In East London, a shipping container is being used to grow green leafy vegetables with the hydroponic technique. This avoids the use of land and reduces the consumption of water and fertilizers. The solution could be used on a large scale, particularly due to the new climatic conditions and the Brexit agreements.
According to the United Nations, the combined effects of the health crisis, the measures taken by governments and the new global recession are likely to trigger a global food emergency. According to the agency, there is an urgent need to change the way food is produced to help curb hunger and develop environmentally sustainable supplies.
Ethiopia has stated that it intends to start filling the reservoir upstream of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance dam, in spite of there being no agreement yet with Egypt and Sudan. Egypt, which regards the massive hydroelectric barrier as an existential threat, has urged the United Nations Security Council to intervene in the dispute.
American startup BIOMILQ is artificially producing breast milk from laboratory-grown human breast epithelial cells. The company was funded by an investment fund co-founded by Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson and Mark Zuckerberg. The fund was set up to help prevent the negative effects of climate change caused by CO2 emissions.
The Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Environment has launched a project to combat the illegal wildlife trade and to reduce internal conflicts in Angola. The two new protected areas will serve to protect species such as black antelopes, gray parrots, chimpanzees, gorillas and elephants.
The new Food Outlook report published by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) warns that food markets will face many more months of uncertainty due to COVID-19, but that the agri-food sector is likely to show more resilience to the pandemic crisis than other sectors.