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TimesLIVE
5 days ago
- Politics
- TimesLIVE
Historic partnership forged against hunger
Mankind has no right to leave 733-million people to the scourge of hunger. In a world that annually produces almost 6-billion tonnes of food, this is inadmissible. In a world where military spending reached $2.4-trillion last year, this is unacceptable. Hunger and poverty do not result from shortages or natural phenomena; often they are outcomes of political decisions that perpetuate the exclusion of a major portion of humanity. It is based on this understanding that, this week, Brazil received representatives of 42 African countries and nine international organisations for the second Brazil-Africa Dialogue on Food Security, Combating Hunger and Rural Development. This meeting was part of Africa Week in Brazil, preceding the state visit of Angolan President João Lourenço on May 23. Brazil wants to be a partner on the path towards sovereign insertion of the AU, which entails an agricultural development strategy that aims to achieve a 45% increase in food production on the continent by 2035 Brazil wants to be a partner on the path towards sovereign insertion of the AU, which entails an agricultural development strategy that aims to achieve a 45% increase in food production on the continent by 2035. Brazil has much to contribute in this regard. We have become a farming and food-production powerhouse, thanks to science, technology and decisive state-sponsored actions that have promoted agriculture. It is based on this experience that we wish to exchange knowledge, share and make partnerships. During their visit to Brazil, African representatives, among them many ministers of agriculture, got the opportunity to learn about successful Brazilian experiences. They learnt about the work of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) and co-operatives that supply initiatives such as the School Meals Programme, which reaches 40-million children. They saw how semi-arid areas of Brazil have been transformed into food-export hubs, through adaptation of water-scarcity technologies, adopting solutions that could be useful in certain regions of Africa. The dialogue that took place this week is part of a broader agenda. Last November, during the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, we launched the Global Alliance against Hunger and Poverty. In the six months since then, the alliance has gained more than 180 members, including 95 countries. Benin, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia were selected for accelerated implementation of Global-Alliance projects. These programmes will focus on areas such as family farming, school meals, access to water, income transfers and sustainable livestock. During this week we discussed ways to expand engagement of African countries through this initiative. I am convinced that cultural, economic and political affinities between Brazil and African nations are essential elements for building the more egalitarian world we all seek. Africa, after all, has always been a presence in the formation of Brazil. I have often said that Africa is part of Brazil and that Brazil is part of Africa. More than half of the 212-million Brazilians acknowledge African ancestry. We share the Portuguese language with six African countries. Africa's contribution to the ethnic and cultural diversity of Brazil is immeasurable. We owe our very way of being to Africa. My relationship with Africa runs deep. In Addis Ababa, last year, I completed my 21st visit to the continent. With each journey, my admiration for Africa and its peoples is reinforced. The dialogue that took place between Brazil and Africa is a landmark in the historical and strategic relationship that unites our peoples. Strengthening relations with the countries of Africa is a priority of my administration, reflecting historic ties, shared values, convergent interests and a commitment to co-operation based on solidarity, mutual respect, and the promotion of social inclusion and sustainable development.
Agriland
20-05-2025
- Science
- Agriland
World Food Prize awarded to Brazilian microbiologist for soil bacteria work
The World Food Prize for 2025 has been awarded to Brazilian microbiologist Dr. Mariangela Hungria, whose work has led to significant yield increases in the world's major crops. Dr. Hungria was recognised for the results of her 40-year career, which has been dedicated to isolating bacterial strains favourable to crop growth and yield. In addition to substantially reducing the need for chemical inputs, her work has now been augmented by being awarded the food industry's own Nobel Prize -the World Food Prize – and the sum of $500,000 that goes with it. The World Food Prize Foundation announced its decision to award the prize to Dr. Hungria earlier this month. She will be presented with the gong at a ceremony in Iowa later this year. Life's dedication Dr. Hungria was an early proponent of biological nitrogen fixation, specifically in soybean. Over her 40-year career with the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa), national soybean production increased from 15 million tonnes to an anticipated 173 million tonnes in 2025. The microbiologist's studies began with Rhizobia bacteria, the group of microbes that infects legume roots to provide nitrogen in the form of ammonia in exchange for nutrients from the plant. These bacteria can live independently in soil, but do not produce ammonia under natural conditions. In addition, their soil populations are relatively low. The trick is to ensure that, as a seed germinates, it doews so in an environment rich with rhizobia, which is where treating the seeds with an inoculant comes into play. Dr. Hungria found that applying this strain to soybean through an inoculant increases yields by up to 8% when compared to the use of synthetic fertilizer. Taking a step beyond Yet Dr. Hungria went further, for she was also the first to isolate a strain of the bacterium genus Azospirillum brasilense, a nitrogen-fixing bacterium that can boost the uptake of nitrogen and phytohormones, even at low oxygen levels. Dr Hungria is the recipient of many awards and honours in Brazil and elsewhere Her research demonstrated that combining and applying both A. brasilense and strains of rhizobia could double the yield increase in common beans and soybeans . Today, it is estimated that more than 15 million hectares of soybean are treated with a combined dose of these two microbe groups annually in Brazil, helping to make it the world's largest exporter of the crop. Critics will point out that this growth is as much to do with deforestation. While Dr. Hungria is sympathetic to this view, she notes that by increasing the yield ofcrops, existing land pressure on forests could be much reduced. What may be of further interest to Irish farmers is that is usually found in association with grass worldwide. Dr. Hungria has turned her attention to the inoculation of pasture, which has shown an increase of biomass of up to 22%. Soybean has become a major part of Brazil's agricultural output. Image: Proterra Although the Azospirillum genus was first identified in the Netherlands in 1923, this particular species was not described until 1978 by Dr. Hungria's mentor, Johanna Dobereiner. Quite how the relationship between A. brasilense and crop roots operates is still the subject of debate amongst researchers, but its potential for reducing fertiliser use while maintaining yields in grass has been shown to be significant.
Straits Times
13-05-2025
- Science
- Straits Times
Brazilian researcher who helped country's grain boom wins World Food Prize
FILE PHOTO: A drone image shows a farm worker operating a combine harvester during the soybean harvest season in Brazil's southernmost state, on a farm in Lagoa dos Tres Cantos, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, April 1, 2025. REUTERS/Diego Vara./File Photo NEW YORK - Brazilian microbiologist Mariangela Hungria, whose research has helped farmers in the country sharply boost grain production, has been named the 2025 World Food Prize Laureate, the Iowa-based foundation organizing the prize said on Tuesday. Hungria has been a researcher for more than 40 years at Brazil's state-run agricultural center Embrapa, where she works on seeds and soil treatments that enable plants to source nutrients through soil bacteria, a particularly important development for soybean crops. Her work helped Brazil increase soybean production from around 15 million metric tons in the 1980s to more than 170 million tons today, making the country the world's largest producer and exporter of the commodity. "I was always interested in making viable the use of biological materials in commercial agriculture," Hungria told Reuters. Good soybean growth requires a lot of nitrogen for the plant, but relying on nitrogen-based chemical fertilizers was expensive for Brazilian farmers and meant the country was heavily dependent on imported fertilizers, she said. Hungria isolated strains of a soil bacteria named rhizobia and developed a way to inoculate it in the soybean seeds used in Brazil. The strains helped the soy plants extract more nitrogen from the soil, boosting their growth. The solution has since become widespread and is used in more than 40 million hectares of Brazil's roughly 48 million hectares of soy plantations. Hungria also developed other biological solutions, including using strains of Azospirillum brasilense bacteria to boost the size of roots on crops such as corn, allowing the plants to reach deeper for humidity or nutrients. The use of biological products in agriculture has grown quickly in recent years, as consumers increasingly demand food produced with fewer chemicals. The researcher will receive $500,000 for being named a Laureate. The World Food Prize was created by Norman E. Borlaug, an American agronomist who developed solutions to increase agricultural production. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
13-05-2025
- Science
- The Star
Brazilian researcher who helped country's grain boom wins World Food Prize
FILE PHOTO: A drone image shows a farm worker operating a combine harvester during the soybean harvest season in Brazil's southernmost state, on a farm in Lagoa dos Tres Cantos, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil, April 1, 2025. REUTERS/Diego Vara./File Photo NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brazilian microbiologist Mariangela Hungria, whose research has helped farmers in the country sharply boost grain production, has been named the 2025 World Food Prize Laureate, the Iowa-based foundation organizing the prize said on Tuesday. Hungria has been a researcher for more than 40 years at Brazil's state-run agricultural center Embrapa, where she works on seeds and soil treatments that enable plants to source nutrients through soil bacteria, a particularly important development for soybean crops. Her work helped Brazil increase soybean production from around 15 million metric tons in the 1980s to more than 170 million tons today, making the country the world's largest producer and exporter of the commodity. "I was always interested in making viable the use of biological materials in commercial agriculture," Hungria told Reuters. Good soybean growth requires a lot of nitrogen for the plant, but relying on nitrogen-based chemical fertilizers was expensive for Brazilian farmers and meant the country was heavily dependent on imported fertilizers, she said. Hungria isolated strains of a soil bacteria named rhizobia and developed a way to inoculate it in the soybean seeds used in Brazil. The strains helped the soy plants extract more nitrogen from the soil, boosting their growth. The solution has since become widespread and is used in more than 40 million hectares of Brazil's roughly 48 million hectares of soy plantations. Hungria also developed other biological solutions, including using strains of Azospirillum brasilense bacteria to boost the size of roots on crops such as corn, allowing the plants to reach deeper for humidity or nutrients. The use of biological products in agriculture has grown quickly in recent years, as consumers increasingly demand food produced with fewer chemicals. The researcher will receive $500,000 for being named a Laureate. The World Food Prize was created by Norman E. Borlaug, an American agronomist who developed solutions to increase agricultural production. (Reporting by Marcelo Teixeira in New York; Editing by Nia Williams)
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Brazilian researcher who helped country's grain boom wins World Food Prize
By Marcelo Teixeira NEW YORK (Reuters) - Brazilian microbiologist Mariangela Hungria, whose research has helped farmers in the country sharply boost grain production, has been named the 2025 World Food Prize Laureate, the Iowa-based foundation organizing the prize said on Tuesday. Hungria has been a researcher for more than 40 years at Brazil's state-run agricultural center Embrapa, where she works on seeds and soil treatments that enable plants to source nutrients through soil bacteria, a particularly important development for soybean crops. Her work helped Brazil increase soybean production from around 15 million metric tons in the 1980s to more than 170 million tons today, making the country the world's largest producer and exporter of the commodity. "I was always interested in making viable the use of biological materials in commercial agriculture," Hungria told Reuters. Good soybean growth requires a lot of nitrogen for the plant, but relying on nitrogen-based chemical fertilizers was expensive for Brazilian farmers and meant the country was heavily dependent on imported fertilizers, she said. Hungria isolated strains of a soil bacteria named rhizobia and developed a way to inoculate it in the soybean seeds used in Brazil. The strains helped the soy plants extract more nitrogen from the soil, boosting their growth. The solution has since become widespread and is used in more than 40 million hectares of Brazil's roughly 48 million hectares of soy plantations. Hungria also developed other biological solutions, including using strains of Azospirillum brasilense bacteria to boost the size of roots on crops such as corn, allowing the plants to reach deeper for humidity or nutrients. The use of biological products in agriculture has grown quickly in recent years, as consumers increasingly demand food produced with fewer chemicals. The researcher will receive $500,000 for being named a Laureate. The World Food Prize was created by Norman E. Borlaug, an American agronomist who developed solutions to increase agricultural production.
