PHL in the News 
September 15, 2011 Update

The following items have appeared recently in newspapers, blogs, on websites and other media regarding PHL and might be of interest to affiliates of the ADM Institute for the Prevention of Postharvest Loss.

Africa

• Nigeria is advised to treat agriculture as a potential solution for job creation, economic growth, and public health.
  Youth involvement should be developed, as well as a supportive financial system, recommended Dr. Peter Hartmann of the National Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER).

• Vulnerability to drought a recurring factor for the food security crisis in the Greater Horn of Africa
  Experts at a conference hosted by the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), African Union - Interafrican Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR), and the CGIAR Consortium unanimously called for more agricultural research, market infrastructure development, and robust policies and partnerships. Practical applications included: diversification of crops better suited for drylands, better storage, partnerships to scale up successes, national development plans, and commodity exchanges and insurance for farmers and herders.

India

• India focues on public-private partnerships in order to meet the procurement and storage requirements of the food security bill.
  10% of total grain production was lost in the postharvest system due to lack of proper storage facilities - India has only about 17% of the needed storage facilities available currently, which is decreasing as the government continues to push for increased grain acquisition. The government is pushing for the design and implementation of such storage spaces, focusing on wheat first.
  
  
• India's agrarian crisis has led to the suicides of over 250,000 farmers since 1995.
  Current programs and 'new' organizations are not aiding the root issue - farmers still lack access to credit, have high transaction costs, are exposed to exploitative middlemen, and poor quality technologies and contracts that are difficult to acquire. The author suggests grassroots-level farmer-led programs as more effective than current options for helping alleviate the cycle of crisis.

United States

• Hurricane Irene took 56% of available corn crop for harvesting from South Carolina, while North Carolina reported wide-scale damage to storage facilities, field crops, and agricultural businesses.