Tag Archives: agriculture

News You Really Need To See: “Perfect Storm Guts African Food Stocks”

Posted on September 30, 2015 by notwhatyoumighthink

“Perfect Storm Guts African Food Stocks” The Wall Street Journal, September 25, 2015, p.A14 http://www.wsj.com/articles/severe-droughts-leave-africans-hungry-and-desperate-1443137463 “Ann Alinga points dejectedly to her family’s smallholding of sorghum and sunflower fields, ravaged by Africa’s worst dry spell in two decades.  Like many in … Continue reading →

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News You Really Need To See: “Islamic State’s Hold Squeezes Iraq Food Supply”

Posted on July 20, 2015 by notwhatyoumighthink

“Islamic State’s Hold Squeezes Iraq Food Supply” The Wall Street Journal, July 13, 2015, p.A12 http://www.wsj.com/articles/islamic-state-squeezes-iraqs-food-supply-1436737696 “Mahmoud al-Sayed’s wheat farm just south of Baghdad is hundreds of miles from the nearest front line with Islamic State, but has become a … Continue reading →

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News You Really Need To See: “Farmers Eat Rats, Trade Tails for Rice as El Nino Drought Begins”

Posted on May 16, 2015 by notwhatyoumighthink

“Farmers Eat Rats, Trade Tails for Rice as El Nino Drought Begins” Bloomberg Businessweek, May 14, 2015 http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-15/farmers-eat-rats-trade-tails-for-rice-as-el-nino-drought-begins “Farmer Juanito Masangkay heads out to the fields at night with a flashlight and a bow and arrow to get food for his … Continue reading →

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Thinking Aloud: Got Qat? Not in AQAP Territory

Posted on May 15, 2015 by notwhatyoumighthink

May 15, 2015 by Darius  At long last, al-Qaeda in the Arabia Peninsula (the al-Qaeda affiliate in Yemen) may have committed a fatal blunder: AQAP has banned qat in the Yemeni city it now holds. Last month, in the chaos … Continue reading →

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News You Really Need To See: “Olives, and a Way of Life, Under Threat”

Posted on May 13, 2015 by notwhatyoumighthink

“Olives, and a Way of Life, Under Threat” The New York Times, May 12, 2015, p.A4 “Across the stony heel of Italy, a peninsula ringed by the blue-green waters of the Mediterranean, olive trees have existed for centuries, shaping the landscape … Continue reading →

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News You Really Need To See: “Afghan Poppy Farmers Say New Seeds Will Boost Opium Output”

Posted on May 5, 2015 by notwhatyoumighthink

“Afghan Poppy Farmers Say New Seeds Will Boost Opium Output” The Associated Press, May 5, 2015 http://bigstory.ap.org/article/629f0d31245c4533a3678b8c7176ca9d/afghan-poppy-farmers-say-new-seeds-will-boost-opium-output “It’s the cash crop of the Taliban and the scourge of Afghanistan — the country’s intractable opium cultivation.  This year, many Afghan poppy … Continue reading →

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News You Really Need To See: “The Terror Strategist: Secret Files Reveal the Structure of Islamic State”

Posted on April 27, 2015 by notwhatyoumighthink

“The Terror Strategist: Secret Files Reveal the Structure of Islamic State” Der Spiegel, April 18, 2015 http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/islamic-state-files-show-structure-of-islamist-terror-group-a-1029274.html “Aloof.  Polite.  Cajoling.  Extremely attentive.  Restrained.  Dishonest.  Inscrutable. Malicious.  The rebels from northern Syria, remembering encounters with him months later, recall completely different facets … Continue reading →

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News You Really Need To See: “Cause Behind African Migrant Flood Has Terrifying Implications for the World”

Posted on April 26, 2015 by notwhatyoumighthink

“Cause Behind African Migrant Flood Has Terrifying Implications for the World” Reuters, April 21, 2015 http://blogs.reuters.com/great-debate/2015/04/21/not-science-fiction-changing-climate-pushing-migrants-out-of-africa-and-into-tragedy/ “The migrant crisis in the Mediterranean is symptomatic of deep dislocation in the Sahel region and sub-Saharan Africa — dislocation exacerbated by climate change.  Climate … Continue reading →

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News You Really Need To See: “African Farmers Put Hope in Beer”

Posted on March 14, 2015 by notwhatyoumighthink

“African Farmers Put Hope in Beer” The Wall Street Journal, March 12, 2015, p.B1 http://www.wsj.com/articles/african-farmers-put-hope-in-beer-1426120282 “Ugandan farmer Ephraim Opusi had managed to make ends meet growing corn on his 5-acre plot in the hilly Kumi district in eastern Uganda.  But now … Continue reading →

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News You Really Need To See: “In the Ointment: How an Insect Held Back a Continent”

Posted on January 25, 2015 by notwhatyoumighthink

“In the Ointment: How an Insect Held Back a Continent” The Economist, January 17-23, 2015, p.72 http://www.economist.com/news/finance-and-economics/21639588-how-insect-held-back-continent-ointment “Economic historians have long supposed that Africa’s historically low population density shaped its development.  Rulers struggled to exercise control over scattered populations, the theory goes. … Continue reading →

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