Behind the scenes of Plantwise plant clinics in Uganda

strawb
PhD student, Andrew Tock, of the Warwick Crop Centre, has spent three months monitoring Plantwise plant clinic success in Uganda as part of a BBSRC-funded Doctoral Training Partnership. During this time, he kept a research diary (video above), describing his experiences in Uganda and the day-to-day work of plant doctors in the field. To read…
Read Further

The 2014 Global Hunger Index and how Plantwise countries are faring

strawb
The 2014 Global Hunger Index, now available from the International Food Policy Research Institute, Welthungerhilfe, and Concern Worldwide, shows a steady decrease in hunger in most developing countries.
Read Further

Backstopping visit to Bangkok, Thailand

strawb
As the last part of our data management trip, Claire and I headed to Bangkok for the 11th and 12th of September. We joined a group of plant doctors and farmers at the plant clinic/rally in Nong Kung village, Suppaya district, Chainat province. We saw a demonstration on biocontrol, looked through pamphlets and information available to…
Read Further

Data management training in Phnom Penh, Cambodia – looking back on a successful trip!

strawb
In the first week of September, 2014, Claire Beverley and I went to Cambodia for three days to run data management training and a cluster meeting, along with our colleague Jeremy Ngim from the CABI Malaysia office. The presentations were given in English and translated into Khmer, which was a neat experience for all. We got…
Read Further

Elaborando recomendaciones sobre plagas en Costa Rica

strawb
English summary follows Costa Rica es uno de los Ăşltimos paĂ­ses que se agregĂł en la metodologĂ­a de Plantwise. Del 10 al 12 de setiembre 2014, se realizĂł en San JosĂ© un taller para la elaboraciĂłn de GuĂ­as de manejo de plagas que se llaman “Listas Verde y Amarilla”. Los participantes eran expertos en entomologĂ­a,…
Read Further

Update: Plant Health News (30 Jul 14)

strawb
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including the effects of typhoons in Taiwan and China, a new strategy for almond irrigation in California and a crackdown on fake seed sellers in Kenya. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
Read Further

Managing plant pathogens by enhancing ecosystem services

strawb
  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…
Read Further

Invest in prevention: save money, save lives, save livelihoods [Video]

strawb
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.
Read Further

Marginalised issues in food security: Oxford Food Security Forum 2014

strawb
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.
Read Further

Food security and Biofuels

strawb
A short extract of some of the main points raised during the course “Examining Issues around Global Food Security” by Dr Julie Flood from CABI at the Department of Continuing Education’s program of the University of Oxford on March 7th, 2014. The course aimed to highlight the issues of food security/insecurity, and particularly around growing…
Read Further