UN Water Mandate Receives Key Endorsement

Olam International, a leading global processor of food ingredients with agricultural projects in Africa, has publicly endorsed the c-e-o water mandate of the u-n global compact. The mandate is a public-private initiative that helps companies develop and implement sustainable water policies and practices. The announcement came as the world observed World Water Week in Stockholm, Sweden.

Olam International said the supply, quality and reliability of water resources are under pressure and the need to adapt to the impact of climate change is increasing.

The signing of the mandate underscores the companys commitment to vigorously and publicly address global water issues regarding agriculture and food supply.

If you reflect that water when you look at it as a hundred per cent value, 97-percent of water would be regarded as salty ocean water, two per cent is actually frozen, so were left with a one per cent marker of water basically for consumption and use in agriculture, explained Chris Brett, Olams head of sustainability, who added, and we split that one per cent, we get to point seven per cent for agriculture, just point three per cent is fresh water for basically human consumption.

Given this he stressed that water is a key issue for them when they see the way people are going to compete for water in the future. As a result the company made a public commitment to use water in more resourceful ways.

Making that commitment is not just a driver for change internally, or a driver for respect in use of water, as a resource, but it is also to communicate to all of our partners how serious we take water on the agenda, said Brett.

He gave an example of success that they were having with irrigation going into their vegetable supply chains in California. The method of irrigation that decreases the use of water is called more crop per drop. It proved to be such a success that it was applied to other Olam operations.

For example we are now undertaking irrigation of rice, and irrigation of coffee plantations in places like Tanzania and Zambia. As a global company we are transferring learning, noted Brett.

The sustainability expert said over the last two years Olam has been measuring its water footprint and communicating that measurement to the public.

He added as a leader in addressing the challenges of water supply, they hope others will follow them in the pursuit of water rationalization and use in agriculture.

The Most Famous Gifts In History

History is full of great gifts, gifts that have stood the test of time and have become legendary through our history. They are the gifts that are known by name, gifts matched not only in their legendary status but also size and originality.

What would you consider to be the two greatest gifts in history? Do mythological gifts count? Do real gifts count? In terms of real gifts, there are two that come first.

Statue of Liberty

As far as gifts go, this may be the biggest in history. To mark the 100th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the French presented this statue to the United States as a gift of friendship. The Americans built the base for the statue, while the statue itself was constructed by the French under the guidance of Frederic Bartholdi.

The trojan Horse

Some gifts seem like gifts, but are in fact, traps. That was the case during the Trojan War when the Greeks built a horse and filled it with Greek warriors before putting it in front of the gates. It was customary in ancient times for a defeated general to surrender his horse, so the symbolic gift of the horse seemed to trojans to be a notice of surrender from the Greeks. The trap worked and the Trojans were defeated because of one of the most cunning military ploys in history.

In terms of mythological or fictional gifts, you can’t beat these two:

Fire

According to Greek mythology, we can thank one god for the gift of fire – Prometheus. Prometheus, who also gave humanity writing, mathematics, agriculture, and medicine, stole fire from Zeus and gave it to humanity. For his betrayal of Zeus, Prometheus was chained to a rock where an eagle came every day to rip out his liver, which grew back every time.

The Gift of the Magi

In this book written in 1906, Jim and Della Dillingham Young are a couple in love, but who can barely afford their apartment. For Christmas, Della buys Jim a chain for his prized pocket watch given to him by his father. She pays for it by cutting off her long hair and selling it to make a wig. Unknown to her, Jim sells his pocket watch to buy her a beautiful set of combs so she can comb her long hair.

The moral in that story, written by William Porter, is that sometimes material possessions are not the greatest gift you can get, and sometimes unselfish love is the greatest of all gifts.

Importance of agriculture

There is certainly no doubt about the fact that civilization not only in the United Kingdom but in fact all around the world started with agriculture. After our ancestors started focusing on agriculture for their livelihood and earning, human society as a whole was changed afterwards forever without any measure of speculations for sure.

As a result of agriculture, villages as well as towns developed along with an overall better understanding of art, science as well as knowledge which continued to improve since then with every passing day.

Even, now, the 21st century with all the technological developments and advancements all around the globe cannot deny the importance of agriculture. Given below are few important points which will help you better understand the importance of agriculture and farming:

a. In the current hi-tech age of globalization and developments in all fields of life, people still rely on agricultural products in a variety of ways such as nutrition, source of energy, fiber and so on.

b. Another highly significant point as far as the importance of agriculture is concerned is that it is a major economic driver. It is equally important for individual livelihood, poverty eradication as well as overall growth of the state. According to a survey, it contributes between 40 to 80% of the gross development product of majority of the countries located in the continent of Africa.

c. Moreover, one cannot also deny the fact that agriculture also contributes a great deal towards a healthy biosphere.

d. Real food security can only be ensured with the help of agriculture even in today’s modern world without any question.

The above mentioned points are few of the many factors that clearly indicate the importance of agriculture even in the current age of developments and advancements. In case, you still need to know more regarding the importance of agriculture, then UK Business Directory is surely one such platform where you can get awareness regarding any issue and can further broaden up your horizon for sure.

Protect The Agriculture State Idaho From The Bad Effects Of Pollution Through Dumpster Rental

The contribution of agriculture towards GDP of the country is one percent but it still occupies place among the major sectors of the economy of the US. Idaho is the agriculture state and it is affected by the pollution generated from the industries. The waste that is transmitted from the industries is piped into streams and lakes and is contaminating water and affecting the agriculture sector in the state.

Idaho is an agriculture state and is a producer of nearly one third of potatoes grown in the US. The recent growth of industrialization is affecting the agriculture sector of the state. The agriculture land of the state is supplied water contaminated with the waste emitted from industries, the agricultural land is producing less than what it actually can.

The agriculture sector the main source of economy of the state can no longer yield the expected results if the same situation continues to exist. The waste generated by these industries is disturbing environmental balance of Idaho which is very important for proper growth of the crop. Immediate action should be taken to protect the environment from pollutants that are emitted from the industries and other projects that are carried in the state.

Government of Idaho has taken many steps in this regards. They focused at Ground Water Quality Protection, Surface Water Quality and BMP Evaluation, Idaho State Pesticide Management Plan, Smoke Management & Crop Residue Disposal. They run a special month namely Pollution Prevention month which encourages business organizations, communities, individuals, and schools to join in one of the activity that protects the environment of Idaho from the bad effects of pollution. some of these activates include Prevention, elimination, or minimizes the production of waste or pollutants at its source, Use non-toxic or less-toxic products, Conserves energy or water, Re-uses materials rather than throwing them away.

Number of industries participated in the activity and the state experienced significant reduction in the impact of pollution in that particular month. The importance of practicing these activities should be enlightened in the society. The residents of state should take initiative to participate in such activities but restricting these kinds of practices to a single month would yield no great results, it should be an ongoing process.

Environmental protection of the state is facing a great problem at this juncture. In spite of great benefits of these activities only few business organizations, individuals; industries come forward to share their responsibility in environmental protection. Most of them step back fearing that it is tough process. Not everybody in the state will be ready to sacrifice their comforts for the sake of protecting the environment.

Not a worry, a wonderful option is at your door step now; you can now put all these aspects into action without sacrificing any of your comforts. How? Dumpster rental Idaho is the one stop solution for all the problems. Minimization of waste production is always advisable. But it sometimes becomes inevitable, when you rent a dumpster in Idaho, the trash will be recycled in environmental friendly manner and the impact of trash generated will be less. Dumpster rental Idaho will recycle all the eligible trash and transfer the rest to the landfill so there is no chance for the dump to get disposed in the streams and lakes. Dumpster rental Idaho will help you to maintain the environmental balance and protect the water of state from being polluted there by helping in increase of agriculture production of the state.

How Tropical Storms Impact Florida Bass Fishing

The arrival of tropical storms, like this year’s Tropical Storm Barry, coincides closely with the typical date for onset of Florida’s so called ‘rainy season’ that generally runs from late May to October. Although Florida fishermen experienced a record ‘dry season’ this year, the occurrence of drought during the cooler winter and spring months was hardly unusual. Bass fishing in [tag-ice]Lake Okeechobee suffered as water levels reached all-time lows, exposing large areas of lake bottom and leaving many boat ramps high and dry.

There has been a silver lining to the drought for the Florida strain of largemouth bass living in Lake O, as some locals call it. The Army Corps of Engineers began a project last year to scrape decades of accumulated “muck” off the exposed lake bed. Phosphorus and nitrogen runoff from fertilizers used on farms, golf courses and lawns has been building up in Okeechobee ever since the natural flow of water out of the lake was reversed early in the 20th century to help retain a supply in Lake O for agriculture and drinking water. These chemicals generate unnatural spread of certain plants and algae which overgrow then die off and coat the bottom this the toxic “muck.”

The bass fishing in Okeechobee should benefit both from Barry’s rain and the new sections of the natural sandy bottom of Lake O revealed after the dredging. As the water levels rise, natural grasses will reclaim the cleaned areas, dissolved oxygen levels should increase in the absence of the artificial plant blooms, and much new spawning habitat will open to the monster bass Lake Okeechobee is famous for.

Bass fishermen headed to Lake O should expect to find the bass in heavy grass cover. Try the new Okeechobee Rig, a lure developed specifically for fishermen flipping for bass in dense brush or grass cover. You’ll need to be casting strong braid or mono to effectively haul out hooked bass – at least 20lb test, but 30-60lb braid is commonly used on the tournament trail. I set up with Power Pro rigged with a Seaguar Flourocarbon leader.