Plant Health is Key

Plant health is vital to feed our growing world. This week we share a short video that shares the importance of plant health and steps governments can take to ensure plant health. We encourage you to watch the linked video and utilize the discussion points below to guide conversations around the globe!

What Governments Can Do to Protect Plant Health

Discussion Points

• Why is plant health so important to our future?
• Six strategies were shared that governments can do to promote plant health. Of the six points shared which do you feel is the most important and why?
• One of the steps mentioned the IPPC. What is this an acronym for and what does this group do?
• Towards the end of the video it states that plant health is key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG's). Which SDG's can plant health help achieve and how? Link to SDG's

Locusts? There's an App for that!

A couple weeks ago we shared a piece on locusts swarming the horn of Africa and threatening major damage. This week we highlight an App that is addressing the problem. We encourage you to read the linked article below and utilize the discussion points provided to guide your conversations around the globe.

Farmers to Tackle Locust Swarms Armed with New App

Discussion Points

• Explain how this newly developed App is helping farmers battle locust swarms. 
• Can this same or similar technology be used to benefit other areas of agriculture and the world? Explain your thoughts.
• Apps are an everyday part of many people's lives. If you could create any App that would benefit agriculture share what the App would do, how it would benefit the agricultural world, and why it is needed. 

Farming Kenya Style

Julia Dieckman from Muscatine Community College and myself are exploring opportunities in Kenya. Check out the video below to see what we are up to in Kenya and for the challenge we have for you to discuss in coffee shops, classrooms, and communities around the globe.

Recap of challenge questions from video:

• If you were starting a demonstration farm in Kenya what is the first thing you would do and why?
• Do some research! What are innovative practices and techniques you could share at a demonstration farm in Kenya or a tropical agriculture setting?
• How might a demonstration farm look in your home area? What are the similarities and differences you might find when comparing to a demonstration farm in Kenya?

Coronavirus and Agriculture

The coronavirus news is everywhere from TV to social media. Several food and agriculture organizations are joining in and pledging their commitment to help others with the impact of the cornavirus. Linked below is an article highlighting this work and commitment. We encourage you to read the linked article and utilize the discussion points provided to guide conversations around the globe.

UN Food Agencies Offer Support to China Amid Coronavirus Outbreak

Discussion Points

• Why are food and agriculture agencies getting involved with the coronavirus assitance and investigation? What is the agriculture impact?
• There is so much going around about the cornavirus it is hard to decipher fact and fiction. How do we determine reliable sources, regarding the coronavirus, and give some examples of reliable sources to gather credible information. 
• Utilizing the reliable sources, discussed previously, further investigate and discuss with others facts discovered. Consider any further impacts on agriculture.