New Grain Route, Farmer Health Crisis, and Youth in Agriculture

Food and Agriculture 

Climate Protests

An estimated 75,000 protesters marched in New York to call on President Biden to stop approving new fossil fuel projects, phase out existing ones, and declare a climate emergency. The protests come ahead of the UN Climate Ambition Summit this week. Agriculture is a significant contributor to climate change, generating around 20 percent of emissions worldwide. 

New Grain Route

A Ukrainian ship became the first grain ship to leave a Black Sea port since July, when Russia ended the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The ship took a new route, hugging the coast before entering Romanian waters. Simultaneously, Ukraine filed a complaint to the World Trade Organization after Poland, Hungary, and Slovakia defied an EU decision and continued bans on Ukrainian grain imports.   

Rice Spike

The 15-year high in rice prices triggered by India imposing export restrictions was expected to be a boon for rice farmers in Thailand, the world's second-largest rice exporter. However, rice cultivation decreased in Thailand in August as farmers face climate change, widespread indebtedness, and lack of innovation. Critics blame the Thai government’s prioritization of rice subsidies over agricultural research to increase production.    

Deeper Dive  

Opinion: Greenwashing at UN Summit?

The UN Climate Ambition Summit will include many new corporate pledges and commitments, but these announcements should be taken with a grain of salt. Corporate climate pledges often do not include specifics on how the goals will be achieved, do not cover their full emissions profiles, and rely on scientifically questionable carbon offsets.   

Resilience 

Youth in Agriculture

An Israeli organization aims to revolutionize subsistence farming in Zambia. Their approach centers on young adults aged 18 to 28—nearly 70 percent of Zambia’s population—by engaging them through the Youth Service Program to tackle agricultural challenges and uplift impoverished communities. Learn more about youth engagement in agriculture in our limited podcast series. 

DC Report

Funding Gaps

The US Education and Agriculture Secretaries have called on 16 states to address underfunding disparities in historically Black land-grant universities, revealing a $12.6 billion funding gap from 1987 to 2020. Notably, when states fail to match the federal funding allocated to Black land-grant institutions, these institutions are compelled to apply for waivers from the US Department of Agriculture to maintain federal funding. Advocates are actively pursuing increased funding support through the reauthorization of the Farm Bill.

Big Actors 

Supporting Farmers

The United States and Norway will jointly launch a $70 million fund to support farmers and agricultural businesses in Africa. The fund has the potential to benefit around 7.5 million people, support 500 small- and medium-sized agricultural businesses, assist 1.5 million smallholder farmers, and create nearly 60,000 private sector jobs. 

Big Ideas 

No More Methane

Researchers at Singapore's Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory are working to reduce methane emissions from rice farming by at least 20 percent. This initiative seeks to enhance rice cultivation's sustainability and methane efficiency by optimizing various factors such as soil additives, rice varieties, and irrigation techniques. 

Ask an Expert  

What do the flooding and dam collapses in Libya mean for the ongoing climate crisis? 

“The extreme rainfall and dam collapses in Libya are reminders that natural disasters are increasingly becoming human disasters. It is a reminder that our ability to adapt to climate change and manage extreme weather will be determined not only by geography but also by political, social, and economic factors that influence infrastructure development and maintenance. The decades of complex political history and conflict in Libya have created an environment where there were lapses in important risk mitigation planning for this type of event. This highlights how critical it remains to understand not only the science behind future climate trends, but also the human factors within and between countries. Factors that, at the end of the day, may leave people in harm's way when extreme events happen.”

—Nonresident Fellow Caitlin Grady

Have a question about food and agriculture? Ask one of our experts at the Center on Global Food and Agriculture to get an answer in next week's Global Food for Thought!

Council Events

Did you miss one of our previous livestreams? Don't worry! They are all available on our website to watch at any time.

Other Upcoming Events

Facilitating Anticipatory Action with Improved Early Warning Guidance 
Date: September 26
Time: 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. ET

Conservation Matters: Investing in People to Improve Watersheds 
Date: September 28
Time: 12:00 – 2:00 p.m.

21st Annual IEC Environmental Leadership Dinner 
Date: September 29
Time: 8:00 – 11:00 p.m. CT 

Protein PACT 2023 Summit 
Date: October 4 - 6 

US Rice Outlook Conference 
Date: December 6 - 8 

Land Acknowledgement Statement

The Center on Global Food and Agriculture recognizes it occupies the ancestral land of the Kiikaapoi, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Bodwéwadmi, and Myaamia people. Indigenous communities around the world disproportionately experience the pressures of climate change, global conflicts, and the COVID-19 pandemic, while simultaneously stewarding 80 percent of the world’s biodiversity. These Indigenous tribes and nations are the original owners of this land and continue to be systemically erased by policies and practices that ignore their histories. To learn more about Indigenous foodways and practices, check out our 2022 blog series "Stewardship, Sovereignty, and Solutions."