International

URBANA, Ill. – Conflict over resource extraction is rampant in sub-Saharan Africa, with small-scale miners violently pitted against multinational mining corporations – and the state security forces that protect them – for access. Attempts to solve the problem by imposing Western environmental systems and regulations aren’t working. But it’s not for the reasons most experts might suspect, according to a new Illinois study.

By invitation from the World Bank, Dr. Craig Gundersen, ACES Distinguished Professor in the department of agricultural and consumer economics in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES), recently presented on America’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) to Egyptian governmental officials.  

“Egypt is thinking about a new approach to food assistance, and they are interested in SNAP as a model,” Gundersen explained.  

When poor households in developing countries receive assistance in the form of livestock, they experience an infusion of assets that may bring them out of poverty in the short term. But do these effects last over time, changing the households’ likelihood of being poor in the future? 

URBANA, Ill. – Experts often recommend that developing countries focus on high-value export crops such as fruits and vegetables. However, the effect of such practices on conflict-affected countries is not clear, and there is a risk that higher export revenue may lead to increased insurgent violence, according to a University of Illinois study.

The research focused on banana production in the Philippines and showed a correlation between higher banana prices and insurgent activity in certain areas, says U of I agricultural economist Benjamin Crost, who is a co-author of the study.

URBANA, Ill. – Conservation organizations and foundations have invested billions to preserve natural resources and biodiversity across the globe, but the effectiveness of these investments over time is not always clear. A new multi-institutional project, led by a University of Illinois researcher and supported by a $550,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, will trace key outcomes of $655 million in the foundation’s global conservation investments made over 40 years.  

URBANA, Ill. – Topping the list of Australia’s major crops, wheat is grown on more than half the country’s cropland and is a key export commodity. With so much riding on wheat, accurate yield forecasting is necessary to predict regional and global food security and commodity markets. A new study published in Agricultural and Forest Meteorology shows machine-learning methods can accurately predict wheat yield for the country two months before the crop matures.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill – University of Illinois engineers travel to Haiti to encourage solar cooking in a new program for the Big Ten Network. “Engineering Fire” tracks a team of scientists as it develops and tests a solar-cooking device called a Sun Bucket. The 30-minute documentary video on BTN premiered May 12 at 7 p.m. CDT, immediately following the Illinois baseball game versus Purdue University.

Article submitted by Emely Lopez, doctoral student and research assistant, Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition

A recent ACES alumnus and former International Graduate Grant recipient recently returned to campus to share his experiences with aspiring food scientists, specifically how he led his team to create the world’s very first hemp coffee creamer.

Article submitted by Gregory French, ACES Advisor and Graduate Student Intern, who checked in with several ACES students who spent spring 2019 abroad.

For students who have taken their academics abroad and gained exposure to new cultures, the end of an academic year is an opportunity to reflect upon new, memorable experiences and think about where their semester started in comparison to where their journey has since led them.

The Chicago Council of Global Affairs hosted the annual Global Food Security Symposium in Washington, D.C. on March 20-21. The symposium provides a platform for discussion on the U.S. and the international agriculture community’s progress towards food security.