"As the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak has shutdown many businesses, people are picking up new hobbies to keep themselves occupied whiling away the time at home. One diversion gaining popularity is gardening, and many are finding solace in cultivating a bountiful garden in their backyard. ON HOUSTONCHRONICLE.COM: Grocery delivery customers are having banana issues Wondering which vegetables and fruits are best to plant in this Texas climate? The Texas A&M Agrilife Extension lists some easy vegetables to grow during the spring and summer months: "

By Chris Sullivan "Washington state exporters have been getting crushed this year, whether it’s Boeing not delivering planes or our geoduck farmers not able to sell their products to Asian markets. So, how long will this last, and will closed ports and the lack of shipping options doom our farming industry? US-China trade war hits Washington farmers hard Washington’s farms generate around $7 billion of economic impact on the state. The industry is why Washington is always one of the top exporters in the country. Preexisting tariffs and now the coronavirus have been taking a big toll. We heard in March how geoduck farmers couldn’t get their products to Asia because the ports were closed. Our state’s cherry farmers and apple farmers could very well experience similar issues of their own.rs/"

"GRAND JUNCTION — Food suppliers in western Colorado said they are concerned about peach crops after a potentially devastating freeze struck Grand Valley orchards. National Weather Service meteorologist Kris Sanders reported a record low 19 degrees Monday in Grand Junction, two degrees below the previous record set in 1933 by an Arctic cold front, TheDaily Sentinel reported. The extent of the problem may not be known for a few days, but freeze damage to buds is likely when the temperature drops below 28 degrees. “Anything 28 and down, you’re getting beat up,” said Bruce Talbott, owner of Talbott Farms in Palisade. “I know we have an awful lot of damage. I would say there’s less than half-crop at this point." Other crops such as pears and cherries may also have been affected by the low temperatures, while apples and grapes may have been spared because they have not hit full bloom."

By Lee Miller, Special to The Stockton Record It is time to think about getting vegetables planted for delicious summer meals and for next winter, too, if you have enough to freeze or can. Many homeowners are reduced to small backyards so having a large garden may not be possible, but room for a few tomatoes, peppers, zucchini or eggplants are often doable ― provided there is 6-8 hours of sunshine. According to a national poll, 26 percent of all U.S. households have a vegetable garden, with tomato the most popular crop. Bell peppers rank a distant second. Amazingly, there are 7,500 varieties of tomatoes. There are red ones, yellow ones, green ones, black ones; little cherries and large two-pound slicers and everything in between. There are so many seeds and so little time to explore this great variety. Here is a bit of garden trivia: The tomato was classified by our Supreme Court as a vegetable in 1893 even though botanically it is a fruit. Tennessee, Arkansas, and Ohio have all rebelled and have declared the tomato their state fruit. I used to have a large garden area, which permitted me to experiment a lot with a variety of heirloom tomatoes and peppers to see which ones would do well and were tasty. I would save seeds from the heirlooms I liked for future plantings, and although I now have less room, I still like to grow a variety of vegetables. This year I am planting 18 varieties of tomatoes and perhaps 12 varieties of peppers and 4 eggplants. I have grown plants for the Linden Garden Club plant sale for several years (this year’s sale was canceled due to the coronavirus). One of the most popular tomatoes each year is “Sungold,” a hybrid cherry tomato that is the tomato candy of the garden. Some customers only want red tomatoes and some are more adventurous and willing to try something yellow with names like “Azoychka”or “Golden Jubilee,” or one that is bicolor, yellow and red, like “Kellogg’s Breakfast.”

"FASANO: Floriana Fanizza gazes desolately at her celery crop, lost to the coronavirus because it could not be harvested. Italian farmers are being brought to their knees by a six-week lockdown aimed at stopping a deadly epidemic in its tracks. They are also suffering a drought caused by the driest spring in more than half a century. Border blocks, restaurant closures and a lack of seasonal workers mean nearly four out of 10 businesses in the fruit and vegetable sector are struggling, according to Italy’s biggest agricultural union Coldiretti."

Sahil Sharma "India ranks at 102 among 117 economies as per the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2019. The socio-economic burden of malnutrition may get a lot heavier if we do not pay enough attention to this issue. The first quarter of 2020 has ended, and we still are busy fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. But that does not mean we can afford to stop working towards the ambitious POSHAN Abhiyaan goal of a malnutrition free India by 2022. One of the main factors which impacts nutrition is the lack of biodiversity in agriculture, which is blamed for homogeneous diets and limited access to food, leading to relentless malnutrition and hunger. We must therefore step up efforts to make agriculture more environmentally sustainable , and adapt various agricultural technologies which can result in positive, nutritional outcomes.However, this is not possible without adequate, appropriate resources to create more synergies in food technology, agriculture, biotechnology. This unification, particularly, in fostering Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs) for improving the status of food security and nutrition, could improve the current situation. Despite the concerns of various environmental bodies, GMOs using genetic engineering not only contribute to the food and nutrition benefits, but also boost agricultural production besides reducing a post-harvest loss. Crop breeding is one of the most direct methods of enhancing nutrition through enhanced agricultural processes. Synchronized efforts must also should be made to promote conservation practices such as crop diversification, zero soil tillage and drip or sprinkler irrigation, which could prove immensely beneficial. In fact, growing more crops that rely less on nitrogen actually helps quick acclimatization, and thus helps resolve both malnutrition as well as hunger."