Agriculture News and Research

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First Edition: March 14, 2011

In today's headlines, news about the major issues that continue to rise to the surface in the health overhaul debate.

14 Mar 2011

USAID-India fund AIP project to increase food security, agricultural production

Could you live on $1.25 per day? In parts of India-specifically the less developed states of the Indo-Gangetic Plains-living on less than $1.25 per day per capita is a harsh reality. People in this region face problems of hunger, poverty and child malnutrition.

11 Mar 2011

Sec. Clinton launches global partnership to improve maternal, child health

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday announced the launch of a global partnership between USAID, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the non-profit Grand Challenges Canada, the World Bank, and the government of Norway to reduce the number of deaths among mothers and infants in developing countries, the Globe and Mail reports.

11 Mar 2011

Opinions: Cuts to U.S. foreign aid; sustainable agriculture to feed the world; gender gap in agriculture

The U.S.' "influence and strength depend far more on convincing and enabling the peoples of the world to look to us as a partner for prosperity and security," Truman National Security Project Fellow Michael Lieberman writes in a Huffington Post opinion piece reflecting on House Republican's continuing resolution proposal to reduce foreign aid spending.

10 Mar 2011

USDA certifies O.N.E. Organic Coconut Water as 100% organic

O.N.E., One Natural Experience, a leading producer of all-natural healthy Coconut Water beverages, announced today that it is the first and only mainstay premium coconut water brand to be certified 100% organic for its 11.2 oz. and 1 liter pure Coconut Water offerings.

10 Mar 2011

Ecological farming methods can boost food production in developing countries, U.N. report says

If developing nations shift to using ecological agriculture methods, which rely more on organic and sustainable practices rather than the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, they "can double food production within a decade," according to a study by Olivier De Schutter, the U.N. special rapporteur on the right to food, released on Tuesday, Reuters reports.

10 Mar 2011

Opinions: Investing in science, technology; Indian public-private partnership for NTDs; U.S. global food security investments; Clinton's statements on PEPFAR; U.S. foreign aid; primary care

"Now is the time to support science and technology - especially in difficult economic times. It is the right thing to do, and it makes good economic sense," Alex Dehgan, science and technology adviser to the USAID administrator, and Kaitlin Christenson, coalition director for the Global Health Technologies Coalition, write in an opinion piece appearing on The Hill's "Congress Blog."

10 Mar 2011

Also in global health news: Rights abuses in Myanmar; Indian malnutrition; Mali Global Fund grant; shift in USAID's programs in Afghanistan; Gates Foundation grant for vaccines

Human Rights Abuses Impacting Health Situation In Parts Of Myanmar, Study Says.

9 Mar 2011

FAO report says reducing gender gap in agriculture could help increase food supplies worldwide

Increasing women's access to land, technology and other agricultural resources could significantly reduce the number of hungry people worldwide, the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said on Monday in a report, the Associated Press/FoxNews.com reports.

8 Mar 2011

Pennsylvanians to observe Problem Gambling Awareness Week

The state departments of Health, Revenue and Agriculture – along with the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board – are working together to highlight "Problem Gambling Awareness Week," March 6-12, to ensure that Pennsylvanians with gambling addiction problems know that help is available.

5 Mar 2011

Core Performance uses IBM software to help consumers reach their fitness goals

IBM today announced that a leading provider of corporate fitness services is using business rules software to customize individual workouts to help consumers reach their fitness goals in the New Year.

5 Mar 2011

Stakeholders say foreign aid cuts can damage global food security as FAO food price index reaches new high

Republicans' proposed foreign aid cuts could damage food security programs in the developing world and create social instability requiring U.S. military intervention, advocates and government officials said on Thursday at a Capitol Hill event addressing hunger and rising food prices, Agence France-Presse reports (Zeitvogel, 3/3).

5 Mar 2011

Urban residents can benefit from nutritional interactive maps

Maps are great for showing where things are. They're also good for showing where things aren't.

4 Mar 2011

Honey for wound healing: Study

Researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ) and the Queensland Government have found honey from an Australian native myrtle to be effective as an anti-bacterial agent that can be used to treat wounds and viruses.

3 Mar 2011

Clinton defends State Department budget requests before House panel

In her testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday about President Barack Obama's FY12 budget request, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton also defended the State Department's FY11 budget request, Bloomberg reports. Clinton said the proposed budget cuts for FY11 would be "devastating" to U.S. national security, and U.S. programs in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq would see "sharp reductions" if the proposed cuts are passed.

3 Mar 2011

Britain to cut foreign aid for 16 countries, focus more on family planning, safe water, maternal mortality

British Secretary of State for International Development Andrew Mitchell on Tuesday announced major changes to the nation's international aid program based on a nine-month review of the agency's policies, Reuters reports.

3 Mar 2011

Common fungus might serve as therapeutic agent for plant and human health

Researchers have come closer to understanding how a common fungus "makes its living in the soil," which could lead to its possible "career change" as a therapeutic agent for plant and human health.

2 Mar 2011

Health benefits of herbal teas no longer a folklore

Those who enjoy the caffeinated lift that comes from drinking traditional coffees and teas may tend to overlook the benefits of drinking herbal infusions. Now, as explained in this month's issue of Agricultural Research magazine, the idea that herbal teas may provide a variety of health benefits is no longer just folklore.

2 Mar 2011

Supporters of open letter say 'Patent Amendment Bill' misses the point

An open letter with signatories including AusBiotech, Medicines Australia, Research Australia, the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research and Foursight has been addressed to members of the Australian Parliament, urging them to reject the ‘Patent Amendment (Human Genes and Biological Materials) Bill 2010’ as it misses the point on patient access and research exemption.

1 Mar 2011

UIC researchers receive USDA grant to reduce obesity in preschool children

The preschool years are a critical period for addressing weight-related behaviors among at-risk groups, say researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Among young children, obesity has tripled since 1980, and the prevalence is highest among black and Hispanic children.

1 Mar 2011