Plantwise launches in Ghana
Plantwise, a global initiative run by CABI, was launched in Accra, Ghana last week. The initiative involves establishing plant clinics, which farmers can attend to get advice on plant health from trained plant doctors. In addition to the knowledge they acquire through the training programmes, these plant doctors can make use of the Plantwise Knowledge…
From Beyonce to Lady Gaga- The Importance of Insect Taxonomy
Taxonomy is the system used to categorise species by defining groups of organisms on the basis of shared characteristics and giving names to those groups. To date, around 1 million insect species have been described, however it is thought that this only represents about 10% of the insect species living on Earth, meaning new species…
Update: Plant Health News (13 Mar 13)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including the development of diagnostics for Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD), a coffee pest spreading to other crops in East Africa and farmers testing wheat crops for climate change adaptation. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
Plant clinics in Uganda: First regional plant clinic awareness workshop held in Kabarole
This article is adapted from a post on the Rwenzori Information Centres Network blog. In a bid to create awareness about plant clinics in Uganda, Plantwise organized a one day sensitization workshop at Lesuiex Centre in Kabarole District about improving food security and the lives of smallholder farmers in Uganda. It was also aimed at…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (06 Mar 13)
We’ve selected a few of the latest new geographic, host and species records for plant pests and diseases from CAB Abstracts. Records this fortnight include the first report of Banana bunchy top virus of Musa spp. in Nigeria, the first record of the leafhopper genus Igerna in China and a new Pythium species that causes severe damping…
How Mobile Technology is Transforming Livestock Farming In Kenya
Farmers and vets across Africa are increasingly using mobile phones to issue alerts about potential pest and disease outbreaks. The recent introduction of mobile phones that use the open source Android operating system or the iPhone iOS operating system and include GPS and Google Maps have provided new opportunities for developing mobile phone applications, allowing communication…
Improving Food Security Using Agroforestry Schemes
Agroforestry is an integrated system of trees and shrubs and/or crops and livestock within a managed agriculture area and has potential in improving food security in developing countries by fully utilising land, improving crop yields, diversifying farmer income and improving environmental sustainability. Last month the United National Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) published an “Advancing Agroforestry…
Update: Plant Health News (27 Feb 13)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including an advance in biological control, tips to drain soil, making the land usable and a study to develop strategies against Bollworm resistance to Bt Cotton in China. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
Monitoring and Management of Desert Locusts in Africa
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has this month warned that Desert Locust (Schistocerca gregaria) swarms are invading cropping areas of northern Sudan. The swarms originated from winter breeding areas on the Red Sea coastal plains and subcoastal areas in northeast Sudan and southeast Egypt. The situation requires close monitoring as more swarms are…