World Crude Production Has Peaked - Pickens

Jasmin Melvin and Missy Ryan, PlanetArk 18 Jun 08;

WASHINGTON - World crude oil production has topped out at 85 million barrels per day even as demand keeps climbing, helping to drive a stunning surge in prices, billionaire oil investor T. Boone Pickens said on Tuesday.

"I do believe you have peaked out at 85 million barrels a day globally," Pickens, who heads BP Capital hedge fund with more than US$4 billion under management, said during testimony to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

The United States alone has been using "21 million barrels of the 85 million and producing about 7 of the 21, so if I could take just a minute on this point, the demand is about 86.4 million barrels a day, and when the demand is greater than the supply, the price has to go up until it kills demand," Pickens told lawmakers.

US crude futures CLc1> have risen by a third since the start of the year and more than six-fold since 2002 as surging demand from China and other developing nations outpaces new production.

Oil slipped on Tuesday, a day after touching a record high near US$140 a barrel, but remained above US$133 a barrel.

Pickens, who announced a US$2 billion investment in wind energy earlier this year, told lawmakers during a hearing on renewable electricity that he expected "the price of oil will go up further." Without alternatives, the cost of foreign oil will drain the United States of more resources, he said.

"In 10 years, we will have exported close to US$10 trillion out of the country if we continue on the same basis we're going now. It is the greatest transfer of wealth in the history of mankind," he said.

Pickens downplayed the role that speculative trading and institutional investors -- forces some see behind the high oil prices -- have had in the price trend.

Asked about the role of institutional investors, Pickens told reporters he does not "agree that that has anything to do with oil prices ... It's a global market. It doesn't have anything to do with traders on Wall Street or any place else."

He said increased oversight of oil markets by the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) represents "a waste of time."

On Monday, the chairman of the Senate Energy Committee, Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico, released new CFTC information he said made the case for greater federal regulation in crude oil markets.

Bingaman and others have introduced a spate of proposals to boost CFTC authority over trading of certain oil contracts.

(Reporting by Jasmin Melvin and Missy Ryan; Editing by David Gregorio)

Read more!

Japanese scientists create diesel-producing algae

Leo Lewis, Times Online 14 Jun 08;

Under the gleam of blinding lamps, engulfed by banks of angrily frothing flasks, Makoto Watanabe is plotting a slimy, lurid-green revolution. He has spent his life in search of a species of algae that efficiently “sweats” crude oil, and has finally found it.

Now, exploiting the previously unrecognised power of pondlife, Professor Watanabe dreams of transforming Japan from a voracious energy importer into an oil-exporting nation to rival any member of Opec.

The professor has given himself a decade to effect this seemingly implausible conversion: Japan’s export-led economics have always been shaped by their near 100 per cent dependence on foreign energy. In the present world economic climate, those economics are looking especially fragile.

“I believe I can change Japan within five years,” the Professor told The Times from his laboratory in Tsukuba University. “A couple of years after that, we start changing the world.”

The algae, he believes, will spearhead enormous changes to the way that energy is produced and to the explosive geopolitics that have developed around the global thirst for fossil fuels. They could also overturn the current debate on corn and sugar-based biofuels. It is madness, he says, for humanity to pursue sources of energy that compete with its own stomachs when there is a far purer source that does not sitting in a test tube in his laboratory.

Professor Watanabe’s vision arises from the extraordinary properties of the Botryococcus braunii algae: give the microscopic green strands enough light – and plenty of carbon dioxide – and they excrete oil. The tiny globules of oil that form on the surface of the algae can be easily harvested and then refined using the same “cracking” technologies with which the oil industry now converts crude into everything from jet fuel to plastics.

The Japanese Government has supplied him with hefty grants to work on ways of industrialising the algae cultures. The professor admits that there is much work to be done to bring the financial and environmental costs of creating algae oilfields down to reasonable levels: to meet Japan’s current oil needs would require an algae-filled paddyfield the size of Yorkshire.

But – in laboratory conditions at least – the powers of Botryococcus braunii are astonishing. A field of corn, when converted into biofuel ethanol, may produce about 0.2 tonnes of oil equivalent per hectare. Rapeseed may generate around 1.2 tonnes. Micro algae can theoretically produce between 50 and 140 tonnes using the same plot of land.

The discovery of Botryococcus braunii and its precious excretions has taken years. The oil-producing properties of Botryococcus algae have been known for decades, but the volume and quality varies between species.

There remain, however, substantial obstacles before cars and aircraft are all running on algae. Although field tests have proved that there is little technical difficulty in breeding or harvesting the algae, the sums do not add up. A prospective algae-breeding oil concern would either have to invest billions of dollars in expensive breeder tanks – at a cost of around three times what the oil would sell for on the international market over the lifetime of the tanks – or find an enormous expanse of well-irrigated land in a country where labour can be bought very cheaply. It is for this reason that Professor Watanabe believes the world’s first algae farms will be constructed in countries such as Indonesia or Vietnam.

Read more!

Best of our wild blogs: 17 Jun 08

A Climate Hero: The Early Years
about the long struggle to raise the issue from the Worldwatch Institute

African Fish-eagle catching fish
from Bird Ecology Study Group blog

Read more!

Where Kallang meets Chek Jawa

Straits Times Digital Life 17 Jun 08;

Visit Temasek Island in virtual world Second Life and you may find yourself surprised, reports TAN CHONG YAW

BE PREPARED to be slightly disoriented when you step onto this Temasek Island, ensconced in the hit virtual world of Second Life.

The arrival jetty leads to the visitor centre which is the familiar glass control tower of the old Kallang Aerodrome. To the left is a hill reminiscent of Fort Siloso bristling with guns - some of which are trained unintentionally at Elgin Bridge, which connects South Bridge Road with North Bridge Road.

Beyond the bridge are Chek Jawa-inspired mudflats. The tide laps at the prop roots of the mangrove trees while two egrets fly overhead, and horseshoe crabs, starfish and turtles basking in the sun.

But true-to-life representation was not the aim of Temasek, said its creator Kenneth Y T Lim, assistant professor at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University.

Neither was replicating Singapore in its entirety the mission of this geographer. Rather, the six months of labour - his 'national service', as Kenneth puts it - are his interpretation of what's important in this island in the sun.

'I want Temasek to showcase Singapore's culture, ecology and history,' says Kenneth, adding that it gives foreigners a 'taste of real life' here.

Temasek will roll out next Monday, coinciding with Second Life's fourth anniversary.

Digital Life took a sneak peek at the 65,536 sq m plot of land last Thursday to find more treasures afoot.

On the other side of the island, a mall sits atop a marina. At the far end are chalets. A truncated Singapore River winds through the island, complete with a tongkang. Extensive tunnels - like those at Labrador Park - run underground.

Take a guided tour in a submarine that also flies. Or, survey the island on your own in anything ranging from a hang glider to what looks like a wooden helicopter. But you can't ride in the classic Citroen DS parked near the jetty - that's Kenneth's private vehicle.

What's real is the weather: If it rains in Singapore, it will be raining on that virtual isle, too.

That, and the funding for the project: It comes from Kenneth's own pocket, though he declined to reveal figures.

There's also a question of lifespan: Lion City, a Singapore-themed island, which opened with a roar last year has since whimpered to a close.

But Kenneth is not in it for commercial gain: Other than being a self-appointed tourism ambassador, he sees value in Second Life as an educational tool.

He is not alone. The National University of Singapore has a virtual campus with Princeton University and the University of Edinburgh as its neighbours.

Also, if the six volunteer designers of the site are any indication of how well Temasek will thrive, Kenneth's reckoning - that it will go the distance - may be right.

Not a programmer himself, the man had to trawl Second Life for experts who shared his vision and would work for free. Over several months, the team comprising Limkopi Davis, Derekcsy Cortes, Lim Pikajuna, Lonewolf Switchblade, Sanspareil London and Felixx Shepherd was assembled.

The three Singaporeans, Malaysian, Briton and German did the intricate designs that would become Temasek. Interestingly, none of them have met face to face.

'I won't be able to recognise most of them if I walked past them on the street!'

Read more!

All-time high: 52m train rides in May

Leong Wee Keat, Today Online 17 Jun 08;

A COMBINATION of rising costs — fuel, parking and Electronic Road Pricing — has made senior sales executive Darrell Choo think twice about turning the ignition key in his car.

While he still drives to his office at Suntec City, the 30-year-old has turned to public transport, especially trains, when going out to meet clients. “My trips are usually short so I can still stand the crowded trains and buses,” said Mr Choo.

Rising costs for motorists is partly why rail ridership hit record levels for the second time in less than six months. SMRT, which operates the North-South and East-West lines, saw commuters making 41,964,448 train trips last month — a 0.08-per-cent increase from its previous all-time high in January.

SBS Transit, which runs the North-East line, saw some 10,540,700 passenger trips last month. It has seen ridership climb from a daily average of about 285,000 last April to over 340,000 last month.

Both operators say the hike can be attributed to many factors, such as a change in travel patterns, population growth, employment growth and the Government’s push for more people to take public transport. “The rise in petrol prices could also be a contributing factor as some motorists switch to public transport,” added SBS Transit spokeswoman Tammy Tan.

With more passengers, have train rides and loads become unbearable? SMRT says the addition of over 500 train trips last month on weekdays — just before and after the morning and evening peak hours, lunch hours and evenings — has been effective in reducing the average train load to “not more than 1,200 passengers”.

Regular train commuters that Today spoke to say the increased frequency would be more useful during the peaks themselves. They also suggested more train trips during weekends and holidays.

With taxi fares rising, store manager Liu Zheng Yi noticed that trains are “quite crowded” with families heading out at weekends. He said: “While we may not pay for the extra comfort, you also don’t want trains to be packed, and with kids crying loudly.”

Some relief could be in sight. From Saturday, commuters travelling on weekends can expect SMRT trains to arrive every five minutes. This means up to 106 more train trips on Saturdays and up to 65 more on Sundays, SMRT added.

Read more!

Singapore River's diesel bumboats go green

Channel NewsAsia 16 Jun 08;

SINGAPORE: An icon at the historically-important Singapore River has undergone a transformation.

The bumboats there have gone green! The last of the 10 diesel-powered bumboats were replaced with electric-powered vessels last weekend.

This is to ensure that the water quality will remain good, as the Marina Basin will be turned into a freshwater reservoir when the Marina Barrage is completed.

Bumboats have been plying the Singapore River for decades.

At first, they were used to ferry goods to warehouses and then over the past 20 years, they have been carrying people.

The smell and noise of the diesel engines have been part of the experience for the people taking the bumboats.

Ryden Fang, Singapore River Cruises & Leisure's director, said: "What people usually comment is: it's very noisy, the diesel's smelly. But now, I really miss the smell a lot... because we try to maintain as much flavour of the old boat as possible, we actually designed and built the new bumboats according to the old bumboats but in a bigger version."

At the succession ceremony, Ah Gu - a boatman for 30 years - handed over the kerosene navigation light from the old diesel bumboats to the new electric bumboats.

Then it was time for the diesel boats to make their final journey along the Singapore River. On board were 80 senior citizens from Chinatown Kreta Ayer Senior Activity Club.

The Singapore River Cruises & Leisure is willing to donate the old boats to corporations and institutions which are interested in showcasing the bumboats for heritage preservation and educational purposes. - CNA/ir

Read more!

Small community in Seoul tries to live at one with nature

Channel NewsAsia 17 Jun 08;

SEOUL: Some Koreans concerned about the environment are trying their best to live at one with nature.

Kim Soo Ji, a 12-year-old at Sung Mi San School, said being outside the classrooms and being able to see the things she learnt in textbooks are the fun parts of studying at her school, which was set up by local residents.

"I am now much more closer to nature. This garden on this roof top was made when I was in grade 4. Now that I am in grade 6, I see this garden as my friend. I really like it," she said.

In this small area in the northern part of Seoul, several mothers gathered in 1994 to bring up their children here - allowing them to learn more about nature and themselves.

Teacher Shin Hyang Chul said: "I hope that students could learn the diversity of biology from this class, diversity in the ecosystem. Our school doesn't use the word 'environment', instead... we use the word 'ecology'."

"We want to be more careful about the word 'environment' - which contains a human dominant concept about the nature. While students are getting to know about all kinds of life through this class, they can become a friend with nature," the teacher continued.

Setting up the school is only one of the many things Sung Mi San residents have done to make the area eco-friendly.

Using organic ingredients, food here is made by local residents.

Kim Hyun Joo, a resident, said: "Right now everyone is talking about mad cow disease. But we have been in this cooperative lifestyle for a long time now. Our children and our family are healthy because they eat these kinds of (organic, home-grown, home-made) food. And because we eat these (kinds of) food, we are also helping the environment and that is a great pride for us."

The residents are not stopping here. They have also started a car-sharing system; and instead of driving cars, cycling is being promoted.

Local residents in this community here practice traditional cooperative lifestyle - called Dooreh - educating their children together, buying food together, and even farming together. - CNA/ac

Read more!

Viable alternative fuel in pond scum

Gwynne Dyer, Straits Times 17 Jun 08;

'TODAY we witness a very great change for hydrocarbons,' said Mr Alexei Miller, head of Russian oil and gas giant Gazprom, last week.

'(The price of oil is already) very high, and we think it will reach US$250 (S$340) a barrel.'

Cue for legions of financial journalists to faint and writhe in coils at the news of impending economic Armageddon. So will we see some attempt to move away from dependence on oil now?

Mr Miller is the only CEO of a major oil company who is predicting US$250 a barrel oil within 18 months. The others remember what happened the last time the oil price peaked like this in the 1970s.

The big consuming countries responded by cutting back on oil use so drastically that the Opec cartel lost control of the price, which then bumped along below US$20 a barrel through the late 1980s and 1990s.

With the oil price in the high US$130s, we are already seeing a move away from the monster vehicles that became so popular in the US during the cheap oil years. But the 1970s-style of conservation is not going to bring oil prices down this time.

For every American or German switching to a car with lower fuel consumption, there is a Chinese or Indian first-time car buyer taking up the slack and keeping demand for oil high.

So if the car-driving masses are ever to escape from high fuel prices, they cannot rely on simply cutting demand through conservation. They need an alternative fuel.

But the bio-fuels that are now on offer - made from corn, sugar cane, sugar beets, oil palm or soya beans - simply cannot replace oil. There just aren't enough land and water resources to grow bio-fuels and food too.

It would take half the landmass of continental United States to grow enough grain to fuel America's cars and trucks. 'Second-generation' bio-fuels that depend on plants such as switchgrass and willow are better in terms of not competing with food because they grow quickly on waste ground, but they cannot provide the volume of fuel needed either.

So if we are going to go on driving cars, but cannot afford to fuel them from petroleum - and cannot afford to put all those greenhouse gas emissions in the air either - then what do we do instead?

This is where it gets interesting, because there are two alternative fuels that could theoretically be produced in the volumes required, and that would not add to the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

One is algae, grown in open ponds on marginal land, or in nutrient-rich sewage farms, or even in completely contained environments in the dark.

Other plants also contain oil, but the great virtue of algae - pond scum, in the vernacular - is that it can double its mass every two hours under ideal circumstances.

That means it can be harvested daily. The US Department of Energy estimates that to replace all the petroleum fuel in the country with home-grown algae fuel would require 40,000 sq km of land, which is less than one-seventh of the area devoted to growing corn in the US.

The oil that is produced can be burned as biodiesel, or further refined until it is almost the same as the fuel we put we put in our vehicles today. It needs no special distribution network, works in unmodified engines and is effectively carbon-neutral. And the biomass that is left after the oil has been extracted can either be fed to cattle or fermented to produce ethanol.

Fuel from algae is not yet ready for prime time, but there are now numerous start-up companies exploring rival ways of growing and processing it.

Oil majors such as Shell and Chevron are already jumping in as well. The main question is cost, but so long as oil stays above US$100 a barrel it's likely that some of these methods will prove competitive.

The other, more radical proposal is to transform carbon dioxide from being the problem to being part of the solution by combining it with hydrogen to make a synthetic octane fuel suitable for use in vehicles.

You get your CO2 from the exhaust gases of coal and gas-fired power plants or just extract it from the air directly - the first prototypes of machines for doing this are now being tested - and you obtain your hydrogen however you like.

Getting hydrogen requires energy, and is only carbon- neutral if the electricity used to split it out of water comes from a non-fossil fuel source such as solar, wind or nuclear. But combining the hydrogen with CO2 avoids the huge problems of storage, refrigeration and high pressures connected with using pure hydrogen as a fuel: The synthetic octane can be handled and burned just like conventional fuel.

One or both of these approaches is going to start challenging conventional oil in the market within five to 10 years if the price of oil stays high. Assurances of supply and cost are the big concerns driving this process now, but the ultimate prize is a vehicle fuel that does not contribute to global warming.

Conventional oil can never offer that advantage, so in the long run it is in big trouble.

The writer is a London-based independent journalist.

Read more!

Rhino numbers in Africa 'highest for decades'

Paul Eccleston, The Telegraph 17 Jun 08;

The rhino is staging a comeback in Africa, a new survey has revealed. Numbers of both the black and white rhino are at their highest level for decades.

Figures from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) show there are now more than 21,000 African rhinos.

The biggest success story is the black rhino (Diceros bicornis), which increased its numbers from 3,730 in 2005 to 4,180 in 2007 although it remains Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List of species.

Numbers increased by about 450 animals with the discovery of new populations or boosted in other cases by the transplanting of animals to areas where they were previously scarce such as North Luangwa National Park, Zambia.

"This is fantastic news for the African black rhino," says Dr Richard Emslie, scientific officer of the IUCN SSC African Rhino Specialist Group.

"However, these magnificent creatures are not out of the woods yet. They are still classed as Critically Endangered and face increasing threats of poaching and civil unrest. There is no room for complacency."

Similarly the white rhino (Ceratotherium simum) also boosted its numbers from 14,540 in 2005 to 17,480 in 2007.

It is listed as Near Threatened on the Red List but one of its two subspecies, the Northern white rhino, is listed as Critically Endangered and may already be extinct.

Poaching for its prized horn restricted it in the wild to Garamba National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo where numbers fell from 30 in April 2003 to only four confirmed animals by August 2006.

Dr Martin Brooks, chair of the IUCN SSC African Rhino Specialist Group, said: "Worryingly, recent fieldwork has so far failed to find any presence of these four remaining rhinos.

"Unless animals are found during the intensive surveys that are planned under the direction of the African Parks Foundation, the subspecies may be doomed to extinction."

The majority of African black rhino can be found in just four countries - Zimbabwe, South Africa, Namibia and Kenya but with increasing numbers in other range states. All countries with breeding populations have recorded increases, except Zimbabwe, whose numbers are slightly down.

Poaching for its horn remains the biggest threat to the rhino and while it is under control in many countries it has been responsible for significant losses in both the Democratic Republic of Congo and Zimbabwe.

"Even though protection from poaching is critical, effective rhino conservation must also include intensive monitoring and biological management to ensure annual growth rates of at least 5 per cent per year so that surplus rhinos are made available to create new populations," said Dr Brooks.

Group: Northern white rhinos near extinction
Yahoo News 17 Jun 08;

The northern white rhino of central Africa is on the verge of being wiped out, a conservation group said Tuesday.

The four surviving specimens of this rare subspecies have not been seen since August 2006, said Martin Brooks of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, which compiles an annual list of the world's most endangered animals.

The rhinos, which lived in Congo's Garamba National Park, were the last remaining northern white rhinos in the wild.

Other rhino species have fared better in recent years, according to IUCN. The number of southern white rhinos in Africa increased to 17,480 last year from 14,540 in 2005. African black rhinos increased to 4,180 in last year from 3,730 in 2005.

"They are still classed as critically endangered and face increasing threats of poaching and civil unrest," said Richard Emslie, a rhino specialist working for IUCN. "There is no room for complacency."

Rhinos are hunted by poachers for their horns, which are prized as trophies and as ingredients in traditional medicine.

Read more!

Scrubbing Out Sea Life: exfoliating plastic beads in toiletries

Exfoliating plastic beads feel good—unless you live in the ocean.
Hillary Rosner, The Slate 16 Jun 08;

A smiling model glides, mermaidlike, through a lush underwater garden. Undulating ribbons of something resembling kelp rise from the sea floor, and tiny enchanting pearl-like beads bubble up though the aquamarine water. Polish your troubles away with Olay Body Wash Plus Spa Exfoliating Ribbons, the subject of this commercial, and you too might feel as if you're floating through a luxurious Atlantis.

The trouble is, the more you exfoliate, the less Edenic that underwater realm becomes for the creatures who live there. That's because the exfoliating ingredient in Olay's body wash, and in most similar big-brand products (such as Dove Gentle Exfoliating Foaming Facial Cleanser and Clean & Clear Daily Pore Cleanser), is actually made out of plastic: tiny particles of polyethylene that scrub the dirt from your face and then wash straight down the drain and into watersheds and, eventually, oceans.

It's well-known by now that increasing amounts of plastic are clogging the planet's seas, killing millions of sea creatures every year when they swallow it, choke on it, or get tangled in it and drown. Plastic doesn't biodegrade, meaning it doesn't break down into its initial components; every piece of plastic ever made is probably still around somewhere on the planet today. But sunlight disintegrates plastic into smaller pieces of plastic. These can wind up in waterways like rivers and creeks, flowing out to sea.

Read more!

UK tap water campaign challenges bottled water

Paul Eccleston, The Telegraph 16 Jun 08;

A campaign aimed at persuading consumers to reject bottled water in favour of tap water has been launched.

Despite having some of the highest quality tap water in the world, Britain still spends £1.5bn per year on designer label water.

The Tap campaign aims to break the habit by demonstrating that tap water is just as beneficial and tastes as good - if not better than - bottled.

It is taking on the big companies such as Evian, Highland Spring and Volvic with DIY Bottled Water.

Tap hopes to persuade people to hang on to their empty plastic bottle of water, rebrand it with a self-adhesive Tap label and then refill it at the kitchen or office sink. It wants the bottled reused in this way 10 times before it is recycled.

Later this year Tap, which describes itself as an ethical enterprise and a consumer campaign, will be issuing its own bottles for people to use.

It says 70 per cent of the money raised from bottles, labels and a Tap Challenge Pack - aimed at setting up blind tastings to prove tap water is as good as the more expensive alternatives - will be donated to help fund water projects in poorer countries.

Tap founder Joshua Blackburn said: "The bottled water industry is the triumph of marketing over common sense, it has become a symbol of our disposable culture at its dumbest.

"In countries such as Britain, where high quality water is literally on tap, it's time to bin the bottle. Most people don't even realise that until recently, bottled water was more expensive than petrol."

By persuading consumers to reject their bottle-buying habit they will be helping the environment and at the same time will act as a consumer champion by bringing about even higher quality tap water.

The DIY Bottled Water pack, containing five large bottle labels for litre -sized bottles, and five small labels for 400ml-sized bottles together with 20 tap water campaign stickers, will cost £6.

Tap's own reusable bottles will cost £8.50p for the larger size and £6 for the smaller bottle. All the Tap products are guaranteed to be carbon neutral.

Details of the products can be found at www.wewanttap.com.

Read more!

Africa Could Triple Food Output Quickly - UN

Hereward Holland, PlanetArk 17 Jun 08;

NAIROBI - To counter the global food crisis, Africa could triple or quadruple domestic production over two seasons through simple changes to agricultural practices, a United Nations food expert said on Monday.

In response to rising food prices, the continent must drop its reliance on food imports and learn to feed itself, said Mafa Chipeta, sub-regional coordinator for the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) in east Africa.

"Within two seasons we can change (dependence on imports)," he told Reuters on the sidelines of the launch of a regional FAO conference in Nairobi, Kenya. "We can boost production by three or four times by making simple changes."

Governments should reduce fertiliser prices and introduce quality, high-yield seed varieties, he said.

Chipeta also argued more investment in irrigation and dismissed the need for high-tech solutions such as genetically modified organisms.

He said he hoped the week-long conference would produce "actionable decisions" for Africa's agricultural sector which employs about two-thirds of the continent's workforce.

"Africa imports about US$25 billion worth of food and receives about a third of the world's food aid," he said. "The food crisis cannot be solved by the continuation of charity."

Opening the conference, Kenya's Agriculture Minister William Ruto said 46 percent of Africans were hungry.

"Agriculture-led development is fundamental to eradicating hunger, reducing poverty, generating economic growth and minimising the burden of food imports while opening the way to expansion of exports and employment opportunities," he said.

Mobido Traore, FAO assistant director general for Africa, said 20 years ago Africa was a net exporter of food.

However, whilst the urban population has expanded as people abandoned rural areas in search of employment, governments have not invested sufficiently in agricultural production and therefore become net food importers, he said. (For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://africa.reuters.com/) (Editing by Janet Lawrence)

Read more!