Food security and Biofuels
A short extract of some of the main points raised during the course “Examining Issues around Global Food Security” by Dr Julie Flood from CABI at the Department of Continuing Education’s program of the University of Oxford on March 7th, 2014. The course aimed to highlight the issues of food security/insecurity, and particularly around growing…
Green Invasion: Destroying Livelihoods in Africa [Video]
Invasive weed species in East Africa are causing losses to crop yields and severely impacting livestock. This video from the CABI Invasives team gives the story from the communities whose livelihoods are directly impacted by invasive plants.
IPPC: Why is pest risk analysis important? [Video]
Experts in pest risk analysis from around the world give their views on why risk analysis is important for trade and protection of domestic agriculture. Video from the IPPC.
Pests of the forest are spreading
Much is covered in the news about deforestation by humans, but less is widely known about the damage done to forests by pests and diseases. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) produces an assessment of the world’s forest resources every five years. Their last report highlighted the effect that climate change will have on forests…
International Women’s Day 2014: Women in agriculture
I would like to acknowledge Abigail Rumsey, Claire Curry, Emily Palmer and Léna Durocher-Granger for their contributions to this blog post. For over a century countries globally have celebrated International Women’s Day as a day to reflect on the role of women in society. In honor of International Women’s Day 2014 we are giving a…
Crop diversification finds home for ‘orphan crops’
The term ‘orphan crops’ refers to plant species and varieties that of recent decades have been ignored by governments, seed companies and scientists due to their limited importance in global markets. Instead, only a few major staples have been of interest. From fruits and vegetables to grains and nuts, many orphan crops are highly nutritious,…
Direct2Farm reaches 4 million farmers in India
The Direct2Farm (D2F) project, run by CABI, provides mobile information services to farmers in India. Two D2F initiatives in India that use voice-based systems to communicate with farmers, mKisan and IKSL, have now cumulatively reached over 4 million farmers. The use of mobile technology allows extension messages to reach isolated communities that have few means…
Plantwise 2013 Highlights
As we move into the New Year and all that 2014 has to offer it seems like a good time to review some of the achievements of 2013. Here are a few of the Plantwise highlights of 2013!
Plant health system developing well in Zambia
Since the launch of Plantwise in Zambia last year, much progress has been made to build capacity within the national plant health system. In collaboration with the Zambia Agriculture Research Institute (ZARI), CABI staff have successfully trained crop officers and extension staff from the Department of Agriculture, ZARI, and Self Help Africa on ‘how to…
Tuta absoluta: combating the tomato leafminer [Video]
A recent IPM workshop in Ethiopia focussed on the tomato leafminer – a pest that causes devastation on tomato crops in Europe, Africa and South America. This video shows how the workshop attendees dedicated their time to finding out more about the pest, seeing it in the field, and working on recommendations for control. To…