Agriculture (a term which encompasses farming) is the art, science or practice of producing food, feed, fiber and many other desired goods by the systematic raising of plants and animals. Agri is from Latin ager ("a field"), and culture is from Latin cultura, meaning "cultivation" in the strict sense of tillage of the soil. Thus a literal reading of the English word yields tillage of the soil of a field. In actual usage, Agriculture denotes a broad array of activities essential to food and material production, including all techniques for raising and processing livestock (see Animal husbandry) no less than those essential to crop planting and harvesting.

Continual improvement in agricultural methods from pre-history to the present has been the key factor in the extreme specialization of human activity during the historical epoch. Many of these specializations have nothing to do with food production, but when specialists such as scientists, inventors and mechanical and chemical engineers devote their efforts to the improvement of farming methods, resources and implements they too, along with those who work the fields and pens, are said to be "in agriculture".

42% (2002 estimate) of the world's population is employed in agriculture, making it by far the most common occupation, yet it accounts for only 4.4% (2005 estimate) of the Gross World Product (an aggregate of all Gross Domestic Products).^*

More on [ Agriculture ]

BBC News | Science & Environment | World Edition

US tourist set for space station
Sun, 12 Oct 2008 07:19:17 -0000
US space tourist Richard Garriott follows in the footsteps of his astronaut father as he blasts off into space.
Nature loss 'dwarfs bank crisis'
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:23:07 -0000
The global economy loses more money from deforestation than the current banking crisis, says an EU-commissioned report.
Nasa committed to Mars rover plan
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:26:23 -0000
Nasa pushes ahead with plans to launch its 2009 Mars mission, but acknowledges the need for extra funds to make it happen.

NYT > Environment

Encounter: A Green Revolution for Africa?
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:11:18 -0000
Rajiv Shah is helping the Gates Foundation donate hundreds of millions of dollars to improve agriculture on the continent. But is technological change enough?
Maritime Organization Seeks to Cut Air Pollution From Oceangoing Ships
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 06:37:42 -0000
The new rules would cut the sulfur content of the fuels ships use in controlled areas along coasts by 63 percent as of July 2010.
Check Point: 2 Endorsements of Nuclear Power, but Sharp Differences on Details
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:47:56 -0000
Both John McCain and Barack Obama endorse nuclear energy, although to differing degrees, as part of their strategy to wean the United States from its dependence on foreign oil.

ENN: Climate

Cutting air pollution in cities may raise global temps, says scientist
Cleaning air in Beijing and in other large cities suffering from pollution problems by limiting car and power-plant emissions may raise global temperatures instead of lowering them, a German scientist warns.
Carbon tax seen as best way to slow global warming
Climate taxes, not cap and trade markets alone, will lead to the vast technological changes the world's energy system needs to fight global warming, a top U.S. economist said on Thursday. Cap and trade has emerged as the dominant attempt to slow global warming. Global deals in permits to emit greenhouse gas emissions have hit nearly $65 billion a year.
Green alarm as EU ministers mull climate opt-outs
France, Germany and Austria called on Friday for an easing of EU climate ambitions to help industries facing an economic downturn, causing green groups to warn that the battle against climate change was in jeopardy.

L.A. Times - Environment

System acts as wildlife crossing guard
Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Colorado tries a new way of ensuring safe passage across a notorious highway that bisects an animal migration route. On a quiet sage- and pine-dotted stretch of highway in southwest Colorado, deer and elk wander into the paths of oncoming cars so often that they account for 70% of the crashes that occur there.
Plans for major overhaul of Whittier Narrows nature preserve stir passions
Sun, 12 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Foes say the proposed interpretive center is too big and would require destruction of too many trees. Backers see a way to introduce working-class families to nature. Even those who love the Whittier Narrows wildlife sanctuary concede that it suffers from a down-at-the-heels look. Invasive plants have elbowed out native species and, as one county official observed, the interpretive center resembles a Depression-era shack.
Army suspends relocation of Ft. Irwin tortoises
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The $8.7-million effort has stopped because coyotes have killed so many in their new desert location. The Army's National Training Center at Ft. Irwin on Friday suspended its effort to move California desert tortoises off prospective combat training grounds and onto nearby public lands because the animals are being hit hard by coyotes.

National Geographic News

PHOTOS: Hundreds of New Species Found off Tasmania
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0000
A "hairy" crab, spiky sea stars, and a bright red shrimp are among the 274 new species found during a research survey of Australia's deep ocean.
Shark "Virgin Birth" Confirmed
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0000
The discovery at a Virginia aquarium marks the second time scientists have used DNA testing to verify what would have been a "virgin birth"—if the pups hadn't died.
Pirates in Standoff Threaten Food Aid, Global Shipping
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0000
African pirates threatened Friday to blow up the arms-laden Ukrainian ship they've hijacked--the latest salvo in a crisis that's boosting shipping costs and cutting off aid to millions of Somalis.

USDA - Natural Resources

Forest Service Maps and General Guides.
Topographic maps, specialty maps and brochures, national trails, roadless areas.
Plants Database
Classification, characteristics, invasive and noxious plants, alternative crops, distribution maps, fact sheets.
National Water Management Center
Direct assistance, information, and technology on water-related issues for natural resources conservation.

The Economist: The environment

Paper usage: A greener office
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 10:21:06 -0000
How much paper does an American office worker generate?THE notion of the “paperless office” was first mooted in the 1960s, when it seemed that computers and hard disks would do away with the need to print out everything in triplicate. What actually happened was that global consumption of office paper more than doubled in the last two decades of the 20th century, as digital technology made printing cheaper and easier. Yet the prediction may be coming true at last. America's white-collar workers have been generating less paper since 2001, and that trend is likely to continue, according to InfoTrends, a consultancy. The explanation seems to be sociological: younger workers, who have grown up with electronic communication, feel less need to print documents than their older colleagues. ...
China’s water-diversion scheme: A shortage of capital flows
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:48:13 -0000
Going thirsty so Beijing can drinkTHE water level at Wangkuai Reservoir, one of the biggest in Hebei province, is close to an historic high—in a region gripped by drought. This has been achieved by hoarding the water. Local farmers say they have received none for two years. A hydroelectric plant by the huge dam is idle. Wangkuai is preparing for what officials call a “major political task”—channelling its water to Beijing, to help boost the city’s severely depleted supplies. On September 28th, after more than four years’ work on a 307km-long (191-mile) waterway costing more than $2 billion, Beijing began receiving its top-up. Two other large Hebei reservoirs, Gangnan and Huangbizhuang (see map), were the first to feed the new channel. Wangkuai is due to open its sluices in December, says a dam supervisor. Oddly for such a large and supposedly vital project, the launch was low key. Yet the channel’s inauguration was the most notable achievement so far of what, in the coming years, is intended to become a far more grandiose diversion scheme: bringing water from the Yangzi basin to the parched north, along channels stretching more than 1,000km. ...
Argentina: Fishy business
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 11:48:13 -0000
Patagonia’s troubled watersIT IS the conventional image of a grizzled gaucho lassoing cattle on the endless pampas that conjures up the notion of a still untamed frontier in Argentina. But if anywhere in the country resembles the wild west it is the waters off its long eastern shore, especially the windswept Patagonian coast, where fishermen prowl for squid, shrimp and hake. A combination of overfishing, weak regulation and belligerent unions has left the industry floundering, incidentally dealing a blow to Argentina’s decades-long effort to populate and develop its desolate southern steppes.The country’s biggest fishing fleet is based at Mar del Plata, in Buenos Aires province. Much of its workforce is employed informally, without legal contracts. The problems are of a different order at Puerto Madryn, the Patagonian home of the second-biggest commercial fishing fleet. Fishing businesses received subsidies in the 1980s and 1990s to set up there, as part of a government effort to develop Patagonia. These companies flourished after Argentina’s big devaluation of 2002, because they export all of their catch but most of their costs are in pesos. Catches were plump and so were profits. ...

Reuters: Environment

Exotic climate study sees refugees in Antarctica
Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:03:36 -0400
OSLO (Reuters) - Refugees are moving to Antarctica by 2030, the Olympics are held only in cyberspace and central Australia has been abandoned as too dry, according to exotic scenarios for climate change on Monday.
Warmer climate to dry up peatlands: study
Sun, 12 Oct 2008 13:03:51 -0400
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Warmer temperatures in the years ahead will dry up peatlands, release more carbon dioxide into the world's atmosphere and aggravate global warming, a study in Japan has found.
Environmentalists slam Bush "fox-in-henhouse" plan
Sun, 12 Oct 2008 08:42:52 -0400
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Bush administration plan to let U.S. agencies decide for themselves whether their actions put wildlife at risk is drawing fire from environmental groups, which say this is like letting a fox guard a henhouse.

NPR Topics: Environment

Videos Released Of Deepest Fish Ever Filmed
Sat, 11 Oct 2008 00:01:00 -0400
Scientists from Japan and Britain have released the first photos and videos of the liparid, or snail fish, the deepest-living fish ever filmed. Groups were found nearly five miles below the surface of the Pacific Ocean.
For Next President, An Array Of Science Challenges
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 13:09:00 -0400
According to a report issued by the Center for the Study of the President, the incoming president will need to confront a host of policy issues related to science and technology — including climate change, food and water scarcity, energy shortages and weapons of mass destruction.
Newly Discovered Ecosystem Of One Bacterium
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 12:49:00 -0400
Deep in a South African gold mine, three kilometers below the Earth's surface, scientists have discovered a tiny ecosystem in which there is only one organism.

UN News Centre - Environment, Shelter

Financial turmoil could usher in new ‘green' era, says top UN climate official
Fri, 10 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
The current global market crisis could provide an opportunity for the world financial system to reconstruct itself to promote "green" growth, the top United Nations climate change official said today in New York.
Do more, invest more in mitigating impact of natural disasters, Ban tells world
Thu, 09 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Much more needs to be done and much greater funding made available to mitigate the devastating toll of natural disasters in an age when climate change threatens to increase both their frequency and severity, according to a United Nations report released today.
Experts devise action plan to examine impact of climate change on health - UN
Wed, 08 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500
Experts at a meeting convened by the United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) today agreed on a plan of action to create guidelines on the impact of climate change on human health.

Environment

Challenges and Opportunities UNIDOs Cleaner Production Program
B-SPAN Washington D.C.—On July 22nd, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) hosted a roundtable on the United Nations Industrial Development Organizations (UNIDO) Cleaner Production (CP) program. The program and network aims at building capacity for CP in participating countries, providing a place for dialogue between industry and government. The program allows UNIDO to address the gap that exists between competitive industrial production and environmental concerns.
The Release of Environmental Sustainability An Evaluation of World Bank Group Support
B-SPAN Washington D.C. – On July 22nd, 2008, the World Bank presented a panel discussion to recognize the release of Environmental Sustainability An Evaluation of World Bank Group Support, written by John Redwood, Jouni Eerikainen, and Ethel Tarazona. Event Chair Vinod Thomas, Director General of the World Banks Independent Evaluation Group, opened the panel by explaining the importance of the report regarding the broader implications for both the Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) and Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA).
2. Global Tiger Conservation Initiative Symposium
B-SPAN On June 9 2008, the World Bank launched the Global Tiger Conservation Initiative with a thematic symposium held at the World Banks headquarters in Washington D.C. The event, entitled Tiger Conservation Moving Lessons Learnt Towards a Winning Strategy, brought together tiger conservation experts to discuss lessons in trade, governance and finance, as well as steps going forward in this important effort.

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