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Observatory on science and technology for ACP agriculture and rural development
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Learning agrobiodiversity: options for universities in Sub-Saharan Africa
11 03 2010 Proceedings of a regional workshop, 21-23 January 2009, Nairobi, Kenya

The workshop ‘Learning agrobiodiversity’ for universities in sub-Saharan Africa’ was the first regional workshop of its kind gathered 46 participants from universities and international organizations in 16 African and two European countries. The workshop focused on sharing knowledge and experiences; discussing implications for and feasible approaches to, mainstreaming agrobiodiversity in higher education in Sub-Saharan Africa; and exploring modalities and mechanisms for strengthening agrobiodiversity education and research in Africa through networking and joint learning.

The REDD direction: the potential for reduced forest carbon emissions, biodiversity protection and enhanced development: a desk study with special focus on Tanzania and Uganda
09 03 2010 By A. Vatn; P. Vedeld and J.G. Petursson, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 2009. This paper examines whether reduced emissions from forests – from deforestation and forest degradation (the REDD project) – should be included in a post-Kyoto agreement. It focuses on how REDD could be instituted at the national level, and sheds light on specific challenges for two African countries – Tanzania and Uganda. The paper demonstrates that REDD would require an international agreement concerning its role and format and an international governance structure to distribute the resources involved. It would also need national governance structures in countries where REDD activities are supposed to take place to ensure that measures are instituted on the ground.

Potential for second-generation biofuels in developing countries
09 03 2010 By International Energy Agency (IEA), February 2010. IIED has published an information paper entitled ‘Sustainable Production of Second-Generation Biofuels: Potential and Perspectives in Major Economies and Developing Countries”. The paper focuses on opportunities and risks presented by second-generation biofuels technologies in eight case study countries: Brazil, Cameroon, China, India, Mexico, South Africa, Tanzania and Thailand. The report begins by exploring state-of-the-art second-generation technologies and their production, followed by projections of future demand and a discussion of drivers of that demand. The report then delves into various feedstock options and the global potential for bioenergy production. The final chapter offers a look at the potential for sustainable second-generation biofuel production in developing countries including considerations of economic, social and environmental impacts.

30 years in science: Secular movements in knowledge creation
09 03 2010 This discussion paper examines the relationship between geopolitical factors and scientific activity based on publication data from a 30-year period (1980 to 2009). Using bibliometric methods, the analysis concentrates on large-scale, secular movements in the geopolitics of knowledge creation. First, the evolution of the scientific outputs of the countries of the former USSR and Eastern Bloc is examined followed by that of the Middle East. The paper then looks at how the global map of science has been reshaped in Asia’s favour.

Call for nominations: The Crawford Fund Fellowship 2010
09 03 2010 The Crawford Fund is now calling for nominations for the Crawford Fund Fellowship for 2010. The Crawford Fund Fellowship has been set up to provide further training for an agricultural scientist whose work has shown potential. This prestigious award provides an opportunity for the successful candidate to spend a period of focused study and training in Australia, with resulting benefits to the awardees as well as to their country’s agriculture and Australia. Candidates should be below the age of 35 and from a selected group of developing countries (Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, Cambodia, East Timor, Fiji, Indonesia, Laos, Nepal, Niue, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Vanuatu or Vietnam). The training will take place at an Australian institution and will emphasize the application of knowledge to increase agricultural production in the Fellow's home country. Closing date for nominations: 12 April 2010

FARA is seeking consultants
09 03 2010 FARA is seeking consultants for the following: to conduct targeted key informant interviews and coordinate the development of a continental strategy for capacity strengthening for agriculture and natural resources in Africa; and to provide e-consultation for the development of a continental strategy for capacity strengthening for agriculture and natural resources in Africa.

Guidelines for rapid appraisals of agrifood chain performance in developing countries - Value chain analysis: a standard guideline?
09 03 2010 By C. da Silva; H. de Souza Filho, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2007. This paper gives guidelines and presents a methodological strategy for the analysis of agrifood value chains. The guideline aims to provide information on the conceptual fundamentals of chain analyses, such as the components of the agrifood chain, research planning and stakeholder validation.

Second phase of cassava value-adding project underway in eastern and southern Africa
02 03 2010 Cassava has long been known, albeit wrongly, as a poor man’s crop. Not many are aware of its importance as raw material in the textile, food, pharmaceutical, packaging, and cosmetics industries. In countries of sub-Saharan Africa where cassava is commonly grown, its alternative uses could spur economic growth and development. A four-year project funded by the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) and implemented by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) hopes to realize this potential through the promotion of the production and use of High Quality Cassava Flour (HQCF). The US$4.5 million initiative covers 9000 small-scale farmers and processors in Zambia, Madagascar, and Tanzania, and will be supervised by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). (Source: African Agriculture, 16 February 2010)

Guinea pig touted as solution to Congo food crisis
02 03 2010 A South American research group says it may have found another way to fill hungry bellies: with guinea pigs. The small rodents could provide war-battered villages with "a much-needed source of protein and micro-nutrients in a country with some of the highest incidences of malnutrition the world," according to the Colombia-based agricultural research institute, the International Center for Tropical Agriculture, or CIAT. CIAT scientists have been investigating ways to boost livestock production through a project funded by the German government which had originally targeted pork and poultry. It has now been expanded to include guinea pigs, with trials underway in four South Kivu villages to try to find ways to improve the quantity and quality of the meat. (Source: African Agriculture, 16 February 2010)

Scottish and Kenyan research groups collaborate to improve control of deadly cattle disease in Africa
02 03 2010 Recent studies of East Coast fever have shown that the so-called ‘protective’ proteins of the causative parasite—that is, the antigenic molecules that are recognized by the T lymphocytes of the bovine immune system and thus help animals fight development of disease—vary among the different strains of the parasite that exist in the field. This project will build on these advances to investigate the nature and extent of variability in these antigens between parasite strains. This knowledge will help scientists understand the factors that determine which parasite strains induce protective immune responses in animals that have been vaccinated. Results of the project should provide methods for maintaining high quality of the current live vaccine and identifying parasite strains that could be incorporated into an improved second-generation live vaccine. (Source: ILRI, 17 February 2010)

Admission of agricultural students drops
02 03 2010 Four university lecturers in agriculture have expressed concern over the decline in the number of students studying agriculture in Ghana’s universities, saying the situation could have dire consequences for the country’s food security. They have, therefore, urged stakeholders, namely, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC), the junior and senior high schools, the universities and the government, to come up with policies and programmes that will put to rest all misconceptions about that area of training and encourage students to study agriculture. (Source: Graphic Ghana, 18 February 2010)

Fiji, Pacific region exposed to invasive alien species
02 03 2010 The Pacific regional countries, including Fiji, are facing a serious threat from alien invasive species, according to a new publication coordinated by the Global Invasive Species Program (GISP). The publication, released on February 19, listed a number of alien species as a major threat to life on earth, ‘and unfortunately a number of these now exist in the South Pacific islands’, said Don Stewart, Regional Director of BirdLife International in the Pacific. Invasive alien species are plants and animals not native to the South Pacific countries but have been introduced either through trade, or through ‘misguided’ attempts to protect local flora and fauna. (Source: English.news.cn, 19 February 2010)

Biological method to control Pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum strains
02 03 2010 Researchers at the French National Agricultural Research Institute (INRA) have developed a biological method to control pathogenic strains of Fusarium oxysporum, a common fungus found in soils throughout the world. Some of its numerous strains are pathogenic, while others are non-pathogenic and can protect plants against infection by a pathogenic strain. This protection phenomenon has been known for many years, and scientists have now isolated a strain called Fo47 which provides particularly efficient protection. The researchers found that Fo47 was capable of developing in different types of soil, and its introduction had very little impact on the microbiological equilibrium of the soil measured after one year. (Source: Crop Biotech, 19 February 2010)

Radically rethinking agriculture for the 21st century
02 03 2010 Population growth, arable land and fresh water limits, and climate change have profound implications for the ability of agriculture to meet this century’s demands for food, feed, fibre and fuel while reducing the environmental impact of their production. Success depends on the acceptance and use of contemporary molecular techniques, as well as the increasing development of farming systems that use saline water and integrate nutrient flows. (Source: Science, 12 February 2010). See also SCAR report, Agrominde, UK foresighting and IAASTD.

Kenyan scientists berate government for GM 'slowness'
02 03 2010 A year after Kenya's president approved legislation that would allow the cultivation of GM crops, researchers and biotechnology students have expressed concern that the law has not been implemented. Stephen Mugo, a senior scientist at the International Maize and Wheat Research Center's Global Maize Program in Kenya, said: "It would have been good to have the biosafety regulations ready soon after the Biosafety Law was enacted. This would have assisted commercialisation of biotech products". Mugo said scientists need to know whether the regulations will require separate approval for each variety or for each transgenic 'event' — the process of inserting genes. Many countries approve an event, enabling the simultaneous release of several crop varieties with the same genetic modification. Biotechnology students have also said they are unhappy about the lack of opportunities in their sector. (Source: SciDev.net, 12 February 2010)

Backing grows for African research chairs
02 03 2010 Support is growing for a bid to persuade the G8 5 nations to fund 1,000 senior research positions in African universities. The Academic Chairs for Africa initiative would require the rich G8 countries and the emerging economies that now attend the group's gatherings — Brazil, China, India, South Africa and Mexico — to commit US$100m per year over a five-year period. The initiative is modelled on a ten-year-old Canadian programme aimed at preventing promising academics from leaving the country. The African version will be discussed at a meeting of the science academies from the G8 5 countries which takes place in Canada next month (4–5 March). African chair holders stand to receive US$100,000 a year, a substantially higher amount than professors usually earn at most African universities. They would be expected to train PhDs, mentor young academics and prove that they were using their research to address the UN's Millennium Development Goals. (Source: SciDev.net, 12 February 2010)

Moderate fertilizer use could double African banana yields
02 03 2010 A fertilizer-use study by researchers on East African highland bananas showed that moderate application of mineral fertilizers could double the production of the crop. However, the study also found that majority of the banana growers in the region does not use fertilizers, missing out on the opportunity to maximize their crop's food security and economic potentials. Over 70 million people in the East African highlands depend on banana as their primary source of food and income. The USAID-funded study carried out by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in nearly 200 farmer fields in Uganda showed that modest fertilizer use can significantly increase the crop's yield. (Source: ScienceDaily, 12 February 2010)

Smart investments in sustainable food production: Revisiting mixed crop-livestock systems
02 03 2010 Farmers in mixed crop-livestock systems produce about half of the world’s food. In small holdings around the world, livestock are reared mostly on grass, browse, and non-food biomass from maize, millet, rice, and sorghum crops and in their turn supply manure and traction for future crops. Animals act as insurance against hard times and supply farmers with a source of regular income from sales of milk, eggs, and other products. Thus, faced with population growth and climate change, small-holder farmers should be the first target for policies to intensify production by carefully managed inputs of fertilizer, water, and feed to minimize waste and environmental impact, supported by improved access to markets, new varieties, and technologies. (Source: Science, 12 February 2010)

US and Brazil seek patent for local sorghum
02 03 2010 Tanzania is planning to go to court to stop the US and Brazilian governments from patenting a sorghum gene, together with two multinationals, isolated on Tanzanian farms. The strain of sorghum -- a staple food in the country -- has proven to be acid-aluminium tolerant. Tanzania explains that the patenting of this crop by the US or Brazil would be a fatal blow to its food security, and moreover it violates international treaties. It would also increase local food prices as multinational corporations seek to exploit their patent to boost profits by selling sorghum seeds at high prices at a time when millions of Tanzanians currently living under conditions of abject poverty are struggling to put food on their table. (Source: All Africa, 15 February 2010)

New maize varieties to boost grain production in West and Central Africa
02 03 2010 Maize production in West and Central Africa is set to get a much-needed boost with the release of improved varieties by the Nigeria National Variety Release Committee. The improved varieties address many of the major constraints to maize production such as drought, low soil fertility, pests, diseases, and parasitic weeds. Researchers developed the varieties through conventional plant breeding by tapping naturally-available traits. The released maize include 13 open-pollinated varieties of extra-early-, early-, intermediate-, and late-maturity with resistance to the parasitic weed Striga hermonthica and stem borers, tolerance to drought, and with good adaptation to sub-optimal soil nitrogen. Four hybrids with drought-tolerance have also been released. (Source: ScienceDaily 15 February 2010)

Seeds of discontent: the 'miracle' crop that has failed to deliver
02 03 2010 A ‘miracle’ plant, once thought to be the answer to producing renewable biofuels on a vast scale, is driving thousands of farmers in the developing world into food poverty, a damning report concludes today. Five years ago jatropha was hailed by investors and scientists as a breakthrough in the battle to find a biofuel alternative to fossil fuels that would not further impoverish developing countries by diverting resources away from food production. Jatropha was said to be resistant to drought and pests and able to grow on land that was unsuitable for food production. But researchers have found that it has increased poverty in countries such as India and Tanzania. (Source: the Independent, 15 February 2010)

Geographical indications to preserve Ethiopia’s biodiversity
02 03 2010 Ethiopia is one of the front runners in the use of intellectual property rights for fully capitalzing on its plant genetic resources and traditional knowledge assets. In the absence of legislation on geographical indications, it has endeavored to use collective trademarks in the main export markets to add value to its Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, and Harrar/Harar coffees. The Ethiopian parliament is now expected to pass geographical indications legislation later this year. This will then provide the legal basis for Ethiopia’s plans to register geographical indications protection, first nationally and then abroad, for emblematic home garden products like coffee, beans, spices and condiments or aromatic plants. (Source: Agricultural Biodiversity Weblog, André Heitz, 6 February 2010)

Seven steps to save biodiversity
02 03 2010 There is an emerging consensus about what needs to be done to save biodiversity in the next few months. Seven steps need to be observed, including the following. Species and ecosystems need space to develop and recover. Without biodiversity there will be no agriculture. Therefore farming practices should not jeopardize any species’ survival. Improving farmland diversity and reducing the usage of pesticides and fertilizer are key efforts to saving biodiversity. And biodiversity concerns thus need to be integrated into all areas of policy making. Measures include market incentives, development assistance, biodiversity-friendly trade and international governance processes. (Source: Countdown, 2010)

New ecosystem approach based project: Wild pollinators for food production
02 03 2010 FAO is coordinating a United Nations Environment Programme/Global Environment Fac)ility (UNEP/GEF) project worth $26.45 million to better manage those aspects of wild biodiversity that provide pollination services for human livelihood. The five-year project, entitled ‘Conservation and Management of Pollinators for Sustainable Agriculture, through an Ecosystem Approach’, will be implemented in seven countries: Brazil, Ghana, India, Kenya, Pakistan, Nepal and South Africa. The development objective of this unique project is improved food security, nutrition and livelihoods through enhanced conservation and sustainable use of pollinators. The immediate objective is to harness the benefits of pollination services provided by wild biodiversity for human livelihoods and sustainable agriculture, through an ecosystem approach in selected countries. (Source: FAO, 2010)

Joy as Pelargonium patent revoked
02 03 2010 On January 26 the Opposition Division of the European Patent Office (EPO) revoked a patent granted to Dr Willmar Schwabe in its entirety. The patent was opposed by the African Centre for Biosafety (ACB) from South Africa acting on behalf of a rural community in Alice, in the Eastern Cape, in collaboration with the Swiss anti-biopiracy watchdog, the Berne Declaration. The patent concerned a method for producing extracts of Pelargonium sidoides and Pelargonium reniforme for the manufacture of Schwabe’s blockbuster cough and cold syrup, Umckaloabo. Nomtunzi Api, a representative from the Alice community, expressed elation in response to the revocation: ’this is the first time that a patent has been successfully challenged by Africans. It gives us hope for the future because the patent ends Schwabe’s monopoly over the use of our genetic resources and traditional knowledge.’ (Source: African Centre for Biosafety, 26 January 2010)

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