Agriculture Research News
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Scientists help farmers create greener dairies
Cows stand patiently in a tent-like chamber at a research farm in western Wisconsin, waiting for their breath to be tested. Outside, corrals have been set up with equipment to measure gas wafting from the ground. A nearby corn field contains tools that allow researchers to assess the effects of manure spread as fertilizer. Scientists based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have started a ...
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Farming and knowledge monocultures are misconceived
Food needs can be met with a new vision for agriculture and science, say Brian Wynne and Georgina Catacora-Vargas. In mainstream policy and corporate thinking, scientific knowledge and global markets are considered key for food security. This has resulted in the industrialisation and laboratory research-led intensification of agricultural systems, inputs and food-supply chains. But intensified ...
By SciDev.Net
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Strengthening EU-China cooperation in the field of agriculture
The European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, Dacian Cioloș is in Beijing, China, 22-24 July 2013, to strengthen EU-China cooperation in the areas of agriculture and rural development. "Agriculture is of strategic importance for both the EU and China in our efforts to address challenges such as ensuring food security, fighting climate change, and achieving a balanced ...
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Syngenta to acquire African corn seed business
Combined portfolios offer new integrated crop solution opportunities Comprehensive and diverse white corn germplasm portfolio secured Supports commitment to build a $1 billion business in Africa Syngenta announced today that it will acquire MRI Seed Zambia Ltd and MRI Agro Ltd (“MRI”), a leading developer, producer and distributor of white corn seed in Zambia. The white corn ...
By Syngenta
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Economics Professor Named Center for Agricultural and Rural Development Director
AMES, Iowa — Cathy Kling has been named the new director of Iowa State University’s Center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD). Kling, a Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of Agriculture and Life Sciences and a professor of economics, has served as interim director of the center for almost two years. She has served as head of CARD’s Environmental and Resource ...
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Climate-smart farming takes root in Kenya
Like most African countries, Kenya is highly vulnerable to the impact of climate change. There is growing concern about potential stress on fragile ecosystems and rural communities, especially in the arid and semi-arid agro-ecological zones and some humid highland areas of the country. In keeping with the Strategy for Revitalizing Agriculture (SRA) of Kenya 2010-2015 and Kenya's vision 2030, ...
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Putting the right inputs in the hands of Niger’s farmers
A five year, €6 million multi-donor initiative to intensify agriculture has achieved yield increases of up to 100 percent in over half of Niger's farmer villages, FAO said today ahead of a high-level meeting on renewed efforts to end hunger in Africa, where Niger will present its new hunger reduction strategy. According to FAO's most recent hunger statistics, Niger has brought down ...
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Syngenta receives approval for Bt11 corn in Brazil
The National Biosafety Committee (CNBS) in Brazil has ratified a decision authorising sales of corn containing Syngenta’s Bt11 trait for Fall Armyworm and Sugarcane Borer control. Davor Pisk, Chief Operating Officer of Syngenta Seeds, said: “We are very pleased to have obtained this approval which will enable us to play a leading role in the introduction of new corn technology in ...
By Syngenta
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Give young people the tools to solve hunger, says expert
Young people are the key to innovations that could help feed billions of people in the decades ahead, according to Calestous Juma, an internationally recognised development expert. "Today's youth have access to new types of knowledge that were not available to their parents, such as genomic and geospatial data. The challenge is searching for this knowledge, adapting it to local conditions and ...
By SciDev.Net
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Wheat rust diseases remain a constant but neglected threat
FAO is calling for countries in the global ‘wheat belt’ to step up monitoring and prevention for wheat rusts – fungal diseases that do especially well in particularly wet seasons. Yields could be affected across North Africa, the Middle East into West and South Asia, which account for more than 30 percent of global wheat output and nearly 40 percent of total land area dedicated ...
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Arcadia Biosciences and African Agricultural Technology Foundation collaborate on test planting of nitrogen use efficient rice
Arcadia Biosciences, Inc., an agricultural technology company focused on developing technologies and products that benefit the environment and human health, and the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) today announced the planting of the first field trial of Nitrogen Use Efficient (NUE) rice in Africa. The NUE rice field trial is the result of more than five years of collaboration ...
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Tillage and reduced-input rotations affect runoff from agricultural fields
A new study from researchers at the USDA Agricultural Research Service provides information about runoff under different management practices and can help farmers choose the practice that is best for them. No-till management practices can reduce soil erosion, but evidence suggests they can also lead to increased runoff of dissolved phosphorus from soil surfaces. Meanwhile, farmers looking to ...
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Effects of chemical fertiliser and animal manure on soil health compared
Fertilising crops with cattle manure can lead to better soil quality than when synthetic fertiliser is used, recent research indicates. The use of cattle manure in the study led to greater soil fertility by encouraging higher microbial activity, and the researchers suggest that it could potentially improve soil’s ability to cope with periods of difficult growing conditions. The complex ...
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Parasite-resistant maize developed by Kenyan scientist
Two new varieties of hybrid maize that are resistant to the deadly parasitic Striga weed have been developed by a Kenyan scientist. The weed affects cereal crops in many parts of Africa and is a major cause of crop failure in East Africa, where climate change has been driving its spread in recent years. Mathews Dida, a maize breeder in the school of agriculture and food security at Maseno ...
By SciDev.Net
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WBA Board Member named Kenyan Government Minister
WBA board member, Professor Judi Wakhungu, has been named as Kenya’s First Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Water and Energy by Kenya’s fourth president Uhuru Kenyatta. WBA board member, Professor Judi Wakhungu, has been named as Kenya’s First Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Water and Energy by Kenya’s fourth president Uhuru Kenyatta. Professor Wakhungu has a wealth ...
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Bridgestone Americas Breaking Ground on New Biorubber Process Research Center
Bridgestone Americas, Inc. (BSA) today announced the groundbreaking of its Biorubber Process Research Center, a research and development project in Mesa, Ariz., to investigate the use of the Guayule plant as an alternative natural rubber source. The invitation-only groundbreaking ceremony will take place on May 16 and will feature key leaders from Bridgestone and the local community, including ...
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USDA and EPA Release New Report on Honey Bee Health
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today released a comprehensive scientific report on honey bee health. The report states that there are multiple factors playing a role in honey bee colony declines, including parasites and disease, genetics, poor nutrition and pesticide exposure. "There is an important link between the health of American ...
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USDA, EPA and Stakeholders to Discuss New Report on Honey Bee Health
Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Bob Perciasepe, Acting Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), alongside top scientists and stakeholders, will host a conference call tomorrow to discuss a new report on the factors contributing to decline in honey bee health in the United States. The report summarizes the latest science ...
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Burundi set to embrace hybrid maize seeds
Farmers in Burundi are set to benefit from new high-yielding, fast-maturing hybrid maize seeds that are also resistant to maize streak virus. The varieties are being tested by the Burundi Institute of Agronomic Sciences (ISABU) and should be available to farmers in September. Two seed companies, Pannar and Naseco, based in Kenya and Uganda respectively, have developed the seeds. "These ...
By SciDev.Net
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Loss of wild pollinators would hit crops, finds study
The loss of wild pollinators from agricultural landscapes could threaten global crop yields, a study has found. Led by Lucas Garibaldi, an assistant professor at the National University of Río Negro inArgentina, a team of researchers compared fields containing many wild pollinators — mostly insects — with those containing few. They studied 41 crop systems across all continents ...
By SciDev.Net
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