The future of small farms in a rapidly changing world
On 24-25 January 2017, CABI and the Syngenta foundation for sustainable agriculture hosted a conference at the Syngenta conference centre in Basel, Switzerland. The conference, entitled “The Future of Small Farms”, covered a broad range of topics aimed at assessing the state of agricultural policy in developing economies and emerging markets, and its influence on…
BioClay pesticide spray successful in recent trials
Australian researchers have developed a new nanotechnology pesticide spray called BioClay which has shown success in recent trials. Developed by the Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI) and the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), BioClay contains double stranded RNA which can be sprayed onto a crop. When the RNA contacts the…
Agriculture and food security — where are we headed in 2017?
By Lisa Cornish. Reblogged from DEVEX. As climate change impacts the global ability to grow food, both in quality and quantity, researchers in agriculture have become an important asset for establishing long-term food security as the world’s population continues to increase. In December, agriculture and food security researchers visited Canberra for high-level discussions on development…
Myanmar Plantwise Welcomes CABI Board Member
Contributed by Dr Sivapragasam Annamalai, CABI Paulus Verschuren, a CABI Board member, recently visited Myanmar, accompanied by CABI staff, associates and representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation. His motivation for the trip was “to get out and learn in the field what Plantwise means to farmers and other stakeholders”. The brief but busy…
Our favourite recipes – Caribbean
For the final post of our mini-series, “Our favourite recipes”, this Tomato Choka recipe has been kindly provided by Bob Ramnanan, CABI Country Coordinator for the Caribbean. Tomato Choka is a quick and easy meal vegetarian meal and can be served with sada roti (flatbread), rice, pasta or potato.
Our favourite recipes – Myanmar
As part of our new mini-series, “Our favourite recipes”, these two eggplant (aubergine) recipes have been kindly provided by Yee Yee Myint, from the Plant Protection Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation in Myanmar. She partners with us as a National Data Manager.
Vietnam Pepper Association to run plant clinics
Contributed by CABI-SEA team In collaboration with the Vietnam Pepper Association (VPA), Plantwise Vietnam organized a meeting with the various stakeholders of the Vietnamese pepper industry on 16 December 2016. The meeting was held at the Institute of Agricultural Science for Southern Vietnam (IAS). In attendance were a total of 34 participants from the various…
Chilo worm outbreak threatening crops in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is currently facing a devastating outbreak of Chilo worm, a species of moth, which is threatening the 2016/17 summer cropping season. The exact species is yet to be confirmed and is also being referred to as the fall army worm.
Latest Plantwise newsletter out now
Looking for something to read over the holidays? The last Plantwise newsletter of 2016 has just been published, featuring stories about the programme from around the world. This edition leads with an article on how Afghanistan’s Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah and the Minister of Agriculture, Assadullah Zameer, visited our stand at the Kabul International AgFair…
CABI argues for stronger links between rural advisory services and research, private sector and ICTs
At a meeting of the world’s top agricultural scientists in China, CABI’s Executive Director for Global Operations, Dr Ulrich Kuhlmann, stressed the key role rural advisory services play in lifting agricultural communities out of poverty. As he pointed out, “Some of the most relevant and appropriate information isn’t high tech or innovative, but that doesn’t…