Awra Amba, a village in Ethiopia

This is about an illiterate man, Ato Zumra, who has made his own dream come true

Early Rice Harvests Ease Annual Famine In Bangladesh

Problem:

In Bangladesh  Monga ( famine that affects 2 million households from Sept to Dec when food has run out) can be decreased by

• Planting seed directly into ground instead of the usual method used in Asia.

[The rice seeds are sown by hand in special nursery beds. Then they are transplanted to rice fields.]

• Using a seed with shorter growing season

What is achieved?

• The growing season 25 – 40 days shorter
• Increases rice yield
• Direct planting reduces planting costs
• This permits growing of 2^nd crop eg maize, potato wheat chickpeas or vegetables
• Give 2 lots of work to landless peasants

Full article found here:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090722093808.htm

Even the Mexicans are shunning the USA

Mexican immigration to US hits 10-year low: study

From http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090722/pl_afp/usmexicoimmigration_20090722130726

Wed Jul 22, 9:06 am ET

WASHINGTON (AFP) – The number of Mexican immigrants who came to the United States has fallen sharply, hitting a 10-year low in the 12 months ending in March, a report showed Wednesday.

Immigration from Mexico to the United States, especially illegal immigration, began to drop off in 2006 and continued its downward slide into this year, said a report by the Pew Hispanic Center, which looked at population surveys from both countries and US law enforcement data.

Between March 2008 to March 2009, the “estimated annual inflow of immigrants from Mexico was lower than at any point during the decade,” bottoming out at about 175,000 immigrants, the report said, citing data from the US Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey.

The statistics from ENOE showed that the immigrant flow from Mexico to the United States has fallen by around 20 percent a year since 2006, from more than a million people in the 12 months starting February 2006 to 814,000 for the same period in 2007-2008 and to 636,000 in 2008-2009.

In 2008, the number of Mexicans who were apprehended by the US Border Patrol as they tried to enter the United States illegally — 662,000 — was 40 percent down from the 1.1 million who were caught at the border in 2004.

Indeed, 2008 saw the lowest number of apprehensions of would-be illegal immigrants from Mexico by the US border guard in 25 years.

As for the possible reasons for the drop-off in Mexican immigration to the United States, researchers said it could be due to the weak US economy and tougher border enforcement measures.

However, a third of all foreign-born US residents and two-thirds of Hispanic immigrants to the United States come from Mexico, the report said. Nearly everyone who leaves Mexico heads for the United States, which is currently home to one in 10 people who were born in Mexico.

Biodiesal from non-food crops on marginal land that is more productive

Ardent Energy Group has formed a sub-branch in Adis Ababa, Ethiopia to grow jatropha and castor oil plant. A 50-year lease on the land includes permission to operate an oil crushing plant and biodiesel processing facility has been given on marginal land in Western Ethiopia

Jatropha and castor were selected as the first source of oil by AEG due to the resiliency of the plant, its ability to grow in marginal soil conditions and the extremely high-yield of oil to hectare as compared to other crops such as soybean. The ability of jatropha to thrive in harsh climates is also favorable, as the plant will not be competing with land that could otherwise be used for food production.

GM corn comes a step closer to a complete meal

There have been plenty of promise that GM foods could help alleviate third world health problems. But precious little evidence that it had been achieved – until now.

Scientists have for the first time genetically modified white corn to increase the levels of several different vitamins — bringing closer the prospect of crops that can deliver full nutritional requirements.

The team increased the levels of beta-carotene, the precursor of vitamin A 170-fold; levels of vitamin C six-fold and also doubled the folic acid in the African staple.

See here for more details

Asylum seekers’ boat intercepted off Western Australia

This is the 11th boat this year to be intercepted. The current Australian system to inter asylum seekers on Christmas Island for processing. (see red blob on map)

Those who are not true refugees are repatriated, while the others are permitted access to the mainland.

Full details

This is an animated map of USA employement

Click here to see this map

Press the animation button and watch what happens – scary!!

In the 3rd quarter of 2005, something very odd happens – what could have caused it? Comments please!!