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Little water for coffee farms in Vietnam Water reserves for the cultivation of robusta coffee are rapidly decreasing in Vietnam, which is the world's largest producer of robusta, due to climatic conditions characterized by low rainfall, high temperatures and therefore excessive dryness that have led to an unfavorable balance in plant nutrients. Hot and dry have also favored the spread of cochinilla, sometimes very quickly and worryingly in some farms, the insect damages flowers and small fruits with an inevitable drop in the harvest and consequent possible further increase in the price of coffee (it had already increased again due to drops in production). Temperatures in the north and center of the country reach forty degrees Celsius with peaks of up to forty-four due to the heat wave that is affecting Southeast Asia. e-mail: info@salutary.eu Tel: +39 338 1809310 Date: Apr 30, 2024 
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 Natural predators alternative to pesticides Climate change with the increase in carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere and the greenhouse effect affect both crop yields and the dynamics of how pests interact with plants, also increasing their survival rate and a study has shown how natural predators such as birds, beetles, spider and bug could be an effective alternative to pesticides by keeping the population of plant pests under control. Farmers are using more and more chemical pesticides because erratic rainfall with extreme rainfall variability generally makes plants less resistant to pests, but it only takes one species of predator to improve the situation; although it would be better to use more species for the natural functioning of the ecosystem and promote biodiversity. e-mail: info@salutary.eu Tel: +39 338 1809310 Date: Mar 08, 2024 n: 5589 Xylella isolated in some almond trees in Apulia In Triggiano in the Bari province in Italy a variant of Xylella (fastidioda-fastidiosa) would have been isolated in some almond trees, for the moment there is talk of isolated cases even if it will be necessary to reclaim the area by uprooting the plants within a radius of fifty meters; this variant of Xylella already identified in other countries could also attack vines and cherry trees. An attempt is being made to monitor the situation that has already caused heavy damage to olive tree crops and decimated monumental centuries-old trees, then climate change is making the plants less resistant and productive. Shifting the focus to Piedmont region it is worth noting the prolonged drought that is affecting the region, it seems that the authorities have requested a state of natural disaster even though it has been raining lately and further rainfall is expected. e-mail: info@salutary.eu Tel: +39 338 1809310 Date: Feb 23, 2024 n: 5577 Quechua agricultural technique for climate crisis On the border between Peru and Bolivia an ancient agricultural technique called "Waru, Waru" has been tested which in the Quechua language means bridge, to counteract the effects of climate change on the territory and protect for example potato and quinoa crops as was done two thousand years ago. Seen from above these are circular traces of cultivated land crossed by straight lines (figuratively like the famous crop circles made by alleged aliens) with a design that favors irrigation and is very useful in times of drought and frost. The chosen area is located in Puno near Lake Titicaca at about three thousand eight hundred meters above sea level where farmers have prepared six of these characteristic Waru Waru fields near irrigated land, with water around the vegetation that creates a microclimate by absorbing heat during the day and returning it at night. e-mail: info@salutary.eu Tel: +39 338 1809310 Date: Feb 13, 2024 n: 5568 Agriculture grappling with sustainability issues Regulations provided by the European Union regarding the sustainability of the agricultural sector are judged by some to be too restrictive for local markets and could open the doors to foreign ones for example from overseas which offer products from crops, perhaps poorly controlled, at more competitive prices. In an increasingly globalized market it is necessary to act on global sustainability with greater respect for the land that cannot be exploited at an increasing rate, so that a few centimeters of organic soil can allow us to feed all the inhabitants of the globe and their farms. Another factor to keep in mind is the pollution from fine particles that are released by industrial crops and farms with often excessive values and which make the air unbreathable and decidedly unhealthy. e-mail: info@salutary.eu Tel: +39 338 1809310 Date: Feb 01, 2024 n: 5558 Agriculture in difficulty in Europe Farmers' protests in Europe would have highlighted the sector's shortcomings due to rising costs and regulations judged to be too restrictive; for example some farmers argue that it is necessary to invest considerable economic resources in the activity with little income and many working hours, then the average age of farmers is progressively rising since young people are hardly willing to undertake a difficult activity with an uncertain future (climate change then plays a significant role). The attractiveness of the whole sector should be improved and its vulnerability reduced so that it can survive, with better working conditions while trying to avoid price fluctuations. Needless to say organic farming would make the fields easier to work and in contact with nature. e-mail: info@salutary.eu Tel: +39 338 1809310 Date: Jan 25, 2024 n: 5552 Extra virgin olive oil more and more expensive Climate change is likely to make extra virgin olive oil, known for its healthy characteristics being very rich in polyphenols and antioxidants, increasingly expensive and also difficult to find especially for example for certified and quality productions in Puglia region in Italy; in fact, parasites such as fungi, the so-called olive leprosy and the Margaronia moth with higher temperatures spread in the harvest and the sirocco wind that is not usual in December contributes to worsening the situation. Another big problem are the drought and the Xylella fastidiosa a bacterium that probably arrived with a coffee plant imported from Costa Rica that is devastating entire crops and decimating monumental centuries-old olive trees, although it seems that could be useful spraying an acidic solution of zinc-copper-citric under the trees where the parasite's eggs are laid. e-mail: info@salutary.eu Tel: +39 338 1809310 Date: Dec 27, 2023 n: 5528 Reduce emissions from food waste It is estimated that if food waste emissions were represented as a country they would rank third after China and the United States; this is a relevant fact that should not be underestimated even if the focus is usually on fossil fuels which are worth about seventy-five percent of emissions (evidently always the biggest problem). Wasting food means increasing emissions of methane a gas eighty times more powerful as a greenhouse effect than carbon dioxide, then it takes twenty years to degrade remaining in the atmosphere for a long time thus overheating the planet in a vicious circle; in fact, having higher temperatures means more fermentation of the food and generally difficulty in storage. Needless to say wasting meat has an even greater environmental impact; therefore it is better to adopt a diet that is as vegetarian as possible. e-mail: info@salutary.eu Tel: +39 338 1809310 Date: Dec 13, 2023 n: 5517 Controversy over radioactive water release in Japan For some time there have been various controversies regarding the release of weakly radioactive water into the sea from the damaged atomic plant of Fukushima and lately the authorization granted to a substantial release of water contaminated by radionuclides from storage tanks there is talk of two voices of concerned experts among this team of inspectors called to check that the correct procedures for the safety of the nuclear plant are respected. It seems that there should be no particular problems even if some say that the real leaks of radioactive substances from the plant are not known and not sufficiently monitored. China has reportedly banned the import of fish from a fifth of prefectures from Japan (with restrictions also on some foods) and there are also complaints from South Korea with requests for further controls. e-mail: info@salutary.eu Tel: +39 338 1809310 Date: Jul 07, 2023 n: 5382 Aspartame sweetener possible carcinogen The quantities of sweetener aspartame that can be taken without causing harm to health will no longer be taken into account, at least according to international organizations wishing to declare the sweetener aspartame as a possible carcinogen based on the evidence that would result from several studies; for example, a French carried out last year on one hundred thousand adults showed that people who consumed large amounts of sweeteners including aspartame showed a slightly higher cancer risk. There is talk of controversy since aspartame is used in well-known commercial drinks, then already in the past there were also doubts that could avoid gaining weight by drinking these drinks with sweeteners; in fact, often is tend unconsciously to eat more since the body needs sugary substances to compensate for the lower intake. e-mail: info@salutary.eu Tel: +39 338 1809310 Date: Jun 30, 2023 n: 5376 Nutrition * The author doesn't assume some kind of responsibility for the bad use of the articles councils (all rights are reserved) |
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