taking from the best of both worlds and boosting productivity through RTK level corrections — without any additional software or mindspace.
.../...
See globalagtechinitiative.com


Intelinair Partners with Hubner Industries to Develop Digital Platform to Manage Seed Corn Production

Intelinair and Hubner Industries, LLC have announced a strategic multi-year collaboration agreement to create a new innovative digital platform specifically to manage hybrid seed corn production. Under the terms of the agreement, Intelinair will use its high-resolution imagery and data analytics to help growers more efficiently identify issues in the field throughout the season and inform real-time seed production management decisions to protect yield potential.

“We are excited to partner with Doug Hubner and his team at Hubner Industries, a family-owned business that has been in the seed production, treatment, packaging, and distribution industry for more than 50 years,” said Tim Hassinger, CEO & President at Intelinair. “Through this new platform, we will be able to address the specific needs of seed production using our technology.”
.../...
See globalagtechinitiative.com


Le ravaudeur de filets à Penmarc’h, par Georges Boisselier (1876-1943)

03 - 11/12/2023

La bonne de Ker Loÿs, par Georges Boisselier (1876-1943)

04 - 11/12/2023

agfundersnews.com

Data snapshot: Farmtech funding continues its upward climb in Southeast Asia ‘irrespective of the external financial climate’, by Jennifer Marston, November 29, 2023

Historically, Southeast Asia (SEA) smallholder farmers have grappled with unreliable access to inputs and supplies, barriers around finance and a fragmented, often opaque supply chain. This is despite the vital role these smallholders play in SEA’s economy, producing everything from commodities like wheat and maize to rubber, coffee and palm oil.

In the face of the climate crisis, however, this is beginning to change. SEA is recognized as one of the world’s most vulnerable regions to climate change; in agriculture, this has led to calls for more sustainable farming solutions that are easily accessible by smallholder farmers.

SEA has never been a hotbed of VC innovation when it comes to farmtech. Recent numbers suggest that, too, is changing. AgFunder’s Asia-Pacific AgriFoodTech Investment report 2023 recently found that, although overall funding to the region was down in 2022, more VC dollars went towards upstream startups working close to the farm.

Farmtech deals in SEA totaled $481 million in 2022, with robotics, ag marketplaces and novel farming systems raking in the most cash.
.../...
See agfundernews.com


Rainstick harnesses electrical fields to grow crops ‘bigger, faster, and more sustainably’, by Elaine Watson, November 29, 2023

We’ve known for years that electrical storms can boost crop yields, says Rainstick cofounder Mic Black. “But try putting lightning in a box.”

And that, in a nutshell, is what Rainstick is doing: deploying super-high voltage electrical fields to increase seed germination rates in everything from wheat to leafy greens. Its tech can also boost growth rates in mushrooms, yeast, and other microorganisms, says Black. “We create electric fields to grow crops bigger, faster, and more sustainably.”

Rainstick’s device “looks a bit like a big photocopier with a bunch of treatment chambers that creates electric fields with extreme precision,” explains Black, who cofounded the company with Darryl Lyons in early 2022. “And because it’s so targeted, it’s also very energy efficient.”

“The simplest description of what we do is trying to mimic the natural effects of lightning in a controlled environment,” he says. “Why lightning? Because there are tiny biological switches inside plants that are sensitive to electric fields, which influence how the plants grow and adapt to their environment.”

But is electroculture—a term used to describe using electricity to stimulate plant growth— legit?

It depends how you’re doing it, says Black. A literature search on electroculture, for example, will yield “about 200 high-quality papers and maybe 2,000 that aren’t so great,” while a Google search will throw up everything from folklore around lightning sticks and thunderstorms to blogs from home gardeners that don’t really know what they’re doing, observes Black.

“There’s a big difference between the precision of what we’re doing and what you see on Tik Tok with people putting copper coils in the ground and doing incantations.”

A year ago, says Black, “We probably still sounded like crazies. But now people are at least becoming more familiar with the fact that electric fields influence biology.”

Which if you think about it, should not really come as a surprise, he says. “Every neuron that’s firing in your head right now is controlled by an electric field.”
…/…
See agfundernews.com

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05 - 11/12/2023

A man carrying faggots, by George Chinnery (1700 – 1799)

06 - 11/12/2023

Dr. Pamela Ronald: Leading the way in sustainable agriculture / AGDAILY, By Michelle Miller, Farm Babe, November 07, 2023
.../...
One serious threat to rice crops is rice blight, caused by the bacteria Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, commonly known as Xoo. It’s a devastating, fast-spreading pathogen that can destroy up to 75 percent of a crop that primarily impacts farmers in Asia, the western coast of Africa, Australia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

Fortunately, Ronald became famous in the 1990s when she found a gene called Xa21 in rice. This gene helps rice plants be more tolerant to flooding and fight off certain diseases, which is a groundbreaking discovery for farming. It means farmers can use fewer potentially harmful chemicals and get better rice crops. Her research facilitated the development of high yielding Sub1 rice varieties grown by more than 6 million subsistence farmers in India and Bangladesh. This work has resulted in a 60 percent yield increase on average.

To quote her from her TED talk: “It wasn’t until the 1990s that scientists finally uncovered the genetic basis of resistance.”
.../...
One serious threat to rice crops is rice blight, caused by the bacteria Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, commonly known as Xoo. It’s a devastating, fast-spreading pathogen that can destroy up to 75 percent of a crop that primarily impacts farmers in Asia, the western coast of Africa, Australia, Latin America, and the Caribbean.

Fortunately, Ronald became famous in the 1990s when she found a gene called Xa21 in rice. This gene helps rice plants be more tolerant to flooding and fight off certain diseases, which is a groundbreaking discovery for farming. It means farmers can use fewer potentially harmful chemicals and get better rice crops. Her research facilitated the development of high yielding Sub1 rice varieties grown by more than 6 million subsistence farmers in India and Bangladesh. This work has resulted in a 60 percent yield increase on average.

To quote her from her TED talk: “It wasn’t until the 1990s that scientists finally uncovered the genetic basis of resistance.”
See agdaily.com


State Legislators' Pestilential Pesticide Regulation / American Council on Science and Health

Politicians are attacking a safe and important class of pesticides – neonicotinoids – with unwarranted bans and restrictions. These policies will be devastating to farmers, costly to consumers, and damaging to the environment.
.../...
See acsh.org

How weather apps are trying to be more accurate

Travelling the world by bicycle for two years might be too physically challenging for most of us, but Zoe Ashbridge has found a way to make the pedalling a little bit easier.

She and her partner and travelling companion Stewart use an app called Windy to track the direction of the wind.

"We use it daily," says Zoe, a 33-year-old from Shropshire. "It saves us wasting time and energy.

"Our bikes weigh around 30 to 40kg, and if we're going against the wind, we can get sore knees. It prevents all that. Why spend two hours cycling when the next day it would take 30 minutes?"
.../...
See bbc.com


Dubai's Food Tech Valley to host a 'GigaFarm' to recycle 50,000t of food waste, by Manoj Nair, Business Editor, December 06, 2023

Food Tech Valley to start construction on GigaFarm to recycle 50,000t of food waste
See gulfnews.com


Le fendeur de bois, 1855, par JF Millet, 1814-1875, musée du Louvre

07 - 11/12/2023

Le départ pour le travail, 1851-1853, par JF Millet, 1814-1875

08 - 11/12/2023

As Sustainability Work Accelerates, ADM Issues First Annual Report on Regenerative Agriculture, by ADM, December 2, 2023

ADM, a global leader in sustainable agriculture supply chains, today issued its inaugural annual Regenerative Agriculture Report. The report includes a broad range of detailed information on ADM’s global regenerative agriculture efforts, including:

How ADM defines and approaches regenerative agriculture in multiple regions around the globe.
The company’s enrollments to date, including more than 1 million acres in 2022 and approaching 2 million as of November 1, 2023.
Outcomes, including the sequestration of 115,500 metric tons of CO2 and reduction of CO2e emissions by 253,000 metric tons in 2022 — equivalent to removing more than 80,000 cars from the road for one year.
The company’s goal of 4 million enrolled acres by 2025, with the potential of reducing and sequestering CO2 equivalent to what would be emitted by powering 100,000 homes for a full year.
“As we continue to accelerate our industry-leading global regenerative agriculture program, we believe it is important to report on our progress,” said Greg Morris, president of ADM’s Ag Services & Oilseeds business. “This work is critical to our company and to our planet. We’re proud of our progress, and we’re excited to continue to expand our efforts around the globe.”
…/…
See croplife.com


CRISPR 2.0: a new wave of gene editors heads for clinical trials, By Heidi Ledford, 7 December 2023

Landmark approval of the first CRISPR therapy paves the way for treatments based on more efficient and more precise genome editors.

Less than a month after the world’s first approval of a CRISPR-Cas9 genome-editing therapy, researchers are hoping that the therapy will win its second authorization this week — this time from the United States, with its famously stringent regulators and lucrative health-care market.

The therapy, which UK regulators approved on 16 November, disables a gene as a means of treating a genetic blood disorder called sickle cell disease. A host of other CRISPR-Cas9 therapies that work on the same principle are in clinical trials as treatments for a range of diseases.

As sophisticated as these therapies are, they are only the beginning. “We tend to call these the first generation of genome editing,” says Keith Gottesdiener, chief executive officer of Prime Medicine, a company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, that is developing genome-editing therapies. “They can do some remarkable things, but they’re fairly limited.”
.../...
See nature.com

"Bad" Joke

See Reader Digest Jokes

Detroit's newest road can charge electric cars as they travel on it headshot, by Joann Muller, Nov 29, 2023

Detroit is now home to the country's first stretch of road that can wirelessly charge an electric vehicle (EV), whether it's parked or moving.

Why it matters: Wireless charging on an electrified roadway could remove one of the biggest hassles of owning an EV: the need to stop and plug in regularly.

Electrified roads could also be helpful in keeping electric buses, delivery vans, long-haul trucks and robotaxis operating around the clock.
.../...
See axios.com


By the numbers: The relationship between crude oil and corn acres, by Jack DeWitt, August 15, 2023

Every few days it seems like I pick up a magazine or newspaper article that blames agriculture for 15-, 20-, or even up to 50 percent of the anthropogenic (human) CO2 emissions. Some recognize soil as a significant sink (if crops are grown organically on small farms) but never fail to blame large, monoculture farms that use inorganic fertilizers, pesticides, and, heaven forbid, GMO crops to get maximum yields. No one seems to realize that crops take up and sequester tremendous amounts of CO2 through photosynthesis, incorporating it into plant tissue and seeds, providing food and significant new wealth to the economy.

Michael Pollen in his book, Omnivores Dilemma, claims it takes “about 50 gallons” of crude oil (1.2 barrels) to grow an acre of corn. I can’t argue with that, but he goes on to say it takes a Calorie of fuel energy to produce a Calorie of food, and it’s “too bad we can’t simply drink the petroleum directly.” That is where he is grossly wrong.

(Calories are a familiar unit to most people, but the Calories listed on food packages are actually kilocalories, or 1,000 scientifically defined calories. In the following discussion, I use “Calories” as they are used on a food package. Other energy units, such as BTUs (British Thermal Units) or Joules (units of electrical energy) can be converted to Calories. For example, a gallon of diesel contains approximately 137,000 BTUs or 34,500 Calories.)

In Chapter 4 of my book, World Food Unlimited, I do extensive calculations to represent how much energy is captured by an acre of corn. University of Iowa researchers calculated the energy cost of growing an acre of no-till continuous corn using a gallon of diesel as the energy unit. Manufacturing, mining and distributing the required fertilizer uses 21 gallons. Planting, spraying and harvesting uses 2.5 gallons. Manufacturing a pound of pesticide (active ingredient) requires the equivalent of one gallon of diesel. A no-till farmer may make three pesticide applications of a pound or less, so add three gallons of diesel for pesticide manufacture and distribution. Growing, processing and distributing seed takes a gallon, and allow two gallons for machinery manufacture.

So far we have used 31.5 gallons of diesel to produce 160 bushels of corn. Add in drying costs that can use as much as 0.09 gallons per bushel. That’s a total of 14.4 gallons to dry a 160 bushel crop. Our total is now nearly 46 gallons of diesel energy to grow an acre of no-till corn and safely store it.
.../...
See agdaily.com


Femme avec un râteau, par JF Millet, 1814-1875

09 - 11/12/2023

L'homme à la houe, par JF Millet, 1814-1875

10 - 11/12/2023

The Philosopher Driver

A renowned philosopher was held in high regard by his driver, who listened in awe as his boss lectured and answered difficult questions about the nature of things and the meaning of life.

Then, one day, the driver approached the philosopher and asked if he was willing to switch roles for just one evening. The philosopher agreed, and, for a while, the driver handled himself remarkably well.

However, when the time came for questions, someone at the back of the room asked him, "Is the epistemological meta-narrative that you seem to espouse compatible with a teleological account of the universe?"

"That's an extremely simple question," he replied. "So simple, in fact, that even my driver could answer it."

Cómo lograr más cosecha y dañar menos al medio ambiente: así funciona la agricultura regenerativa

130 países han firmado un compromiso en la COP28 para impulsar este tipo de cultivos que cuidan el suelo, retienen carbono y permiten ahorrar gastos. Visitamos una finca en Girona que ya aplica estas técnicas

—Este es el suelo normal de esta zona: de un color homogéneo, muerto, sin raíces ni bichos —dice el investigador y agricultor Marc Gràcia con un puñado de tierra de una finca vecina en su mano.

Camina unos pasos hacia sus tierras, situadas en Sant Ferriol, al norte de Girona.

—Y esta es la tierra de mi huerto: tiene lombrices, raíces, materiales en descomposición. Está llena de vida. ¡Mira cómo huele! Y sin usar nada que no haya salido de esta tierra (salvo el agua).

La diferencia entre un terreno y otro es la agricultura regenerativa, un conjunto de técnicas que apuestan por no labrar la tierra y recuperar la vida del suelo, aprovechar la ganadería extensiva y no usar productos químicos ni insumos externos; todo ello permite reducir los gastos e ir aumentando las cosechas año a año. Aunque todavía no existe un sello europeo para certificar estas prácticas —ni un recuento en España—, la UE está tratando de impulsarlas, mientras los agricultores piden ayudas para mantenerse durante el difícil periodo de transición. El espaldarazo puede llegar pronto: 130 países acaban de firmar un compromiso en la COP28 para favorecer este tipo de cultivos, que retienen carbono y ayudan a luchar contra el cambio climático. En este panorama en ebullición, algunas explotaciones pioneras ya trabajan con este modelo en España.

En una de ellas trabaja Gràcia, que además es investigador del Centro de Investigación Ecológica y Aplicaciones Forestales (Creaf). Sus estudios le hicieron plantearse aplicar estas técnicas en Mas Planeses, una finca familiar agrícola —presidida por una preciosa masía de piedra centenaria— que había pasado décadas abandonada. “La producción intensiva actual considera el suelo un mero soporte, y lo basa todo en el petróleo barato, necesario para arar, echar fertilizantes, herbicidas y plaguicidas”, señala el experto. “Esto degrada los suelos y hace que cada año haga falta más energía para producir, y además genera contaminación, pérdida de biodiversidad y emisiones contaminantes”, añade.

Eduardo Vázquez, profesor de Producción Agraria en la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid (UPM), explica: “Al labrar el suelo, la materia orgánica —que está formando agregados— se descompone y produce emisiones de dióxido de carbono (CO₂), que impulsan el cambio climático. Y la aplicación de fertilizantes impulsa el óxido nitroso (N₂O), también de efecto invernadero”. Según el último Inventario Nacional de Emisiones a la Atmósfera, la agricultura y ganadería suponen casi el 12% de las emisiones en España.

Frente a esta realidad, continúa Vázquez, surge la agricultura regenerativa: “Este modelo busca reducir el laboreo y que haya más materia orgánica en el suelo, es decir, que se cree una comunidad microbiológica con lombrices. Un suelo vivo es fundamental para que el agua se infiltre mejor, con lo que retiene más humedad y es más resistente a la sequía y a la erosión superficial —como lluvias torrenciales—, y a la vez las plantas pueden coger de ahí sus nutrientes”. Además, “cuanta más materia orgánica haya en el suelo, más carbono secuestrado, lo que ayuda a mitigar el cambio climático”.

>>> Sin regulación europea

A diferencia de la agricultura ecológica, regulada en la UE desde hace décadas —que exige no usar químicos, pero no habla de suelos y necesita de insumos externos—, todavía no existe una definición formal de en qué consiste la regenerativa, tal y como confirma un portavoz del Ministerio de Agricultura. “Se está tratando de impulsar el modelo de agricultura regenerativa en la UE, que iría un paso más allá respecto a la ecológica, ya que tiene un enfoque integrado con técnicas que minimizan tanto los tratamientos mecánicos sobre el suelo como los tratamientos químicos, con técnicas como la siembra directa o el mínimo laboreo, el uso de cultivos de cobertura y la reducción de los fertilizantes de síntesis, así como la lucha biológica en plagas. Muchas de las premisas de este tipo estarían en la línea con el Pacto Verde Europeo”, señala el ministerio.

¿En qué se traducen? Gràcia lo explica mientras camina por su finca, que cuenta con 20 hectáreas de pastos y huerta y otras 50 de bosque. “Tenemos el terreno divido en 80 parcelas para dar de comer pastos a 12 vacas de leche y 40 terneros. Las manejamos con el Pastoreo Racional Voisin (PRV), que es intensivo y regenerativo: solo están un día en cada parcela, así comen la hierba y abonan el terreno, pero no compactan demasiado el suelo. Al día siguiente las movemos a otra”, explica. “Tenemos también 11 burros que nos ayudan a desbrozar parte del bosque para crear parcelas con sombra para el verano”, añade.

Gallinas y conejos también cumplen una función: los pollos están en un gran cercado, que se mueve una vez al día, y hacen el papel de reciclar y regenerar el suelo, además de comer insectos; los conejos están en jaulas móviles —que también se mueven una vez al día— que permiten que se coman la hierba y abonen el suelo. La carne de todos los animales y los huevos de las gallinas se venden luego por internet.

Mientras, en el huerto planta 30 tipos de cultivos —berenjena, pimiento, col, brócoli…—, que vende en cooperativas y grupos de consumo de la zona. “Hacemos una hilera con troncos cortados a la mitad para que surja vida debajo. Regamos con agua que lleva hierbas de la propia zona fermentadas, para enriquecer el suelo al inicio. Dejamos crecer las hierbas, que aportan fertilidad, y solo las cortamos junto a los troncos, para que los cultivos tengan espacio”. Con esta técnica, la tierra del huerto ha pasado de un 1,8% a un 8% de materia orgánica en cinco años, y sin insumos externos, ni estiércol, ni compost. Más materia orgánica en el suelo significa además menos carbono en la atmósfera. Las verduras se venden en grupos de consumo y tiendas de cercanía.

Al otro lado del mapa —en A Coruña—, la cooperativa Labrecos también aplica estas técnicas. “Éramos una explotación familiar intensiva y nos hemos pasado a la regenerativa. Tenemos 20 hectáreas de huerta, pastos, frutales y animales. Las vacas, ovejas y gallinas nos ayudan a abonar la tierra, y también vendemos la carne”, dice Aitor Lata, uno de los propietarios. “En la huerta llevamos dos años sin usar el tractor, con lo que gastamos menos, el suelo se ha vuelto mucho más productivo, y además cada año es más fértil. Antes plantábamos 10.000 puerros en el doble de terreno que ahora, lo que me dice que la tierra está mejor y produce más en menos espacio”, prosigue.

Montse Cortiñas, vicesecretaria general de UPA —el sindicato agrario que aglutina a la mayoría de las explotaciones familiares—, considera que agricultores y ganaderos están dispuestos al cambio: “Estamos padeciendo la emergencia climática en primera línea con lluvias torrenciales, sequías, heladas a destiempo… Y somos conscientes de los problemas de los suelos y ecosistemas. Estamos incrementando las hectáreas de siembra directa, es decir, sin labrar, para evitar la erosión del suelo y favorecer las cubiertas vegetales. Pero haría falta una estrategia estatal, una definición europea, y poner en marcha recursos para ayudar en la transición de un sistema a otro, porque al inicio suele haber una caída en la producción”.

Gràcia lo confirma: “Hace falta una inversión, porque al inicio el trabajo principal es meter materia orgánica en el suelo, y hasta que se regenera hay una bajada de producción inicial. Tienes que aprender a gestionar las llamadas malas hierbas, que en realidad no son malas, sino un indicador de que el sistema está funcionando; tienes que saber cuándo cortarlas y cómo hacer que sirvan para alimentar al suelo”.

>>> Cómo enfrentarse a las plagas

Otro problema son las plagas, que hay que aprender a manejar, como explica Lata, de Labrecos: “El primer año es difícil, pero luego los insectos se controlan unos a otros. Es fundamental plantar muchos cultivos al mismo tiempo. Nosotros tenemos 20 o 30 a la vez, de manera que si uno sufre una plaga, tenemos muchos otros. Y favorecemos la presencia de insectos depredadores de otros insectos”. Otra cuestión es la adaptación a cada terreno concreto, que requiere conocer las diferentes técnicas y estrategias, para lo que se puede recurrir a la asociación Agricultura Regenerativa Ibérica o consultar el Manual Polyfarming, creado a partir de un proyecto Life europeo.

El activista ambiental Javier Peña, que ha hablado sobre agricultura regenerativa ante ministros de Medio Ambiente de toda la UE, considera que esta transición “va a ser próxima gran revolución agrícola, y ya está empezando a llegar tanto a pequeños productores como a grandes empresas”. Y pone algunos ejemplos: Verdcamp Fruits, una finca de 300 hectáreas en Tarragona que produce 10 millones de kilos de fruta al año con estas técnicas, o El Valle del Conde, que ha convertido 230 hectáreas de olivar tradicional en una dehesa con flores, hierbas y biodiversidad, con lo que ha aumentado la producción y reducido costes. También ha llegado a las multinacionales: Nestlé, Pepsico y Unilever, entre otras, han hecho anuncios sobre el tema en los últimos meses. Incluso el presidente Pedro Sánchez mencionó la agricultura regenerativa en su discurso de investidura, el pasado 15 de noviembre.

Al no existir todavía una etiqueta o certificación extendida, hay riesgo de greenwashing (o ecopostureo), sobre todo por parte de las grandes marcas. “Para que se extienda este tipo de agricultura haría falta un sello europeo —igual que el ecológico— para que los consumidores puedan valorar estos esfuerzos”, señala Cortiñas, de UPA. En España, AENOR acaba de crear la primera certificación en este sentido. En cualquier caso, Gràcia cree que el cambio es imparable: “Está claro que ya hay un problema de escasez de recursos, y aunque no haya una certificación, no habrá otra alternativa que pasarse a este sistema. Los resultados son evidentes: se usa menos suelo, se gasta menos y se produce más”.
Ver elpais.com

Animal Welfare

See ourworldindata.org 11/12/2023

Current climate policies will reduce emissions, but not enough to keep temperature rise below 2°C

Current policies to reduce, or at least slow down, the growth of CO₂ emissions have already averted some future warming compared to a world without these policies, as we see in the chart.

The chart maps out future greenhouse gas emissions scenarios under a range of assumptions:

- If no climate policies were implemented
- If current policies continued
- If all countries achieved their current pledges for future emissions reductions

The necessary pathways compatible with limiting warming to 1.5°C or 2°C of warming this century
Current policies have us on track for around 2.7°C by 2100. If countries achieved their current pledges, this could be reduced to 2.1°C.

But if we aim to limit warming to “well below 2°C” - as is laid out in the Paris Agreement - currently policies have us far off track. To achieve this goal, countries need to increase the ambition of these commitments and bring their policies in line with them.

We launched a brand new version of our page on CO₂ and Greenhouse Gas Emissions, where you can find all of our data, visualizations, and writing on the topic.

See ourworldindata.org 11/12/2023

What were the death tolls from pandemics in history?

Disease outbreaks may be inevitable, but large-scale pandemics are not. The world can respond swiftly and effectively to pandemic risks in the future with better understanding, resources, and effort.

To avoid suffering through another large pandemic, we have to take the risk of pandemics seriously. Despite warnings that another one was likely, the COVID-19 pandemic has killed more than 27 million people.

We need to build the capacity to test for pathogens and understand them: which pathogens put us at the greatest risk, how they spread, and how to tackle them.

We know it is possible to greatly reduce the risk of infectious disease. We’ve learned over history how to reduce their impact with vaccines, public health efforts, and medicine.

In addition to the old risks, we are facing new threats from factory farming, genetic modification, climate change, and antimicrobial resistance. With more attention and effort, we can reduce their risks, too.

We published a new page on pandemics, which features our data and research on COVID-19 and other pandemics in history, and how we can reduce their risk in the future.

See ourworldindata.org 11/12/2023

Women tend to live longer than men — why?

Across the world, women tend to live longer than men. But the sex gap varies between countries and is not constant over time. For example, the gap spiked during the World Wars in some countries.

Wars are only one of many reasons for the sex gap in life expectancy, which arises from a range of causes at different ages:

The gap begins at birth: newborn boys have a higher death rate than newborn girls, as they’re more vulnerable to diseases.
It continues in youth, when boys have a higher death rate than girls, typically due to violence and accidents.
It’s sustained at older ages when men have higher death rates than women from chronic health conditions, which are partly due to higher rates of smoking, alcohol, and drug use.

See ourworldindata.org 11/12/2023

Countries differ a lot in how much taxes they collect

Governments must sustainably raise sufficient resources to pay for their employees and policies, such as providing infrastructure and public services. They usually do so by collecting taxes.

The map shows that countries differ greatly in how much taxes they collect. Here, this is expressed as government tax revenues as a share of gross domestic product (GDP).

In many European countries, tax revenues sum up to over a third of GDP. In France and Denmark, it is about half. In most other countries in the world, it is much less. In a few, taxes make up only a few percent of GDP.

Importantly, differences in tax revenues only partially reflect different abilities to collect them. Some of these differences are also due to policy choices and political preferences for higher or lower taxation.

But because other types of revenues, such as natural resources and foreign aid, can be volatile, collecting taxes remains at the heart of countries’ ability to finance their actions.

We published a new page on the ability of governments to effectively implement their policies, such as on taxes, and achieve their goals — a concept known as “state capacity.”

See ourworldindata.org 11/12/2023

The world has recently become less democratic
See ourworldindata.org


Microwaves on Sale: 400 for the Price of 1

Since 1955, the time price of a microwave oven has dropped 99.8 percent.

See humanprogress.org 11/12/2023

The food dollar / sharing value?

01 - 11/12/2023

Prosperous Instagram / disastrous Twitter

02 - 11/12/2023

X in a difficult situation

03 - 11/12/2023

Mortality vs GDP per Capita

04 - 11/12/2023

Less liberal democracies for the last years

05 - 11/12/2023

Yuan for an Economical Giant but Poorly used outside China

06 - 11/12/2023

Half of Russian People earn less than 96% of French People

07 - 11/12/2023

Extreme Poverty Down

08 - 11/12/2023

Outside China, Less Constructions of Coal Plants

09 - 11/12/2023

US Homeless People in Large US Eastern and Western Cities

10 - 11/12/2023

Beds in Shelters and Permanent Housing for US Homeless People

11 - 11/12/2023

US Homeless people

12 - 11/12/2023

45000 years ago, a Sulawesi Island dwarf buffalo painting (Indonesia)

11/12/2023

Not that Strong Financial System

13 - 11/12/2023

Panama bottleneck

14 - 11/12/2023

Rich Podcasters

15 - 11/12/2023

Rolex less fashionable

16 - 11/12/2023

Monetary Stimulus favorable for cryptos

17 - 11/12/2023

Covid Mortality Excess

18 - 11/12/2023

No more interest in Sciences

19 - 11/12/2023

More screens, less books

20 - 11/12/2023

Poor mathematics

21 - 11/12/2023

Revenues were falling in 2022 in many countries

22 - 11/12/2023

Unemployment falling in many European countries

23 - 11/12/2023

No climate change e.g. in Texas?

24 - 11/12/2023

Numbers of Billion-Dollar Climate Disasters in USA

25 - 11/12/2023

Investing to avoid Climate Change Effects

26 - 11/12/2023

Hot USA

27 - 11/12/2023

28 - 11/12/2023