News brief
More rice, less waterMore rice, less water
Two CGIAR research centres - International Rice Research
Institute (IRRI) and the International Water Management Institute, (IWMI) - are collaborating
with farmers and national scientists in Asia to discover ways of producing rice with less water.
Much of Asia is already facing a water shortage. However, rice which needs more water than any
other crop in order to yield well, is and will continue to be the staple crop of the region.
Techniques, which are currently being developed, include wet-seeding of 'pre-germinated
seeds' which are sown directly onto puddled fields. This technique replaces the traditional
transplantation of young rice plants into flooded fields and is already proving popular in the
irrigated areas of Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines. Intermittent irrigation of rice has been
pioneered in China and IRRI and IWMI scientists are currently investigating the techniques involved
to determine how the technology can be applied to other countries. Other techniques also being
developed to reduce water use for cultivating rice include land leveling (fields maintained at same
level), weed management, and management of cracked soils.
Email: IRRI@cgiar.org
Coconut water: a new isotonic sports drink?
If a patent application by FAO is
successful, coconut water could become the natural sports drink of the millennium. Coconut water is
high in salts, sugars and vitamins and most of it is consumed fresh since, once exposed to air, the
delicate characteristics of the liquid deteriorate and it begins to ferment. Processing the liquid
has been revolutionized by Mortin Satin, Chief of the Agricultural Industries and Post-harvest
Management Service at FAO. To retain its 'fresh' characteristics, a new cold
sterilization process was developed to avoid the detrimental effect of heat treatment on taste and
nutrients. The new technique involves microfiltration of the liquid through a medium, such as
porcelain or a polyacrylic gel, which retains all microbes and renders the filtered liquid sterile.
The patent for the process is expected to be endorsed this year. Meanwhile, FAO is also developing
a licensing policy to allow the process to be made freely available to a wide range of
manufacturers to ultimately benefit the many small farmers who grow coconuts.
For further details see http://www.fao.org/ag/magazine/9810/spot3.htm
Forum for Cocoa Production and Processing
The cocoa market continues to be volatile as the price of cocoa continues to
slide and producing countries come to terms with the dissolution of marketing
boards (see Focus on Cocoa 99-2). And
yet the cocoa industry is generally in good health due to improved quality
and increased processing at source. However, as the cocoa and chocolate
industry faces the continuing challenges of globalization, delegates will
convene at the 'International Cocoa and Chocolate Convention'
to be held in London later in the year to discuss the future of cocoa
production and processing. It has been organized by International Quality
and Productivity Centre (IQPC) and Daniel Kablan Duncan, Prime Minister
for Côte d'Ivoire has been invited to give the keynote address
on behalf of one of the main cocoa producing countries. John McIntire,
Principal Economist from the World Bank in Abidjan will also be speaking
at the convention.
Email: IQPC (Jane.Morgan@iqpc.co.uk)
reveals that Global Initiatives for
declining soil fertility may be raising donor and public interest but are potentially misleading
and problematic. The urgency of the perceived problem may be leading to 'poorly thought out
and hastily implemented initiatives' which makes it difficult for other alternative approaches
to be carried out. Such interventions have been seen to undermine rather than sustain livelihoods.
Using case studies from a range of countries, the report determines that a more cautious approach
is required, which acknowledges that there are problems of soil fertility but that these are
'local, specific, differentiated and dynamic' and will require mostly local efforts to be
addressed effectively. (For further information see 
Natural rainforest honey from the Solomon Islands,
produced with assistance from NZODA (New Zealand Official Development Assistance), is now being
exported to Nauru, Kiribati, Vanuatu, and New Zealand and is also being sold in Melbourne,
Australia. Branded as "Pacific Dew", the honey is produced by the Solomon Islands
Producers Cooperative. Set up in 1989, it now has over 300 registered beekeepers with more than
3000 hives. Most beekeepers are part timers, who keep hives in order to supplement their incomes
which are derived mainly from fishing and gardening. Women are also encouraged to enter the
business. Coconut and mangrove flowers contribute nectar to the blend, along with many other
rainforest species. The honey is proving particularly popular, as it is disease-free and organic:
it is produced in a pesticide free environment, no sugar is fed to the hives and no heat is applied
during extracting or packing. (see 
Several countries in the Near East, including
Jordan, Syria, Iraq and Iran are suffering from the worst drought for decades. Jordan, in
particular, is in urgent need of emergency food aid and assistance, according to a recent FAO/WFP
report. Cereal, fruit and vegetable crops have been devastated and many small-scale sheep and goat
herders are facing financial ruin. The report recommends immediate support of the agricultural
sector in order to revive Jordan's production capacity for next year. Proposals for assistance
include the provision of seed and fertilizers, additional livestock feed and supplements and
increased credit facilities for farmers to pay for necessary farm inputs and support services.
Vaccines and training will also be made available to cover possible outbreaks of stress-induced
diseases.
Seeds to replace those lost in the devastation of hurricane
Mitch in Honduras and Nicaragua are being supplied by four CGIAR centres: CIAT, CIMMYT, CIP and
IPGRI. With crop food and seed stocks destroyed, urgent action was required to help farmers in
affected areas to get land planted with food crops with minimum delay. The four Centres, with
access to seeds and planting material for the main crops grown in Central America, have coordinated
their efforts with government and non-government organisations to multiply seed stocks and target
distribution to the most needy areas. The work is being funded by USAID and CIDA.
Jute, once a major natural fibre, has declined in
importance in the face of competition from synthetics, the switch to bulk loading of previously
bagged commodities, weather conditions that have reduced production in the Indian sub-continent and
former growers switching to more remunerative crops such as fruit and vegetables. (See New
Agriculturist 
