Fighting the fiery little farmers
Contributed by Roger Day, CABI Ants farm bugs like people farm cows. So said Dr Ben Hoffmann of CSIRO, Australia, who led the Tuesday evening seminar at the 11th Session of the Commission for Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) on invasive ants. That’s why they’re a problem in agriculture. They protect and encourage other pests like mealy…
CPM11 kicks off at the FAO in Rome
Contributed by Melanie Bateman, CABI On Monday 04 April 2016, the 11th of session of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) kicked off in Rome. The meeting began with opening remarks from Mr. Daniel Gustafson, FAO Deputy Director General of Operations, and a hearty welcome to the new IPPC Secretary, Mr. Jingyuan Xia.
Delemont welcomes international students to crop course
Students from Africa, Asia and Central America were welcomed to Delémont, Switzerland last week to begin their Masters of Advanced Studies (MAS) in Integrated Crop Management (ICM). Jointly coordinated by CABI and the University of Neuchâtel, this course aims to address critical agricultural and environmental challenges by offering a unique higher education programme. The students…
How Gummy Stem Blight affects Christophene production in Trinidad
Contributed by Aldo Hanel and Naitram Ramnanan, CABI. The Northern Range region in Trinidad and Tobago is not only home to the most pristine and untouched areas of the country but it also provides the best agroecological environment for christophene (chayote) production in the country. Follow up from a sample brought to a plant clinic in…
Plantwise wins the OECD DAC Prize 2015
The CABI-led Plantwise programme this week won the OECD Development Assistance Committee’s Prize 2015 for innovation. The award recognises initiatives that take innovative approaches to international development, scaling up pilot projects and applying them more widely. Over the past five years, Plantwise has grown to reach over four million farmers in 34 countries, helping them to lose less and feed more.…
Plantwise shortlisted for OECD DAC Prize
The CABI-led Plantwise programme has been named as a finalist for the OECD DAC Prize 2015. This award recognises organisations taking innovative approaches beyond the pilot phase to wider application. The OECD Development Assistance Committee’s objective is to “acknowledge development actors who take this step: from supporting innovation, to using it systematically and strategically to address development challenges by taking…
Farmer Health: A Case Against Pesticides
Guest blog by Julie Potyraj; read her previous post on community health here For most of us, the point of choosing sustainably grown foods is to protect our own health and to minimize environmental damage. While these are important reasons for making better choices at the grocery store, what about the human side and the health of those…
How Data from Plant Clinics is reducing crop losses in the developing world
Excerpt from the ODBMS blog, published 10 February 2016 When you feel unwell, you visit your doctor in his or her clinic, your symptoms are discussed and a diagnosis is made. Often you will be given a prescription, or simply advised on lifestyle changes to improve your health and well-being. If you are lucky, this…
Agricultural innovation framework agreed in Rwanda
Contributed by Rachel Winks, CABI. The partner organisations of the Tropical Agriculture Platform (TAP) met in Kigali, Rwanda, on 19-21 January to agree a new concept for agricultural innovation: the common framework on capacity development for agricultural innovation systems. With growing global population and increased food demand, agricultural innovation can help improve food security, increase…
Food Security: Where Environmental Health Meets Community Health
Guest blog by Julie Potyraj If the health of a person depends on the status of their body – genetics, eating habits, age – then environmental health encompasses everything outside of the body. Improving air, soil and water quality, maintaining safe infrastructure, preventing exposure to hazardous substances, and promoting healthy homes and communities are all focuses…