A deal aimed to double agricultural production and end hunger in Africa has underestimated the impact climate change will have on the continent’s food production, a report has found. The African Union’s Malabo Declaration, adopted in 2014, fails to push for investments in Africa’s scientific capacity to combat climate threats, …
A handful of scientists, including Maria Andrade of Mozambique and Robert Mwanga of Uganda, have spent the last 15 years convincing Africans to swap white sweet potatoes for . . . orange sweet potatoes. . . .Those scientists are receiving the world’s most prestigious prize for agricultural research, the World …
I have been a farmer for 25 years and it is from this that I have gained experience to diversify to other farming enterprises. But when I realised that I could not continue with the local banana varieties, I resorted to the hybrid one—M9, which is resistant to pests, diseases …
More than 100 Nobel laureates have signed a letter urging Greenpeace to end its opposition to genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The letter asks Greenpeace to cease its efforts to block introduction of a genetically engineered strain of rice that supporters say could reduce Vitamin-A deficiencies causing blindness and death in …
Plant biotechnology is increasingly being used to complement traditional screening and breeding practices. Plants can be grown in test tubes under controlled laboratory conditions. Advances in biochemistry and genetics have also ushered in an understanding of the factors that influence plant growth. Together these developments have created the opportunity to …
“I had the opportunity to travel around a few African countries. These trips exposed me to countries like Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, South Africa, Zambia and Ghana. A common thread amongst the aforementioned nations is agriculture. Agriculture is at the very core of these countries and this got me thinking.” Read …
Chaos has been unleashed and we all will be poorer because of Brexit, including in Africa. Read …
Israeli scientists find the specific gene to block the ageing process in bananas, allowing them to stay fresh for longer. Watch …
Several African countries are creating an environment that allows women to pursue their passion for scientific research and development. These initiatives offer valuable insights into how more women can be drawn into science and work their way up the ladder to become leaders in science, technology, mathematics and engineering. This …
The genome of the corn plant – or maize, as it’s called almost everywhere except the US – “is a lot more exciting” than scientists have previously believed. So says the lead scientist in a new effort to analyze and annotate the depth of the plant’s genetic resources. Read …
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