" I heard it through the AgLine"

August 11, 2009

 

 

·        Scientists getting a handle on potato blight

·        GM Watch website rises after cyber attacks

·        N.M. chile growers face a tough row to hoe

·        UK food crisis could force wartime rations

·        Singapore farmers see green in new food policy

 

 

Scientists getting a handle on potato blight

 

(PHYSORG.com) – Over 160 years since potato blight wreaked havoc in Ireland and other northern European countries, scientists funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) finally have the blight-causing pathogen in their sights and are working to accelerate breeding of more durable, disease resistant potato varieties.

 

Using pathogen genomics, Professor Paul Birch from the Division of Plant Sciences, University of Dundee (at Scottish Crop Research Institute - SCRI), alongside researchers from Warwick HRI and the University of Aberdeen, is looking at how the most significant potato pathogen, Phytopthora infestans causes disease and identifying essential pathogen virulence genes that may be durable targets for host resistance proteins.

 

Costs associated with crop losses and chemical control of blight exceed £3billion globally each year. Professor Birch, explained: "What we have seen is an evolutionary arms race between a pathogen and its host and, so far, the pathogen has been winning."

 

However, this looks set to change as a result of greater understanding of the role of so-called effector proteins, which are secreted by the pathogen and go onto manipulate the plant cell structure, defences and metabolism to establish disease.

 

The discovery of more than 500 genes encoding these effectors, along with recent advances in technology to study protein-protein interactions provides an unparalleled opportunity to investigate how plant defences are suppressed by invading microbes.

 

Within these effector proteins, Professor Birch and his colleagues have discovered a genetic motif - RXLR, which is necessary for the P. infestans pathogen proteins to enter the potato cells.

 

"We are really excited by the discovery of RXLR. This has provided a signature to search for proteins that are delivered inside host cells, where they may be exposed to plant defence surveillance systems," said Professor Birch.

 

The scientists hope that their understanding of how effectors interact with their targets in the host will lead to novel strategies to control or prevent crop losses and environmental damage for a wide variety of plant diseases, not just potato blight.

 

Commenting on the research, BBSRC Chief Executive Professor Doug Kell, said: "Potatoes are the third most important food crop in the world, but blight continues to devastate crops worldwide, having huge economic and dietary ramifications. This exciting research highlights the invaluable role that genomics has to play in preventing crop losses in potatoes and other crops and helping to address the urgent issue of global food security."

 

Source: Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council

 

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GM Watch website rises after cyber attacks

 

(Wire Services) – The newly designed GMWatch website, launched today, will carry the latest news on the issue of genetically modified (GM) food and crops along with the deceptive PR campaigns being used to promote GM worldwide.

 

The new website: www.gmwatch.org, replaces the one forced off the web by 14 months of cyber attacks. A network engineer brought in to advise on the damage described these as the worst attacks he'd seen in his 20 years in the industry.

 

The new site has been designed to be user-friendly, making it easy to navigate what George Monbiot has called "the world's most comprehensive database on the impacts and the politics of genetically engineered crops." This includes GMWatch's archive of nearly a decade of news and analysis from GMWatch's daily, weekly and monthly lists, including material translated into several other languages.

 

GMWatch has been at the forefront of the global campaign of opposition to the imposition of GM food and crops, and the new site includes detailed guides to:

how the media is manipulated by wildly misleading claims about GM; *the myth-makers: the people hyping and promoting GM crops world-wide; *the GM corporations and their toxic legacy of global pollution and deceit.

 

Jonathan Matthews, founder of GMWatch, commented, "Our campaign and this site are all about busting the myths about GM crops. The reality is that this is a technology shrouded in risks and uncertainties. It has failed to significantly increase the productivity of food and feed crops or deliver on almost any of the extraordinary claims made for it - but it is being relentlessly pushed by people, institutions and even governments with massive vested interests in its acceptance. The GMWatch website is the place to go for those who want to get at the reality behind the spin and hyperbole."

 

GMWatch co-editor Claire Robinson said, "Establishing the new GMWatch website alongside its sister site GMWatch Spinprofiles, and the BanGMFood campaign has been an enormous task, and we'd like to thank all our fellow campaigners who've supported that process, not least the volunteers who helped transfer our enormous archive. They've done an amazing job of work and we've now got our best ever campaigning armoury for attacking the web of deceit over GM foods."

 

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N.M. chile growers face a tough row to hoe

 

(SantaFeNewMexican.com) – This year's chile harvest is a promising one for many New Mexico farms, and vendors have begun the late-summer ritual of setting up gas-fired roasters in Santa Fe parking lots to sell bags of freshly picked peppers.

 

Farther south, the sight of the healthy fields of plants in major chile-growing areas, such as Hatch, might serve as a sign of hope for growers who have seen their industry suffer in recent years.

 

Since the 1990s, say people involved in the chile industry, it has been greatly affected by foreign competition and by U.S. immigration laws that have contributed to a steady decline. In 1992, about 34,500 acres were harvested. By 2008, the number had decreased to about 11,100.

 

"Since NAFTA happened, the chile industry was not protected, so there's a lot of foreign competition," said Ana Baca, communications manager with Bueno Foods Inc. in Albuquerque. She was referring to the North American Free Trade Agreement, which in 1994 relaxed trade barriers between the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

 

Gene Baca, New Mexico Chile Association president and senior vice president for Bueno Foods, a major processor and distributor of frozen chile and other food products, said his association is working to revamp the industry.

 

The long-term objective is more automation of the harvest. The association has formed a partnership with New Mexico State University and state government to develop machinery that can replace the many hands needed to pick green chile. The short-term goal, Baca said, is supporting comprehensive immigration reform.

 

"Everyone is looking for a legal work force," he said, "but at times, you find absolutely nobody to do the work."

 

Gary Shiflett, owner of Gary Shiflett Farms in Uvas Valley, can attest to that. He has been in the agriculture business for 30 years. But in 2007, he decided to quit growing chile because he got tired of fighting price competition and worrying about labor shortages.

 

"When they tightened down the border, it made it hard to get the people here. One year I lost 25 percent of my crop," said Shiflett, who used to plant close to 400 acres of chile and harvested about 5,000 tons per season.

 

Nonetheless, it's primarily foreign competition that is affecting chile growers, Baca said.

 

"We are at a downturn slope that is getting steeper," Baca said. "What happened was NAFTA."

 

The green chile crop has to be hand-picked and de-stemmed, which puts New Mexico growers at a disadvantage. Companies in countries such as Mexico, China, India and Peru pay their workers much less, which translates into selling a cheaper product to U.S. markets. Many Mexican companies, for example, pay their workers $12 per day.

 

"We are at a complete disadvantage here in the U.S. Mexico is our number one competitor for green chile, and Peru is our number one competitor for red chile," Baca said.

 

He added that he wants strict U.S. regulations applied to imported food. Otherwise, he said, "That's like saying, 'We trust foreign food more than U.S. food,' and that's ridiculous to me. You have to level it down."

 

According to New Mexico Chile Association data, the value of chile produced in 2008 was $346 million, and only 4,300 workers were hired, compared to 7,000 in 1992.

 

Bill Cox, agriculture consultant with Coxco Ag Services in Las Cruces, has noticed the changes and can see farmers hurting.

 

"If there's a chance that we don't have enough labor, we can't afford to plant (the crop). ... We need to pay the bank back," said Cox, who has been in the industry for 36 years.

 

Small farmers such as Johnny Duran say imported chile from Mexico is tough competition, but there's one thing that still distinguishes the local stuff.

 

"The flavor is not the same, and it's not the same chile," said Duran, who for 23 years has been selling and roasting chile in Santa Fe parking lots. For the last six years, he has stationed his family-run business, Los Chile Bros., at the Big Lots parking lot on Cerrillos Road. The Taos native operates 40 acres in Hatch.

 

Octavio Mendoza, who buys his product from a Hatch farmer and roasts at the Jackalope parking lot, also on Cerrillos Road, said he and his family have been roasting for four years.

 

"I buy from a farmer and sell here. ... I try to stay afloat by offering Big Jim chile, something you can't find in the stores too easily," Mendoza said.

 

With this year's harvest, Mendoza doesn't expect to raise the price on his chile, which runs about $35 per roasted sack.

 

Patrick Torres, Santa Fe County extension agent with NMSU Cooperative Extension Service, said Northern New Mexico farmers aren't necessarily affected by immigration laws or foreign competition because most of their crops are for self-consumption or sold directly to local buyers.

 

"We're expecting about 30 tons by the end of the season," Torres said of the local chile harvest. "The economic impact varies, but it'll be about $120,000 to $150,000."

 

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UK food crisis could force wartime rations

 

(Times Online UK) – The British people face wartime rations and a vegetarian diet in the event of a world food shortage, a new official assessment on the UK’s food security suggests today.

 

Even though the nation is 73 per cent self-sufficient in food production, higher than during the 1950s, the food chain is at risk from global influences such as a worldwide increase in population, climate change bringing extreme weather patterns, higher oil prices and more crops being grown for bio-fuel instead of food.

 

Supplies in future may also be disrupted by animal disease outbreaks, disruption of power supplies, trade disputes and interruptions for shipping and at ports.

 

The UK however has one of the highest cereal production capabilities in the world with seven tonnes grown per hectare, compared a world average of 3.3 tonnes per hectare.

 

In the event of an extreme event, cereal crops would be used to feed the nation and ensure that each person received sufficient daily calories.

 

But people would have to consume less — the average number of calories eaten per day in the early 1960s was about 2,100, whereas the most recent figure compiled by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation is 2,800.

 

Even during the Second World War Britain did not have to rely wholly on domestic food production, but Hilary Benn, the Cabinet Minister with overall responsibility for food policy, has ordered officials to prepare for a scenario where the country could feed itself.

 

In the event of an extreme emergency the most dramatic consequence would be every person eating a predominantly vegetarian diet — more cereals, fruit and vegetables and less meat and poultry. Cereals used to feed farm animals would be shifted into human food production.

 

A paper setting out the food security assessment states that the food on offer would be “a highly restricted, if sufficiently nutritious diet”.

 

One of the biggest threats to the supply chain would be restrictions in trade of meat and poultry from Argentina and Brazil or of GM soya, the main commodity used to feed livestock in Britain.

 

The threat of climate change however will also require new growing techniques such as reduced water usage in agriculture.

 

In times of normal trading, however, the Government also wishes to ensure that the nation eats a healthier diet and is particularly concerned that low-income households are able to afford fresh fruit and vegetables.

 

Ministers are also anxious that consumers have confidence in the safety of food and further work is to be undertaken to help reduce the incidence of food poisoning caused by common bugs such as salmonellas, listeria, E.coli and campylobacter. Hygiene inspections at food outlets by local authority enforcement officers is likely to be stepped up.

 

Mr Benn today called for a radical rethink on the way the UK produces food. He also insisted that GM crops in future could help boost food production especially if some varieties were drought-resistant or required less water, fertilisers and pesticides.

 

He backed the need for GM crop trials to find out the facts about the new technology and to use the science to boost production.

 

“We need a radical rethink in how we produce and consume food. Globally we need to cut emissions and adapt to the changing climate that will alter what we can grow and where we can grow it. We must maintain the natural resources — soils, water and biodiversity — on which food production depends.”

 

“And because we live in an interconnected world — where the price of soya in Brazil affects the price of steak at the local supermarket — we need to look at global issues that affect food security here. That’s why we need to consider what food systems should look like in 20 years and what must happen to get there.”

 

He is anxious to engage the wider public in debate about the future of the country’s food security as well as how best to help people eat healthier diets and to ensure that new production techniques do not damage the UK’s natural resources.

 

A new UK food strategy is to be published before the end of the year.

 

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Singapore farmers see green in new food policy

 

(AFP via Yahoo! News) SINGAPORE  – Wong Kok Fah, one of Singapore's last remaining farmers, can finally see a future for his vegetable business after 30 years of back-breaking work.

 

Plans by the industrialised city-state to set aside more land for farming to boost food security have given him hope that the fourth generation of the Wong family can continue the business started by his grandfather.

 

"In the past, my thinking was I'll do it for as long as I can," Wong, a stocky 48-year-old with a face prematurely aged by too much sun, told AFP at his farm near an army base in the northwestern suburbs.

 

"How could I make any plans for my business when I could see no future in it?" he said in a mix of Mandarin and English. "It's difficult for the next generation to continue in this business if there's no help from the government."

 

Mah Bow Tan, the minister for national development, recently announced government plans to allocate more land for intensive farming in a country better known for banking, shopping malls, electronics and pharmaceuticals.

 

The established strategy of securing the city-state's food supply by keeping a rice stockpile, maintaining a small agricultural sector and diversifying import sources has worked well, Mah explained.

 

However, soaring food prices amid a global supply crunch in 2008, when inflation hit 28-year highs, highlighted the need to find new ways of reducing Singapore's dependence on food imports.

 

Food prices have since stabilised but will remain high going forward, said Mah, who added that local farming can serve as a "strategic stockpile".

 

A fund will be set up to help farmers and the industry expand.

 

The aim is to eventually raise local production of vegetables to 10 percent of local demand from five percent currently, eggs to 30 percent from 23 percent and fish to 15 percent from four percent, the government said.

 

"As Singapore is limited by its land resources, we cannot expect to be self-sufficient in all varieties of food as this can only be achieved at the expense of other developments," the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority told AFP.

 

It said technology will help maximise farm output despite limited land.

 

Singapore is among the world's most densely populated countries and currently sets aside just three percent of its total area of 710 square kilometres (284 square miles) for agriculture.

 

Its top fresh food suppliers include Australia, Brazil, Indonesia and Malaysia. Thanks to rapid economic progress and rising incomes, Singaporeans can afford a full range of food products from all over the world.

 

The former British colony had a thriving agriculture sector in the 1960s, when there were an estimated 20,000 farms spread over more than 14,000 hectares (34,580 acres). Now it has only 228 farms occupying 708 hectares (1,749 acres).

 

Pressing economic and housing needs in the 1980s resulted in the government resettling farmers and using the land instead for industrial parks and high-rise flats to house its expanding population.

 

Farmers like Wong, whose farm produces a variety of vegetables like endives and water spinach, are eagerly embracing the opportunities offered by the new government policy.

 

"Now there is a chance to increase production if the government sets aside more land," said Wong, who sells most of his produce to the country's biggest supermarket chain. "I will want to expand my production if there is a chance."

 

His nephew William, 26, is also excited by the prospect of growing the family farm, which is leased from the government.

 

"If there is a very good opportunity to expand, why not?" said William, who has a diploma in civil engineering but has instead chosen to help with the farm's administration and business development.

 

"My family has already built a very good foundation for the business."

 

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