The U.S. suffered from drought last year and the current weather has made it too wet to plant so far this year. Meanwhile, China has been suffering from animal disease and oversupply in the pork market. But farm woes extend beyond the U.S.-Sino agricultural axis, and they are being accompanied by policy changes that impact the bottom line.Brazil: Low sugar prices and dropping oil prices have led to the government's decision to incentivize more ethanol production. Currently, ethanol production faces a tax of 12 centavos ($0.06) per liter. This tax is applied to a number of sectors and accounts for about 20 percent of total federal revenue; however, it could be reduced to zero as early as next month, and is likely to face overall reform by...
ZanzibarMnemba Marine Parksouthern cassowary Mnemba Marine Park is located 10 kilometres (6 mi) from Stone Town and forms part of the northeastern Unguja Island. A marine reserve and atoll, its shallow stretch of coral reef is in the shape of an oval. It is located between Matemwe and Nungwi, w...
A microlith is a small stone tool usually made of flint or chert and typically several centimeters in length and half a centimetre wide. They were made by humans from at least the Upper Paleolithic, across Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia. The microliths were used in spear points and arrowhea...
Kiwengwa/Pongwe Forest Reserve Kiwengwa/Pongwe Forest Reserve is located on the northeast coast of Unguja, 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the Town. The reserve is an important biodiversity spot in the coral rag zone. The forest reserve is rich both in faunal and floral species. The faunal species r...
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Illuminating the value of technical research
On behalf of a commodity producer organization, WPI evaluated the outputs from a project that featured a $5 million investment into technical research over multiple years. WPI’s team captured the results of this extensive effort and synthesized them for presentation to the organization’s governing board; among the findings uncovered and presented for the first time was the development of genomic traits proven, via rigorous testing, to provide crop yield advantages of 50 percent or more to U.S. farmers in times of drought. Capturing measurable results from long-term efforts can be challenging. Educating clients on the dynamics of success measurement when quantifiable results are not readily available requires deep client-consultant collaboration and an ability to consider both near- and long-term client aspirations with market/policy dynamics – attributes that WPI brings to every consulting engagement.