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Geographically, this report studies the top producers and consumers, focuses on product capacity, production, value, consumption, market share and growth opportunity in these key regions, covering North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia, India Companies

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key players operating in the global dental acrylic market are Danaher, Atlas-Enta, JBJ Dentech Pvt. Ltd., Anis-Dent, Best Dental GmbH, Bredent GmbH & Co. KG, Brulon International, Davis Schottlander & Davis Ltd, Esschem, Inc., and Merz Dental.

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Organic food Market Size to Expand Significantly by the End of 2020: Kout Food Group, Abazeer, Kerry Group Plc - Fusion Science Academy

Americans cherish the family farm. Most are also happy to be able to buy local foods at farmers markets, grocers or their favorite restaurants.

In the marketplace, consumers are sending the message that they want more sustainable and organic food, sales of which exceeded$50 billionlast year. And the vast majority of people in our nation believe that climate change is real, and that urgent action needs to be taken.

While there is some variability depending upon ones political affiliation, Democrats and Republicans alike hold these views. If this is what we collectively believe, across party, then surely our politics and public policies support these priorities, right?

Well, not so much.

While there has been real progress in supporting local and sustainable farming in the past few Farm Bills, the fact remains that the local and organic portion of our food system continues to reside on the margins of federal research, training and extension and financial investment.

Theres good news here, to be sure: The 2018 Farm Bill designated $40 million per year for research and extension to support organic farming. It also increased funds to help farmers making the transition to organic practices.

Support for local food infrastructure has also been increased somewhat, with a number of past programs now consolidated as LAMP, the Local Agriculture Marketing Program.

While this increased federal support for sustainable farming is indeed good news, it remains an extraordinarily small piece of U.S. Department of Agricultures (USDA) pie. By comparison, payments to commodity growers, who are overwhelmingly large-scale, conventional farmers, have been averaging over $20 billion per yearthats five hundred times as much as the organic farming research allocation. And nearly two-thirds of that $20 billion goes to the largest farmers, according to USDA data and an analysis by the American Enterprise Institute.

Even on a per-acre basis, the biggest 10 percent of farmers receive nearly two-and-a-half times the subsidy provided to mid-size farmers. With the current structure of the crop insurance and risk management programs, these big farmers are subsidized to get bigger still, including raising annual crops on ecologically vulnerable land.

Forty years after Earl Butz told farmers to get big or get out, almost everything about our system leads to exactly that.

Climate-change legislation, where it has materialized at all, has rarely considered the role that agriculture must play in slowing and mitigating its impacts. The encouraging exception here is recent state laws that incentivize and reward farmers for soil-building, carbon-sequestering practices. California and Maryland provide examples here, with Virginia and other states considering similar laws.

On the other hand, the Trump administration is ignoring critical climate-related research by its own staff at USDA, while marginalizing and cutting the funding to regional climate-resilience hubs launched just a few years ago.

And the current administration is all in on the get big or get out doctrine, with labor, safety and anti-trust enforcement accommodating the agribusiness giants, rather than protecting workers and family farmers.

Clearly, theres an extreme disconnect between our public policy, on the one hand, and what would be good for consumers, family farmers and the ecosystem, on the other hand.

This battle has been waged for a few decades now, and though theyre remarkably persistent and effective, the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition and other healthy farming advocates are simply out-gunned by Big Ags lobbyists. As a result, farm and food policy takes baby steps in the right direction, but never addresses the fundamental imbalances and problems that dominate and distort the system.

What can we do to change this?

According to a 2016 survey by Market Research, about 12 percent of adults in the U.S. report that they shop at farmers markets. That translates to about 25 million people.

Other research, including a 2018 study from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, indicates that on average, farmers market shoppers are younger, with more formal education and income than the population as a whole. While my own experience shows that people across the economic spectrum can and do buy groceries at farmers markets, its safe to say that the largest proportion of farmers market shoppers are educated about and committed to healthy eating.

What if we began to mobilize these conscious consumers for real change, as advocates for public policies that promote a healthy and sustainable food system?

What might happen if we were able to move a portion of them, say one out of every 20, from being responsible consumers to also becoming effective food citizens?

That would add up to more than 1 million knowledgeable advocates, taking their personal commitment to better eating to a bigger fight for a healthy, farmer- and climate-friendly food system.

Just imagine that.

A million-person food movement

I discuss this idea in some detail in my book, Building a Healthy Economy from the Bottom Up, but for our purposes here, let me suggest three specific steps to get this process going.

Step No. 1: First, we need to strike a balance between tackling the big, complex issues that must be addressed, and the need for manageable, winnable issues with which people can more readily engage.

To do that, we need a clear framework that connects the big and the small, the local and the global. One framework might be this: Fighting the bad stuff while investing in the good stuff.

While a bit simplified, this frame pushes us to consider big problems that completely undermine a healthy food system, for example how corporate consolidation and the lack of antitrust enforcement turns farmers into serfs, devastates the environment and sucks the life out of rural communities. Another foundational problem is the extraordinary loss of black-owned farms, approaching 90% over the past century.

Public policy decisions helped make these things happen. Policy choices can reverse them as well.

If we dont confront big problems such as these, our positive impacts will never be transformative, relegating our advocacy to support for small pockets of healthy food and farming.

But at the same time, those big fights need to be brought down to size by identifying the best opportunities to build and scale up the alternatives, for example serious investment in local food infrastructure, which would enable consumers to buy more local food and farmers to get a better price. Or providing incentives for small and mid-size farmers to build healthy soils that pull excess carbon out of the atmosphere.

If we really want to transform our food system, weve got to be willing to fight the bad stuff while investing in the good stuff. Having a million or so deeply invested food citizens to help wage this fight improves our odds considerably.

Step No. 2: Secondly, we need to develop education and training models for this broad new base of advocates, built around their own experiences as local food customers, but going far beyond that.

The fight the bad, invest in the good framework is the starting point for that. But it needs flesh on its bones, including a succinct but sufficiently comprehensive analysis of our current system, a diverse set of examples of emerging alternatives, and a toolkit that enables people to connect the two and become effective advocates.

Step No. 3: Finally, we need not just an alliance between city folks and country folks, between climate activists and family farm advocates, but one that puts farmers and rural people at the forefront, as experts and leaders alongside their urban allies.

The challenge of transforming our food and farm system cannot ignore the broader political context of urban-rural polarization. There are several reasons for this divide, both legitimate and concocted. But its real.

A farmer-, consumer- and climate-friendly food system requires that we work togetheras equalsacross this divide.

All of us want to eat well, and all of us need a livable climate. Only a few of us are willing to farm. Lets get in the same room and together build this million-person force of food citizens to make this happen.

Editors Note: This essay is the second of a two-part series originally published on the blog of the Organic Consumers Association. It is republished here with permission. To read the first part of the seriesThe Local Foods Movement Has Made Half a Revolution. For the Other Half, We Need a Green New Dealclick here. To read the original version of this essay, click here.

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Our Food System Hurts Farmers, Consumers and the Earth. We Can Build a Movement to Change It - In These Times

Millennials are dieting - but unlike older generations, they arent really doing so in order to drop a few pounds or look great in a bathing suit come summertime. Rather, many Millennials are changing their diets in pursuit of both physical and mental wellness, along with a desire to reduce their climate footprints.

New data from YouGov finds that Millennials are more likely than other generations to say that they have changed their diet in order to improve their mental health (30%) or reduce their impact on the planet (20%).

Millennials (17%) are also more likely than Gen Xers (10%) or Baby Boomers (10%) to say theyve gone on a diet to accommodate food allergies.

Across generations, over half of US adults say that theyve gone on a diet to improve their physical health. For Millennials, improving physical health is the most commonly-named incentive for going on a diet. Among members of Generation X and Baby Boomers, losing weight is the most common reason for changing their diets.

Some scientific studies suggest that eating less meat and cutting down on dairy products could help people reduce their impact on the environment. And it seems Millennials may be taking note.

YouGovs research finds that Millennials (22%) are far more likely than Gen Xers (13%) and Baby Boomers (11%) to say theyve adopted a vegetarian diet at some point. Similarly, Millennials are also more likely to say theyve tried a vegan diet: 16% of Millennials have gone vegan at some point, along with 7% of Generation X and 8% of Baby Boomers.

Others are turning to a dairy-free lifestyle. Almost one in five (18%) Millennials has tried a dairy-free diet, which is about twice the number of Gen Xers (7%) and Baby Boomers (9%) who have tried this diet.

A 2019 poll from YouGovs Daily Agenda found that more than one in five young Americans say they would be willing to eliminate meat from their diet in order to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change. Among 18-to 24-year-olds, 23 percent said they would do this, along with 22 percent of 25-to 34-year-olds. A plurality (42%) of US adults in the survey said they would be willing to reduce their meat consumption, but would not be willing to eliminate meat from their diets altogether.

Additional data from YouGov Profiles suggests that following an environmentally-conscious diet is important to many millennials.

Data from YouGov Profiles finds that 45 percent of Millennials agreed with the statement Im actively trying to reduce my meat consumption. A majority in the same group (55%) also agree with the statement I am open to substituting meat/dairy products with healthy alternatives, while 37 percent go so far as to agree with the statement A meatless diet is the healthier option.

According to YouGovs sustainability segmentation, a measure of where consumers land on the spectrum of beliefs around sustainability, the countrys most engaged environmentalists are more likely to consider a raw diet (i.e. unprocessed, plant-based, organic) compared to the rest of US adults. This segment is also more likely to consider the South Beach, Whole30 and Paleo diets. YouGovs sustainability segments are based on a dataset that spans five attitudes about sustainability, from skeptic to enthusiast.

See the full survey resultsand sign up to be a part of the YouGov panel.

Related: Millennials food choices are driven by quality and theyre willing to pay more for it

Methodology: Total unweighted sample size was 1,241 US adults, which included 391 Millennials, 316 members of Generation X, and 444 Baby Boomers. The figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (ages 18+). Interviews were conducted online between January 3 - 6, 2020. Total weighted sample for the Daily Agenda question on August 8, 2019, How willing would you be to eliminate meat from your diet in order to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change? was 1,501 US adults. Total unweighted sample sizes for YouGov Profiles statements: Im actively trying to reduce my meat consumption was 2,845 Millennials; I am open to substituting meat/dairy products with healthy alternatives, was 3,091 Millennials; A meatless diet is the healthier option, with 12,059 Millennials. All figures have been weighted and are representative of all US adults (ages 18+).

Image: Getty

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One in five Millennials has changed their diet to reduce their impact on the planet - YouGov US

Organic food start-up Kesarwala on Monday sought incentives from the government in the forthcoming Budget for the fast growing sector to push the industry growth.

"The industry needs adequate infrastructure in terms of number of testing and certifying labs in the country. This will help in cutting the cost as currently these things are expensive," Founders of Kesarwala Divaker Bhalla and Yousuf Khan said.

They said that starting from the farmers to the industry, the sector needs support from the government.

"To replenish farm land for the purpose of growing organic produce, which are completely chemical free, a farmer has to wait for at least five years as he or she can not use that land before that for organic farming. Leaving the land for five year is a long period. If government can announce some kind of subsidies to those farmers, it will provide a big help to them," Khan said.

He also said increasing awareness about the benefits of consuming organic produce too is important for the growth of the sector.

Bhalla said although people are gradually shifting towards organic foods, more steps needs to be taken in this direction in all big and small cities.

"We can take cue from countries such as the US and Europe to taker forward this sector," he added.

Further, Khan said that skill development is another area, which needs to be focussed.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the budget for 2020-21 on February 1.

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Budget 2020: Organic food industry needs govt incentives to boost growth, says Kesarwala - Moneycontrol.com

Organic food start-up Kesarwala on Monday sought incentives from the government in the forthcoming Budget for the fast growing sector to push the industry growth.

The industry needs adequate infrastructure in terms of number of testing and certifying labs in the country. This will help in cutting the cost as currently these things are expensive, Founders of Kesarwala Divaker Bhalla and Yousuf Khan said.

They said that starting from the farmers to the industry, the sector needs support from the government.

To replenish farm land for the purpose of growing organic produce, which are completely chemical free, a farmer has to wait for at least five years as he or she cannot use that land before that for organic farming. Leaving the land for five year is a long period. If government can announce some kind of subsidies to those farmers, it will provide a big help to them, Khan said.

He also said increasing awareness about the benefits of consuming organic produce too is important for the growth of the sector.

Bhalla said although people are gradually shifting towards organic foods, more steps needs to be taken in this direction in all big and small cities.

We can take cue from countries such as the US and Europe to taker forward this sector, he added.

Further, Khan said that skill development is another area, which needs to be focussed. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman will present the budget for 2020-21 on February 1.

The company is running its organic food restaurant in Noida. It is planning to open 10 new franchise restaurants in the national capital region in next few months.

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Union Budget 2020: Organic Food Industry Needs Govt Incentives In Budget To Boost Growth, Says Kesarwala - News Nation

ROME (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - As water shortages, high temperatures and rising greenhouse gas emissions threaten food production, countries around the world are looking somewhere new for solutions - the soil.

For decades, farmers wanting to boost their yields have focused their attention on fertilisers, technology and new seed varieties.

Instead, they should be looking under their feet, according to experts, who warn that years of erosion and degradation of the soil through intensive farming have created the conditions for a global food production crisis.

Data suggests that if we do not restore global soil health, it is highly likely the consequences within 10 years will be many, many millions facing food and water insecurity, British soil expert John Crawford told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

This could lead to civil unrest, mass migration, radicalization and violence on an unprecedented scale, said Crawford, until recently a science director at the worlds oldest agricultural research institute, Rothamsted Research.

Much of the problem is caused by erosion, which strips away the highly fertile top layer of soil. An area of soil the size of a soccer pitch is eroded every five seconds, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

While soil erosion occurs naturally, human activities such as intensive agriculture, deforestation and urban sprawl have significantly increased the rate at which it is happening.

Nearly a third of Earths soil is already degraded. At current rates, that will increase to 90% by 2050, the FAO forecasts, warning that pollution from human activity such as mining and manufacturing as well as erosion are to blame.

There are signs the world is beginning to wake up to the issue, which Crawford said it had only about 10 to 15 years to sort out.

Soil is one of the most important regulators of global climate because it stores more carbon than the planets atmosphere and vegetation combined, he said.

If you fix soil, you mitigate a whole bunch of other risks, added Crawford, now professor of technology and strategy at the Adam Smith Business School in Glasgow.

Whole Foods, the upscale U.S. retailer that made its name selling organic food, has put regenerative agriculture - farming that focuses on soil health - at the top of its trends for 2020.

LOW-COST TESTING

From Iowa to the Ayeyarwady delta region of Myanmar - known as the countrys rice bowl - farmers are trying to figure out how to make their soil healthier and more productive.

In a remote village in the Ayeyarwady delta recently, a group of farmers sat cross-legged on a wooden floor and discussed why their once-thriving farms had become less productive.

The men had started testing their soil for the first time with the help of Proximity Designs, a business that designs low-cost farming products.

The company only began offering low-cost soil testing services in Myanmar in 2018 and by last October it had already sold more than 7,600 tests at $17 each, highlighting farmer interest.

We didnt have anyone to teach us (about soil). We followed suggestions from others, thinking they might work, said Win Zaw, 44, who grows rice twice a year on his six-acre (2.4-hectare) farm.

We knew something was wrong, but didnt know what to do, he said, looking down at neatly-typed sheets of paper detailing the levels of nitrogen, phosphate, potassium, acidity and organic matter in the soil.

All the farms were showing very low organic matter, which is produced by decomposing plants and is key to good soil health.

Proximity Designs agronomists said this was likely due partly to the warm climate, which degrades organic matter more quickly, and partly to local farming practices.

Their recommendations were relatively simple: leave crop residues after the harvest to retain the moisture in the soil, or sow cover crops - those planted to protect the soil between rice plantings rather than for commercial reasons.

When it came to fertilizer use, the recommended amount was much lower than what the farmers were using.

Applying farming practices without knowing whats happening in the soil can lead to crop failures, soil degradation, environmental damage and ecosystem breakdown, said Proximity founder Debbie Aung Din.

In Iowa, a state in the U.S. Midwest known for its cornfields, farmers are increasingly seeking to improve soil health, said Richard Cruse, a professor at Iowa State Universitys agronomy department.

We see increasing numbers of cover crops that are being planted. Were increasing the rate of no-till adoption, he said, referring to a method of farming without tilling the soil that is said to reduce erosion.

Ive talked to several (farmers) in my area who are saying, We have to do something different.

But many lack the expertise and skills, while farmers who rent say it is not worth investing in land that they do not own.

In Iowa, more than half of the farmland is managed by farmers that dont own the land, said Cruse.

Ive had multiple farmers tell me, conservation practices on land that I rent is a cost.

Ronald Vargas, land and water officer for the FAO and secretary of the Global Soils Partnership - a key player in pushing this issue - said farmers had to be given advice and incentives.

Soil can be your ally or your enemy, he said. But in many countries, farmers are left alone. There is nobody advising them.

Reporting By Thin Lei Win @thinink, Editing by Claire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, women's and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, and property rights. Visit http://www.trust.org

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Digging up the dirt: could soil contain the answer to food shortages? - Reuters

Back in 1971, the Food Conspiracy Co-op was formed by Tucson residents who sought to create a new approach to providing food to the community. These organizers used their collective purchasing power to obtain natural food products, which werent as readily available in stores back then.

The Food Conspiracy Co-op is now the citys sole full-service food cooperative. Being member-owned holds them accountable to their customers, so the focus can remain on the quality of the products. I spoke with board president Michael DeSantis and board vice president Kevin Hendricks about this iconic place for both a healthy food and healthy community as the organization approaches its 50th anniversary next year.

Hendricks called the co-op not only a place for food, but also a space for shared values, as food primarily brings people together.

The co-op has been celebrating diversity and inclusivity for 50 years.

DeSantis said the co-ops mission is solid, the organization has never been stronger, and there is a shared vision that will prepare us for long-term success.

DeSantis believes the organization has successfully created a healthy, transparent operation, where staff and board members can openly communicate. He now wants to explore exceeding typical practices and industry norms. One example: Their declaration of The Conspiracy Way, a community code of conduct that promotes healthy, positive behaviors and communication for a variety of scenarios. In addition to this declaration, the organization has focused on creating unity between the staff and the board, authoring a collaborative strategic plan (with their customer-owners in mind) and passing a resolution to provide ownership to all staff to share in the opportunities, resulting in high levels of staff engagement and retention.

With a strong team in place, expansion and innovation are possible. The Food Conspiracy Co-op has plans to expand their retail offerings and prepared foods, create a comfortable seating area, and provide increased parking and a new east entrance and parking area. Hendricks sees the new entrance as the tactic for bringing it all together. The second element of the project will include design ideas from owners, board members, and staff to integrate the gardens and existing parking lot to develop a campus/village feel from Third Avenue to Fourth Avenue, so that all holdings of the co-op are tied together by the community space of the gardens.

Both DeSantis and Hendricks are passionate about fostering communal space. DeSantis is proud of the co-ops strong partnership with suppliers, as well as their long-term farm loan program. He also believes in supporting outside educational organizations and other community organizations. There are strong relationships with service providers that range from students and farmers to designers and architects, as well as strong connections with the larger world of co-operatives.

Hendricks said the grocery and kitchen department managers are always looking to connect with local producers and they actively make visits to see the operations and go through the quality process to see if they can get the product on the shelves or be included in the prepared foods and highlighted in the newsletter articles and promotional avenues.

In essence, if it is on the shelves of the co-op, then it should be considered an endorsement because of the high quality of the food and being a local product.

DeSantis found on his first visit to Tucson that the co-op was the epitome of community. After volunteering and attending the board meetings, he formally joined the board of directors to contribute ideas. He had joined the Food Conspiracy first in the early 70s before moving to Northern Arizona and, later, California to work in project management for both renewable energy and community development. When he returned, he realized that all of the skills he learned while away would be of value to the challenges and opportunities being faced by the co-op. Today, he is proud of his fellow board members who each bring experience and perspective that contribute to the long-term viability of the organization.

After moving from Washington, D.C., to Tucson in 2008, Hendricks looked for the best place to find local organic food. His quest for organic, non-GMO foods led him to the co-op. He joined the board because hes is always seeking ways to educate the public about co-ops quality of locally sourced food.

DeSantis and Hendricks share a similar experience in the Food Conspiracy Co-op: It was one of the first community connections they made while first living in Tucson. This speaks to not only the well-known benefits of quality organic offerings, but also to how this Tucson institution is a magnet for inspiring collective community efforts.

Michael Peel is the Southern Arizona director of Local First Arizona. This is a regular series of columns from Local First Arizona on local sustainable economy issues. Get involved as a member or volunteer of Local First Arizona by signing up at localfirstaz.com.

Continue reading here:

Fifty years of cultivating community at the Food Conspiracy Co-op - Inside Tucson Business

Its 2020. Weve entered a new decade. Its an exciting time and a fresh start. Remember the dawn of 2010? If you think not much has changed, I challenge you to think about the cell phone you owned on Jan. 1 that year. Yeah, the world has definitely progressed!

Personally, the last decade saw tremendous changes in my life. As the calendar turned to 2010, I was still in law school. I wasnt writing about agriculture. And the idea hadnt even crossed my mind yet.

Agriculture has gone through quite a bit since then as well. Weve seen a big economic downturn. Weve added new technologies in a meaningful way. And cutting-edge advancements from 2010 are now commonplace. Consumer preferences have also shifted drastically. We saw the rise of the non-GMO label and plant-based meats and milks.

So what does this new decade have in store for agriculture? Ive gazed into my crystal ball and read the tea leaves. And Im ready to give you my predictions for the 2020s.

1. The farm economy will turn around in a big way.

I promise this isnt just wishful thinking. Weve had bad economic conditions in agriculture for quite a few years now. The industry is changing in some good ways and a few bad ways. But eventually it will turn around, and well see positive economic conditions. The economy is cyclical, so the chances are pretty high. But the big question is whether weve hit the bottom of this downturn. And Im not sure thats the case. It might get worse before it gets better.

2. The non-GMO labels best days are over.

Too many food companies have plastered their products with those little monarch-butterfly logos in the 2010s. And companies unwilling to pay the big fees to The Non-GMO Project have come up with their own versions. But I think weve seen the heyday of these ridiculous labels. Why? Because the USDAs GMO labels will soon be commonplace. And while I was initially opposed to them, I think it will eventually become no big deal. The USDA designed beautiful labels that positively reflect biotechnology. So the negative associations will be less effective over time, even if it doesnt go away completely.

3. Organic sales will plateau.

Im cheating a bit on this one: The growth rate of organic food sales slowed in 2018. So I suspect the trend will continue. Its true the certification had a great decade. But sales are no longer expanding exponentially. And I sense that consumers are starting to catch on that organic marketing overblows its benefits. Why spend more money for something that doesnt really give you any benefits? Organic will always be an option; I just dont see it expanding at the same rate. Plus popular discord has moved away from organic and onto other trendy words, like regenerative agriculture. In the 2020s well move beyond organic to the next big thing (hopefully thatll be science!).

4. Were going to see big changes in technology.

Weve all seen the videos of little robots that can run around a field and pull weeds without human assistance. They arent necessarily ready for prime time yet, but theres progress. And last year at the Fort Wayne Farm Show, there were plenty of agriculture start-up companies with new products and technologies. So it feels like were at a point where were going to see some big things coming to the farm. Im willing to bet that by 2030, agriculture technology is going to look much different than it does today.

5. Biotechnology will offer solutions to persistent problems.

Orange groves decimated by citrus greening. Coffee threatened by climate change. Bananas hit with Fusarium wilt. The 2010s saw a lot of these serious challenges to popular crops. But we didnt make much progress in stopping it. The 2020s will be different. And biotechnology will make the difference. Well see crops that are resistant to major diseases and hardy enough to combat the effects of climate change. Biotechnology will be heralded as a hero, not a villain.

So those are my big predictions. What do you think? And what do you see happening over the next 10 years?

Amanda Zaluckyj blogs under the nameThe Farmers Daughter USA. Her goal is to promote farmers and tackle the misinformation swirling around the U.S. food industry.

Originally posted here:

Farmer's Daughter: The 2020s promise a new shift in ag technology and perspective - AGDAILY

ROME, Jan 3 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - As water shortages, high temperatures and rising greenhouse gas emissions threaten food production, countries around the world are looking somewhere new for solutions - the soil.

For decades, farmers wanting to boost their yields have focused their attention on fertilisers, technology and new seed varieties.

Instead, they should be looking under their feet, according to experts, who warn that years of erosion and degradation of the soil through intensive farming have created the conditions for a global food production crisis.

Data suggests that if we do not restore global soil health, it is highly likely the consequences within 10 years will be many, many millions facing food and water insecurity, British soil expert John Crawford told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

This could lead to civil unrest, mass migration, radicalisation and violence on an unprecedented scale, said Crawford, until recently a science director at the worlds oldest agricultural research institute, Rothamsted Research.

Much of the problem is caused by erosion, which strips away the highly fertile top layer of soil. An area of soil the size of a soccer pitch is eroded every five seconds, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

While soil erosion occurs naturally, human activities such as intensive agriculture, deforestation and urban sprawl have significantly increased the rate at which it is happening.

Nearly a third of Earths soil is already degraded. At current rates, that will increase to 90% by 2050, the FAO forecasts, warning that pollution from human activity such as mining and manufacturing as well as erosion are to blame.

There are signs the world is beginning to wake up to the issue, which Crawford said it had only about 10 to 15 years to sort out.

Soil is one of the most important regulators of global climate because it stores more carbon than the planets atmosphere and vegetation combined, he said.

If you fix soil, you mitigate a whole bunch of other risks, added Crawford, now professor of technology and strategy at the Adam Smith Business School in Glasgow.

Whole Foods, the upscale U.S. retailer that made its name selling organic food, has put regenerative agriculture - farming that focuses on soil health - at the top of its trends for 2020.

LOW-COST TESTING

From Iowa to the Ayeyarwady delta region of Myanmar - known as the countrys rice bowl - farmers are trying to figure out how to make their soil healthier and more productive.

In a remote village in the Ayeyarwady delta recently, a group of farmers sat cross-legged on a wooden floor and discussed why their once-thriving farms had become less productive.

The men had started testing their soil for the first time with the help of Proximity Designs, a business that designs low-cost farming products.

The company only began offering low-cost soil testing services in Myanmar in 2018 and by last October it had already sold more than 7,600 tests at $17 each, highlighting farmer interest.

We didnt have anyone to teach us (about soil). We followed suggestions from others, thinking they might work, said Win Zaw, 44, who grows rice twice a year on his six-acre (2.4-hectare) farm.

We knew something was wrong, but didnt know what to do, he said, looking down at neatly-typed sheets of paper detailing the levels of nitrogen, phosphate, potassium, acidity and organic matter in the soil.

All the farms were showing very low organic matter, which is produced by decomposing plants and is key to good soil health.

Proximity Designs agronomists said this was likely due partly to the warm climate, which degrades organic matter more quickly, and partly to local farming practices.

Their recommendations were relatively simple: leave crop residues after the harvest to retain the moisture in the soil, or sow cover crops - those planted to protect the soil between rice plantings rather than for commercial reasons.

When it came to fertiliser use, the recommended amount was much lower than what the farmers were using.

Applying farming practices without knowing whats happening in the soil can lead to crop failures, soil degradation, environmental damage and ecosystem breakdown, said Proximity founder Debbie Aung Din.

In Iowa, a state in the U.S. Midwest known for its cornfields, farmers are increasingly seeking to improve soil health, said Richard Cruse, a professor at Iowa State Universitys agronomy department.

We see increasing numbers of cover crops that are being planted. Were increasing the rate of no-till adoption, he said, referring to a method of farming without tilling the soil that is said to reduce erosion.

Ive talked to several (farmers) in my area who are saying, We have to do something different.

But many lack the expertise and skills, while farmers who rent say it is not worth investing in land that they do not own.

In Iowa, more than half of the farmland is managed by farmers that dont own the land, said Cruse.

Ive had multiple farmers tell me, conservation practices on land that I rent is a cost.

Ronald Vargas, land and water officer for the FAO and secretary of the Global Soils Partnership - a key player in pushing this issue - said farmers had to be given advice and incentives.

Soil can be your ally or your enemy, he said. But in many countries, farmers are left alone. There is nobody advising them. (Reporting By Thin Lei Win @thinink, Editing by Claire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, climate change, womens and LGBT+ rights, human trafficking, and property rights. Visit http://www.trust.org)

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FEATURE-Digging up the dirt - could soil contain the answer to food shortages? - Reuters Africa

For some, the Pennsylvania Farm Show seems folksy, if not quaint.

From the Main Hall with its iconic butter sculpture to animal pens, chirping chicks and a bustling food court, a thread of Americana is evident inside the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center in Harrisburg.

For eight days every January, visitors find Amish furniture for sale, a blue-ribbon apple pie contest, tractor square dancing, cooking demonstrations and horse pulls, among hundreds of exhibits. They sip Pennsylvania Dairymens milkshakes and stuff themselves with chicken corn soup, mushroom burgers and apple dumplings.

The Farm Show, after all, is a showcase of the states agricultural industry. It is the Keystone States version of a state fair.

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Lately the show has taken on a bit of a hipper vibe. You can actually - gasp! - buy wine and hard cider, sample beer, order gluten-free foods, buy hemp products and grab a glimpse of Gritty, the famed Flyers mascot, in all of his buttery glory.

Like everything, you have to constantly change. You cant standstill. You either go forward or backwards. So, were going forward, said Ron Frederick, who assists with the FFA horticulture and window exhibits.

Here are five hip things youll find at the 2020 Farm Show:

The butter sculpture is revealed at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg, January 2, 2020 and features Gritty, the mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

Gritty in butter

Its not just that we predicted it when we came up with our list of butter sculptures we wanted to see. Its that we predicted a need for it. When Gritty, the mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers, first appeared, he was not warmly received by all. But it was only a matter of weeks before he was everywhere, and the Philly fans fully embraced their furry new friend. The memes were flying back and forth all through 2019 as the googly-eyed monster found a place in our hearts. And now hes got a place at our Farm Show, immortalized in that same buttery hall of fame - the annual butter sculpture - as figures like Benjamin Franklin and Milton Hershey.

Chiques Creek hemp tea is new in 2020. New items, and some returning favorites, are shown at the 2020 Pennsylvania Farm Show food court preview, January 2, 2020. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

Hemp and more hemp

Suddenly, hemp is big business in Pennsylvania, thanks to a change in federal law that makes it easier to grow the crop commercially. (Hemp comes from the cannabis plant, but the psychoactive chemical THC which allows marijuana users to feel a high, is removed.)

Naturally, hemp is popping up in several forms at the show, including a range of products for sale such as hemp kitty litter. A hemp exhibit will give visitors a peek inside a small hemp house and hempmobile," both with parts made from hemp products.

In the food court the hemp theme continues at the PennAg Industries booth where they sell Chiques Creek Hemp Tea from Kreider Farms in Lancaster County. The 12-ounce bottles run $2 in three flavors - original, passionfruit-mint and peach-lemon-dandelion - and are made from hemp seed oil.

We are promoting Pennsylvania agriculture and hemp is an important agricultural product of the state of Pennsylvania, said Dave Andrews, Kreiders vice president of sales and marketing. We are trying to be leaders in hemp agriculture because its the beginning of a renaissance and we want to be on the leading edge of that.

Lt. Gov. John Fetterman talks to FFA members before the butter sculpture is revealed at the Pennsylvania Farm Show in Harrisburg, January 2, 2020. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

An unconventional lieutenant governor

Say what you will about our Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman or his politics, but hes a striking figure compared to his fellow Pennsylvania politicians. Even if he werent a tall, potentially imposing figure, youre not likely to see him in a suit and tie very often. And he certainly wasnt wearing one during the preview for this years Farm Show, as he posed with the butter sculpture - and mugged with Gritty for social media - and sampled new food court offerings. If the Farm Show is Graceland, the Dairymens milkshake is Elvis, he quipped, while sipping a Farm Show milkshake. He and his wife, Gisele, became political celebrities even before joining the Wolf administration - and did we mention that they hang out with Kim Kardashian sometimes?

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Farm Show attendees visit the Pennsylvania Cider Guild area in the Main Hall to sip and sample hard cider, January 5, 2019. File photo by Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

Lots of booze

Who would have thought you could drink alcohol at the Farm Show, let alone buy it? Weve come a long way in PA. In recent years, the Farm Show has tapped into the states booming booze businesses. For several years Pennsylvania wineries have had prime real estate at the show with a booth in the Main Hall where wineries pour samples and sell bottles of their best. Several years ago, hard cider followed and last year beer had its day with an inaugural craft beer competition. This year, for the first time, visitors ages 21 and older will be able to buy hard cider as well as sample craft beer. Of course, results from wine, hard cider and craft beer competitions will be announced on Jan. 4.

The Philly port sandwich, made with chopped portabella mushrooms seasoned with garlic, onions, salt, pepper and cheese, served Philadelphia cheesesteak style. is new for 2020. New items, and some returning favorites, are shown at the 2020 Pennsylvania Farm Show food court preview, January 2, 2020. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com

Gluten-free, vegan and organic foods

In the past, if you followed a strict diet, you were likely out of luck at the Farm Show. Most of the food court offerings hardly pass as health food. But vendors introducing more options, making it easier for those who cant or dont want to eat deep-fried everything. (Look, if Burger King can sell Beyond Burgers, the Farm Show can certainly do its part.) This year, the Mushroom Growers of Pennsylvania are selling a Philly Port Sandwich that can be ordered sans roll as a vegan and gluten-free option. In addition, the Pennsylvania Livestock Association added gluten-free meatballs. (Although, it notes all of its meats are gluten-free.) And Bell & Evans has brought on board a full menu of organic chicken items, including a new entrant for 2020, parmesan crusted chicken meatballs.

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With hemp, Gritty and craft beer, Pa. Farm Show is hipper than ever - pennlive.com