I just listened to this very interesting webcast from David Molden of the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) on “growing enough food without enough water”. His view is that we need to think about water storage again and manage water demand as part of climate change mitigation measures. While he emphasises the need to craft local solutions, Molden identifies the following pathways:

 

·         Investment in rainfed agriculture

·         Investment in irrigation

·         Promotion of trade from highly productive to less productive regions

·         Management of demand by consuming and wasting less

 

The first edition of the Nestlé Prize in Creating Shared Value was a great success with more than 500 applications received from all over the world. Thank you to all participants for sending us their project applications! Applications received represented a broad range of approaches to problems of nutrition, water, or rural development. Examples of projects included innovative solutions for improving access to and management of water, for improving the lives of farmers and rural communities, or delivering high nutritional value to populations suffering from nutritional deficiencies. The Nestlé Prize Screening Committee selected the best applications from the pool of entries and the Nestlé Advisory Board on Creating Shared Value will choose the Nestlé Prize Laureate. Mark your calendar: the winner will be announced on 27 May, 2010! The Nestlé Prize in Creating Shared Value seeks to recognize successes in the areas of nutrition, water, and rural development. More information about the Prize can be found on http://www.nestle.com/CSV/CSVatNestle/CsvPrize/About.htm. Nestlé will commit to the Prize winner an investment of up to CHF 500,000 for a specified period of time, to assist in the development and scale-up of the innovation.

If you prepare your meals at home and are looking for a few easy, healthy cooking tips, then look no further. This message from the Clearly Health channel shows how making changes to your ingredients and preparation, like substituting evaporated milk for cream and using the oven rather than pan-frying, are effective ways to lower the amount of fat in your diet. Making incremental changes like these to our daily habits can help us all maintain a healthy diet – and it is vital to educate our children on healthy cooking and eating.

The Nomination Period for the Nestlé Prize in Creating Shared Value will close on October 31^st and we would welcome applications in the field of nutrition, so do not hesitate to nominate worthy projects or encourage self-nominations! Examples of nutrition entries could be found in the fields of food science and technology, fortification, nutrition education and healthy lifestyles programmes, or other initiatives aimed at fighting malnutrition. The nomination form is available here. The Nestlé Prize in Creating Shared Value seeks to encourage and reward innovative approaches to the problems of nutrition, water, or rural development. Information on how to participate can be found on http://www.nestle.com/CSV/CSVatNestle/CsvPrize/About.htm We have already received many great nominations from all over the world. Most projects nominated so far seek to improve access to and management of water or improve the lives of farmers and rural communities. Nestlé will commit to the Prize winner an investment of up to CHF 500,000 for a specified period of time, to assist in the development and scale-up of the innovation. You can also help us spread the word about the Nestlé Prize by talking about it on your blog, Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn or by sending the Nestlé Prize flyer (attached below) to your local charity, NGO or community group. Creating Shared Value Prize Brochure (PDF)

Food Network celebrity Alton Brown shares the story about how Alaskan’s world-class sea food is also a world-class example of sustainability.  For seafood enthusiasts, Brown gives great tips on what to look for on the labels.

The New York Times Science blog posted this update on the widespread threat to honeybee populations. Honeybees give us much more than their nectar, they are also a vital pollinator for dozens of different crops.  A threat to the honeybee population is a threat to delicious and nutritious produce like pears, raspberries, and strawberries.  The rapid decline in the honeybee population has many researchers, some supported by Nestlé, searching for an explanation for what has been dubbed ‘colony collapse disorder.’ The plants and animals of the environment are an important part of Nestlé’s supply chain, and a major consideration in all our sustainability practices.