Rising levels of CO2 could exacerbate malnutrition
New research suggests that rising levels of carbon dioxide will not only have a devastating effect on our climate but will lower the nutritional value of many staple crops, increasing deficiencies in iron and zinc.
Managing plant pathogens by enhancing ecosystem services
From the 8th-12th April experts met in Bellagio, Italy to develop a strategy to mitigate the effects emerging plant diseases are having on crops in sub-Saharan Africa. Among these experts were Plantwise staff. A major theme throughout the conference was ecosystem services and how agricultural biodiversity can enhance the provision of these services, creating resilient agro-ecosystems. Click on the…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (14 May 14)
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 the dagger nematode in citrus orchards in Morocco, the first report of Neofusicoccum mangiferae causing rachis necrosis and inflorescence blight of mango in Puerto Rico and new…
Invest in prevention: save money, save lives, save livelihoods [Video]
This video from the Food Chain Crisis Management Framework of FAO shows how investing in prevention of pests and diseases before they are present in a region can save money and livelihoods in the long term.
National Geographic Hackathon taps into CABI & Plantwise data
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0ImHk2YwZU&w=560&h=315] Check out this video to hear how CABI contributed to National Geographic’s Future of Food Hackathon in Washington DC last weekend. CABI’s Dr Martin Parr and Dr Timothy Holmes of the Plantwise knowledge bank describe the type of open access data from CABI which was offered to participants of the hackathon, and how these…
Update: Plant Health News (07 May 14)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including a new device that can identify plant pests, the estimated economic loss from Mexican mangoes damaged by Hurricane Manuel and a new study into the optimal production of sweet potato. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
Marginalised issues in food security: Oxford Food Security Forum 2014
A blog by Léna Durocher-Granger and Rachel Hill On 4th May we attended the Oxford Food Security Forum’s Annual Conference. The conference aimed to address some of the topics in food security research that have become excluded or marginalised.
Experimenting with Aquaponics farms in Nairobi
by Daniel Moore, danieljamesmoore.wordpress.com Some people say my business partner Jacquie and I are a little bit crazy. We are starting an aquaponics farming business in Nairobi, Kenya in the midst of poverty, pollution, power cuts, and corruption. We are doing this because we want to improve food security, job opportunities and create new business…
Factsheet of the month: May – Fruit Fly Control
Today, the European Union (EU) has imposed a ban on imports of Alphonso mango from India after authorities in Brussels found fruit flies infesting mango shipments earlier this year. This ban is likely to affect everyone in the supply chain – from growers to wholesalers to consumers. Fruit flies are a major pest of mango…