[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQa3kUJPEko[/youtube] Moving from a culture of “me” to a culture of “we”. Rachel Botsman, a researcher and social innovator, is hooked on the idea of what she calls “collaborative consumption” – a phenomenon that is gaining force in the 21st century. She recently gave a TED talk about the concept (see clip above) and said […]
Egypt is planning ahead for climate change with a new generation of wheat. This declaration raises some questions about its intent for Sudan. Following the drought in Russia, Egypt’s resultant shortage of wheat, and high summer temperatures throughout the Middle East, the Egyptian Agriculture Ministry is taking steps to avert another potential wheat shortfall. Faced […]
Predictions of water loss in Yemen by 2020 threaten lives and agriculture – Children must still fetch water for towns that are increasingly parched and dry. According to experts cited by CNN, Yemen could be the first nation to completely run out of water in as little as 10 years, a prospect that creates a […]
Members at 2009 ECO Summit in Tehran Turkey is hosting the 11th summit of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO), which opened on Monday in Istanbul. The ECO Meeting is being held this week on 20-23 December 2010. The ECO was founded in 1985 by Iran, Pakistan and Turkey, and now it has also included Asian […]
Harsh winter storms have damaged crops in Israel to the tune of $5.5 million, according to Meir Ifrah, CEO of the Vegetable Growers Association. The recent drought had already damaged local produce. See our post on Israel’s shriveled vegetables here. Prices are close to double what they were last year at this time. Growing your […]
Transplanting seas to inland ocean lakes? A good idea for the Middle East? The two century-old and highly respected Japanese engineering giant Shimizu has hatched a wild and crazy proposal to rehabilitate the desert for human use. Their idea is to move vast amounts of seawater along canals that would track deep into desert landmasses […]
New images taken from the space shuttle, using radar, are revealing that 100,000 years ago, Egypt had a lake broader than the gigantic Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes in the US. New evidence of a once wetter Middle East comes from high above the earth, where we are able to peer back through […]
The Japanese International Cooperation Agency is finalizing “a corridor for peace and prosperity”so the PA can bypass exports via Jordan. Solar power is in the plan. Japan is funding the creation of a $100 million 111.5 hectare agricultural-cum-industrial park near the ancient Palestinian city of Jericho. About $5 million of this amount is to go […]
Russia and Ukraine were insignificant wheat growers until the end of the 20th century. But as the world has warmed, the conditions have improved for farming wheat at higher latitudes. The region now provides 30% of the world's wheat.
With insufficient arable land of their own, Arab countries are farming in Sudan to secure their food future. Early last year Karin reported on a troubling trend – a neo-colonial land grab occurring in Africa: Britain, Sweden, Germany, and South Korea have all usurped fertile African land in order to develop various agricultural pursuits. Then […]
Lacking sufficient water to grow enough wheat for its burgeoning population, Egypt (above pic of Suez Canal farm) looks to other Nile Basin countries for land and water. During the heat of this year’s scorching summer, Russia’s wheat supply took a serious hit and the country scaled back its exports. One of their main wheat […]
Over 500 people from 50 countries will join the Third Annual International Conference on “Drylands, Deserts and Desertification: The Route to Restoration,” on November 8-11, 2010. Although their own water problems are far from over, Israel has mastered techniques that are crucial to desert survival. In addition to developing among the most advanced irrigation procedures, […]
Syria’s livelihood is going down the drain. Unless the country learns to conserve, their future will be painfully dry. The Euphrates River, which meanders diagonally through the top quarter of Syrian territory, was once a source of agricultural bounty. Expatriates recall a time of lush plenty: orchards blooming with fruit, healthy cotton fields, and sparkling […]
It’s worthwhile to heed the “eco-washers” and other insincere marketers, but to completely overlook the harm in certain chemicals is to do a disservice to the community. We are as quick to take eco-washing to task as any rabid consumer. Earlier this year, we called out Foster & Partners for their “sustainable” architecture, which is […]
As populations surge and climate change destroys existing crops, seed and gene banks prepare us for potential food-shortage emergencies. As we learned when fires raging through Russia destroyed wheat crops, countries all along the food chain, including Egypt, feel the pinch, though climate change is not all that puts at risk Israel’s tomato, cucumber, and […]