Rural & Agriculture News

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Climate change threatens age-old Mauritania date harvest

Farmers in Mauritania who've relied on growing dates for centuries are seeing their livelihoods disappear before their eyes, with desertification wiping away tens of thousands of the trees over the last few decades. And the communities t...

France 24

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Tiny insect devastates Tunisia's prickly pear industry

A tiny insect, known to some as the prickly pear cochineal, is ravaging Tunisia’s prickly pears, a critical source of revenue for the North African country's agriculture sector and economy.

Reuters

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French Police clash with farmers in reservoir protest

Protesters clashed with police in France's western port of La Rochelle Saturday, as conservationists and small farmers mobilised against massive irrigation reservoirs under construction.

France 24

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Kazakhstan govt introduces initiatives to increase grain exports

The sanctions imposed on Russia after it launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine have been adding to the agricultural woes of its neighbour, Kazakhstan. The world's largest landlocked country has banned cheap wheat imports in an effort...

Al Jazeera

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Ukrainian farmers look toward harvest season with concern

So many farm laborers have joined the army that there may not be enough help to haul in the crops. Low prices are also making life difficult.

DW News

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Greek islands face water crisis as tourist season peaks

The biggest reservoir on the Greek island of Naxos has dried up, while downstream, sea water has seeped into empty irrigation wells, harming the island's prized potato crop. It comes as the island is set to be flooded with a record numbe...

Reuters

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Lebanese farmers dig for answers on Israel's white phosphorus use

Lebanese farmers fear their fields are no longer safe and have been poisoned by what they believe is Israel's unlawful use of white phosphorus during shelling. White phosphorus munitions are a chemical weapon and can be used in war to ma...

Reuters

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Why one South Korean island is at war with deer

Residents of South Korea's Anma island are plagued with deer who destroy local crops and trees, and are petitioning the authorities to label the herd as "harmful wildlife" to clear the way for culling to take place.

Reuters

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Severe labour shortage in U.k. farming industry

Voters in the UK head to the polls in a general election with immigration as a major issue facing them. Both major parties say they want to bring the number of immigrants down, but many industries say this is affecting them, including UK...

Al Jazeera

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Bornean elephants endangered due to human activity

Agriculture, mining, logging and other human activities on Borneo have caused elephants living on the South Asian island to become endangered, a recent assessment by wildlife experts has found.

Reuters

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Rising cocoa prices bring booming profits, violence to Ecuador

Producing around 420,000 tons a year, Ecuador is the world's third-largest cocoa grower after the Ivory Coast and Ghana. But after drought and diseases struck crops in West Africa, prices have boomed for Ecuador's farmers. But despite th...

France 24

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Vertical oceans: Singapore’s AI Shrimp

High tech farms are no longer unusual in Singapore. While many of the innovative farms in the city state still have to become profitable, a vertical shrimp farm has achieved price parity with coastal aquaculture ponds in Indonesia or Vie...

DW News

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Hot summer, drought reduce harvests, raise prices in Asia

Much of Asia has been baking in extreme heat for months, together with a prolonged drought. Agriculture is one of the worst hit sectors. From coffee plantations in Vietnam to rice fields in China, harvests are low. And that's likely to m...

Al Jazeera

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Why a Vietnam drought may spike global espresso prices

Vietnamese coffee growers have been hit hard this year by the worst drought in nearly a decade, raising concerns of pricier espressos across the world, even as some farmers keep yields healthy with clever countermeasures.

Reuters

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Barren fields bring Chinese farmer to tears from drought

Zhang Junying, a corn farmer in China's Shandong province, found herself reduced to tears on Thursday (June 20) as she considered the vast, barren fields before her. She, alongside many other farmers in the province’s capital Jinan, have...

Reuters

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Chinese farmers struggle in the heat as reservoir shrinks

Farmers living near a water reservoir in China's eastern Shandong province were struggling on Wednesday (June 19) with scorching heat that has baked the provincial capital Jinan for over a month.

Reuters

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Courts in Ecuador set to rule in landmark labor abuse cases

In Ecuador, courts are due to rule in landmark cases of labor exploitation and slavery. Agricultural workers say they suffered decades of abuse on plantations producing plant fiber for Japanese company Furukawa, whose representatives cou...

DW News

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Ukraine's grain exports reach pre-war levels but challenges remain

Ukraine says its grain exports have returned to levels recorded before the war with Russia. But farmers are warning the conflict is hampering production. At least 20 percent of farmland is covered with mines or is occupied by Russian for...

Al Jazeera

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Ivory Coast cocoa farmers turn to rubber instead

Ivory Coast is the world's biggest producer of cocoa, but farmers there now prefer rubber. They say it's cheaper to farm and takes up less manpower. This trend could mean higher chocolate prices at your local supermarket.

Al Jazeera

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Ivory Coast suspends fair trade certification

In Ivory Coast, small scale cocoa farmers are struggling to put food on the table despite prices for their produce being high. And they say that's not fair trade, even though that's on the tin.

Al Jazeera

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Belgium farmers protest against EU climate regulations

European farmers met in the Belgian capital Brussels to protest against the continent's climate regulations ahead of EU elections this weekend. Hundreds of tractors and farmers traveled from half a dozen countries to try and have their m...

Al Jazeera

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Farmers around the world grapple with hotter climate

Farmers around the world are learning how to survive in a drier, hotter climate. They are adapting new water-storage techniques as their traditional ponds dry up, and changing how they feed their cattle and sheep.

France 24

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EU farmers protest green policies ahead of elections

Days before the European parliamentary elections, farmers drove hundreds of tractors into Brussels to protest EU environmental policies. Many demonstrators say progressive climate change regulations are making it impossible for them to c...

CBC News

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Spanish farmers protest EU policies

Elections for European Parliament are set for early June and one of the key issues at the ballot box is sure to be agricultural policy. It comes after a year that's seen many of Europe's six million farmers out protesting. They've said t...

Al Jazeera

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Polish farmers demand less EU interference ahead of elections

A neighbor of Ukraine, Poland has become a hotspot for protests that sprang up across Europe as farmers railed against cheap imports from the war-torn country, as well as restrictions placed on them by the European Union's "Green Deal" t...

France 24

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Bulgaria's historic rose industry sees early blooms

Bulgarian farmers were busy harvesting rose petals for their renowned oil this week, about a month earlier than the historical norm due to climate change that has ushered in warmer and more humid springs. Rose oil is used in various cons...

Reuters

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Leafhopper bug plagues Argentina's corn fields

Argentina – the world's No. 3 corn exporting country – has slashed millions of tons from its harvest projections for the current crop due to a rare plague of leafhoppers, which can carry a stunt disease that damages the cobs and kernels ...

Reuters

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Indian farmers declare fresh protests ahead of elections

Two years after ending a nationwide protest movement, farmers in India have revived their action. They want the government to protect them from market irregularities by offering a minimum base price for their produce. The demonstrations ...

Al Jazeera

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U.S. lawmakers scramble to finalize farm legislation

Lawmakers on both sides of Capitol Hill have begun the scramble to reach an agreement on this must-pass legislation with subsidies for farmers, crop insurance, and SNAP food benefits.

Scripps News

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South Texas facing water shortage; famers blame Mexico

Farmers in the Rio Grande Valley need river water for irrigation. Farmers on the U.S. side say when it comes to sharing the river water, Mexico is being a bad neighbor.

Scripps News