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EU Urges Investment Drive In African Farm Sector
Wed Apr 10, 2013 10:03am EDT * Farm chief calls on EU business to boost investments * Europe keen to match rising interest from China , Brazil * Investments must respect local land rights, Ciolos says BRUSSELS, April 10 (Reuters) – European companies must invest more in Africa’s agricultural sector to keep pace with growing interest from countries such as China and Brazil , the bloc’s top farm official said on Wednesday. Home to a quarter of the world’s fertile land but only 10 percent of global agricultural output, the potential for growth in Africa’s farming sector is clear, EU farm commissioner Dacian Ciolos said. But poor transport and storage infrastructure are among the factors holding back growth in the sector, which not only threatens the continent’s food security, but also presents an opportunity for private investment from Europe and elsewhere. “This shows the importance for the European Union to be present in the food security debate and not turn its back on Africa, just as other parts of the world become more and more interested,” Ciolos told a workshop in Brussels on African farm investment. Greater private investment in African agriculture would also help fill the gap created by declining European public support for the sector, which has fallen by half since the 1980s, Ciolos said. “Agriculture has been side-lined in favour of other political and economic priorities, despite the challenge of global hunger,” he said. Rising global food demand in recent years has driven an increase in large-scale land investments in sub-Saharan Africa by foreign companies, which have been accused of “land-grabbing” with the help of compliant African officials. Ciolos said governments and companies had a shared responsibility to ensure that any investment respected the rights of local communities to access land, and urged a focus on investing in small farmers which account for 70 percent of total output. (Reporting by Georgina MacDougall; Editing by Charlie Dunmore and Helen Massy-Beresford) Continue reading
Forestry Commission Releases Biomass Harvesting Guidelines
Published: 5/7/2013 12:35:02 PM Columbia, SC — Foresters with the South Carolina Forestry Commission have developed guidelines which address the emerging practice of harvesting woody biomass for energy. Biomass generates energy. Forest products manufacturers have known this for generations and have produced their own electricity on-site using bark, sawdust, and other waste wood. “Woody biomass is a renewable resource that has the potential to supply 12-13% of the electricity used in South Carolina,” said Dr. Tim Adams, the Commission’s Resource Development director. The new biomass harvesting BMPs are aimed at protecting water quality, plant and animal diversity, soil nutrition/quality, and site productivity in and around harvesting operations. These are places where logging residue and other woody materials accumulate. The recommendations build upon our existing and successful Best Management Practices (BMPs) used by landowners and timber harvesters to minimize environmental impacts and stay within compliance of regulations. As was recently announced, SCFC sees a 93% compliance rate with its guidelines for harvesting timber. Logging, road building, site preparation, and even tree planting are intensive operations and reputable operators in SC can be trusted to work in such a way as to protect the land and water. On the national scale, South Carolina is a success story in this area. Wood demand is expected to increase dramatically in coming decades. The global population and even wood use per person both are on the rise as emerging markets and improving standards of living worldwide become the norm. As the “wood basket” of the world, the southeastern US is well positioned to play a major role. We have more standing wood today than we did 100 years ago. The vast majority of SC’s timberland is privately owned and the changes ahead bode well for our state, its people, its economy and its environment. Sustainable forestry is our insurance policy for the future. As woody biomass utilization gains momentum (initially for European markets as an energy source), we prepare by adapting Best Management Practices to biomass harvesting. As this new market develops, the SC Forestry Commission is committed to helping harvesters and landowners prepare for the future. More information and the guidelines themselves are available online. Visit http://www.trees.sc.gov/menvir.htm to view the BMPs, or call the Forestry Commission for more information. Continue reading
Virgin Australia, Brisbane Airport And SkyNRG To Create "Bioport"
Taylor Scott International Continue reading
