March 21, 2011 | Robert Puro

Husk Power Systems (HPS), a startup company based in India, has developed a renewable energy system, which uses the discarded husks of rice grains to generate electricity. When heated, rice husks release gas that can be harnessed to power generators. A small HPS processing plant can provide electricity to several hundred households. The husk power project is subsidized by the Indian government, which has set a goal of deriving 15 percent of the country’s energy from renewable sources by 2020. Read the full article: Indian Electricity Initiative Shines New Light on Farm Garbage.

According to an article by Henry Miller in the Guardian, the global prevalence of dysfunctional regulation related to biofuels policy and genetic engineering is the reason that the poorest people are going hungry. He discusses how private investment in R&D has been thwarted by subjective and unempirical international regulation barriers. Read the full article: How we engineered the food crisis.

Green economy investments, initiatives, and policies are making headway in developing countries and emerging economies according to the recently Green Economy Report from the UN Environmental Programme (UNEP). The report outlines success stories related to investment in and implementation of green initiatives designed to encourage economic growth in developing countries. A number of these green initiatives focus on sustainable and organic agriculture. Check out the full report: Green Economy Success Stories.

The US via USAID and Brazil via the Brazilian Cooperation Agency have joined together in agricultural collaboration to help Mozambique farmers. The collaboration will focus on instructing farmers in improved production, post-harvest handling and marketing methods. Farmers will learn how to use drip irrigation in place of traditional, but more water-intensive practice of furrow irrigating. Brazil’s Embrapa will introduce Brazilian varieties of seed to that have been adapted to grow in tropical climates. The assistance to Mozambique is part of the Feed the Future program developed by the US to help countries fight hunger. Read the full article: Mozambique: Brazil and U.S. join in cooperative development program.