The Lubin Files

Is biodiversity important to you?

The BBC recently published an article discussing the accuracy of estimating extinction of species on the planet.  The article examines a currently used model for estimating rates of extinction and some scientists do not believe the model is accurate.  Too many variables come into play to really determine how fast species are disappearing from our planet.  We also do not know exactly how many species exist on the planet. There is consensus that we seem to care more about "charasmatic species" rather than focussing our attention on the microorganisms and smaller species that may be disappearing each day.  Learn more by reading the article here.

Looking for funding?

Have a look at the Pivot database (sponsored by Proquest).

Pivot is a tool for Research Administrators, Research Development Professionals, and their institutions to help them to identify research opportunities, funding, and people.

The library has a trial subscription to Pivot that lasts until 7 July, 2012.  It's accessible from any computer in HQ. 

We'd like to know what you think about it.  If you like this database and think we should keep it (or not) feel free to send us an email at: fao-library-reference@fao.org

 

FAO publication - Combating Micronutrient Deficiencies: Food-based Approaches

FAO and CAB International have recently published the following book:

Combating Micronutrient Deficiencies: Food-based Approaches

Here is a brief summary:
Micronutrient deficiencies affect more than two billion people in the world today. With long-ranging effects on health, learning ability and productivity they contribute to the vicious cycle of malnutrition, underdevelopment and poverty. Food-based approaches, which include food production, dietary diversification and food fortification, are sustainable strategies for improving the micronutrient status of populations and raising levels of nutrition. Combating Micronutrient Deficiencies: Food-based Approaches focuses on practical, sustainable actions for overcoming micronutrient deficiencies through increased availability, access to and consumption of adequate quantities and appropriate varieties of safe, good quality food.

Click here to access this publication online.

New FAO publication: “The Impact of Climate Change and Bioenergy on Nutrition”

The recent FAO/Springer publication “The Impact of Climate Change and Bioenergy on Nutrition” examines the effects of climate change, bioenergy, and the economic crises of 2007-2010 on food and nutrition security. It shows how climate changes could affect food production through declines in crop yields, aquatic populations and forest productivity, proliferation of invasive insect and plant species and increases in desertification, soil salinization and water stress.

Similarly the pathways by which increased demands for biofuels can negatively affect food and nutrition security including by reducing physical availability and economic access to food and by increasing the risk of disease are described. Biofuel production may reduce women’s control of resources, which may in turn reduce the quality of household diets.

The book provides a unique collection of nutrition statistics, climate change projections, biofuel scenarios and food security information and offers explicit examples of adaptation and mitigation strategies for climate change and biofuel production within the agricultural sector.

Book review - Empires of Food: Feast, Famine, and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations - I

Following is a book review written by James Santigie Kanu, former official of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and currently Associate Editor of African Prospects Journal.

Empires of Food: Feast, Famine, And The Rise And Fall of Civilizations
by Evan D.G. Fraser and Andrew Rimas

This book is available in the library collection.

What has food meant to humanity throughout the ages? Will the “earth’s soil burn away into dust” because of adverse weather conditions due to climate change, and how will this affect food production? The authors persuade us that these questions were also paramount in the minds of our ancestors in the Euphrates five thousand years ago, as well as the ancient Mayan, Roman, Egyptian, and Greek farmers. Abundant harvests and regular food supplies to feed the human population has not been the norm throughout history. So what did our ancestors do to overcome the many challenges they faced in producing enough food for their growing urban cities?

Evan D.G. Fraser, an adjunct professor of Geography at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, and Andrew Rimas, a journalist and the managing editor at the Improper Bostonian magazine, have produced in eloquent prose a well written book which sheds light on the role food has played in the rise and fall of ancient food empires in places such as Mesopotamia and imperial Rome. The book gives a vivid account of the development of agriculture in Uruk, the first city created by humankind on the once-thriving Fertile Crescent in the Middle East. The authors have also offered the reader an interesting account of our modern breadbaskets and rice bowls in China and the United States. The book is about how food, economics, and agriculture were intertwined to form the foundation of cities, the development of the arts, culture, science, religion and government, all of which are indispensable for a thriving civilization...

Read the rest of this book review here.

Retrospective on 45 years of fisheries research -- John Caddy, former FAO staff member

Dr. John Caddy, former chief of FAO's Marine Resources Service, has compiled a blog of reflections on his 45 year career as a fisheries scientist-- providing interesting insight into the history of fisheries research from the late 60's until the present.

World Water Day, how much do you know about the world's water supply?

CNN posted a quiz for World Water Day asking how much you know about world water security.  Take the quiz and learn a little more about water security here:

World Water Day Quiz

Follow-up on Artificial Meat.

In an earlier blog post, the possibility of growing meat in petri dishes was presented as a way to provide a desired food product while avoiding the environmental damages of large scale animal husbandry.  Now the Economist takes up the subject as well.  At the moment it is expensive and not realistic to provide meat grown from stem cells, but is this a realistic option for the future? See the article here.

New easier access to full-text articles provided by the library.

Check out the library's new URL link resolver, which allows you to click directly on links to available full text of journal articles from databases like Scopus or CAB Abstracts. The icon has been rebranded to say "Check for full text" as seen here: http://bit.ly/A2FVOg . This service enables David Lubin Memorial Library(DLML) to deliver easy access to full text in any number of locations. It is a friendly and intuitive interface with language options and provides custom links to ILL forms, web resources and direct export to citation management tools as well as 1-click to article service that bypasses the results screen. The new link resolver and E-Journal Portal on the library's homepage make it easier and more efficient for FAO staff in HQ and in the Field offices to find full-text articles in the DLML collection.

World Bank Resources available online at FAO

The World Bank has many online services available to provide information on the work they are doing as well as from the publications they produce.  Please see the following list with links to these sources:

World Bank eLibrary via: http://elibrary.worldbank.org/
World Bank Open Data Portal: http://data.worldbank.org/      
eAtlas of Global Development website: http://www.app.collinsindicate.com/worldbankatlas-global/en
eAtlas of the Millennium Development Goals: http://www.app.collinsindicate.com/mdg/en
The Complete World Development Report Online: http://www.wdronline.worldbank.org/
Free World Bank Aps: http://publications.worldbank.org/index.php?main_page=page&id=16
Online eCommerce store (for books): http://publications.worldbank.org/