In The Spotlight
In an attempt to strengthen global food security, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) would be investing US$466.5mn through its two premier international development programmes
The announcement which was made at the Clinton Global Initiative 2024 annual meeting, Vilsack explained about the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Programme which would be allocated US$248mn in fiscal year 2024 to support projects in nine countries that will provide critical school meals and boost literacy and primary education, especially for girls. On the other hand, the Food for Progress programme would be provided with US$218.5mn to help seven countries strengthen their agricultural systems, adopt climate smart technologies, sustainably increase productivity and expand international trade.
Under both programmes, USDA purchases US-grown commodities and provides them to implementing organisations, including the United Nations World Food Programme. Food for Progress implementing partners sell the commodities locally and use the proceeds to support local development projects. McGovern-Dole partners use the commodities directly in school feeding programmes.
This year, USDA will provide more than 37,000 mt of US commodities to support projects in Angola, Bangladesh, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Laos, Malawi and Rwanda, benefitting approximately 1.2 million children and their family members in more than 2,800 pre-primary and primary schools.
The Food for Progress projects funded this year will utilize 315,000 mt of US commodities and ultimately benefit nearly 200,000 farmers in Benin, Cambodia, Madagascar, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Tunisia and will focus on priority topics including climate-smart agriculture, food security, sanitary and phytosanitary standards, access to capital and trade facilitation.
“The McGovern-Dole and Food for Progress programmes are the embodiment of USDA’s multi-faceted approach to combatting hunger and poverty and addressing the effects of the climate crisis worldwide,” Vilsack said. “Teaming up with both private- and public-sector partners, we’re not only providing direct food assistance, but also fostering sustainable agricultural productivity growth, promoting climate-smart agriculture and enhancing developing countries’ ability to engage in trade, which is critical to food security.”
dsm-firmenich has recently announced that its innovative methane-reducing feed additive Bovaer has received market approval for use with beef cattle in South Korea, making it the first product the country has approved for this purpose
Marking a significant step towards more sustainable agriculture in South Korea, this approval enables farmers to effectively and immediately reduce methane emissions, a potent greenhouse gas. The approval of Bovaer is part of dsm-firmenich’s global strategy to contribute to sustainable livestock farming, supporting the health of the planet, animals and people. It aligns with South Korea's proactive approach, which includes a comprehensive framework to support farmers in transitioning to sustainable practices and a recently launched low-methane feed programme.
Bovaer offers an effective solution to 3.6 million beef cattle, including the renowned Hanwoo breed, that could greatly advance South Korea's sustainability goals. As a signatory of the Global Methane Pledge, South Korea is committed to significantly reducing methane emissions by 2030.
Research has shown that Bovaer can greatly reduce methane emissions with just a quarter teaspoon of the additive per cow per day. This innovation not only supports South Korea’s environmental commitments but also enhances the sustainability of its beef production, benefiting the entire supply chain from farmers to consumers.
Read more about Bovaer's contributions to boosting dairy sustainability.
Syngenta Biologicals and Provivi recently announced a collaboration to develop and commercialise new pheromone-based biological solutions to effectively and more safely control detrimental pests in corn and rice
The collaboration brings together Provivi’s expertise in pheromone-based crop protection solutions with Syngenta’s global reach and development capabilities. The two new pheromone solutions will help farmers manage the devastating pests which include the Yellow Stem Borer (YSB) in India and Indonesia and Fall Armyworm (FAW) in Thailand.
These innovative product formulations, made from biodegradable materials, represent significant advancements such as enhanced efficacy, longer duration, and improved environmental sustainability for the benefit of farmers. Both of these will be available to farmers starting in 2026.
Pheromones are natural signaling compounds that effectively control pests by interfering with their mating behaviors, preventing pest reproduction. The benefits of using pheromones in an integrated pest management programme include their non-toxicity, highly specific target activity and a mode of action, preventing, instead of eliminating, thereby supporting the preservation of biodiversity and the flourishing of non-target species.
The YSB and FAW pests stand out as among the most destructive insect pests in agriculture, threatening a wide variety of crops in many countries and impacting farmers’ livelihoods as well as food security. Syngenta and Provivi have previously collaborated to bring the pheromone-based technology NELVIUM to Indonesia to control rice stem borer insects. The expansion of the pheromone partnership with Provivi is aligned with Syngenta’s sustainability priorities, which includes accelerating crop productivity while reducing the impact on the planet, through more sustainable technologies.
“Farmers need solutions that effectively address pest pressure while ensuring sustainability on their farms, particularly as pest threats evolve with climate change," said global head of Biologicals and Seedcare at Syngenta, Jonathan Brown. "We are proud to work together with Provivi to deliver the next-generation in pheromone-based biocontrols that target farmer key pest challenges.”
In an attempt to strengthen global food security, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) would be investing US$466.5mn through its two premier international development programmes
The announcement which was made at the Clinton Global Initiative 2024 annual meeting, Vilsack explained about the McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Programme which would be allocated US$248mn in fiscal year 2024 to support projects in nine countries that will provide critical school meals and boost literacy and primary education, especially for girls. On the other hand, the Food for Progress programme would be provided with US$218.5mn to help seven countries strengthen their agricultural systems, adopt climate smart technologies, sustainably increase productivity and expand international trade.
Under both programmes, USDA purchases US-grown commodities and provides them to implementing organisations, including the United Nations World Food Programme. Food for Progress implementing partners sell the commodities locally and use the proceeds to support local development projects. McGovern-Dole partners use the commodities directly in school feeding programmes.
This year, USDA will provide more than 37,000 mt of US commodities to support projects in Angola, Bangladesh, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Laos, Malawi and Rwanda, benefitting approximately 1.2 million children and their family members in more than 2,800 pre-primary and primary schools.
The Food for Progress projects funded this year will utilize 315,000 mt of US commodities and ultimately benefit nearly 200,000 farmers in Benin, Cambodia, Madagascar, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and Tunisia and will focus on priority topics including climate-smart agriculture, food security, sanitary and phytosanitary standards, access to capital and trade facilitation.
“The McGovern-Dole and Food for Progress programmes are the embodiment of USDA’s multi-faceted approach to combatting hunger and poverty and addressing the effects of the climate crisis worldwide,” Vilsack said. “Teaming up with both private- and public-sector partners, we’re not only providing direct food assistance, but also fostering sustainable agricultural productivity growth, promoting climate-smart agriculture and enhancing developing countries’ ability to engage in trade, which is critical to food security.”
Denmark-based company, Ambient Carbon has announced its new partnership with Benton Group Dairies to field-test a prototype of Ambient Carbon’s Methane Eradication Photochemical System (MEPS)
This first-of-a-kind non-invasive technology helps remove methane from airy barn exhaust. Ambient Carbon also has a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Danone North America which sources milk from Benton. This month, the company will install methane monitors at Benton's dairy farm in Ambia, Indiana in preparation for installing and testing a MEPS field prototype in early 2025.
On 2 October, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine (NASEM) released a new report on the need and potential for atmospheric methane removal. MEPS is a point-source methane removal system which is the only scalable, cost-effective solution for eradicating low-concentration (non-flammable) methane from cattle and manure, as well as other point sources. It uses a patented gas-phase photochemical process that combines chlorine atoms and UV light in a reaction chamber, mimicking a natural process of methane destruction in the atmosphere. As dairy barn air is cycled through MEPS, it breaks down methane at its source, preventing its release into the ambient air. The chlorine atoms are generated onsite via electrolysis of saltwater, and after eradicating 80-90% of the methane, the chlorine is recycled in a closed system.
While the Indiana tests are underway, Ambient Carbon will also test another MEPS field prototype in Denmark as part of the AgriFoodTure PERMA Project, which includes Northern European dairy cooperative Arla, and is publicly funded by Innovation Fund Denmark and the EU’s NextGenerationEU.
“We believe that by 2030, Ambient Carbon will be eliminating well over one gigaton of CO2 equivalent annually by destroying methane from dairy barns and other low-concentration methane sources such as wastewater treatment plants and biogas plants,” said Ambient Carbon’s co-founder and COO, David S Miller, while Chris Williams, conservation lead at Benton Dairies also expressed his enthusiasm regarding their collaboration with Ambient Carbon.
Gridtractor, Monarch Tractor, and Borg Warner have achieved a significant milestone by successfully demonstrating Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) capabilities utilising a Monarch MK-V tractor, a Borg Warner 60 kW DC fast charger, and Gridtractor’s cloud-based charge management system employing the Open Charge Point Protocol (OCPP)
The new LEMKEN Competence Centre Crop Care was constructed in Dinteloord (near Rotterdam) in the Netherlands in February 2023
Within a record-breaking nine months, as early as October 2023, the largest construction phase for the production department was put into operation and the first LEMKEN blue hoeing machines were delivered to customers. With the construction of the new factory, LEMKEN has fully integrated the hoeing technology it acquired from Steketee in 2018 into its own brand world.
In the following months, everything from the offices to the cafeteria and the façades were completed and occupied. Dinteloord specialises in the development and production of crop care technology. It will also be home to the Competence Center Crop Care for farmers, experts and universities, which will form part of the global network of LEMKEN sites. For this purpose, a sophisticated technical auditorium has been built next to the AgroForum exhibition area, where events and training courses can be held in an optimal environment.
Production is divided into three areas:
- The manufacturing area: This includes the manufacturing and preparation of parts for the paint line.
- The warehouse: Pre-produced parts and components from suppliers are received and stored in the warehouse.
- Pre-assembly and assembly areas: Assembly takes place in these areas. The plant is set up for stationary assembly and currently has eight assembly stations, which can be expanded as required to accommodate larger machines. Free-floating cranes offer maximum flexibility.
The final inspection which involves two fully equipped test stations ensures the quality and functionality of each machine prior to leaving the factory.
“The new LEMKEN factory in Dinteloord stands for innovation, efficiency and sustainability in the agricultural machinery industry and will play a central role in meeting our customers’ future requirements," said partner Nicola Lemken. "We are therefore very excited about its opening."