#China to develop #geneediting tools, new #crop varieties in biotech initiative
The 2024-2028 plan aims to achieve "independent and controllable" #seed sources for key #crops, with a focus to cultivate high-yield, multi-resistant wheat, corn and high-oil, high-yield soybean and rapeseed varieties. Move comes as China intensifies efforts to boost domestic yields of key crops like soybeans to reduce reliance on imports from countries such as #US amid a looming #tradewar.
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-agriculture-ministry-issues-guidelines-promote-biotech-cultivation-2025-02-14/
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So #ElonMusk went after a depository of carefully preserved #seeds and #plants and fired the #scientists who look after them, putting at risk one of the world's sources of #genetic #diversity for #crops.
And this #NYT article complains only about the #danger for Americans. 
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/22/opinion/doge-elon-musk-usda-crops.html?unlocked_article_code=1.504.kCEk.N097nAkPJN0u&smid=nytcore-android-share
#capitalism #techbros #oligarchy #doge #fascism #stupidity #science #food
The New York Times · Opinion | Why Did Elon Musk Go After Bunkers Full of Seeds?
Greg Cocks NASA’s New Satellite Could Change the Way We Farm Forever
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https://scitechdaily.com/nasas-new-satellite-could-change-the-way-we-farm-forever/ <-- shared technical article
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https://nisar.jpl.nasa.gov/ <-- shared NISCAR page
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https://youtu.be/ONHTazfGoiM?si=y2n0abh5B4UBAyuW <-- shared overview video
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Precision Agriculture at Scale | Mapping Crops with Advanced Radar | Cutting-Edge Techniques for Crop Identification | Enhancing Crop Forecasts with NISAR Data | Tracking Soil Moisture for Smarter Farming
#GIS #spatial #mapping #farming #agriculture #farmingintelligence #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #fedscience #satellite #earthobservation #remotesensing #policy #planning #management #efficiency #radar #planting #irrigation #waterresources #tools #resources #economics #costs #moisture #crops #AI #machinelearning #water #hydrology #NISAR
@nasa | @ISRO | @JPL
Small Is The New Great! How to fight against the sludge of 2025 - and how the tiniest things can change the world. I would be happy if you can find some hope in my new blogpost: 
https://steadyhq.com/en/naturematchcuts/posts/025f4904-2364-4711-8907-f7e55841993f
You can subscribe for my free newsletter or support my work as a member!
Climate Change Threatens Earth’s Major Crops, Study Finds https://www.ecowatch.com/climate-change-crops-food-security.html
EcoWatch · Climate Change Threatens Earth’s Major Crops, Study Finds
Exclusive: #ArmyCorps knew #Trump order would waste #California #water, memo shows
The #ArmyCorpsOfEngineers colonel responsible for releasing #reservoir water at Trump’s direction knew it wouldn’t reach Southern California as he promised, a memo obtained by The Post shows.
#FactCheck #TrumpLies #Climate #ClimateCrisis #ClimateChange #science #wildfires #drought #agriculture #farms #crops #DrinkingWater #USpol #idiocracy
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2025/03/07/trump-water-release-california-fires/
The Washington Post · Army Corps knew Trump order would waste California water, memo shows
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The loss of #insects — “the little things that run the world,” as naturalist E.O. Wilson once put it — has dire implications for #ecosystems in which #birds & #mammals rely on them for #food & #plants depend on them for pollination. #Farmers & gardeners, meanwhile, may be losing allies that act as #pollinators & natural pest control.
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The crisis for #butterflies is part of a troubling downturn in the number of #bumblebees, #fireflies & other #insects that has been observed in Europe, the Caribbean & other places worldwide. It could signal a potential “#bugpocalypse” that scientists are fiercely debating — a shift that may spell trouble for both #nature & #society.
#Butterflies in the #US are disappearing at a ‘catastrophic’ rate
Butterflies are rapidly fluttering out of existence from coast to coast at a rate that scientists worry could upend #ecosystems & undercut #pollination that sustains America’s #crops.
The total number of butterflies in the contiguous US has declined 22% over a 20yr period, as shrinking #habitat, rising #temperatures & a #toxic array of #pesticides kill off the delicate insects.
#ClimateCrisis #ClimateChange
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adw1633
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This is not just something that happens to the crops. It happens to us. As crops start failing, and they will, there will be spikes in prices and ultimately famines due to populations not served. When people aren't getting what they need, they don't sit passively by. There will be unrest. It will get ugly fast. We can plan for some shortfalls if they happen intermittently. But as they become more the norm, that's a big problem.
Our oligarchs imagine that they personally will always have the most money, so first access to things that run short. And they're comfortable with large numbers of others suffering and dying . So we shouldn't get too complacent and assume that things will somehow work out. That isn't the plan they have.
We need to restore democracy and federal institutions that operate in the best interest of the people. And we need to focus on stopping climate change, by seriously retooling the parts of our economy that are egging it on. The oligarchs see climate change as a business opportunity, a chance to sell to desperate people at jacked up prices. They're not interested in stopping it, just being in control of what people will cry out for and pay money for.
#Infrastructure in British #India:
"Natural drainage of Bengal was disturbed due to construction of a network of #railway embankments resulting in formation of poorly drained “compartments” in different areas of Bengal. This led to excessive silting, damaged crop production, increased chance of flooding and created stagnant water pockets that were apt for water-borne diseases like cholera and malaria."
Excerpt from: https://learn.culturalindia.net/bengal-famine-1943.html
#famine #starvation #agriculture #rice #Bangladesh #Churchill #wwii #transport #railways #railTransport #crops #colonialism #BritishEmpire #BritishRule
Cultural India · The Bengal Famine of 1943 – Causes, Effects, DeathsThe Bengal famine of 1943 was one of the most devastating famines in history and claimed approximately 2.1-3 million lives.
[Currently] Unexplained Heat-Wave ‘Hotspots’ Are Popping Up Across The Globe
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https://news.climate.columbia.edu/2024/11/26/unexplained-heat-wave-hotspots-are-popping-up-across-the-globe/ <-- shared technical article
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https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2411258121 <-- shared paper
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #climatechange #global #model #modeling #warming #temperature #hotspots #heatwaves #publicsafety #publichealth #extremeweather #globalwarming #worldwide #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #foodsecurity #watersecurity #wildfire #risk #hazard #heatstress #death #injury #agriculture #water #hydrology #crops #cropland
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"Immigrant farm workers are an essential piece of our nation’s agricultural success. Their labor sustains us, and their contributions deserve our recognition and support."
#immigrants #Thanksgiving #food #crops #agriculture #labor #WorkingClass
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"In fruit and vegetable crop production, 49.6% of the workforce is comprised of immigrants, and 24.3% of the workforce is comprised of undocumented immigrants. ...
As many of us sit down with loved ones this Thanksgiving, let’s not only give thanks for the food we share but also for the hands that made it possible."
~ Steven Hubbard
#immigrants #Thanksgiving #food #crops #agriculture #labor #WorkingClass
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https://immigrationimpact.com/2024/11/22/giving-thanks-immigrant-farmworkers-feed-america/
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Indigenous tribes engineered British Columbia’s modern hazelnut forests 7k+ yrs ago
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/bc-hazelnut-research-1.7392860
https://mastodon.social/@persagen/113507028148383483
* hazelnuts had been transplanted/cultivated for at least 7,000 years by Gitxsan, Tsimshian, & Nisga'a peoples
* research emphasizes Indigenous peoples' contributions to creation/maintenance of region's ecosystems
#climatechange + #speculators -- Global #coffee prices have soared to record highs as adverse #weather conditions disrupt #crops, driving up costs for consumers and pushing roasters to add lower-cost #beans to their blends, chart @FT https://www.ft.com/content/f02f2888-2349-47be-b484-22c8bcf38b35?segmentId=114a04fe-353d-37db-f705-204c9a0a157b
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"Key #crops from potatoes and onions to wheat and sugar are being hit by damaging heat, drought and floods around the world, pushing up prices and threatening food security, [ECIU] says.
But while it “is tempting” to suggest that the UK should increase domestic production to make up for poor harvests abroad, #Britain too is struggling in the face of #climate impacts, the organisation said."
https://www.independent.co.uk/climate-change/news/mediterranean-western-europe-egypt-spain-europe-b2593291.html
#ClimateInflation #UK
The Independent · UK food security hit by climate impacts at home and abroad, analysis warns
#EPA takes #emergency action to stop use of #dangerous pesticide
For the 1st time in 40 yrs, the #Environmental Protection Agency has taken emergency action to stop the use of a #pesticide linked to serious #HealthRisks for unborn #babies.
Tues’s #EmergencyOrder applies to… #DCPA aka #Dacthal, an #herbicide used on #crops such as #broccoli, #BrusselsSprouts, #cabbage & #onions.
#Health #PublicHealth #climate #Pregnant #farmworkers #farmers #agriculture
https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-environment/2024/08/06/epa-pesticide-farmworkers/
The Washington Post · EPA takes emergency action to stop use of dangerous pesticide
New datasets identify which crops deforest the Amazon, and where #Amazon #environment #forest #deforestation #crops #AnimalAgriculture https://news.mongabay.com/2024/08/new-datasets-identify-which-crops-deforest-the-amazon-and-where/
Mongabay Environmental News · New datasets identify which crops deforest the Amazon, and whereA series of recently published data is shining a new light on patterns of deforestation in the Amazon, revealing where crops, cattle ranching and mining are encroaching on the rainforest. Several monitoring organizations — including the Spatial Production Allocation Model (SPAM), the Atlas of Pastures and Amazon Mining Watch — have released or updated satellite data and visualization tools […]
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Already, we can see the early tremors starting to rattle the global #food system. As #ClimateChange permanently alters #weather patterns, #farmers are struggling to produce #crops in the same huge volumes they once did. In #California this month’s #heat wave turned lettuce yellow. In #Vietnam #ExtremeHeat has damaged the #coffee crop, sending #prices worldwide soaring. #Consumers will soon see even higher prices & less of the foods they have come to know & love….