Protecting Farmworkers, Harnessing Methane, and Onion Shortage

Food and Agriculture 

Grain Glut Fears

Poland's government urges the European Union to extend the embargo on imports of Ukrainian grain. The embargo prevents grain from flooding domestic markets, which would lower grain prices and harm Polish farmers. Poland is still aiding Ukraine with military and humanitarian assistance, but remains adamant in banning Ukrainian agriculture products. 

New Promises in New Delhi

At the New Delhi G20 summit at the beginning of the week, G20 leaders vowed to boost global food security and nutrition through research cooperation on resilient grains. They also pledged to invest in agriculture to enhance productivity, reduce food waste, and build sustainable, climate-resilient food systems. 

Rice Restrictions

Rice prices reached a 15-year high in August, rising 9.8 percent partly due to India's ban on overseas sales of non-basmati rice, a major source of global rice exports. Weather patterns like El Niño have also affected agriculture productivity for the rice industry by making growing conditions even harsher. 

Onion Shortage

Following the coup in Niger, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) blocked onions, among other commodities, from leaving Niger, leading to a significant drop in supplies and a doubling of onion prices in nearby countries like Ghana. Ghana is now working on an aggressive five-year plan to boost local food production, aiming to reduce reliance on imports for foodstuffs. 

Deeper Dive  

Why Is El Niño Affecting Food Production?

The El Niño weather phenomenon denotes periods of unusually warm waters in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, which can cause both drought and flooding, as well as record heat and rainfall. This can create conditions that are difficult for crop growth, ultimately reducing and delaying harvests around the world.

Resilience 

Harnessing Methane

A Ukrainian agricultural company is using the gas from decomposing cow dung to replace natural gas and power tens of thousands of homes. This new form of bioenergy, called biomethane, is key to Ukraine’s goals of generating greener energy, decoupling from Russia, diversifying its economy, and building closer ties to Western Europe. 

DC Report 

Protecting Farmworkers

A new Biden administration policy proposal will improve protection for migrant farm workers part of the H-2A visa program through three changes: making it easier for them to work with labor unions, requiring employers to provide seat belts for vans, and countering human trafficking through mandating proof of work agreements. The proposed changes will apply to hundreds of thousands of migrants who take on seasonal agricultural jobs in the United States. 

Big Actors 

Food Security Summit

UK Prime Minister Sunak revealed plans for an international summit in November for countries affected by rising food prices. The event will bring together governments, charities, and businesses to help aid countries in need.  

Big Ideas 

Drone Seeds

A UK farm became the first in the country to sow commercial seeds using a drone. They claim the practice to be more environmentally friendly, less disruptive to the soil, and more efficient. 

Ask an Expert  

In what ways can livestock contribute to women’s empowerment? 

“Women’s empowerment is a woman or girl being able to achieve a life goal she values when previously this was denied. Livestock can be part of this process, especially when women have some control over their benefits – economically, nutritionally, socially. This could look like a college graduate in Kenya getting a loan to start her business raising layers, a woman in Senegal giving one of the goats in the household’s flock to an extended family member in need, or a young girl in Uganda being told by her parents if she helps care for the family’s dairy cow, she can use some of the milk income to buy school supplies.” 

—Nonresident Fellow Zoë Campbell

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

Urban Foraging for Rootworkers 
Date: September 16
Time: 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. 

Tropentag 2023 – Competing Pathways for Equitable Food Systems Transformation: Trade-Offs and Synergies 
Date: September 20 - 22

Payments for Ecosystem Services: Win-Win Solutions? 
Date: September 21
Time: 7:45 – 9:15 a.m. ET 

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

Flower Preservation Workshop 
Date: September 30
Time: all day

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."