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Welcome to New Agriculturist, the bi-monthly interactive window on news and developments in the industry on which we depend more than any other - agriculture.

UNICEF's announcement in January that malnutrition remains the biggest killer of children and leaves millions of others stunted physically and intellectually identified micronutrient deficiencies as the main cause. In New Agriculturist this month we review research on vegetable crops that could help make good these dietary deficiencies. See Focus on . . .. But fresh fruit and vegetables can often carry pesticide residues due to frequent spraying against persistent pest attack and spray application at too short an interval prior to harvest. It is evident that major importing countries and food retailers are becoming increasingly strict regarding residues and growers must adopt alternative strategies for pest control in crops for export and for local consumption. Update on . . . reviews some of the latest news and comment on current and future use of agrochemicals and biological pesticides.

Water is a finite resource and agriculture the major user. Greater demands from consumers for domestic uses and for industry compete increasingly with demands for crops and livestock and also for fish growing in freshwater bodies and fish farms. See Perspective. Reduced water supply and increased pollution of water prejudices both current production of capture and captive freshwater fisheries and risks loss of species, some of which have still not been studied. Fish are a less obvious resource than terrestrial farm livestock and malnutrition is a less dramatic, and therefore less obvious cause of death than disease. But neither should be overlooked in policy-making decisions that are taken for achieving increased agricultural productivity.

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