Agric & Biotech

The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have launched a technical guidance document which aims to promote mainstreaming of biodiversity and ecosystem services into agriculture through national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs), and thereby contribute towards achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. The technical guidance document, titled: ...

Catholic bishops in Enugu on Saturday called on the Federal Government to drop the idea of the grazing bill to forestall ethnic clashes and crises in the country. The advice came after the 20km peaceful procession of more than 7,000 catholic faithful in Enugu. The Catholic Bishop of Enugu Diocese, Most Rev. Callistus Onaga, said Nigerians were already suffering much ...

Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, has said the World Bank will support FADAMA III Project in the country with $200 million. Ogbeh made this known on Friday at the official launching of FADAMA III Additional Financing Cassava Intervention Project in Awa Iman in Onna Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Represented by Peter Ajibade, the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry ...

During the 2014 Nigerian National Conference (Confab), three committees made recommendations with regard to handling of Biosafety in Nigeria and with particular reference to Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs). As at the time of the Confab the National Biosafety Management Act 2015 (simply known as Biosafety Act 2015) had not yet been enacted. The Confab committees that considered Biosafety matters were ...

An estimated 41 million people – 23 per cent – of the 181 million rural population in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are food insecure, and out of this figure, more than 21 million are in urgent need of assistance. This is according to the latest Vulnerability Assessment Results released at the 10th SADC Meeting of Regional Vulnerability Assessment ...

The Federal University Ndufu Alike Ikwo, on Wednesday, June 15 2016, launched a novelty by floating what they call Pioneer Garden. The Garden is meant to honour and immortalise staff and students who started the institution five years ago. The Garden is located in the east of the university, akin to the Biblical Garden of Eden that shares the same location. ...

Organisers of the African Green Revolution Forum (AGRF) 2016 say the forum will advance policies and secure the investments that will ensure a better life for millions of Africa’s farmers and families – 70% of the population Today, across Africa, big things are happening on the millions of small family farms that are the continent’s main source of food, employment, ...

Prominent leaders in the Niger Delta region on Thursday in Abuja showered praises on the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, and the Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, for their understanding of the agricultural terrain and moving the sector forward. The leaders also praised the ministers for harnessing the good policies on the table, reducing dependency on food imports, ...

Minister of Environment, Amina Mohammed, has called on Nigerians not to panic over the issue of Genetically Modified Organism (GMO). She said on Monday in a statement that, presently, no GMOs are officially grown in the country. “What we have approval are for field trials. All the GMOs in Nigeria officially approved are under experimental fields; the insect resistant cotton ...

The National Biosafety Management Agency (NBMA) Act 2015 is not compliant with the Cartagena Protocol to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity, the Global Prolife Alliance (GPA) has said. The Owerri, Imo state-based group made the submission against the backdrop of its opposition to the NBMA’s issuance of permits for the development of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the ...