Italy: historical drought perishing rice farms

With greenhouses as far as the eye can see, the southern Spanish region of Andalusia has been nicknamed the "Sea of Plastic". Intensive farming is the norm and it helps feed the European market with fruit and vegetables all year long. It also produces an estimated 33,000 tonnes of plastic waste every year. Until two years ago, this waste was exported to countries such as China, Pakistan and Turkey. But now that these countries are refusing to take rubbish from rich countries, the "Sea of Plastic" is faced with the urgent challenge of recycling its own waste. Our correspondents report.

The Muslim community in India is often a target of misinformation spread by Hindu nationalists. The latest accusation is that Muslims are carrying out "rice jihad". We tell you more in this edition of Truth or Fake.

This is our fourth episode on the fall of the Soviet Union. Today we go to Estonia... the former Soviet republic which has undergone the fastest and most radical modernisation. The country is now a digital powerhouse where almost everything can be done from a smartphone. France 24's Sylvain Rousseau and Achraf Abid report from Tallinn.

Rice is a major priority crop in West Africa. Nearly 16 million tons are consumed annually. The region wants to become independent of rice imports, but many farmers lack the right tools to achieve that goal.

On the 23rd of January, President Muhammadu Buhari unveiled the rice pyramid in Abuja. The unveling came with a lot of criticisms with industry players saying that the pyramid doesn’t match up with the present reality. Weeks after the showcase, the rice pyramids are now disappearing.⁣ ⁣

Rights groups have said the suspected Russian bombing of chicken farms and water stations in Idlib, one of Syria's last rebel-held areas, is meant to push out displaced locals. It may have been a war crime.

Ukrainian farmers have become something of folk heroes after numerous videos emerged of them using their tractors to tow away Russian tanks and other military equipment, following Ukrainian forces' battlefield victories. But in reality, the war has plunged Ukrainian agriculture into a crisis with global implications, given the country's importance to global supplies of grain and sunflower oil.

Ukrainian farmers have become something of folk heroes after numerous videos emerged of them using their tractors to tow away Russian tanks and other military equipment, following Ukrainian forces' battlefield victories. But in reality, the war has plunged Ukrainian agriculture into a crisis with global implications, given the country's importance to global supplies of grain and sunflower oil.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine is being felt far and wide. The ravaged agricultural industry is causing shortages of staples such as wheat, sunflower oil, and corn. DW met a farmer struggling to pick up the pieces after Russian troops destroyed his livelihood.

Many farmers in the north are on the brink of financial ruin as the region suffers from the worst drought in 70 years. Italy's so-called "golden rice triangle" accounts for half of Europe's rice production. DW's Max Zander reports.

In Kenya, booming snail farming businesses are turning snails into a delicacy. They can even be appreciated with the local dish, sukumawiki. Some people can't even look at snails, while others are willing to try.

Senegal's domestic rice production may have soared in recent years but at her family-run restaurant in Dakar, Amy Gueye always tries to use imported rice.