Video - Food By the Numbers: Feeding our Hungry Planet

With the recent World Food Day event on October 16th, this video from National Geographic reviews the challenges and solutions to feeding the world. By 2050, the world's population will likely increase 35 percent. In this video National Geographic provides some answers to this crisis beyond simply growing more food.

Showing Support for Family Farmers and Sustainable Agriculture

Family farmers are extremely valuable yet they are under siege and need our support. World Food Day 2014 shines a spotlight on the world's 500 million family farmers. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) reports that based on data from 93 countries, family farmers account for an average of 80 percent of all holdings, and are the main producers of food that is consumed locally. Family farmers are also sustainable farmers. Sadly family farmers are disappearing at an alarming rate. Family farms that used to be an important source of rural jobs.

As explained in a foodtank article

"The world cannot do without the family farmer," says Amy McMillen, Partnerships and Outreach Coordinator for FAO. "It’s because of the family farmer that we eat a variety of healthy foods every day. And yet, family farmers still make up the majority of poor and hungry people in the world. We must do more to incentivize, celebrate and exponentially improve the lives of family farmers to ensure all people have access to fresh, healthy food."

Infographic - Biodiversity for Family Farming

World Food Day 2014: Assessing US Agricultural Risks and Focusing on Family Farms

October 16th is the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’ designated World Food Day. This event was first celebrated thirty three years ago. The theme for 2014 is Family Farming: “Feeding the world, caring for the earth”, drawing global attention to the importance of smallholder farmers. Family farms are key to improving food security and better management of natural resources. As explained by the CGIAR Consortium, "Family farming plays a significant role in reducing poverty and hunger, by providing the household and communities with nutrition rich food and livelihoods."

Event - Responsible Business Forum on Food and Agriculture 2014

The Responsible Business Forum on Food and Agriculture, will take place on July 14th & 15th, 2014, at the Shangri-La Hotel in Makati, Manila. Feeding a global population of 9 billion by 2050 will require transformational changes to our farming and agricultural systems, already under pressure from climate change and water scarcity. This year’s Responsible Business Forum on Food and Agriculture is being held in partnership with WWF.

Video - The Rebirth of Food Waste into Fuel in South Korea

In densely populated South Korea food waste is being reborn as methane. Through a process that reduces climate change causing greenhouse gases, the nation is developing new technologies that are transforming daily waste into energy.

Event - The Progressive Manufacturing Summit

The Progressive Manufacturing Summit will take place in May 28 - 30, 2014. This event engages Vice Presidents and Directors of Manufacturing, Operations, Engineering, Supply Chain, Logistics, Human Resources and Procurement for industrial facilities across the nation. They work with FMA to learn how to better achieve and surpass their strategic goals of operational efficiency, development and lean strategies within their supply chain and manufacturing processes. FMA Summits provide the platform for sharing best practices; through rich dialogue, thought leader presentations and establishing relationships between decision-makers with needs and industry leading solution providers.

Chinese Solar to Lead the World

According to a July 15 statement from the State Council, China will increase its installed solar capacity to 35 gigawatts (GWs) by 2015. The country plans to add 10 GWs of solar-power capacity annually over the next three years.

China is already the world’s biggest maker of solar panels, but it is suffering from oversupply. The expansion of domestic solar is designed to reduce the problem of oversupply that is plaguing the Chinese solar industry.

To achieve its ambitious goal China will help supply credit to profitable photovoltaic (PV) manufacturers, encourage overseas investment and offer tax breaks to solar companies that acquire others, merge or reorganize their operations. The government will also encourage partnerships between the makers of polysilicon (used to make solar panels) with chemical companies.

Video - Energy 2030

This video outlines the impact of doubling energy productivity by 2030, which is the goal of the Alliance Commission on National Energy Efficiency Policy.

How Governments can Show Support for Cleantech

Many want to see more government investment in clean technology. There are a lot of things governments can do to help advance cleantech. They can provide tax credits, craft policy mandates, impose standards, develop regulations and pass legislation. On the macroeconomic level, governments can also play an important role supporting education, developing markets and encouraging demand.

Cleantech subsidies were provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). The U.S. Production Tax Credit (PTC) provides a 2.2-cent per kilowatt-hour benefit for the first ten years of a renewable energy facility’s operation. It was born in 1992 and is set to expire at the end of 2012. The PTC for incremental hydro, wave, tidal, geothermal, MSW, and bioenergy was extended until the end of 2013.