Food Security & Agricultural Biotechnology

2011-10-27T08:49:00.000+02:00

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USDA Looks to Approve Monsanto's Drought-Tolerant Corn - NYTimes.com

2011-05-17T09:21:00.000+02:00

USDA Looks to Approve Monsanto's Drought-Tolerant Corn - NYTimes.com: "The Obama administration will seek to allow the unlimited sale of a corn variety genetically engineered by Monsanto Co. to resist drought, the Department of Agriculture announced today. The corn, if approved, would be the first commercial biotech crop designed to resist stressful environmental conditions like drought, rather than pests or herbicides."

Zambia turns to Internet to fight climate change

2011-04-07T09:31:00.000+02:00

The farmers union, in partnership with local non-government organizations, governmental bodies and the United Nations Development Programme’s climate change project, says it has launched information centres in every district of the country to share agricultural information.

Unlocking the Promise of ICTs for Transforming Agriculture in Africa / Articles / ICT for transforming research for agricultural and rural development / S&T Issues in Perspective / Dossiers / Home - Knowledge for Development

2011-04-07T09:29:00.000+02:00

Knowledge for Development

The author explores ways that ICTs can transform agriculture in Africa by drawing attention to the current status of ICTs in Africa and the promises they hold, such as the staggering growth of mobile phone use, the halting expansion of the fixed-line telephone network and the disappointing growth of internet access. They argue that ICTs could facilitate the creation of networks locally, regionally and globally, leading to collaborative and knowledge-sharing approaches to problem solving and research diversification. Yet, the most prevalent use of ICTs in agriculture is providing farmers with information and advisory services through SMS, voice, web portals and call centres. The author highlights the bi-directional sharing of information in the value chain between farmers and retailers, e-banking and the use of GIS to secure land titles. Challenges remain, however. They entail improving the mechanisms and infrastructure for sharing and exchanging agricultural knowledge generated through research at the national and regional levels, and boosting human capital to rapidly absorb and use these new technologies. Policy makers still need to appreciate fully the far-reaching benefits of ICTs and promote the right regulatory and market structures to realise their new opportunities, especially for Africa's benefit.

Recommendations

The realization of the full benefits of ICTs to agriculture in Africa is linked to access, affordability, ubiquitous connectivity, relevant ICT skills including at highly specialized technical levels. For the development of customized applications for the diffusion of ICTs across the continent and their contribution to the transformation of Africa’s development, the following recommendations are proposed:

Establish regional and continental cross-border technological alliances to leverage economies of scale in providing access to infrastructure, bandwidth and other ICT resources. With proper infrastructure in place, content that is accessed over international links can be localized, thereby reducing the costs to the end-users. Additionally, national, regional and continental information systems and platforms can be established that do not need to use international links (see Information Box 4).
Encourage mainstreaming of ICTs in tertiary education systems and development of training programmes that focus on use and application of ICTs in priority sectors such as agriculture. Emphasis should be placed on developing multi-skilled professionals who are able to quickly adapt to Africa’s many needs.
Establish centres of excellence in ICT that can respond to the specialized needs of the agricultural and other sectors and build capacity to initiate local innovation.
Encourage the creation of local content and localization of content. Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) need to be captured and preserved; relevant content from outside Africa needs to be adapted to the local context both in terms of applicability and language of delivery; furthermore, content needs to be localized – provided as close to the end user as possible to reduce the cost of access.
Encourage the use of Universal Service Funds not only for provision of access but for capacity building and development of localized content.
Emphasize the appropriate selection of technology, putting people before technology; there is a need to focus more on the “I”- Information – and the “C” – Communication – in ICTs.
Ensure that sustainability is built in to ICT projects through innovative business models that involve the affected and impacted communities.

Conclusion

The role of ICTs is to facilitate rapid, efficient and cost-effective learning, knowledge generation and dissemination. In order to realize these benefits, access to ICTs in Africa must be ubiquitous, affordable and within the ability of the majority of Africans to learn and use. For the agriculture sector, ICTs can lead to poverty reduction through increased and improved productivity and access to markets. Policy and decision-makers need to realize the far-reaching benefits of ICTs by creating regulatory and market structures that promote liberalization and competition, promoting national and regional infrastructure sharing, making services more affordable through lower taxes and interconnection fees and promoting the rollout of fixed and wireless broadband. Further, there is need for coordination between policy makers and other stakeholders in ICT and other sectors such as health, education, science and technology and agriculture to ensure that synergy is created in the efforts of all these sets of actors with the common aim of reducing poverty in Africa.

Scientists aim to improve photosynthesis to increase food and fuel production

2011-04-07T09:10:00.000+02:00

BBSRC: "Scientists in the UK and USA have today (28 March) been awarded funding totalling £6.11M/$10.3M to improve the process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis allows biological systems to convert sunlight into food and the source of all the fossil fuels we burn today. Four transatlantic research teams will explore ways to overcome limitations in photosynthesis which could then lead to ways of significantly increasing the yield of important crops for food production or sustainable bioenergy."

Transgenic chickens curb bird flu transmission

2011-01-24T15:06:00.000+02:00

Transgenic chickens curb bird flu transmission

Food Prices: Should We Be Worried?

2011-01-13T11:36:00.000+02:00

Food Prices: Should We Be Worried?

The Role of Rural Radio in Agricultural and Rural Development Translating Agricultural Research Information into Messages for Farm Audiences

2010-09-04T12:25:00.000+02:00

GAINS

The World Food Prize - Improving the Quality, Quantity and Availability of Food in the World - News

2010-09-04T11:30:00.000+02:00

The World Food Prize

Kenya: Woman Researcher Tackles Aflatoxin Poisoning

2010-09-04T11:26:00.000+02:00

allAfrica.com

China told to develop its own GM food

2010-09-04T11:24:00.000+02:00

China told to develop its own GM food

BOTSWANA: LEA, BCA team up to boost ‘agro’ industry

2010-08-04T13:40:00.000+02:00

BOTSWANA: LEA, BCA team up to boost ‘agro’ industry

Redlove Era Apple is Red All The Way Through

2010-07-29T15:33:00.000+02:00

Economic Botany

DispersinB® Technology for Development of Disease Resistant Biotech Crops

2010-07-07T07:53:00.000+02:00

KANE Biotech

IAPB2010

2010-05-13T13:08:00.000+02:00

IAPB2010

Did Swartz give Tahal a free ride? - The Botswana Gazette

2010-05-13T13:06:00.000+02:00

Did Swartz give Tahal a free ride? - The Botswana Gazette

Innovation brokers and agriculture in developing countries

2010-05-13T13:02:00.000+02:00

Innovation brokers and agriculture in developing countries

AgInfo News from IAALD: Gates pledges millions to African, Indian farming

2010-05-13T12:54:00.003+02:00

AgInfo News from IAALD: Gates pledges millions to African, Indian farming

Clemson Newsroom

2010-05-13T12:54:00.002+02:00

Clemson Newsroom

Dalli demands transparency for GMO studies

2010-05-13T12:54:00.001+02:00

Dalli demands transparency for GMO studies

Research alone won't drive agricultural development - SciDev.Net

2010-05-13T12:54:00.000+02:00

Research alone won't drive agricultural development - SciDev.Net

Moderate fertilizer use could double African banana yields, IITA study shows

2010-05-13T12:51:00.000+02:00

Moderate fertilizer use could double African banana yields, IITA study shows

Rapid Rise in Seed Prices Draws U.S. Scrutiny - NYTimes.com

2010-05-13T12:49:00.000+02:00

Rapid Rise in Seed Prices Draws U.S. Scrutiny

Tensions remain over biological access protocol

2010-05-13T12:48:00.001+02:00

Tensions remain over biological access protocol

New DKK 200 Million research centre in Copenhagen

2010-05-13T12:48:00.000+02:00

New DKK 200 Million research centre in Copenhagen

Grameen Foundation expands technology program for farmers in Uganda

2010-05-13T12:46:00.000+02:00

Grameen Foundation expands technology program for farmers in Uganda

Single gene dramatically boosts yield, sweetness in tomato hybrids, Israeli study finds

2010-05-13T12:44:00.000+02:00

Single gene dramatically boosts yield, sweetness in tomato hybrids, Israeli study finds

Turn peasant farmers into entrepreneurs

2010-05-13T12:36:00.000+02:00

Turn peasant farmers into entrepreneurs

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2010-04-21T22:57:00.001+02:00

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2010-04-11T18:22:00.001+02:00

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Biodiversity / S&T Issues in Perspective / Dossiers / Home - Knowledge for Development

2010-03-28T09:17:00.000+02:00

Biodiversity / S&T Issues in Perspective / Dossiers / Home - Knowledge for Development

Global summit seeks to transform agricultural research

2010-03-27T16:09:00.000+02:00

Global summit seeks to transform agricultural research

Govt drops hot potato

2010-03-27T14:50:00.000+02:00

Govt drops hot potato

WB Helps Strengthen Biosafety in Peru - Crop Biotech Update (3/26/2010) | ISAAA.org/KC

2010-03-27T14:49:00.001+02:00

WB Helps Strengthen Biosafety in Peru - Crop Biotech Update (3/26/2010) | ISAAA.org/KC

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Bulgaria approves law to ban GM crops

2010-03-20T14:35:00.001+02:00

Bulgaria approves law to ban GM crops

Transgenic Musclebound Trout with Six-Pack Abs Could Arrive Soon on Your Dinner Plate

2010-03-20T14:35:00.000+02:00

Transgenic Musclebound Trout with Six-Pack Abs Could Arrive Soon on Your Dinner Plate

New defenses deployed against plant diseases

2010-03-20T14:26:00.000+02:00

New defenses deployed against plant diseases

Modelling pollen-mediated gene flow in rice: risk assessment and management of transgene escape.

2010-03-11T09:49:00.000+02:00

Modelling pollen-mediated gene flow in rice: risk assessment and management of transgene escape. Jun Rong. 2010; Plant Biotechnology Journal

Greenpeace Denounces UN Support for GM Crops in Mexico

2010-03-06T08:58:00.000+02:00

Greenpeace Denounces UN Support for GM Crops in Mexico

ABDC2010: Documents

2010-02-25T15:51:00.000+02:00

ABDC2010: Documents

GM crops: still not a panacea for poor farmers - SciDev.Net

2010-02-25T15:41:00.000+02:00

GM crops: still not a panacea for poor farmers

Bt Crops and Invertebrate Non-target Effects – Revisited

2010-01-15T17:30:00.000+02:00

Bt Crops and Invertebrate Non-target Effects – Revisited

GM beet ban would have ripple effects

2010-01-15T17:29:00.000+02:00

GM beet ban would have ripple effects

Turkey Officially Lifts Ban on Biotech Imports

2010-01-15T17:28:00.000+02:00

Turkey Officially Lifts Ban on Biotech Imports

Golden Rice - fighting vitamin A deficiency

2010-01-15T17:26:00.000+02:00

Golden Rice - fighting vitamin A deficiency

French body says Monsanto maize needs more study

2010-01-15T17:25:00.000+02:00

French body says Monsanto maize needs more study

GM seeds in Brazil exceed conventional cultivation

2010-01-15T17:23:00.000+02:00

GM seeds in Brazil exceed conventional cultivation

Newly Identified Enzymes Help Plants Sense and Respond to Elevated Carbon Dioxide and Could Lead to Water-wise Crops

2010-01-15T17:22:00.001+02:00

Newly Identified Enzymes Help Plants Sense and Respond to Elevated Carbon Dioxide and Could Lead to Water-wise Crops

'Safety issues should be given weightage in GM crops' | Checkbiotech

2010-01-15T17:22:00.000+02:00

'Safety issues should be given weightage in GM crops' | Checkbiotech

The plant that doesn’t feel the cold

2010-01-15T17:21:00.001+02:00

The plant that doesn’t feel the cold

Inagural Biosafety Newsletter

2010-01-15T17:21:00.000+02:00

This inaugural issue the Malaysian Biosafety Newsletter gives attention to the present Biosafety Act 2007, the Core Team that was set up by NRE to implement the Act, an insight into the efforts of the government to help build capacity through the NRE-UNDP-GEF Biosafety Project on capacity building, approved events and products in Malaysia and research on genetically modified plants in Malaysia. Readers can look forward for more news on the preparedness of the ministry to enforce the Biosafety Act 2007 in the next issue.

UPDATE 1-DuPont urges U.S. to curb Monsanto seed monopoly

2010-01-15T17:19:00.000+02:00

UPDATE 1-DuPont urges U.S. to curb Monsanto seed monopoly

Biotech Advance May Yield Genetically Sterile Screwworms

2010-01-15T17:18:00.000+02:00

Biotech Advance May Yield Genetically Sterile Screwworms

'Can We Feed the World Without Damaging It?' - NYTimes.com

2010-01-15T17:17:00.001+02:00

'Can We Feed the World Without Damaging It?' - NYTimes.com

SeedQuest - Central information website for the global seed industry

2010-01-15T17:17:00.000+02:00

Central information website for the global seed industry

Additional cell wall modification patent granted in Japan

2010-01-15T17:15:00.000+02:00

Additional cell wall modification patent granted in Japan

Allelic diversities in rice starch biosynthesis lead to a diverse array of rice eating and cooking qualities — PNAS

2010-01-15T17:14:00.000+02:00

Allelic diversities in rice starch biosynthesis lead to a diverse array of rice eating and cooking qualities — PNAS

Put banana disease on the map, urges FAO - SciDev.Net

2010-01-15T17:13:00.000+02:00

Put banana disease on the map, urges FAO

Greenhouse Crop Production Training Course Offered Online

2009-12-17T10:18:00.000+02:00

Greenhouse Crop Production Training Course Offered Online

Monsanto attempts new model to take on 'free' farming

2009-12-17T09:59:00.000+02:00

Monsanto attempts new model to take on 'free' farming

Brazil approves its second gene-modified soy

2009-12-17T09:57:00.000+02:00

Brazil approves its second gene-modified soy

Implementing Physical and Virtual Food Reserves to Protect the Poor and Prevent Market Failure

2009-03-11T05:30:00.000+02:00

The international food price crisis of 2007-08 shows that there is a need to change the architecture of international financial and agricultural markets to address the problem of price spikes, especially their effects on the livelihoods of the poor, according to this policy brief from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). The policy brief says a set of guiding principles for regulating agricultural and commodity futures markets should be developed, and recent inappropriate trade policy instruments such as export bans should be reviewed. But in addition to these, other steps are needed to prevent extreme price spikes on the global market. IFPRI proposes two "global collective actions." First, a small physical food reserve should be established to facilitate a smooth response to food emergencies. Second, an innovative "virtual reserve" should be set up to help prevent market price spikes and to keep prices closer to levels suggested by long-run market fundamentals like supply and demand. The virtual reserve would involve a promise by donors to give funds, when needed, that would be used to intervene in global futures markets.

Biosafety Decisions and Perceived Commercial Risks

2009-03-11T05:29:00.000+02:00

This discussion paper from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) says that by adopting their own private GM-free standards, European supermarkets and food companies are indirectly influencing biosafety policy decisions in food-exporting developing countries. Local food traders in developing countries fear that they face the possibility of exclusion from European markets if they do not comply with the private GM-free standards of European supermarkets and food companies, the paper finds. In addition, the discussion paper says organic producers' organizations and anti-GM groups play a role in spreading perceptions of commercial risks that are not always justified. The discussion paper says that developing countries face three types of commercial risks from testing and adoption of genetically modified (GM) crops: real risks, potential risks, and unproven risks. To help differentiate between these, the paper proposes a framework of five questions that decision makers can ask when faced with "pressures to reject GM crop testing, application, consumption or use for fear of alleged export losses." The paper's analysis is based on field visits made to South Africa, Namibia, and Kenya in June 2007, and on secondary information from the press and various publications. The paper's authors find 31 cases of interactions between private GM-free standards and biosafety policy decisions in 21 countries.

The Quest for Rust-Proof Wheat

2009-03-11T05:28:00.000+02:00

This article reports on two efforts aimed at the development of rust-resistant wheat. An international team of researchers has identified a wheat gene that provides resistance to stripe rust, a fungal disease that causes millions of dollars of yield losses annually. The gene Yr36, which was identified in a wild wheat variety collected from Israel, was transferred to modern pasta and bread wheat varieties. Tests showed that the "transformed" plants were resistant to at least eight races of the stripe rust-causing fungus, Puccinia striiformis. In a separate effort, researchers from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) in Australia and the University of Zurich in Switzerland have identified a wheat gene sequence that provides protection against leaf rust, stripe rust and powdery mildew. The rust-resistance wheat gene Lr34 codes for a type of transmembrane transport protein called an ATP-binding cassette (ABC transporter). Whereas one gene usually only protects against a single disease for a limited time under commercial production, Lr34 is said to provide long lasting disease resistance and to act against multiple diseases.

Mexico May Be Growing GM Corn by 2012

2009-03-11T05:27:00.000+02:00

Mexican Agriculture Secretary Alberto Cardenas said Tuesday that Mexico could be growing genetically modified (GM) maize (a.k.a. corn) by 2012. GM varieties could increase production by 30 percent, Cardenas said. Opponents warn that GM maize might "contaminate" fields and threaten the crop's genetic diversity. Cardenas said that the government will carefully protect native maize varieties. The government so far has received 25 requests for permission to plant GM maize in experimental plots, Mexican government official Ariel Alvarez said.

Brasher: Hard Choice on Biotech Corn Awaits Vilsack

2009-03-11T05:26:00.000+02:00

Food processing companies in the U.S. have asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to delay approval of a genetically modified (GM) corn variety that contains an enzyme for converting cornstarch into the sugar used to make ethanol. Syngenta is the developer of the GM corn, which it says would be good for the environment. Less heat and water are required to make the corn into ethanol, the company says. Syngenta is pledging to ensure that the GM corn is grown and stored separate from other types of corn and sold only to the ethanol industry. However, U.S. food processors worry that the ethanol-ready corn could still get into their grain supplies inadvertently. In a letter to the USDA, industry groups representing food "giants" such as General Mills, ConAgra, and Archer Daniels Midland have said that the government lacks "adequate scientific data or documentation necessary" to evaluate the crop's impact on food and feed products. U.S. government officials say that Syngenta's GM corn is safe for human consumption. Jane Rissler of the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), a U.S.-based non-governmental organization, opposes approval of the GM corn. The UCS wants the USDA to ban the outdoor planting of GM crops that can produce industrial or pharmaceutical substances. "It is not a good precedent to approve a crop like this," according to Rissler. Poet LLC, the U.S.'s leading ethanol producer, says the ethanol-ready GM corn should be approved, and that the crops is a step towards more efficient and technically advanced ethanol production. The article says this issue will present the new U.S. agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack, with the first test of how tightly he will regulate agricultural biotechnology.

Dow AgroSciences, China National Rice Research Institute Announce Collaboration on Rice Research

2009-03-10T23:42:00.001+02:00

The U.S.-based company Dow AgroSciences and the China National Rice Research Institute (CNRRI) have entered into a research agreement aimed at combining the strengths of Dow AgroSciences' platform of traits and technologies with CNRRI's leading rice germplasm, this press release reports. "We look forward to working with CNRRI to introduce novel technologies in rice in China and the rest of the world to improve the productivity of one of the world's most important food crops and to help address the needs of our growing global population," said Daniel R. Kittle, vice president for research and development with Dow AgroSciences.

Monsanto Building China R&D Center;Eyes Asia,Americas

2009-03-10T23:41:00.002+02:00

Monsanto, the world's leading producer of genetically modified (GM) seeds, is setting up a genomic research center in China, this article reports. The article describes China as being caught between a desire for prudence in the adoption of GM crops, and the country's need to produce more food on a limited amount of land. "The Chinese government has announced very significant investments in biotechnology research in the country's universities and institutes," so they are not against GM crops, Monsanto's executive vice president, Gerald Steiner, said. Last summer, Monsanto launched an initiative to double crop yields in corn, soybeans, and cotton by 2030 while reducing the required water and fertilizer. Steiner said, "This is going to take lots of investment from us, so it's important that we can form the right relationship with governments. Otherwise, they aren't a good financial bet." Asked which countries Monsanto will be focusing on to either market its products or seek mergers and acquisition opportunities, Steiner said Monsanto will go "where we're needed." Besides the U.S., the article says "the list" includes Vietnam, India, and Indonesia, as well as Canada, Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina.

Social and Economic Impacts of Biotechnology

2009-03-10T23:41:00.001+02:00

Researchers at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute in the U.S. have conducted an analysis of the potential economic costs and benefits of commercializing genetically modified (GM) rice and tobacco. The project was funded by U.S. Department of Agriculture's Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service (USDA CSREES) through the Initiative for Future Agricultural and Food Systems program. The Virginia Polytechnic researchers used a world trade model to predict the economic consequences that would flow from the U.S. and Asia both choosing to grow insect-, drought-, and herbicide-resistant GM rice. They estimated that the total benefits from these three technologies would be around US$2 billion per year but would vary regionally: Asian countries would benefit from GM rice while the U.S. would experience a small net loss. The researchers also used an economic model to predict the effect of growing pharmaceutical-producing GM tobacco. They estimated that pharmaceutical companies and patent holders would benefit, but the outcome for farmers and the public would be limited. Also as part of the project, a consumer survey was conducted, and focus groups in the U.S., the Philippines, and Bangladesh elicited stakeholder views or concerns about the potential benefits and costs of obtaining pharmaceutical products from GM crops. Most citizens of Asian countries were found to be unaware of biotechnology risk or benefit. U.S. farmers, it was found, are open to the idea of GM crops, but fear a backlash that could negatively affect crop prices.

200 000 Rice Mutants Available Worldwide for Scientific Investigation

2009-03-10T23:40:00.003+02:00

Rice researchers around the world are building an extensive repository of genetically modified (GM) rice plants, mostly loss-of-function mutants, in an effort to better understand the function of the approximately 57,000 genes in the rice genome, this press release reports. The International Rice Functional Genomics Consortium (IRFGC) recently announced the public availability of more than 200,000 rice mutant lines, which represent mutations in about half of the known functional genes mapped for rice to date. The collection is described in a recent edition of the journal Plant Physiology. "The availability of these rice plants represents a powerful resource for the rice genomics community," says Arjun Krishnan, first author on the paper in Plant Physiology and a graduate student at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute in the U.S. It should help researchers understand the function not only of genes in rice but of the genes in related crops plants such as wheat and corn, says Andy Pereira, a professor at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute.

Mexico Changes Law Allows GE Corn on Experimental Plots

2009-03-10T23:40:00.001+02:00

Mexico has changed its laws to allow farmers to apply for permission to grow genetically modified (GM) maize on experimental plots, this article reports. The law does not set a limit on how much corn can be planted or where it can be grown. Prior to the new law, the article says Mexico had banned GM cultivation completely. There is opposition to the new law, and opponents call it the first step toward widespread cultivation of GM maize, the article reports. The concern, it says, is that GM maize may "contaminate" fields and threaten the genetic diversity of maize in Mexico. There are more than 200 varieties of maize in Mexico.

World Economy to 'Shrink' in 2009

2009-03-10T23:39:00.001+02:00

The World Bank is predicting that the global economy will shrink this year for the first time since World War II, with anticipated negative implications for developing countries. By the middle of 2009, industrial output could be as much as 15 percent lower than in 2008 while trade may record the biggest decline in 80 years, the World Bank said. The article notes that the World Bank's forecast is gloomier than other estimates, which still foresee some growth in the global economy this year. According to the World Bank, the global economic downturn will make poor countries more reliant on development assistance because, as richer countries borrow more, it will become more difficult for poorer countries to raise debt. There is fear, however, that aid flows will become more volatile as the economy slows. "Clearly, fiscal resources do have to be injected in rich countries that are at the epicentre of the crisis," said Justin Yifu Lin, World Bank economist and senior vice president. "But channelling infrastructure investment to the developing world, where it can release bottlenecks to growth and quickly restore demand, can have an even bigger bang for the buck and should be a key element to recovery, " he said

Nutritional Iron Deficiency

2009-03-10T23:28:00.002+02:00

This explores solutions to the high prevalence of iron deficiency in some developing countries. It says that there is an urgent need to develop new strategies for providing additional dietary iron to infants and young children who might not be reached by universal iron fortification programs. This includes a need for new methods to enhance native iron content of plant-based staple foods (bio-fortification). According to this, selective plant breeding and genetic engineering are "promising" new approaches for bio-fortification to improve dietary iron bioavailability. However, a major challenge is to show that these techniques can increase iron content to nutritionally-useful levels, and to show that the additional iron is bioavailable. It states that un-targeted iron supplementation is a problematic approach because of findings that show risks to children.

High Lysine Corn Generated by RNAi

2009-03-10T23:27:00.001+02:00

Monsanto has reported the development of genetically modified (GM) corn containing heightened levels of the amino acid lysine, through the use of RNA-mediated interference, or RNAi. A Monsanto research team was able to reduce the degradation of lysine in corn by inhibiting expression of a corn gene that codes for an enzyme which degrades lysine. They did this by introducing a double-stranded sequence of RNA with base sequences that were complementary to the gene of interest. According to the article, lysine is one of the most limiting amino acids. The Monsanto research results are described in the Plant Biotechnology Journal.

Emergence of azole resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus and spread of a single resistance mechanism

2009-02-22T10:45:00.000+02:00

Modern livestock is bred to be super-productive

2009-02-22T10:44:00.000+02:00

Is there more to prion protein than mad cow disease?

2009-02-22T10:43:00.000+02:00

Gene targeting pioneers win Nobel Prize for discoveries in embryonic stem cells and DNA recombination

2009-02-22T10:38:00.000+02:00

Key mechanism to emergence of deadly strep bacteria

2009-02-22T10:36:00.000+02:00

Fresh worry for gene therapy approach

2009-02-22T10:35:00.000+02:00

Rice Hoarding Pressures Supplies

2008-05-06T19:51:00.001+02:00

Rice Hoarding Pressures Supplies
The Wall Street Journal: James Hookway

Rice prices in Asia have doubled since the beginning of 2008, and the article says that governments around the region are choosing to curb their rice exports to safeguard domestic export. The curbs, however, are putting further upward pressure on rice prices internationally, according to the article. The article reports that rice prices have risen as a result of increasing demand, a steady depletion of government stockpiles, and a pest outbreak in Vietnam, the world's second-largest exporter after Thailand. Farmers and millers in Thailand, it says, have now begun to hold on to their rice stocks, in anticipation that prices will rise further. Robert Zeigler, director-general at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) in the Philippines, says it could be months before the market gets a clear sense of how high prices may go. "The whole market could become paralyzed," Ziegler said. "Who's going to sell rice at [US]$750 a ton when they think it's going to hit [US]$1,000?," he asked. The article says rice-dependent African nations, some of which import as much as 40 percent of their rice, may find themselves losing rice import deals to larger countries with deeper political and historical ties to big exporters. On Friday, for instance, the Philippines secured a 1.5 million ton supply guarantee from Vietnam as part of a government-to-government deal. The article can be viewed online at the link below.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120691294229075241.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

This article says that for the past 30 years the price of basic foodstuffs has remained relatively constant, but now that period could be coming to an end. In less than a year, the price of wheat on the international market has doubled. Corn and soya are well above average 1990's prices, and rice is at a 10-year high. The article says blame is being placed on increasing demand for food from a growing and in some cases a more wealthy world population and on the transfer of land use from food to biofuel production, among other factors. China, India, Egypt and Vietnam, four traditional rice exporting countries, have also chosen either to impose minimum export prices, export taxes, or export quotas and bans on rice. Such moves are expected to reduce rice exports from those countries and raise world prices on the commodity. Rising food prices have led to riots and unrest in some countries. The article says that those who are being most affected by the rising prices are poor people living in cities in developing countries, who are facing higher prices for imported food on low incomes. Currently, "the winners" are farmers in wealthy and emerging market nations like the U.S., Brazil, Argentina, Canada, and Australia, who are getting record prices for their harvests. The article says that some poor farmers are also benefiting from higher prices.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/BUSINESS/04/15/food.prices/

Protests Raise Fears of Food Crisis

2008-05-06T19:45:00.001+02:00

Protests Raise Fears of Food Crisis

2008-04-18T01:19:00.001+02:00

Fungus Fight: Researchers Battle against Dangerous Corn Toxin

2008-04-16T05:45:00.001+02:00

Source:Science Daily
Author:n/a

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and, separately, at Monsanto, have developed new corn varieties that may allow for reductions in aflatoxin contamination. Aflatoxin is produced by certain fungi that grow on corn and is a potentially deadly contaminate. It causes problems in the U.S. but is a much greater problem in Africa and much of the developing world; estimates suggest that 4.5 billion people in developing countries are chronically exposed to aflatoxin, according to the article. Robert L. Brown, a USDA plant pathologist, says they are in the process of releasing six new corn inbred lines that are the result of crosses between U.S. aflatoxin-resistant lines and African resistant lines. These new inbreds have been selected for valued crop characteristics as well as for aflatoxin resistance. And Bruce Hammond, a lead researcher at Monsanto's Product Safety Center, reports that Monsanto is now developing new varieties of Bt corn that contain additional genes which guard against a broader variety of pests than in the past, including the fall armyworm, a particular threat to the southern United States associated with aflatoxin contamination. Preliminary trials have found that the new Bt corn variety has reduced levels of aflatoxin, Hammond says. According to the article, studies have found that certain existing, commercially-available varieties of Bt corn experience less insect damage and are therefore less susceptible to fungal infection and have lower levels of certain dangerous mycotoxins, but not of aflatoxin in particular.

Uganda Gives Go-Ahead to Biotechnology Policy

2008-04-16T05:43:00.000+02:00

Source:SciDev.Net
Author:Peter Wamboga-Mugirya

This article reports that before Uganda's new National Biotechnology and Biosafety Policy can be implemented, a bill must first be presented to parliament and passed into a law. The Ugandan cabinet approved the new policy on April 2. The policy was developed by the state-run Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (UNCST). Peter Ndemere, executive secretary of the UNCST, describes the policy as bearing on national "guidelines on the legal, institutional and regulatory framework." Now, Ndemere reports that "We've drafted a biotech bill for parliament to discuss and pass into law." The article says this process could take "many months." Ndemere explains that "In order to implement a law, you need a policy instrument, that's why the policy comes first." He adds that the commercialization of genetically modified (GM) crops requires this law. The guidelines in the policy also cover tissue and cell culture, medical diagnostics, industrial microbiology and biochemical engineering. The article reports that research into GM crops is already underway in Uganda, overseen by the National Biosafety Committee, and researchers are hopeful that the approval of biotechnology and biosafety the policy will translate into law. Robert Anguzu of Uganda's National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), which was consulted on the draft piece of legislation, says that the bill would allow Uganda to cope with rapid biotechnology developments in neighboring Kenya.

Show GM Food Data, Says Court

2008-04-16T04:42:00.001+02:00

India's Supreme Court has ruled that the country's Genetic Engineering Advisory Committee (GEAC) must make public all of its data on genetically modified (GM) crops that is relevant to health and environmental safety. The ruling comes in response to a petition lodged with the court by non-governmental organizations including Greenpeace and the Gene Campaign. The article says that in the past, GM crop companies and the Indian Department of Biotechnology (DBT) have argued that the research data is proprietary and confidential and that its public release was likely to "harm the competitive advantage" of biotechnology companies. But Jai Shankar, an activist with Greenpeace India, argues that "All we're asking for is a transparent system where any qualified scientist can have a look at how the animals responded" to GM feeding tests. The petitioners in the case say that despite the Supreme Court's ruling, they are still unsure whether GEAC will have to release all the data they want. "We need data that will tell us how the animals responded [to GM feeding tests] what were the doses given, what measurements were done on the immune system, the statistical analysis used . . . We still don't know whether they're going to make this public," says Suman Sahai, director of the Gene Campaign in India. Indian biotechnology secretary M.K. Bhan says, however, that "Whatever data is available will be made public." More information

Event Notification: The 10th Asian Regional Maize Workshop

2008-04-16T04:40:00.001+02:00

Event Notification: The 10th Asian Regional Maize Workshop
Source:CIMMYT
Author:n/a

The Indonesian Agency for Agricultural Research and Development (IAARD) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre (CIMMYT) have announced that the 10th Asian Regional Maize Workshop will be held October 20-23, 2008 in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia. Workshop themes will include: 1) market trends for maize in Asia; 2) farming systems for maize in Asia; 3) maize breeding trends and progress, including conventional breeding and biotechnology applications; and 4) abiotic and biotic stresses. Scientists and maize production specialists of all disciplines, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and seed industries are invited to participate in the workshop and submit contributions. More information

Costa Rican Biotechnology Centre in Jeopardy

2008-04-16T04:36:00.001+02:00

Costa Rican Biotechnology Centre in Jeopardy

Source:SciDev.Net
Author:Bryan Kay

Costa Rica could lose a multi-million euro donation from the EU to build and equip a new biotechnology centre. The laboratory - the National Centre for Biotechnology Innovations (CENIBiot) - was formally unveiled more than two years ago, but work has yet to start due to delays in the process of awarding contracts to builders and suppliers. This has led the EU to warn that if the delays are still continuing by December this year its €11 million (about US$17 million) donation could be withdrawn. According to the article, the delays appeared to start when the Ministry of Science and Technology 's agreements surrounding the project were sent for revision to the Controller of the Republic, the regulatory body that monitors public sector finance.

Australian GM Farmers Face Legal Threats

2008-04-12T03:51:00.001+02:00

Source:Australian Broadcasting Corporation
This article reports that an anti-genetic-engineering farmers group in Australia has sent 1,000 letters to farmers there, warning them of possible legal action if they plant genetically modified (GM) canola. The first commercial GM canola plants are expected to be planted in the Australian state of New South Wales beginning this month. The group that opposes the new canola, called the Network of Concerned Farmers, is worried that once GM canola is planted, other nearby farmers will face financial losses from not being able to market their crops as GM-free. Group spokeswoman Julie Newman says, "Non-GM farmers shouldn't be liable. The only legal defence we've got is to take action against the GM farmers . . . We truly believe that those farmers have been misled terribly to believe there are benefits there that aren't there." [According to a related article (Australian Broadcasting Corporation; April 4), the New South Wales Farmers Association has responded angrily to the letters. Angus McLaren, a member of the association, called the letters a scare tactic and argued that "experience overseas has been that the technology has been accepted by just about all growers, and even those that choose not to grow the crop haven't had a problem with it."]

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Rising Food Prices: What Should Be Done?

2008-04-12T03:47:00.002+02:00

Source:IFPRI

Author:Joachim von Braun

This policy brief from the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) discusses what should be done about rising world food prices. The policy brief reports that in 2007 the food price index calculated by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) rose by nearly 40 percent, compared with 9 percent the year before, and in the first months of 2008 prices again increased drastically. Nearly every agricultural commodity, it says, is part of this rising price trend. The policy brief recommends that: 1) in the short term, developing-country governments should expand social protection programs (that is, safety net programs like food or income transfers and nutrition programs focused on early childhood) for the poorest people; 2) developed countries should eliminate domestic biofuel subsidies, which have helped cause the rise in prices, and open their markets to biofuel exporters like Brazil; 3) the developed countries should also take this opportunity to eliminate agricultural trade barriers; and 4) developing-country governments should increase their medium- and long-term investments in agricultural research and extension, rural infrastructure, and market access for small farmers, to achieve long-term agricultural growth. The policy brief indicates that many different kinds of policies that artificially distort food market can have negative effects, especially long-term. For example, price controls in developing countries can reduce farmers' incentive to grow more food in the future. The brief recommends that in most cases developed countries avoid "the easy option of restricting food exports, setting limits on food prices, or both."

Task Force to Improve GM Detection in the EU

2008-03-05T08:19:00.003+02:00

Co-Extra and its partners, the Joint Research Centre (JRC), EuropaBio, the International Seed Testing Association (ISTA), and several public laboratories, have established a task force that will harmonize the reference systems used in genetically modified organism (GMO) detection in the EU. The initiative is aimed towards the reduction of costs and uncertainties associated with the current GMO detection regime. Co-Extra is an EU-funded research program on the co-existence and traceability of GM crops and their edible derivatives. Current EU legislation requires the labeling of products that contain more than 0.9 percent GM material. This requirement necessitates a reliable method for the quantification of a product's relative GMO content.

Is Transgenic Cotton More Profitable

2008-03-05T08:19:00.002+02:00

Researchers at the University of Georgia and Cotton Incorporated in the U.S. say that genetically modified (GM) "Roundup Ready" herbicide resistant cotton produced less of a profit for farmers than non-GM cotton, Bt "Bollgard" cotton, or "stacked" Bollgard-Roundup Ready cotton, during 2001-2004 field trials in the U.S. The research findings have been published in the January-February issue of Agronomy Journal. The researchers say that continued research is necessary to analyze 2005 and 2006 field trial results involving more recently released GM cotton varieties. The article states that in recent years the number of different GM cotton production options that a U.S. farmer may purchase has outpaced the capacity of "official cultivar trials" (OCTs), which follow certain protocols, to adequately evaluate their economic value. GM cotton varieties were grown on almost 93 percent of the total U.S. cotton area in 2007, the article reports.

The United Nations' Unscientific War on Biotechnology

2008-03-05T08:19:00.001+02:00

This opinion piece claims that some UN policies and programs "actively and aggressively" prevent the development and use of genetically modified (GM) crops that could be used to help deal with problems of water scarcity and food insecurity. The result of "gratuitous" regulation, it says, is "vastly inflated" research and development costs, less innovation, and diminished exploitation of superior techniques and products. The Codex Alimentarius Commission, which sets international food standards, and the "unscientific" regulation of field trials under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) are functioning to "hamper" research, according to the opinion piece. And a technical working group of the UN Environment Program (UNEP) is currently considering whether to recommend a moratorium on all field testing and commercialization of GM trees, which the opinion piece says would be bad for efforts to prevent deforestation. The opinion piece argues that UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) should be giving more support to GM crops because they can be used to improve food security; the UN Economic Commission on Europe (UNECE), which produced the 1999 Protocol on Water and Health, should also support GM technology because it is being used to develop crops that require less water. The author of the opinion piece is a physician and fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution in the U.S., was an official at the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) from 1977 to 1994.

Biotechnology: A Hold on Plant Meiosis

2008-03-05T07:33:00.000+02:00

Researchers at the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad, India, have reported a genetic mutation in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, which leads to an essential element of "apomixis" - or the omission of meiotic recombination during the formation of new plants. Meiosis occurs in sexually reproducing plants and involves "genetic shuffling" of the DNA of the two parent plants. The resulting plants are a genetic combination of the two parents. The article says that meiosis dilutes the desirable traits of sexually reproducing crops. The researchers' identification of a mutation in which shuffling does not occur is therefore "a step forward" for plant breeders. [The researchers report in a related article (Nature; February 28) that the transfer of apomixis to crop plants holds great promise in plant breeding for the fixation of heterozygosity and hybrid vigor, because it would allow for the propagation of hybrids over successive generations.]

Arcadia Brings First Biotech Product to Market

2008-03-05T07:32:00.001+02:00

Arcadia Biosciences in the U.S. has announced plans to make the oil from its genetically modified (GM) safflower commercially available during the fourth quarter of 2008. The company reports that that the safflower oil contains heightened levels of an essential omega-6 fatty acid called gamma-linoleic acid (GLA), which research suggests may provide health benefits. Arcadia will produce the safflower oil and will partner with the Canadian company Bioriginal Food and Science Corp., which will have exclusive marketing and sales rights. Bioriginal chief executive officer Joe Vidal says, "Arcadia's high GLA safflower oil can offer consumers a cost-effective and more convenient alternative to current GLA sources and could increase overall GLA consumption significantly." The primary sources of the dietary supplement have been evening primrose oil, with a 10 percent concentration of GLA, and borage oil, which has a 20 to 23 percent concentration of GLA. Arcadia's safflower oil has a 40 percent concentration of GLA and can be produced in larger quantities, according to the article.

NEPAD-Michigan State University Partnership to Bolster Africa’s Biosafety Capacity

2008-03-05T07:31:00.000+02:00

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in the U.S. has given Michigan State University (MSU) in the U.S. a US$1.5 million grant to promote Africa's biosafety expertise, in partnership with the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). MSU and NEPAD will use the grant to develop the new African Biosafety Network of Expertise (ABNE), which is aimed at giving African regulators access to the most up-to-date training, data, and resources needed to properly regulate biotechnologies. Over the next 10 months, MSU and NEPAD will undertake a consultation process with regulators throughout Africa to assess needs and develop a responsive information and resource network that provides: training, peer-reviewed scientific information, expert assistance, study tours to other countries with established regulatory systems, and other services as required. Rajiv Shah, director of agricultural development for the Gates Foundation, says that "Appropriate policies and regulations are critical to ensuring the safety and effectiveness of agricultural techniques - for farmers, consumers and the environment. This effort will help African regulators develop the necessary frameworks so small scale farmers and consumers can make their own decisions about how to best improve their lives." MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon described her university's involvement as an "exciting continuation" of "a long history of partnering with various countries in Africa at all levels, from developing technology that will lead to safer, more plentiful food supplies to working to make sure those solutions are a good, wise and an accepted fit."

NIBGE to Undertake 11 New Research Projects from March in Pakistan

2008-03-04T06:20:00.000+02:00

Pakistan's National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering (NIBGE) plans to undertake 11 new research projects. These projects include: 1) genetic engineering salt tolerance in wheat through "gene pyramiding;" and 2) identification and characterization of the ACC deaminase gene for the promotion of rhizobacteria at plant roots. Funding will be provided by Paksitan's Higher Education Commission (HEC), the country's Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), Pak-US, and the Pakistan Science Foundation (PSF).

Agriculture Ministry Growing Five Food Crops through Genetic Engineering

2008-03-04T06:19:00.002+02:00

A researcher at the Indonesian agriculture ministry's Research and Development Agency (Litbangtan) says that the agency is developing genetically modified (GM) varieties of tomato, potato, papaya, rice, and cassava. The researcher, M. Herman, reports that "The commodities are being researched and they are expected to be ready for commercial use after five years." Herman said it will be a relatively long period before the GM crops are made commercially available because they have to be subjected to meticulous tests to ensure their food and environmental safety. He also commented that the development of GM soybeans, corn, and cotton has so far been dominated by multinational companies.

Corn Genome Map Could Lead to Higher Yields

2008-03-04T06:19:00.001+02:00

U.S. researchers have completed a working draft of the corn genome. The article says that knowledge of the corn genome sequence is expected to accelerate efforts to develop better crop varieties to meet growing demands for food, livestock feed and fuel. The US$29.5 million corn genome sequencing project was initiated in 2005 and is funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Corn, also known as maize, is the second crop genome after rice to be sequenced, this article reports. The length of the corn genome is much longer than the rice genome, and is similar in size to the human genome. Work to sequence the corn genome has been conducted by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, the University of Arizona, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York, and Iowa State University, all in the U.S., and the draft is now 95 percent complete. The corn genome information has been deposited in GenBank, an online public DNA database, where it is available to scientists worldwide. The genetic data is also available at maizesequence.org.