INTERNATIONAL NEWS
INCORPORATING COLD CHAIN tractors per 1 000 hectares of arable land , compared with just 0.4 in Ghana .
Moreover , some technologies are still in the prototype stages , while for others a limited enabling rural infrastructure – such as connectivity and electricity – hinders their dissemination , especially in low and middle-income countries .
It is also worth noting that certain technologies – such as large , motorised machinery – can have negative environmental impacts by contributing to monoculture and soil erosion . However , recent developments with smaller machinery are helping to overcome such problems .
POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS
The overarching principle behind the policy recommendations offered by the report centres around the idea of responsible technological change . This entails anticipating the impacts of the technologies on productivity , resilience and sustainability , while focusing on marginalised and vulnerable groups .
The key here is to create an enabling environment that requires a range of policy instruments to work together in a coherent way . These include legislation and regulation , infrastructure , institutional arrangements , education and training , research and development , in addition to support for private innovation processes .
Efforts to reduce the unequal spread of automation should comprise inclusive investments involving producers , manufacturers and service providers , with special attention to women and youth – in order to further develop technologies and tailor them to the needs of end users .
In addition , investments and other policy actions designed to promote responsible agricultural automation should be based on context-specific conditions , such as the status of connectivity , challenges related to knowledge and skills , adequacy of infrastructure and inequality in access . Even biophysical , topographic and climatic conditions play a role . For example , small machinery and even hand-held equipment can lead to substantial benefits for small-scale producers on hilly terrain .
Finally , the report addresses widespread concerns about the possible negative impacts of laboursaving technological change in terms of job displacement and unemployment . While it concludes that such fears are overblown , it acknowledges that agricultural automation can lead to unemployment in places where rural labour is abundant and wages low .
In such labour-abundant contexts , policymakers should avoid subsidising automation , but rather focus on creating an enabling environment for its adoption while providing social protection to least skilled workers , who are more likely to lose their jobs during the transition .
DEFINITIONS
Agricultural automation is defined in the report as the use of machinery and equipment in agricultural operations to improve their diagnosis , decision-making or performing , reducing the drudgery of agricultural work and / or improving the timeliness , and potentially the precision , of agricultural operations .
Agrifood systems encompass the entire range of actors and their interlinked value-adding activities , engaged in the primary production of food and non- food agricultural products , as well as in storage , aggregation , post-harvest handling , transportation , processing , distribution , marketing , disposal and consumption of all food products including those of non-agricultural origin . CLA
CIMCO to install NHL ’ s first CO 2 arena for Columbus Blue Jackets
CIMCO ’ s CO2 refrigeration system meets the facility ’ s needs for a future-proof solution that prioritises performance and reliability , ensuring peace of mind for its operators .
The Columbus Blue Jackets is the first National Hockey League ( NHL ) team to choose the natural refrigerant CO 2
( R744 ) for its arena refrigeration . CIMCO Refrigeration ( CIMCO ) will support the Blue Jackets in upgrading their outdated HFC-22 ( R22 ) system in 2023 , significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions and paving the way for sustainability within the league and throughout the industry .
CIMCO , Canada ' s largest industrial refrigeration contractor , has installed more than 100 CO 2 arena systems since 2012 and is confident that this is the best solution for the Ohio ( U . S .) -based NHL team ’ s home – Nationwide Arena . Initially , an HFO blend was considered but the CO 2 solution offered significant cost reductions and removed the risk of future refrigerant phase-downs associated with synthetic refrigerants .
“ We wanted to provide Nationwide with a long-term solution ,” explained Brad Wilkins , US Recreation Project Team Lead at CIMCO Refrigeration . “ With the current state of synthetic refrigerant blends , you cannot make long-term promises .”
“ After extensive research in a solution for our 22-year-old plant , we determined the smartest choice was a CO 2 solution that CIMCO proposed ,” explained Derek Smith , general manager at Nationwide Arena . “ Having a future-proof , efficient , sustainable refrigeration installation that will last for the next 30 years is very important to us . With ever-changing regulations in the industry , we were not interested in having to trouble ourselves with having to find another solution in the coming years . CO 2 has had a longstanding reputation in Europe for decades and we are excited to be the first NHL team to implement a
CO 2 plant partnering with CIMCO .” The Blue Jacket ’ s farm club , the Cleveland
Monsters , already uses a CO 2 refrigeration system
– with great success .
CO 2
OFFERS SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE
CO 2 stands out in terms of performance . Superior quality ice under any circumstance is crucial for NHL arenas , often leaving operators at the edge of their seats during large games with increased ( and unpredictable ) heat load demand . The CO 2 solution provides a very fast way to bring the ice temperature down to meet the performance requirements when it is needed . This particular system will also have full redundancy built in to ensure operators do not ever have to worry about their ice .
“ The NHL is all about high performance and this is a high-performance system that will give them the best ice quality for many years to come ,” said David Fauser , Director of Sales at CIMCO Refrigeration . “ We are confident that we will exceed expectations on this project .”
The Columbus Blue Jacket ’ s arena will be served by two 200 TR ( 703 kW ) packaged transcritical CO2 systems with full ( 100 %) redundancy . For the majority season , only one system is needed but both can be deployed as needed in warmer months .
The project commenced during May 2023 with practical completion in September 2023 . CLA
8 www . coldlinkafrica . co . za COLD LINK AFRICA • October 2023