World migration report 2024
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) launched the World Migration Report 2024, which reveals significant shifts in global migration patterns, including a record number of displaced people
Food Security
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Global crisis in food
Global food prices have witnessed an unprecedented surge in recent months. The increase in prices, which initially started with corn and wheat, has now engulfed all cereals, and vegetable oils, meat, milk and most fruits and vegetables. The food price index (base 2005=100) of the International Monetary Fund, which covers a large number of food items, reached 170 in March 2008; the highest value of the index in the past quarter century was 143 in November 1980. (Editorial) April 26-May 2, 2008
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Finding long-term solutions to the world food crisis
While customers at restaurants in New York City will soon be able to count the calories of their meals in an attempt to curb the obesity epidemic, people in New Delhi are currently counting their grains of rice. From Bolivia to Yemen, people around the world are taking to the streets in protest at the spiralling increases in food prices. Politicians have been sacked, protesters have died, and some governments are imposing extreme measures to ration food and control their hungry populations. (Editorial)
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Face global food crisis unitedly
Nobel laureate Dr Muhammad Yunus has said the international community should be united to face global food crisis, otherwise the development targets of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) would be hampered severely. "Due to abnormal price hike of oil an unstable situation has occurred across the world. The situation has aggravated further due to global food crisis, climate change and fall of the Dollar. If the international community does not unite to face the problem then the MDG would be hampered,' he said.
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Food rationing in US, Japan
Washington: Some stores have begun rationing rice, the price of wheat flour has gone through the roof, there's no butter on store shelves, and petrol at the pump is at an all-time high. The usual developing country woes from Asia, Africa and Latin America? Try again. These are stories from the US and Japan, the world's most advanced nations that stand for prosperity and plenitude. Astonishing accounts of panic buying and rationing are surfacing from Tokyo to New York as world leaders are breaking out in cold sweat over tightening food supply chain.
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Set Calorie Credits
The current food crisis is nature's way of cocking a snook at man's pompousness. With all the tall claims of progress in science, we are yet to find a permanent solution for the most basic of needs i.e., food. Food riots have been reported from a number of countries including Bangladesh, Egypt, Haiti and the Philippines. Elsewhere the prices of edible commodities are hitting the roof.
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Panic as global food crisis reaches America
Precious commodity: Residents with subsidised rice in Manila recently. President Gloria Arroyo has declared war on hoarders and is using the military to move supplies of subsidised rice. The global food crisis reached the U.S. on Wednesday as big retailers began rationing sales of rice in response to bulk purchases by customers alarmed by rocketing prices of staple foods.
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Bamboo flowering causes food shortage in Mizoram
Famine relief operations are underway in Mizoram as the remote state is hit by acute food shortage after an army of rats devoured rice crops. According to the State's Food and Supplies department, this year, the food shortage has affected about 630,000 people, nearly 70 per cent of the 900,000esidents of Mizoram. However, no starvation deaths have been reported so far. The people of Mizoram fear bamboo flowering, the harbinger of famine.
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Bioenergetic cost of heat tolerance in wheat crop
Decline in national wheat productivity, and stagnation of yield in the national Advanced Varietal Trials in the past decade are partly attributed to high temperature stress during the period of grain-filling. In view of the predicted global warming, terminal heat stress is likely to increase.
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Seeds of a perfect storm
Demand for plant products has never been greater, more people, rising affluence, and expanding biofuels programs are rapidly pushing up the prices of grain and edible oil. Boosting supply isn't easy: All the best farm land is already in use. There's an acute need for another jump in global agricultural productivity-a second Green Revolution. Can it happen? Will it happen? (Editorial)
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Food crisis hits northern Taplejung
Food crisis has been looming in the northern parts of Taplejung district after the Chinese authorities sealed Olangchungola border point since the last five months. The locals of Olanchungola, Yangma, Ghunsa, Phale, Topkegola and adjoining villages are finding difficulties now to manage foodstuffs. People living in the northern parts of Taplejung depend upon Tibetan markets for food and other essential goods. As the Olanchungola has been sealed since long, the villagers have started coming to the district headquarters in search of food.