Increasing the demand for and supply of safer food
Saturday 16th October marks World Food Day – a day designed to raise awareness and action for those who suffer from hunger and for the need to ensure healthy diets for all. Around 805 million people go hungry every day. With 80% of food consumed in developing regions grown by small-scale farmers, finding a sustainable…
Apply now for online course on sustainable production practices
Applications for the first fully online Certificate of Advanced Studies (CAS) in Integrated Crop Management (ICM) are now open. CAS1 – Sustainable Production Practices is the first of three new online programmes developed and run by CABI and the University of Neuchâtel in Switzerland.
Watch the PlantwisePlus Launch Video
This week saw the digital launch of CABI’s new global programme – PlantwisePlus. The online event featured presentations from both CABI representatives as well as partner organisations, including FAO and the governments of Kenya and the Netherlands.
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (6 October 2021)
We’ve selected a few of the latest new geographic, host and species records for plant pests and diseases from CAB Abstracts. Records this month include a new species of Trionymus from Mexico and the first report of mirid bugs as a threat to bottle gourd in India.
Plant doctors: fighting crop pests through integrated pest management
The increase in devastating crop pests, such as the fall armyworm and tomato pinworm, has led to a growth in pesticide use among smallholder farmers. The lack of product knowledge and safety awareness means there is a widespread tendency not to adhere to safety precautions.
Plant doctors help in fight against crop threats in Jammu, India
The role Plantwise plant doctors play in helping smallholder farmers mitigate crop losses due to pests and diseases has been lauded by K.K. Sharma – the Director of Agricultural Production & Welfare Department in Jammu, India.
BioProtection Portal benefits showcased at BioProtection Day conference
CABI has showcased the benefits of the CABI BioProtection Portal during a special Bioprotection Day conference in Brazil held virtually in collaboration with Embrapa Soja the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation. The CABI BioProtection Portal is a free web-based tool that enables users to discover information about registered biocontrol and biopesticide products around the world and…
Hemp: a new crop challenged by old pathogens
One morning, my office phone rang. I picked up the phone and had a brief conversation with a hemp grower. She ran a small farm and had planted hemp for the first-time in one of her fields. With a good amount of investment, she had projected to harvest healthy flower buds at the end of…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (9 September 2021)
We’ve selected a few of the latest new geographic, host and species records for plant pests and diseases from CAB Abstracts. Records this month include a report of a new root-knot nematode parasitizing grape in Yunnan and a new species of Echidnodella from India.
How Insect Saliva is Helping Crops Protect Against Pest Damage
A new study has unlocked the hidden ways in which important cash crops such as cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) tackle localised pest invasion and damage using natural defence mechanisms. Insights such as these are key for the future protection of our global agricultural production in the light of increasing pest outbreaks and crop damage.