28.09.2025

New FAO report assesses progress towards food and agriculture SDG indicators

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) today released a new report assessing progress on 22 indicators under the Organization’s custodianship spanning six Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): SDGs 2 (Zero Hunger), 5 (Gender Equality), 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), 14 (Life Below Water), and 15 (life on Land).

28.09.2025

Barbados heightens biosecurity over aggressive livestock parasite

Barbados moved swiftly to heighten biosecurity after veterinary officials warned on Thursday that an aggressive livestock parasite, the New World screwworm fly, is spreading across the Caribbean and threatens to devastate local herds if it reaches the island,Barbados TODAYhas learnt.

28.09.2025

Funding secured for wild salmon conservation projects on Scotland's west coast

A west coast gene bank is one of 10 major projects backed by Scotland’s salmon farmers to help protect wild salmon and sea trout.

21.09.2025

India - HC quashes notices demanding Rs 374 crore from Bajaj Allianz for crop insurance

The Aurangabad bench of the Bombay High Court last week set aside notices issued by the state government seeking the recovery of Rs 374.61 crore from Bajaj Allianz General Insurance Co. Ltd to pay famers in Osmanabad (now renamed Dharashiv) for damage to soybean crops due to “unseasonal rains” categorised as “localised calamity” under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).

09.09.2025

USA - Taylor County farmer arrested for crop insurance fraud

A man in Taylor County, KY, has been sentenced to 12 months and 1 day in federal prison for crop insurance fraud. Between 2014 and 2021, Hunt sold crops under the names of other people and significantly underreported his true production on crop insurance claim forms, resulting in over $1.6 million in fraudulent insurance overpayments.

13.08.2025

New area-yield index insurance helps farmers tackle climate risks

Land Bank Insurance Company has expanded its pilot “index insurance” product with the introduction of Area-Yield Index Insurance (AYII), designed to help farmers manage financial losses caused by large-scale climatic and environmental risks.

13.08.2025

Australia develops world-first biodegradable foot and mouth disease vaccine

The world’s first biodegradable vaccine for foot and mouth disease (FMD) has been developed in Australia, a country that remains free from the dreaded livestock

13.08.2025

Fiji - Agriculture ministry tackles food waste

The Ministry of Agriculture is exploring an innovative new approach to reduce food waste by converting post-harvest losses and kitchen scraps into valuable resources like livestock feed and soil enhancers.

28.09.2025

Minister announces financial relief for Greek livestock farmers facing disease crisis

Greece will suspend tax and insurance obligations for livestock farmers who lost animals in recent sheep pox outbreaks, Rural Development and Food Minister Costas Tsiaras told Parliament.

28.09.2025

Australia - World’s first lobster aquaculture industry prepares for take-off

ARC Research Hub launches world-first onshore lobster farming, turning tropical rock lobster aquaculture into a $500M sustainable industry.

28.09.2025

Oracle launches AI-powered platform to boost government food security

Oracle has unveiled a new AI-powered solution aimed at providing governments with real-time data and actionable insights into agriculture performance and crop production.

21.09.2025

Punjab farmers demand crop insurance amid mounting climate losses

As erratic weather patterns continue to wreak havoc on agriculture in Punjab, farmers across the state are intensifying their demand for a comprehensive crop insurance policy. With their livelihood hanging in the balance, they argue that the future of farming is increasingly unpredictable and vulnerable to climate shocks.

09.09.2025

India - The changes aim to ensure that farmers are not denied crop insurance benefits due to the default of state governments

Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has announced crucial modifications to the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), citing the Centre's experience with the previous Jagan Reddy government in Andhra Pradesh. The changes aim to ensure that farmers are not denied crop insurance benefits due to the default of state governments.

13.08.2025

Lithuania declares nationwide emergency over summer rainfall damage

Lithuania’s government on Wednesday declared a nationwide emergency after weeks of heavy summer rains caused widespread crop losses, following a proposal from the National Crisis Management Centre and the Agriculture Ministry.

13.08.2025

USA - Researchers make breakthrough discovery that could transform agriculture: 'This research is important'

Scientists at Iowa State University have determined that co-locating solar panels and certain plants may be beneficial for crop production.

13.08.2025

USA - Continuing drought affecting Vermont farmers, especially livestock farms

As dry conditions continue to spread across Vermont, one industry that is feeling the heat is the farms.

EVENTS
ANALYTICS SEE ALL

UNDP - Analysis of the crop insurance system in Uzbekistan

08.01.2025

Agricultural production has historically been one of the high-risk sub-sectors of Uzbekistan’s national economy because the conditions and results of production and economic activity of agricultural enterprises are highly dependent on random, primarily weather-related factors. In this regard, the development of an agricultural insurance system as an element of sustainable agricultural production is relevant. 

A Practical Method for Adjusting the Premium Rates in Crop-Hail Insurance with Short-Term Insurance Data

25.10.2022

The frequency of hailstorms is generally low in small geographic areas. In other words, it may be very likely that hailstorm occurrences will vary between neighboring locations within a short period of time. Besides, a newly launched insurance scheme lacks the data. It is, therefore, difficult to sustain a sound insurance program under these circumstances, with premium rates based on meteorological data without a complimentary adjustment process.

Malta - Vegetable production dropped 7% in 2018

18.10.2019

Last year, Malta’s local vegetable produce dropped by 7% when compared to the previous year. The total vegetables produced in tonnes amounted to 58,178, down by 7% when compared to 2017. Their value too diminished as the total produce was valued at €30 million, down by 13% over the previous year. The most significant drop was in potatoes, down by 27% over the previous year. Tomatoes and onions were the only vegetables to have increased in volume, by 3% and 4% respectively but their value diminished by 9% and 24% respectively. The figures were published by the National Statistics Office on the event of World Food Day 2019, which will be celebrated on Wednesday. Cauliflower, cabbage and lettuce produce dropped by 10%, 3%, and 12% respectively. In the realm of local fruit, a drop of produce was registered here too apart from strawberries, which experienced a whopping increase of 58% over 2017. Total fruit produced in 2018 amounted to 13,057 tonnes, down by 1% when compared to 2017. The total produce was valued at €10 million, a 3% increase in value. Peaches produced were down by 35% and the 376 tonnes of peaches cultivated amounted to €0.5 million in value. Orange produce dropped by 10% and lemon produce dropped by 14%. There was no change in the amount of grapes produced and the 3,642 tonnes of grapes produced in 2018 were valued at €2.3 million. 70% of fruit and vegetables consumed in Malta is imported. The drop in local produce could be the result of deleterious or unsuitable weather patterns. Source - https://www.freshplaza.com

USA - Greenhouse tomato production spans most states

07.10.2019

While Florida and California accounted for 76 percent of U.S. production of field-grown tomatoes in 2016, greenhouse production and use of other protected-culture technologies help extend the growing season and make production feasible in a wider variety of geographic locations. Some greenhouse production is clustered in traditional field-grown-tomato-producing States like California. However, high concentrations of greenhouses are also located in Nebraska, Minnesota, New York, and other States that are not traditional market leaders. Among the benefits that greenhouse tomato producers can realize are greater market access both in the off-season and in northern retail produce markets, better product consistency, and improved yields. These benefits make greenhouse tomato production an increasingly attractive alternative to field production despite higher production costs. In addition to domestic production, a significant share of U.S. consumption of greenhouse tomatoes is satisfied by imports. In 2004, U.S., Mexican, and Canadian growers each contributed about 300 million pounds of greenhouse tomatoes annually to the U.S. fresh tomato market. Since then, Mexico’s share of the greenhouse tomato market has grown sharply, accounting for almost 84 percent (1.8 billion pounds) of the greenhouse volume coming into the U.S. market. Source - https://www.freshplaza.com