SEAP Quarterly Newsletter 2013-3

The training began with a lecture on SSNM for Yellow Corn by Dr. Apolonio M. Ocampo, Senior Researcher at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) and project leader of SSNM for Maize in the Philippines. Each trainee had the opportunity to develop fertilizer recommendations using the Nutrient Expert software under the guidance of the trainers. With assistance from Ms. Maica A. Milagrosa, IPNI SEAP staff in the Philippines, the trainees also learned about developing Quick Guides for maize using the Nutrient Expert software.

In contrast, no gains are anticipated for Malaysian palm oil production in 2013/14. The country’s output is expected to flatten out at 19 million tons due to a small reduction in harvested area. Malaysia’s Government has required small independent producers (who own about 14 percent of the country’s oil-palm area) to replant their aging and less-productive trees. The replanting program is expected to remove 365,000 hectares from production—or about 7 percent of the country’s total oil palm area. To compensate for the lost output, the producers would receive subsidies for 3 years. New land for expanding palm oil production in Malaysia is now quite scarce. Labor shortages also continue to hamper Malaysian palm oil producers, who must rely on immigrants for much of their workforce.

Source: Oil Crops Outlook by Economic Research Service, Situation and Outlook Report, Economic Research Service, May 2013

Prof. Cocking explained that the N-Fix Technology as it is known, does not involve genetic modification or bio-engineering. Using naturally occurring nitrogen-fixing bacteria to coat the plant seeds, the process creates a mutually beneficial relationship, that results in the plant producing nitrogen naturally. The N-Fix is environment-friendly and can be applied to all crops.

Source: Click on Science Daily to read more.

Excerpt: As businesses continue to embrace digital tools and technologies, especially when engaging with customers, C-level executives in a recent McKinsey survey, say they are stepping up their own involvement in shaping and driving digital strategies. This is vital to the success of digital programs, as survey respondents most often cite a lack of senior-management interest as the reason for an initiative’s failure. Respondents also suggest that organizational alignment is critical to seeing real business impact from digital.

Agriculture. Food prices (in real terms) fell by an average of 0.7 percent (increased by 1.7 percent in nominal terms) a year during the 20th century despite a significant increase in food demand. This was because of rapid increases in yield per hectare due to the greater use of fertilizers and capital equipment, and the diffusion of improved farming technologies and practices. However, since 2000, food prices (in nominal terms) have risen by almost 120 percent (6.1 percent annually) due to a declining pace of yield increases, rising demand for feed and fuel, supply-side shocks (due to droughts, floods, and variable temperatures), declines in global buffer stocks, and policy responses (e.g., governments in major agricultural regions banning exports). Non-food agricultural commodity nominal prices—including timber, cotton, and tobacco—have risen by between 30 and 70 percent since 2000. Rubber prices have increased by more than 350 percent because supply has been constrained at a time when demand from emerging economies for vehicle tires has been surging.
In the future, agricultural markets will be shaped by demand from large emerging countries such as China, climate and ecosystem risks, urban expansion into arable land, biofuels demand, and the potential for further productivity improvements.

Food. Demand for food increased throughout the 20th century, but thanks to higher yields, prices fell (in real terms). Yet they have risen by almost 120 percent since 2000 as yield improvements slowed, demand for feed went up, and agriculture endured droughts, floods, and variable temperatures. The net result is that global buffer stocks are running low but demand for food, largely in Asia and Africa, is expected to go up by 35 percent during the next 20 years. In addition, higher production of biofuels is boosting demand for land. So is the fact that more than 20 percent of the world’s arable land has been seriously degraded through, for example, pollution and soil salinization. Finally, the land shortage is further exacerbated by the mass migration of people from rural areas to cities: urban sprawl could reduce the world’s cropland by two million hectares a year. Trends survey 2013. September 2013. McKinsey Global Institute
McKinsey Sustainability & Resource Productivity Practice

1. When is a biosolid the right source? By Dr. Tom Bruulsema

2. Protein quality enhancement with sulfur fertilization. By Dr. Thomas L. Jensen

3. The facts about phosphate rock... Are we running out? By Dr. Rob Mikkelsen

4. Resources for on-farm research. By Dr. Scott Murrell

5. The InfoAg Conference - Connecting 4R Nutrient Stewardship and precision agriculture. By Dr. Steve Phillips

6. Fall nitrogen application - Is it right for your spring-planted crops? By Dr. Cliff Snyder

7. Winter canola nutrition. By Dr. Mike Stewart

• July: Sulphur, the long-neglected nutrient in oil palm cultivation
• August: Videos for best management practices in maize cultivation in Southeast Asia
• September: Transfer of fertilizer recommendations from commercial plantations to oil palm smallholders

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SEAP Information Services

The Southeast Asia Program office of IPNI has an intensive collection of papers, books, articles, newsletters, and slides categorized into a searchable information database. A list of the latest additions to our reference database is attached.