Agriculture Chemicals News
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Fertiliser trees prove a hit in southern Africa
Hundreds of thousands of smallholder farmers in southern Africa are adopting fast-growing trees and shrubs to fertilise their fields naturally, for improved yields and incomes, according to a study. Scientists at the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), a non-profit research organisation in Kenya, analysed two decades-worth of efforts to bring 'fertiliser trees' to African farms and announced ...
By SciDev.Net
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Disaster relief seeds `should be more diverse`
African farmers who lose their seeds in floods and droughts could restore their crop biodiversity quicker by trading local seed varieties at markets and through informal social links than by receiving seeds from aid agencies, a study suggests. The genetic diversity of crops allows plant populations to adapt to changing environments and provides the raw materials for crop improvement programmes. ...
By SciDev.Net
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U.S. Supreme Court Denies Review of EPA Decision on Carbofuran Domestic Tolerances
The U.S. Supreme Court today denied a petition by FMC Corporation and three national grower groups for review of a lower appellate court ruling which had upheld the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) decision to deny an administrative hearing on the revocation of domestic tolerances for carbofuran. "We are greatly disappointed by the U.S. Supreme Court's decision not to review the lower ...
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`Push–pull` pest control to reach more African farmers
A farming technology that uses intercropping to repel insect pests from food crops has been given a new lease of life by a programme to expand its uptake. The 'push–pull' strategy intercrops cereals with a repellent plant bordered by an attractive trap plant. For example, maize can be intercropped with desmodium, which repels ('pushes') pests such as the maize stem borer away from the ...
By SciDev.Net
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African farmers need more relevant climate predictions
Seasonal climate predictions have been limited in their ability to meet the needs of rural farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, according to a study. Uncertain rainfall and climate affect 70 per cent of Sub-Saharan Africa's population, hampering efforts to promote agricultural production, improve food security and reduce poverty, according to a paper published in Experimental Agriculture this month (5 ...
By SciDev.Net
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Divine chocolate celebrates international women’s day by investing in women cocoa farmers
In celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8, Divine Chocolate, the only farmer-owned, Fair Trade chocolate brand, encourages chocolate lovers to use a $1 coupon to treat themselves to a bar of delicious Divine Chocolate. For every coupon redeemed, Divine will invest a dollar into Kuapa Kokoo’s Women’s Fund in support of small-scale cocoa farming communities in Ghana. ...
By 3BL Media
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Central Elevator, Inc., agrees to pay $12,480 penalty for failure to have proper authorization to repackage dupont herbicide
Central Elevator, Inc., an agrichemical firm in Lincoln County, Mo., has agreed to pay a $12,480 civil penalty for failing to have proper written authorization from E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Company, Inc., (DuPont) to repackage and sell DuPont’s Steadfast herbicide. According to an administrative consent agreement filed by EPA Region 7 in Kansas City, Kan., DuPont, headquartered in ...
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DuPont agrees to pay $15,600 civil penalty for failure to properly authorize Missouri Company to repackage herbicide (MO)
DuPont de Nemours and Company, Inc., (DuPont) has agreed to pay a $15,600 civil penalty for failing to have proper written authorization for a Missouri agrichemical company to repackage and sell DuPont’s Steadfast herbicide. According to an administrative consent agreement filed by EPA Region 7 in Kansas City, Kan., DuPont, headquartered in Wilmington, Del., had a contract repackaging and ...
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Diversifying crops `could green African agriculture`
The biodiversity of crop fields could be key to a greener revolution in Africa, where ecosystems are degrading and crop yields are stagnating, says a study conducted in Malawi. African farmers could halve their fertiliser use and still get the same yields, the study found, with less year-to-year variation in yields and with as much as 70 per cent more protein in grains — by simply rotating ...
By SciDev.Net
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Four degree rise `would scupper African farming`
A widespread farming catastrophe could hit Africa if global temperatures rose by four degrees Celsius or more, according to a study that calls for urgent planning for a much warmer future and investment in technology to avert disaster. In most of southern Africa the growing season could shrink by as much as a fifth, according to scientists at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) ...
By SciDev.Net
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Africa lays foundations for commercial GM crops
African nations should support proposed regional policy guidelines on GM technology, says an editorial in Nature. Under the new proposal from the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), a trade bloc of 19 African nations, the bloc would carry out science-based risk assessments on growing commercial GM crops in any of the bloc's countries. If COMESA finds the crop safe for the ...
By SciDev.Net
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Bt cowpea could generate up to US$1 billion for small farmers
A pest-resistant version of the black-eyed pea, a subspecies of the cowpea, is on track for commercial introduction, promising higher yields and claimed savings of up to US$1 billion of a crop that has found new popularity among African smallholders. The cowpea, actually a bean, is rich in protein and is an important crop for both tackling malnutrition and adapting to climate change as it ...
By SciDev.Net
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Scientists claim GM cowpea could generate US$1 billion
A pest-resistant version of the black-eyed pea, a subspecies of the cowpea, is on track for commercial introduction, promising higher yields and claimed savings of up to US$1 billion on a crop that has found new popularity among African smallholders. The cowpea, actually a bean, is rich in protein and is an important crop for both tackling malnutrition and adapting to climate change as it ...
By SciDev.Net
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Science: what has it done for the millennium development goals?
When the United Nations published the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 2000, with aspirations including the ending of poverty and hunger; the promotion of gender equality and a reduction in child mortality, there was little mention of science. Yet most people involved in working towards the goals accepted that achieving them would rely on the successful application of science. Now, ...
By SciDev.Net
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NewPage presents new on paper podcast featuring Maria Rodale
NewPage Corporation announced today a new On Paper podcast series episode featuring Maria Rodale, chairman and CEO of Rodale Inc., the world"s leading multimedia company with a focus on health, wellness and the environment. As the author of four books, including the recently released Organic Manifesto: How Organic Farming Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World, and Keep Us Safe, Rodale has won ...
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Method to differentiate open pollinated varieties of maize developed
Open pollinated varieties of maize are going to be easier to distinguish from each other, thanks to scientists at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) in Africa and Mexico. They have developed a new technique to differentiate the genes of one open pollinated variety from another, particularly important to African farmers, most of whom do not plant hybrid varieties. The ...
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Mixed crop-livestock farming could help adaptation in Africa
According to new research, African farms with both crops and livestock could be more resilient to climate change than farms that only grow crops. The research suggests that policy makers should support farmers in making the switch to integrated farming. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has indicated that agriculture in tropical under-developed countries is the most vulnerable ...
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In the world: nanotech on the farm - MIT chemical engineer Paula Hammond lends her nanotechnology expertise to farmers in Africa.
Cassava is a tropical root vegetable and staple crop for millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa. However, it’s tricky to handle: Once the root is removed from the ground, it spoils within one to three days, so farmers must get it to processing centers as soon as possible after harvesting it. If they don’t, the crop goes to waste. A simple way to prolong cassava’s shelf life could help farmers ...
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Fertiliser can offset heat for African farmers
[NAIROBI] African smallholders in dry areas can overcome climate change and even double crop yields if they invest in fertiliser use and harvest rainwater, researchers have found. Farmers in arid and semi-arid areas usually protect themselves from climate-related losses by investing as little as possible in farm inputs such as fertilisers. But in doing so they fail to grab opportunities for ...
By SciDev.Net
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International crop breeding programme needed for African farming
Climate change poses a large threat to African agriculture, but there is little research on how to respond. A recent study indicates that traditional adaptation methods are not enough and international collaboration is needed in 'planned adaptation' by collecting and conserving certain crops for the future. A large proportion of the African population - mainly the poor - depend on agriculture ...
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