Agri. Education Pakistan

What is Deforestation? Deforestation involves the conversion of forested regions to non-forest land for the use of pastures for livestock, logging companies, industrial gain, urban use, or simply to become a wasteland. Starting around the mid-1800s, the destruction of forests on a worldwide basis experienced a significant increase. Acid rain attacked the forests in Europe and considerable stretches of land in Siberia were harvested after the fall of the Soviet Union. In recent years, we learn that Afghanistan no longer possesses more than 70% of its forests scattered about the country. Causes of Deforestation: 1. Agricultural Activities: As earlier mentioned in the overview, agricultural activities are one of the major factors affecting deforestation. Due to overgrowing demand for food products, the huge amount of trees are fell down to grow crops and for cattle grazing. 2. Logging: Apart from this, wood based industries like paper, matchsticks, furniture etc also need ...

Radnor Veterinary Hospital announced that the practice is now using digital radiography to take a pet’s dental x-rays. Digital dental x-rays allow veterinarians to view bone and tooth root changes that would otherwise not be visible with an oral exam. These x-rays will also assist in the diagnosis of tooth root abbesses, pulpits (tooth nerve inflammation), endodontic disease, and resorptive lesions. Digital x-rays are easier for veterinarians to administer than traditional x-rays and also safer for pets, say Wayne veterinarians Dr. Len Donato, Dr. Becky Ehrlich, Dr. Carla Germano, and Dr. Stephen Meister. Digital dental x-rays are making it easier for veterinarians to detect oral health problems, including common dental problems that would not otherwise visible through an oral exam alone. Wayne PA veterinarian Dr. Len Donato announced his veterinary hospital now offers these digital x-rays as part of a pet’s regular dental examination. Source:  globenewswire

Eight facts about mountain goats you should know, just click the given link! The Great Goats!

This may be simplistic, but when an insect is subjected to a battery of pesticides, doesn’t it make sense that their population might suffer? Since 2003 in North America and Europe the tragedy known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) has been wiping out bees. In Europe, the EPILOBEE project concludes that yearly colony mortality rates between 2012 and 2014 were up to 36 percent; in the U.S. data shows that annual colony losses reported by beekeepers reached up to 45 percent. As in, a lot of our bees are dying every year. Scientists have been unable to pin responsibility to a single source; there seems to be a number of factors thrown into the mix, but not the least of which is pesticide exposure. Yet even that is complicated. It’s not like there is just a pesticide or two as the culprit ... and the relationship between bees and pesticide is complex, say scientists. But now researchers from the National Veterinary Research Institute in Poland have developed a method for much mo...

New research shows that pet owners go to the doctor less frequently than their non-pet-owning peers, according to the Human-Animal Bond Research Initiative. The economic analysis, conducted by researchers at George Mason University, calculated more than $11 billion in savings in U.S. health care costs as a result of pet ownership. The biggest savings was calculated from the lower incidence of physician office visits by pet owners as compared to non-pet owners. In the study, 132.8 million pet owners in the United States visited a physician 0.6 fewer times than people without pets. With the average office visit costing $139, pet owners saved $11.37 billion in healthcare costs, according to the release. Dog walkers, in particular, got a special “shout out” from researchers. The more than 20 million people who walk their dog five or more times per week showed a lower incidence of obesity and a $419 million savings in related healthcare costs. Researchers said that more data was nec...

Plant some trees to save a town from flooding. The many regions in Pakistan are under the threat of flash floods. The report was published in the "Guardian" and now we are sharing it with you. Plant some trees to save a town from flooding... Source:  The Guardian

The Black Country long ago secured its place in the nation’s history as one of the catalysts of Britain’s industrial revolution. If it involved metal, the chances were that somewhere along the production line this sprawling, the soot-stained stretch of the West Midlands, boasting an abundance of canals, coal mines, forges, factories and warehouses, played a part in its creation. But while industrialization brought jobs, it carried a heavy price. For decades, life expectancy was noticeably shorter in the Black Country than in many other parts of the country and the region has found it hard to shake off a reputation for being an industrial backwater where few want to live. Some claim that its myriad smoking chimneys were the inspiration for Mordor, the foreboding, the volcanic region in JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Suffice to say that even the Black Country’s most passionate supporters are unlikely to mistake it for a garden city – one of the purpose-built, self-contained commu...

A couple has transformed 300 acres of denuded farmland in Karnataka into what is probably India's first private wildlife sanctuary. Read complete story here; Love for Nature

Dear Agrarians, We are happy to inform you that Punjab Public Service Commission Pakistan has announced new posts in Agriculture Department. Please, follow the given link. Good Luck! Agriculture Jobs - Punjab Public Service Commission Pakistan

This link is posted just to share the quality knowledge. Agri. Education Pakistan is not responsible in anyway. Best Adoptable Agriculture Business Ideas

By;    Brandon Willis, Risk Management Agency Administrator Farming is in my blood, and I’m proud of that. I grew up on my family’s sheep ranch in northern Utah and managed our raspberry farm before coming to USDA. For the past three years, as Administrator for the Department’s Risk Management Agency (RMA), I’ve sat across the table and listened to producers who, like myself back in Utah, couldn’t find an insurance product for their operation. Natural disasters and unexpected events make agriculture a risky business, so having a strong safety net is essential for today’s farmers and ranchers. Nobody knows that better than RMA. We’re proud of the safety net that RMA provides for America’s farmers and ranchers. A key component of that safety net is the public-private partnerships that enable us to deliver crop insurance, so it wasn’t surprising when I was asked to be on a panel discussing “The Future of Agricultural Credit and Insurance Provision Through Public-Pri...

An interesting FAO GLOBEFISH study, GLOBEFISH report: The role of women in the seafood industry was released last May. Women are essential contributors to the seafood industry, including primary activities, secondary industries and service related to fisheries and aquaculture. At the global scale, estimates illustrate that every one seafood worker out of two is a woman.   In many African coastal communities, the work of the fishermen is done when they return from fishing, but the women’s responsibilities for cleaning, processing, smoking and selling the fish at market begin as soon as the fish are landed While men continue to dominate capture fisheries – particularly offshore and industrial fishing women across all regions are often relegated to processing, local sale and support roles, including cleaning boats and bringing fish to market. These jobs are typically lower paid – in some cases unpaid – and less recognized for their contribution to the economy, employm...

Leafy, tree-lined streets aren't just good for property values; they may also be good for your health, according to a new report. After analyzing two sets of data from the city of Toronto, researchers report that adding just 10 trees to a single city block could improve how healthy a person feels as much as if they made an additional $10,000 a year or if they were seven years younger. The study in the journal Scientific Reports also found that residents of neighborhoods with higher tree density are less likely to have cardio-metabolic conditions like hypertension, obesity and diabetes. And it's not just that the well-to-do who live on tree-lined streets can afford a healthier lifestyle. The researchers controlled for demographic and socioeconomic factors and found that living near trees still had an effect on one's perception of health and overall health. "These effects are independent of how much money people make," said Marc Berman, director of the...

Drought, especially prolonged or severe drought, can be a major stress in forest ecosystems.  Drought can kill trees directly or indirectly through insect attack or wildfire. Both of which are more likely to occur during drought. Tree mortality impacts most of the ecosystem services provided by forests, including the amount of wood that grows, how much carbon is captured and stored, the health of critical wildlife habitat, water yield and quality, and even whether it’s safe to pursue recreational activities such as hiking or hunting. Fortunately, there are forest management practices that can help land owners and managers continue to supply the goods and services society needs, even when forests are affected by drought. These practices focus on actions that reduce stand density (the number of trees on an acre) and adjust species composition (the species of trees and other vegetation growing on a site). Fewer trees might not necessarily use less water than more trees, but ...

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Punjab Board of Investment and Trade (PBIT) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in order to promote investments in agriculture and horticulture sectors of the Punjab province. “Through this partnership both the sides will work together in promoting investment and creating jobs in livestock, dairy and horticulture sectors,” said USAID Provincial Director for Punjab Dr Miles Toder while speaking on the occasion. PBIT CEO Amena Cheema was also present on the occasion. Dr. Toder said that the combination of USAID and PBIT resources would help stimulate the business-enabling environment in the province to overcome investment and trade challenges. Through this MoU, the USAID-funded five-year-long $15 million Punjab Enabling Environment Project (PEEP) and PBIT would promote investment opportunities for joint ventures, advocate public-private partnerships emerging from agricultural initiatives, and hi...

Wheat farmers cautioned about rust disease

Agriculture scientists can improve cotton yield through the use of bio-technology in breeding programmes of cotton, said Dr Aslam Bhutti, Regulatory Scientist BASF America. Addressing a seminar on "Genetics Changes in Cotton and Needs of 21th Century" organized by Evyol and Central Cotton Research Institute (CCRI) jointly, here, he said that Pakistan could be brought in the list of top cotton producing countries by working on breeding programme. Bio-technology is vital to enhance yield and change financial condition of farming community. Describing different challenges being faced by cotton sector, Cotton Commissioner Dr Khalid Abdullah stressed the need for changing priorities to improve the produce. He also highlighted different measures being adopted by the government to enhance earning from cotton sector. Director CCRI Syed Sajid Shah also shared expertise and working of CCRI for promotion of the crop. President Evyol Muhammad Asif Majeed also informed about ...

Penguin swims 5,000 miles every year for the reunion with the man who saved his life. It’s the story of a South American Magellanic penguin who swims 5,000 miles each year to be reunited with the man who saved his life. Retired bricklayer and part-time fisherman Joao Pereira de Souza, 71, who lives in an island village just outside Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, found the tiny penguin, covered in oil and close to death, lying on rocks on his local beach in 2011. Joao cleaned the oil off the penguin’s feathers and fed him a daily diet of fish to build his strength. He named him Dindim. After a week, he tried to release the penguin back into the sea. But, the bird wouldn’t leave. ‘He stayed with me for 11 months and then, just after he changed his coat with new feathers, he disappeared,’ Joao recalls. And, just a few months later, Dindim was back. He spotted the fisherman on the beach one day and followed him home. For the past five years, Dindim has spent eight months of the year ...

A new degradable plastic film that is less than the width of a human hair is helping to regenerate native trees and establish high-value crops. Professor Peter Halley and QUT’s Emeritus Professor Graeme George with the award. The new technology, developed by a team in partnership with the Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) for Polymers, with The University of Queensland’s Professor Peter Halley as a co-project leader, won the Excellence in Innovation Award at the CRC Association gala dinner on 8th March. Professor Halley said the ultra-thin films were applied to the crop at seeding, trapping heat and moisture close to the ground to create a greenhouse effect. “As the plants grow, the plastic film breaks down in the sunlight, removing any environmental hazards,” Professor Halley said. “This is a great benefit to crop growers, as they will be able to plant earlier, improve the germination of their crops, use less water and potentially produce higher yields. “Licensed by Au...