Days are numbered for pests in Kenya’s irrigation schemes
Report by Peter Karanja and Abigail Rumsey Between May and July this year, 22 new plant clinics were established in Kenya. Nine of these clinics were launched by the Smallscale Horticulture Development Project (SHDP), which has been funded by the African Development Bank to help smallholder farmers increase the amount that they produce and earn…
Warming Climate Marches Pests and Pathogens Polewards
The distribution of plant pests and pathogens has been observed to be moving away from the equator towards the North and South poles and inhabit areas previously too cold for their existence. This threatens to increase the percentage of crops lost annually to pests and pathogens and subsequently raises major concerns over global food security. A…
IPPC and Plantwise Collaboration initiated with a Rome Secondment
As part of our recent efforts to improve collaboration on joint activities, CABI Plantwise is delighted to announce an agreement with the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) to initiate secondments between the two organizations, and thereby increase transparency and effectiveness. Katherine Cameron, Knowledge Bank Development Manager for Plantwise, has joined the IPPC secretariat at the FAO…
Record crop losses cost the United States $17.3B last year
Over $17 billion was spent in 2012 on farm insurance claims for destroyed crops in the U.S., up from an average of $4.1 billion per year from 2001 until 2011. This record-breaking jump in insurance pay-outs was in large part due to extreme weather conditions over the past growing season. Drought, heat and hot wind accounted…
Plantwise Photo Of The Month- September
This photo was taken in July when data management training and Module 4 training took part in Sri Lanka. Twenty-seven participants took part in the Module 4 training, in which methods for managing and monitoring clinic data collected at plant clinics in Sri Lanka were discussed.
Can you guess this plant clinic?
Take a close look at the photo below. Can you guess where in the world this plant clinic is located? It is one of hundreds of clinics, operated by national partners in local markets and meeting places, where farmers can find the plant health advice they need. Click ‘Read more’ for the location answer….
Makerere University brings Plantwise to class
Contributed with content from Joseph Mulema, CABI in Africa Since 2005, Plantwise has been supporting the establishment of plant clinics and knowledge bank access in Uganda. But recently, plans to expand clinic operations to each sub-county have led to increased demand for trained and knowledgeable plant doctors. To answer this call, and provide a promising…
Video Interview with Sierra Leone’s Minister of Agriculture
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzwblzjR2pA&w=560&h=315] Recently Melanie Bateman of CABI Switzerland and Dr IMO Shamie, Sierra Leone’s Director of Crops and Plantwise National Coordinator, had the unique opporunity to sit down for a meeting with Sierra Leone’s Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Food Security, Dr Joseph Sam Sesay. During the meeting, Dr Sesay told his story of being the first…
Plantwise supporting implementation of the International Code of Conduct on Pesticide Management
Contributed by Melanie Bateman, CABI Switzerland In the mid-1980s, in order to respond to problems associated with the sale and use of pesticides, the FAO Conference adopted the International Code of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides. This document has subsequently been revised several times in order to keep pace with changing circumstances.…