Fighting the fiery little farmers
Contributed by Roger Day, CABI Ants farm bugs like people farm cows. So said Dr Ben Hoffmann of CSIRO, Australia, who led the Tuesday evening seminar at the 11th Session of the Commission for Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) on invasive ants. That’s why they’re a problem in agriculture. They protect and encourage other pests like mealy…
Update: Plant Health News (06 Apr 16)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including HLB infected insects identified in Colombia, a new millet variety introduced in Rwanda and a new video to teach farmers in Kenya about drought-tolerant maize. Click on the link to read more of the latest plant health news!
CPM11 kicks off at the FAO in Rome
Contributed by Melanie Bateman, CABI On Monday 04 April 2016, the 11th of session of the Commission on Phytosanitary Measures (CPM) kicked off in Rome. The meeting began with opening remarks from Mr. Daniel Gustafson, FAO Deputy Director General of Operations, and a hearty welcome to the new IPPC Secretary, Mr. Jingyuan Xia.
Capacitaciones para productores en idiomas nativos de Perú
Mediante los módulos de asistencia técnica (Clínica de plantas Plantwise), el Instituto de Innovación Agraria (INIA) capacitó a más de 30 productores, ganaderos y autoridades comunales de la provincia de Chucuito. La capacitación trató sobre el manejo integrado del gorgojo de los Andes, y la alimentación y cuidado del ganado entre otros. Es importante resaltar…
Tackling food security with urban agriculture
The world population is projected to increase by an additional one billion people by 2030 with Africa and Asia accounting for the greater share of this population growth. According to UN reports, more than half of the world’s population currently live in urban areas. By 2030, it is expected that more than 70 percent of the…
Delemont welcomes international students to crop course
Students from Africa, Asia and Central America were welcomed to Delémont, Switzerland last week to begin their Masters of Advanced Studies (MAS) in Integrated Crop Management (ICM). Jointly coordinated by CABI and the University of Neuchâtel, this course aims to address critical agricultural and environmental challenges by offering a unique higher education programme. The students…
Update: New Pest & Disease Records (23 Mar 16)
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 a new bamboo-feeding leafhopper genus from China, with description of one new species, the first report of Brachyplatys vahlii, an introduced bug from Asia, in the Western Hemisphere and new Bruchidius species reared…
Update: Plant Health News (16 Mar 16)
Here’s a taste of some of the latest stories about plant health, including the success of the M9 banana variety in Uganda, a study into the timeline of climate change effects on agriculture and a warning on the use of miticides in Almond IPM.
How Gummy Stem Blight affects Christophene production in Trinidad
Contributed by Aldo Hanel and Naitram Ramnanan, CABI. The Northern Range region in Trinidad and Tobago is not only home to the most pristine and untouched areas of the country but it also provides the best agroecological environment for christophene (chayote) production in the country. Follow up from a sample brought to a plant clinic in…
Plantwise wins the OECD DAC Prize 2015
The CABI-led Plantwise programme this week won the OECD Development Assistance Committee’s Prize 2015 for innovation. The award recognises initiatives that take innovative approaches to international development, scaling up pilot projects and applying them more widely. Over the past five years, Plantwise has grown to reach over four million farmers in 34 countries, helping them to lose less and feed more.…