Agric & Biotech

Key stakeholders in Africa’s agricultural sector today identified partnerships for sustainable agricultural technology delivery as a critical factor in Africa’s quest to feed Africa. This came out strongly at a breakfast session that heralded the presidential summit of the 2018 African Agricultural Revolution Forum (AGRF) which ended on Saturday, September 8, 2018 in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital city. Organised by the ...

For its creative work in generating solutions on and off the farm, innovative solutions that have improved the lives of millions in the face of climate change, and rampaging crop pests and disease, the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) has emerged winner of the 2018 African Food Prize. IITA is said to be the first institution to receive the ...

Five United Nations agencies are set to launch the new edition of “The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World”. The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said on Tuesday, September 4, 2018 that the launch would be on Sept. 11, in Rome, Italy, where it is based. It said the five UN agencies are Food and Agriculture Organisation ...

Some bee keepers and farmers have said that beekeeping and pollination activities could improve agricultural yields by 90 per cent and contribute to food security in Nigeria. The farmers, who gave the advice at a media engagement with Api-Exposition Africa 2018 Organising Committee in Abuja on Saturday, September 1, 2018 said that beekeeping could also provide employment opportunities for youths. ...

Wheat, maize, and rice yields, particularly in northern climates, are projected to fall as insects in temperate regions thrive in a warmer climate, a new research has shown. The study, which was published on Friday, August 31, 2018 in the journal Science, models increases in insect populations and their metabolic rates in a warmer world, and projects a 50 to 100 ...

Almost 1,000 participants joined the Global Landscape Forum’s GLF Nairobi 2018 at United Nations Office in Nairobi to hear speakers from across Africa discuss their experiences and successes restoring forests, farms and coastlines. A global audience participated online and the event was a top-trending social media site in Kenya. Community leaders, including Serge Zoubga and Concepta Mukasa discussed their efforts ...

African governments must prioritise restoration of degraded landscapes to hasten green and inclusive growth in the continent, experts said on Thursday, August 30, 2018 at the global landscapes forum taking place in Nairobi, Kenya. The international experts, policymakers and campaigners stated that reclaiming Africa’s degraded landscapes dovetails with the continent’s quest to achieve sustainable development and enhance its resilience in ...

Kenya is said to have one of the most dynamic and innovative economies in sub-Saharan Africa. A decade after going through a food crisis and in the aftermath of the drought in 2016-2017, the country aims to achieve self-sufficiency in food products such as maize, tomato, cabbage, rice, beans, milk and meat. This clearly stated ambition of the Kenyan government ...

The German Government will launch a special aid programme worth up to €340 million euros to help farmers after this summer’s drought massively damaged harvests, Agriculture Minister, Julia Kloeckner, said on Wednesday, August 22, 2018. Kloeckner said she had agreed special federal government drought aid of between €150 million and €170 million ($172 million and $194 million) with German Finance ...

African young agricultural entrepreneurs on Tuesday, August 21, 2018 decried poor access to soft agricultural loans which is hampering growth of their agri-businesses. They said this while speaking at a session panel on the sidelines of the Africa youth event in the Rwandan capital Kigali dubbed “Youth employment in agriculture as a solid solution to ending hunger and poverty in ...