This week a number of plant science developments are in the news including GM purple tomatoes and a series of protests held by scientists frustrated by the lack of progress for fortified ‘golden rice’.

B4FA Media Fellows have produced a series of fascinating articles, radio broadcasts and videos – please see below their reports on farming in Ghana, GM in Nigeria, cotton farming in Tanzania and Uganda’s world-class banana breeding.

Don’t forget to visit our web site - we have posted a new video interview with Prof. William Myers on collaborating with farmers on conventional, hybrid and GM crops in South Africa, which complements our recent video interview with journalist Sharon Schmickle on collaborating with African journalists.

Nigerian journalist and B4FA Media Fellow Akinwunmi Kole-Dawodu has also published a piece on our web site about his experience with the B4FA master class that was recently held in Nigeria. In his words, “my organisation really appreciated the training B4FA has offered me.”

Moreover, new essays continue to be published, including Prof. Diran Makinde’s essay on orphan crops in Africa and NEPAD’s work with a consortium of partners to ensure that essential food crops will continue to be available.

Lastly, all our ‘Insights’ essays are now available as audio - you can stream or download them. These brief & readable essays include a range of perspectives on plant science, food security, biotechnology and Africa, including perspectives Prof. Calestous Juma, Joe De Vries, Eric Danquah, Florence Wambugu and many more.

If you have any questions/comments about our ‘Week in Review’ or would like to share articles, please contact Molly Hurley-Depret at [email protected]

Biosciences and Plant Genetics

Ghana

MyJoyOnline, by B4FA Media Fellow Adelaide Arthur

VIDEO: Vegetable Farmers in Ketu South Complain of Tariff Charges
VIDEO: Butternut Squash now an alternative crop to Volta farmers
By B4FA Media Fellow Noah Nash

Urban Food Plus: Solves Urban Agric Problems in West Africa
Media Advocates for Sustainable Environment, by B4FA Media Fellow Npong Francis

Nigeria

Revisiting GM foods in Nigeria
Journalists in the laboratory
Daily Trust, by B4FA Media Mentor Alex Abutu

The deadly fungi called Aflatoxin
Gong News, by B4FA Media Fellow Akinwunmi Kole-Dawodu

AOCC selects 100 crops for sequencing
AfricaSTI, by B4FA Media Fellow Abdallah el-Kurebe

Tanzania

Teknolojiayakisasa, wakulima bado wa suasua (Modern technology, farmers still sluggish)
Changamoto, by B4FA Media Fellow Samson Kamalamo

TGT na mbinu ya mkulima mwezeshaji kukomboa kilimo cha pamba nchini (on Tanzania Gatsby Trust and improving cotton farming in Tanzania)

Saba 24, by B4FA Media Fellow Lydia Mapunda

Cotton experts dispel fears on de-linted seeds germination
East African Business Week, by B4FA Media Fellow Leonard Magomba

Tanzania sasa yagundua mbegu mpya ya mahindi (Tanzania now discovered new varieties of maize)
Mwananchi, by B4FA Media Fellow Leon Bahati

Researchers Breed Drought Resistant Rice Variety
AllAfrica.com, by B4FA Media Fellow Rose Mirondo

Mapinduzi ya Kilimo hayawezi kuletwa kwa mbegu za zamani (Agricultural revolution cannot be a success by using old seeds)
ChangaMoto Newspaper

Uganda

AUDIO: Uganda best in banana breeding; Transcript
UBC Radio Uganda, by B4FA Media Fellow Richard Katami Bwayo

AUDIO: Farmers in Busoga region urge their colleagues to stop growing sugarcane
Radio Sapientia, by B4FA Media Fellow Paschal Bagonza