NANJING， Oct. 16 (Xinhua) -- Meteorological disasters have been blamed for the destruction of at least 50 billion kilograms of grain in China annually， according to official statistics.


Climate change is having an increasing impact on food and agriculture， with each rising degree Celsius causing 10 percent of grain losses，according to figures released Sunday at a promotion activity in Nanjing for the 36th World Food Day.


China is one of the countries most affected by meteorological disasters， with droughts causing about 60 percent of all the losses in the country， according to officials at the activity.


Xu Xiaofeng， deputy head of China Meteorological Administration， said that immediate measures need to be taken to address the issue.


"We need to play down the effect of meteorological disasters in grain production， harvest， storage， processing， packaging， transportation and consumption，" Xu said.


China managed to diminish grain losses with a variety of measures in the past few years， including building new granaries and repairing old ones， as well as upgrading transportation equipment， said Xu Ming， deputy head of State Administration of Grain. Enditem




NAIROBI， Oct. 11 (Xinhua) -- There is need for African governments to enact robust policies that would stimulate investments in ecologically friendly farming practices， experts said on Tuesday.


Speaking at the second edition of Africa climate smart agriculture summit in Nairobi， the experts stated that a shift to farming systems that are resilient to weather shocks is an imperative to achieve food security and boost rural incomes in the continent.


Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture Willy Bett in his opening remarks underscored the potential of climate resilient agriculture to catalyze sustainable development in Africa.


"This continent must find innovative ways to feed the ever-growing population against a backdrop of climate induced stresses like droughts and floods. Investment in climate smart agriculture is an option we cannot downplay，" Bett said.


Senior policymakers， researchers and campaigners drawn from Sub-Saharan African countries attended the Nairobi forum to reactivate dialogue on climate smart agriculture.


Bett noted that adoption of climate resilient farming practices has gained traction in Africa thanks to renewed push by political and corporate leaders， researchers and grassroots campaigners.


"This continent has articulated clearly the critical role of climate smart agriculture to improve rural livelihoods. It guarantees communities food and nutrition security alongside jobs for youth and women，" said Bett.


Kenya is signatory to Malabo Declaration adopted by African Heads of State in 2014 to catalyze agricultural revolution in the continent without compromising the integrity of vital ecosystems.


Bett said Kenya has already domesticated global and continental instruments to facilitate adoption of eco-friendly farming practices.


"The Kenyan government is fully behind a continental pact that calls for adoption of climate smart agriculture by 25 million households before 2025，" Bett said.


The adoption of climate resilient farming systems in Africa has accelerated against a backdrop of political goodwill， enactment of vibrant policies and private sector investments.


Director of programs at NEPAD Agency， Estherine Fotabong said that establishment of strong institutions， technology adoption and quality research is key to boosting uptake of green farming in Africa.


"It is possible to scale up climate smart agriculture in Africa if governments invest in appropriate technologies， skills for smallholders， drought tolerant varieties and irrigation projects，" Fotabong said.


KABUL , Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- The violent incidents in the shape of suicide attack and conflict once again claimed the lives of people in the conflict-ridden Afghanistan on Sunday, officials said.


In a suicide car bomb which rocked the capital city Kabul Sunday morning the bomber was killed and two passersby injured.


It was a truck bomb , according to police.


"A truck packed with explosive object was detonated along ring road in Qasaba locality at 05:45 a.m. local time today and the explosion injured slightly two civilian passersby," the Kabul police said in a statement released here.


The attacker was killed on the spot and the truck was destroyed , the statement said, adding the explosive device was planted under the fruit crates.


The potential target of the attacker remained unknown. However , witnesses said the target might have been the nearby front gate of the military airport, situated in north edge of Hamid Karzai International Airport.


Meantime , the Taliban insurgent group fighting the government to regain power has claimed of responsibility for the attack.


Moreover, three police and two armed insurgents were killed as clash erupted in Qala-e-Zal district of Kunduz province with Kunduz city as its capital , 250 km north of Kabul on Sunday, district police chief Abdul Manan said.


"A number of armed Taliban militants stormed a checkpoint of local police in Zalamabad village , Qala-e-Zal district Sunday morning and police returned fire. The fire exchange lasted for a while during which three local police personnel and two Taliban insurgents had been killed," Manan told Xinhua.


Local police is community police deployed in rural areas to ensure security for the villagers.


Meantime , Zabihullah Mujahid who claims to speak for the Taliban outfit in contact with media confirmed the clash, insisting five local police personnel had been killed , a claim rebuffed by police office Manan as baseless.


MADRID, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- FC Barcelona produced a solid display to win 2-0 away to Alaves , while Real Madrid .