Factsheet of the month: April – Wheat stem rust
Last week, the Borlaug Summit on Wheat for Food Security took place in Mexico, bringing together thought leaders, policymakers, and leading agricultural research-for-development organizations to discuss the role of wheat in the future of food security. Wheat is an extremely important crop that provides around 20% of the world’s calories but this staple crop is threatened…
Plantwise joins IPPC at CPM9 in Rome for side-event tonight
Delegates from around the world convene at FAO headquarters for CPM9, many of which will attend tonight’s side-event to hear of joint activities and how partners are using resources to work together in Sri Lanka, Uganda and Kenya.
Plantwise Factsheets App gets the attention of BBC radio [Video]
Plantwise and White October met up for an interview on BBC Radio Oxford’s Kat Orman show to talk about how the new Plantwise Factsheets Library app will help get good crop information out to local extension workers, helping them to help farmers.
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (02 Apr 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 records of plant parasitic nematodes on cassava cultivated in the Brazilian Amazon, the first record of dragon fruit anthracnose caused by Colletotrichum truncatum in China and a new threat to potato…
2013 Global Food Policy Report: Nutrition in the spotlight
Last month, the International Food Policy Research Institute released its 2013 Global Food Policy Report. This report is the third annual report in this series which aims to give an overview of the food policy developments that have affected food security that year. This includes a review of the key highlights of the previous 12…
Who benefits from Plantwise?
As part of our Monitoring and Evaluation within Plantwise, we are identifying indicators both to help us improve the way we operate and also increase accountability to our participants, partners, and donors. As a follow-up to our blog post on International Women’s Day, one of the ways we can improve our current work and set…
IPPC: Why is pest risk analysis important? [Video]
Experts in pest risk analysis from around the world give their views on why risk analysis is important for trade and protection of domestic agriculture. Video from the IPPC.
Plantwise on BBC Radio tomorrow
Tune in tomorrow at 3pm GMT to BBC Oxford Radio for an interview with Plantwise knowledge bank‘s Holly Wright talking about her experiences in Kenya piloting the new Plantwise Factsheet Library Mobile App. She will be joined by the app’s developer, White October Director Chris Jones.
Update: Plant Health News (26 Mar 14)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including research into the benefits of cover crops, the release of the 2013 Global Food Policy Report and the launch of the Plant Protection Code for India’s tea industry.
Pests of the forest are spreading
Much is covered in the news about deforestation by humans, but less is widely known about the damage done to forests by pests and diseases. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) produces an assessment of the world’s forest resources every five years. Their last report highlighted the effect that climate change will have on forests…