News

10.07.2014 |

Neonicotinoids linked to decline in bird populations

Bird
Hungry for insecticide-free food (Photo: Alan Vernon/flickr)

Neonicotinoid insecticides blamed for the loss of bee colonies are also a key factor in the decline in farmland birds, possibly by killing the insects they feed upon, according to new research published this Wednesday in the peer-reviewed journal “Nature”. Biologists at Radboud University Nijmegen and the Sovon Centre for Field Ornithology in the Netherlands analysed data on local population trends for 15 bird species, nine of them exclusively insectivore. The scientists then compared this datasets to measurements of imidacloprid concentrations in surface water, the most widely used insecticide in agricultural systems. They found that local bird populations decreased with high imidacloprid concentrations. At imidacloprid concentrations of more than 20 nanograms per litre, bird numbers declined on average by 3.5% per year. Additional analyses revealed that this spatial pattern of decline appeared only after the introduction of imidacloprid to the Netherlands, in the mid-1990s. ‘The decline in farmland bird species started before 1995, but the local differences in this decline that we have established after the introduction of imidacloprid are not seen in the counts made before that time,’ says Ruud Foppen of Sovon. According to Professor Hans de Kroon, who supervised the study, this is the first research that correlates imidacloprid to possible indirect harmful effects – via the food chain – for vertebrates. Insecticides explain the decline better than other factors, such as land use, he said. The researchers do not yet know precisely if the declines are caused by a lack of food because insecticides reduce the availability of insects or because birds eat contaminated insects. It is not clear whether breeding success is declining or mortality is increasing, or both, they said. For a few species, eating seeds coated with insecticide could be an explanation.

07.07.2014 |

New MDG report: Is the hunger target still within reach?

Child
Malnutrition check (Photo: Russell Watkins/DFID)

More global effort is needed to achieve key targets of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), according to a UN report published on Monday. The “Millennium Development Goals Report 2014” presents the latest updates of global and regional progress towards the eight MDGs, which were agreed on by all UN member countries in 2000 and will run out in 2015. The report shows that despite progress towards some of the goals, member states will miss targets related to reducing child and maternal mortality and improving access to sanitation. Some targets, such as those related to reducing extreme poverty, increasing access to drinking water sources and achieving gender parity in primary school, have already been met, the UN claims. The UN is optimistic that the target of halving, between 1990 and 2015, the percentage of people who suffer from hunger can still be reached. “The hunger target looks within reach”, the press release says. However, the report admits that progress has slowed down in the past decade. The proportion of undernourished people in developing regions decreased from 24% in 1990-1992 to 14% in 2011-2013 - but 842 million people were still suffering from chronic hunger. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region with the highest prevalence of undernourishment (25%), followed by Southern Asia (17%). Both regions will miss the hunger target. The report shows that progress has also been uneven for the second indicator of the target, the prevalence of underweight children under five. An estimated 99 million children, or 15% of the world’s children, were underweight in 2012 but in Southern Asia, 30% of the children were underweight. In Sub-Saharan Africa, 21% were affected but the total number of undernourished children even increased to 32 million. “We need bolder and focused action where significant gaps and disparities exist”, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in the foreword to the report. As Member States are currently “engaged in discussions to define Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which will serve as the core of a universal post-2015 development agenda, our efforts to achieve the MDGs are a critical building block towards establishing a stable foundation for our development efforts beyond 2015”, Ban Ki-moon said.

04.07.2014 |

UN expert panel calls for action to reduce food loss and waste

Waste
Wasted food (Photo: Andrea Leganza/flickr)

A new UN-backed report sheds light on the causes of food waste and recommends solutions and actions that could help reduce the 1.3 billion tonnes of food that is lost or wasted along the food chain each year. The report was presented on Thursday by the High Level Panel of Experts (HLPE) of the UN Committee on World Food Security (CFS). Food loss and waste peaks at 280-300 kilogram per capita and year in Europe and North America. Estimates suggest that up to 40% of food produced in the United States is never eaten. “If food was as expensive as a Ferrari, we would polish it and look after it”, said Professor Per Pinstrup-Andersen, lead author of the study. But data on consumer food waste shows that every US citizen wastes food worth $370 per year while British households waste around $580 by throwing out food. In medium and high income countries, consumers “can afford the luxury of wasting food” and “exigencies in aesthetic or other standards” lead to the discard of food, the authors say. In low income countries, most losses occur at production and post-harvest level, for example due to the lack of storage capacity and poor transport infrastructure. Since reasons for food waste are different in each part of the world, solutions have to be local, the report concludes. “Successful reduction of food losses and waste will save resources and has the potential to improve food security and nutrition, goals shared with the Zero Hunger Challenge and the post-2015 sustainable development agenda”, Pinstrup-Andersen said. The report points out that action should be taken throughout different sections of the food chain, from the public and private sectors, civil society, individual producers, wholesalers, retailers and consumers. The experts recommended a better integration of production chains and data collection and knowledge sharing about food wastes, as well as developing effective strategies to curb this trend and achieve a better coordination of policies. This is the eighth report the HLPE has released, and was produced in response to a request from the CFS.

02.07.2014 |

UK's food self-sufficiency at risk, new report warns

Veg
The UK relies on imported vegetables (Photo: Nike Knell)

The UK is threatening its long-term food security by depending heavily on imports given future challenges to food production arising from climate change and changing global demands, a report warned on Tuesday. According to the House of Commons Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, the UK is currently 68% self-sufficient in foods which can be produced in the country - a sharp decline from almost 87% in the early 1990s. Self-sufficiency in fruit and vegetables has decreased the most, to 12% and 58% respectively. The UK imported £8 billion of fruit and vegetables in 2012. MPs also expressed concern over the country's dependence on imported soybean for animal feed. Rising demand for protein in China and other countries could lead to competition. The government should “give higher priority to research to enable us to source more of our animal feed from within the EU” and “promote the growth of more legumes.” Friends of the Earth welcomed that the report identified the impact the UK livestock system has on the climate but said it failed to tackle the need to change diets. “Eating less but better quality meat would be healthier, help cut greenhouse gas emissions and free up land for other uses”, Food Campaigner Vicki Hird said. The report supports the concept of “sustainable intensification” - producing more food with fewer inputs in a sustainable way, noting that yield levels for the UK’s staple crops have not increased for over 15 years. Organic farming does not seem to be important to the authors since “organic yields are generally lower than those for conventional agriculture”. Soil Association disagreed with the focus on yields: “Rather than measuring agricultural output as yields per hectare, we need to measure how efficiently we produce our food. Looking just at yields masks the high levels of inputs with subsequent impacts on greenhouse gas emissions”, policy officer Louise Payton said. The report clearly backs genetically modified crops: “The Government should do more to inform the public about the potential beneficial impacts of growing GM crops in the UK” and “counter food safety fears about the consumption of GM”, the MPs concluded.

26.06.2014 |

New study: Vegetarian diet reduces greenhouse gas emissions

Veg
Choice of vegetables (Photo: LollyKnit/flickr)

A vegetarian diet results in a more sustainable environment, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and increases longevity, according to new research from Loma Linda University School of Public Health. The study, which will be published in the July issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, focused on the dietary patterns of vegetarians, semi-vegetarians and meat eaters and analysed data from more than 73,000 participants. The aim of the study was to quantify and compare greenhouse gas emissions linked to the dietary patterns consumed in a large population across North America. The study found that greenhouse gas emissions were 29% lower for vegetarians and 22% for semi-vegetarians. Moreover, the mortality rate for meat lovers was almost 20% higher than that for vegetarians and semi- vegetarians. Reducing the consumption of animal-based foods can therefore be a feasible and effective tool for climate change mitigation and public health improvements, the researchers said.

23.06.2014 |

Obama establishes task force to save honey bees

Bee
Busy bee at work (Photo: David Farquhar/flickr)

The White House has created a new task force to tackle the rapid decline in honey bees and other pollinators. On Friday, US President Barack Obama announced plans for a “Pollinator Health Task Force” which will be lead by the Environmental Protection Agency and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Within the next six months, the team will investigate the causes of bee declines and develop a federal strategy to protect the health of pollinators. According to recent data from USDA, bee populations saw a 23% decline over the winter season between 2013 and 2014. “The problem is serious and requires immediate attention to ensure the sustainability of our food production systems, avoid additional economic impact on the agricultural sector, and protect the health of the environment”, Obama said in a presidential memorandum. A quarter of the food Americans eat, including apples, carrots and avocados, relies on pollination. In California, the almond industry depends exclusively on bees for pollination. According to the White House, honey bee pollination alone adds more than $15 billion in value to agricultural crops each year in the US. As part of the plan, the task force will assess the effects of pesticides on pollinators. “Scientists believe that bee losses are likely caused by a combination of stressors, including poor bee nutrition, loss of forage lands, parasites, pathogens, lack of genetic diversity, and exposure to pesticides”, the memorandum said. On Friday, USDA also announced an $8 million funding programme for farmers and ranchers in the states of Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin who establish new honey bee habitats.

19.06.2014 |

OWG 12: Sustainable Development Goals in the Spotlight

Tom
Goal 2 focuses on food and farming (Photo: World Bank)

The UN Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals is holding its 12th and penultimate meeting in New York this week. Representatives from UN member states are discussing changes to the “zero draft”, a document released by the OWG on June 2, which currently contains 17 proposed sustainable development goals (SDGs) and 212 targets. The goals, to be attained by 2030, are to succeed the Millennium Development Goals when they expire in 2015. This week’s session was preceded by three days of informal consultations held on 9-11 June in New York. Ahead of the meeting, several civil society groups published papers and reactions to the zero draft, proposed additions to the text and ways to reduce the number of targets. With regard to proposed Goal 2 on ending hunger and achieving food security and nutrition, Biovision Foundation and the Millennium Institute, on behalf of the Food and Agriculture Cluster of the NGO Major Group, suggested some changes: Adding a specific reference to “the progressive realization of the right to food” and underlining the need for sustainable and diverse food systems which “maintain and regenerate natural resources and ecosystems” while “contributing to human and environmental health“. They suggested including a target on land degradation in Goal 2, with a focus on restoring degraded land, since addressing land and soil degradation are key to ensuring food security and nutrition. The global civil society campaign Beyond 2015 also issued a series of recommendations, such as the wording “ensure food sovereignty and the basic right to food for all” in order to end hunger. Moreover, the campaign suggested adding a reference to the elimination of harmful agricultural subsidies. The next OWG session will take place on 14-18 July and the group will then submit its final SDG proposal to the UN Secretary General and the General Assembly in September 2014.

17.06.2014 |

Chemical pollution of European water bodies worse than assumed

Fisch
Chemical pollution: a threat to aquatic life (Photo: vanlaar/flickr)

The chemical pollution of European water bodies is greater than previously believed, according to a new study by the University of Koblenz-Landau and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Germany, published in the latest edition of the scientific journal Proceedings. Together with fellow scientists from Switzerland and France, the researchers analysed data on 223 chemicals taken from over 4000 monitoring sites and estimated the extent to which risk thresholds were exceeded for fish, invertebrates and algae. The study reveals that in 42% of European water bodies chemicals are likely to have negative long-term effects on aquatic organisms, such as impacts on breeding or higher vulnerability to disease. In 14% of the sites, the concentrations of chemicals could exert acute lethal effects on species. Up to now, most authorities and scientists have considered toxic chemicals to be rather a local problem while this study shows that chemical pollution is a large-scale problem in Europe. Pesticides used in conventional farming are the main source of pollution, with herbicides being most harmful to algae and invertebrates. Other substances found in large quantities include organotin compounds, brominated flame retardants and polyaromatic hydrocarbons from burning petroleum or organic matter. According to the scientists, the EU focuses mainly on the occurrence of around 40 chemicals considered particularly hazardous to aquatic life. “The real problem, however, is that a large number of chemicals which are currently in use are not taken into account at all in the context of water quality monitoring”, says Dr. Werner Brack from the Helmholtz Centre. The authors suggest preventative measures, including the reduction in the use of pesticides in agriculture and the introduction of buffer strips where farming fields are close to rivers.

12.06.2014 |

EU vote could give biotech companies a say on GMO bans

BASF
A majority of EU citizens reject GMOs (Photo: BASF/flickr)

EU environment ministers have voted in favour of a new law that would theoretically allow member states to ban the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops on their territory. At today’s Environment Council, a majority supported the compromise, with only Luxembourg and Belgium abstaining. Several environment groups opposed the deal. Under the ministerial accord, a member state could request that a company applying for the authorisation of a GM plant in the EU adjusts the “geographical scope” of its application so that the territory of that state will be excluded from cultivation. If the company opposes the adjustment, the government could opt out of GM cultivation for agricultural or social reasons, such as public opposition. Luxembourg's environment minister, Carole Dieschbourg, voiced concern that the compromise could lead to a new wave of approvals of GM plants when member states could agree to approve GM plants in return for a company’s willingness to adjust another application. Environmental organisations shared these concerns, warning that the changes would increase the amount of GM crops on Europe’s fields and give biotech companies an official role in the banning process. “It is unacceptable that companies like Monsanto will be given the first say in any decision to ban their products. Governments must be able to ban unwanted and risky GM crops without needing the permission of the companies who profit from them”, said Mute Schimpf, food campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe. The text agreed in Council today will now go back to the newly elected European Parliament for a second reading.

04.06.2014 |

Zero draft of proposed Sustainable Development Goals released

Farmer
One target is to increase small farmers' incomes (Photo: UN Photo/Kibae Park)

The UN Open Working Group (OWG) on Sustainable Development Goals has released a list of goals and targets to succeed the Millennium Development Goals in 2015. After several rounds of consultation, the Co-Chairs issued the “zero draft”, which contains 17 proposed sustainable development goals (SDGs) to be attained by 2030, as well as associated targets. As compared with a previous working document, the draft now includes a goal on reducing “inequality within and among countries”. Proposed goal two is “to end hunger, achieve food security and adequate nutrition for all, and promote sustainable agriculture”. It includes 11 targets, among them ensuring “that all people have access to adequate, safe, affordable, and nutritious food all year round by 2030” and ending malnutrition in all its forms, such as undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and obesity and overweight. The document calls for substantially increasing “small-scale food producers’ incomes and productivity, including small family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, with a particular focus on women” – without specifying what “substantially” means – and for ensuring their access to “adequate inputs, knowledge and productive resources, financial services and markets”. Further targets are: making food systems “more productive, sustainable, resilient and efficient” by 2030 and reducing food waste at retail and consumer level, as well as production and post-harvest losses by 50%. Moreover, the document calls for measures to be implemented that curb excessive food price volatility and ensure proper functioning of markets. The next OWG session will take place on 16-20 June. In the meantime, delegations will have the opportunity to voice their opinion on the zero draft's goals, targets, and means of implementation during informal consultations.

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