Climate-driven "megadrought" batters western US economy, water supply

 

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Australia : ‘Harsh reality’ is mouse poison will kill some native wildlife

 

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French farmers find innovative solutions to battle unexpected cold spell

 

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Elephants continue to wreak havoc in northern Namibia

The Ministry Environment on Thursday said that it has deployed ministry officials to assist farmers in affected areas to avoid and minimize damages in northern Namibia, following a spate of incidents that involved elephants.

Rising sea level a threat to Vietnamese farmers

As sea levels rise, so the salt water is spreading further inland leading to saline intrusion and coastal erosion in Vietnam.

U.N. report estimates pesticides kill 200,000 people per year

Seeking to draft a global treaty banning the use of dangerous pesticides, a United Nations report presented Wednesday estimated 200,000 people globally die each year as a result of chronic exposure to agricultural chemicals.

Bee decline warning for farmers, consumers: New Zealand study

New Zealand's pillar agriculture industry stands to lose up to 728 million NZ dollars (523.36 million US dollars) a year if the local honeybee population continues to fall, researchers said Wednesday.

Two days of torrential rains kill 30 in Afghanistan

Over 30 people have been killed and hundreds of acres of farmland destroyed by two days of torrential rainfall in Afghanistan, an official said Sunday.

US bee crisis 'could destabilise crop production'

The first US national study to map wild bees has found that the insect, which is essential for the production of about one-third of the world's crops, is facing major declines in the country's most important agricultural regions.

Heat wave engulfs Sydney

The Australian city experiences its third consecutive day of extreme temperatures being attributed to El Niño.
It was a close-run thing, but Sydney has just missed out on recording its hottest November day on record.

On Friday afternoon, the mercury peaked at 40.9C in central Sydney, just 0.9C shy of the all-time high of 41.8C set in 1982.

European farmers' protest in Brussels turns violent

A protest by thousands of European dairy and meat farmers in Brussels turned violent on Monday, with demonstrators throwing projectiles and police responding with tear gas and water cannon, a Xinhua reporter noted on the spot.

California Orders Large Cuts in Water Use

California has ordered some of the largest water cuts on record to help ease shortages during the current drought.

The move affects more than 100 senior water rights holders in the state's Delta, San Joaquin and Sacramento regions, including water districts that serve thousands of farmers and others.

Siberian farmers lose $11.9 million due to fires (Russia’s agriculture ministry)

The farmers have lost more than 600 million rubles ($11.9 million) due to wildfires in the Siberian federal district, according to the preliminary assessment of Russia’s agriculture ministry on Wednesday.

Northern Indian state declares calamity over huge damages to crops by untimely rains

The northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous in the country, Tuesday declared a state of calamity because of huge damages to crops inflicted by untimely rains which hit the state over the past few months.

Death Toll From Siberian Fires Rises to 15, Hundreds of Homes Destroyed

Hundreds of people took refuge in temporary shelters on Monday after their homes were damaged by forest fires in southern Siberia that have left more than a dozen people dead, officials said.

Severe air pollution hits North China, government issues orange alert

The latest wave of severe air pollution continued to smother China's northern regions including Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and Henan provinces on Thursday, and is likely to last until Saturday. 

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) upgraded northern China's smog alert from yellow to orange on Thursday afternoon. Most northern regions were severely affected. The NMC forecast that Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei Province will all suffer from dense smog that could bring visibility down to less than 200 meters in some places on Friday, NMC said on its website.

Prolonged Drought Plagues Oklahoma Farmers

ALTUS, OKLAHOMA— Parts of western Texas and southwestern Oklahoma have been in drought conditions for several years running and the deficit in rainfall has taken a heavy toll on cotton and grain production...

Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin said the state has suffered $2 billion in agricultural losses since 2011. There has been rain in recent weeks, but for most farmers it is too late.
Sometimes the rain falls hard now, but it was really needed several weeks ago when crops were at a critical stage of growth.