Miscellaneous

By Ahmad Fraz Khan, The Dawn InpaperMagzine

With both federal and provincial assemblies entering final year of their term, agriculture as a sector seems to have slipped further down their priority list.

The current session of Punjab Assembly, which is now in its fourth week, reflects antipathy that the provincial government has developed towards the sector.

The mannerism of the debate shows how seriously the highest legislative and policymaking body in the province, comprising more than 70 per cent of farmers and their representatives, take matters related to agriculture. The run is now how to politically secure seat for next general elections rather than spare time for more tedious matters. - File photo

The DAWN Pakistan Agri Expo is set to be Pakistan’s largest agricultural exposition, bringing together participation from all business sectors directly or indirectly involved with agriculture. It will present a rare opportunity to assess the potential of Pakistan’s agricultural market, enabling participants to develop partnerships with the key players that are driving this sector forward.

Tribune: Former Punjab governor Lieutenant General (Retd) Khalid Maqbool has underlined the need for modernising the agricultural sector to cope with global challenges and ensure food security, which will become a common feature in future due to food shortages in the world.

GCUF Vice Chancellor Dr Zakir Husain stressed the need for an awareness campaign to educate people about poisonous food and malnutrition. PHOTO: FILE/REUTERS

Fresh Plaza: About 48 million people (1 in 6 Americans) get sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die each year from foodborne diseases, according to recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This is a significant public health burden that is largely preventable.

The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) enables FDA to better protect public health by strengthening the food safety system. It enables FDA to focus more on preventing food safety problems rather than relying primarily on reacting to problems after they occur.

Universe Today: Imagine looking out your airplane window (or alien spacecraft portal) and seeing a giant Mars Exploration Rover or an astronaut a half-kilometer long etched in …. a corn field? That’s exactly what is happening this fall, as seven farms across the US are participating in a special collaboration with NASA called Space Farm 7 to celebrate the space agency’s achievements and progress in space, as well as providing education and activities about agriculture. The farmers have created some absolutely amazing and intricate crop-circle-like formations that double as corn mazes, giving kids and families the chance to get lost — if you will — in space.

An amazing corn maze with a NASA theme, at Cornbelly's in Lehi, Utah, one of seven around the US in 2011. Image courtesty of The MAiZE Inc.

The New York Times: When Linnaeus standardized the system of species description in the 18th century, Latin was the language of science. So it has remained, if only in a highly technical sense. The binomial names used by Homo sapiens are Latin, and for years botanists, unlike zoologists, were still required to use a page or two of Latin to describe the distinctive characteristics of a newly named species — the attributes that made it different from any other. But no more. As of Jan. 1, diagnostic botanical descriptions may be written in Latin or English, and the electronic publication of new names is accepted.

A giant saltwater crocodile named Elvis with an apparent affinity for household machinery has charged at an Australian reptile park worker before stealing his lawnmower.

Tim Faulkner, operations manager at the Australian Reptile Park, north of Sydney, was one of three workers tending to the lawn in Elvis’ enclosure when he heard reptile keeper Billy Collett let out a yelp.

Mr Faulkner looked up to see the 16ft, 1,100lb crocodile lunging out of its lagoon at Mr Collett, who warded the creature off with his mower.

From planting seeds, shrubs, flowers and trees to taking care of them through watering, trimming, weeding and maintaining the quality of the soil, a gardener’s job is never done. Abdul Karim or A.K. Khan, too, is doing all he can to keep his plants and dreams green and alive.

A.K. Khan with his grandchildren

By Muhammad Nadeem, Dr. Muhammad Aslam Khan, Dr. Adnan Younis & Dr. Atif Riaz , IHS UAF, Pakistan

The agriculture dates back to the era when man learnt to live in huts and cultivated plants which were used for his food, shelter, medicine and clothing. The world agriculture has grown up to highly mature, sophisticated and mechanized. In Pakistan agriculture is in developing stage. About 70% of the population is directly or indirectly related to Agriculture. Most of the farmers of our country are small land holder for agriculture but they are still affiliated with the conventional and traditional agriculture techniques and strategies hence net return from agriculture produce is low.

Seven models for the revival of the horticultural sector in the area of Fucino (Abruzzo - Italy). This is the idea of the photographer Antonio Oddi, which has printed 4,000 postcards to convince young people that working in the fields is not derogatory. The Fucino "stands up" thanks to non-EU workforce; without it the hand-picking of certain vegetables and some post-harvest activities, would have stopped ten years ago. The Fucino area, with its thousands of hectares, could be considered one of the main centre for experimentation in terms of multi-racial integration, but the economic difficulties of the entrepreneurs risk frustrating this project which has international significance.

Inspired by the popular online game about farm life, Farmville, some Brits have started a real interactive farm. Starting last week a maximum of 10,000 British subjects can become members of 'MyFarm', a farm of 485 HA in Cambridgeshire, at a cost of almost 35 euro per annum. In future they will be responsible.

In Italy, the generational change in agriculture is still at 3%, compared to a European average estimated at around 7%. According to the Ocse, the Italian agriculture could disappear entirely within 2050.

According to a survey of Coldiretti, in Italy there are almost one hundred thousand young people who have chosen to be in charge of farms (of which only ten thousand in the Campania region), with excellent results.

The shrub's leaves, which can retract at the slightest touch, could inspire a new class of structures that can twist, bend, harden and repair themselves.

Airplanes might soon have flexible wings like birds and robots could change shape as they please thanks to research under way on mimosa plants, according to researchers.

University of Agriculture Faisalabad is going to celebrate 2011 as its “Golden Jubilee” year.  A series of sensational events will be held throughout the year and as part of that one-week (February 14-19, 2011) is reserved for Horticultural programs.

After two snowstorms, New Yorkers might be happy to escape the cold by stepping into the 73 degree warmth of a new indoor pop-up park. If they can make an indoor park here, they can make it anywhere. New York, New York.