For the third year in a row, there has been a rise in world hunger, with the absolute number of undernourished people being increased to about 821mn in 2017 from around 804mn in 2016, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO)
Crops
ADB and Lao PDR to jointly promote climate-smart agribusiness
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR) have signed an agreement for a US$40.5mn grant for the climate-friendly agribusiness value chains sector project to help farmers and agribusinesses develop sustainable and climate-smart agriculture value chains in the country
Rabobank launches Food Loss Challenge Asia for start-ups
Rabobank, the Netherlands-based global bank in food, agriculture and sustainability, has launched the Food Loss Challenge Asia, a move that will see disruptive start-ups present their agri-tech solutions to reduce food loss to a platform of leading food and agri industry leaders, investors and other start-ups
Oxfam brings blockchain solution for Cambodian rice farmers
Oxfam, an international charitable organisation focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, has started a pilot project to help Cambodia’s rice farmers benefitted through blockchain technology
New crop-devastating fall armyworm spotted in Asia
India has recently experienced a fall armyworm infestation and according to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) scientists, the caterpillar can affect crops across the Asia-Pacific region if rapid action is not taken