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  Africa

The news
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Countries covered
Worldwide Africa Asia Europe Middle East Latin America North America Oceania
Angola
Botswana
Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Congo
Egypt
Ethiopia
Ghana
Kenya
Lesotho
Madagascar
Malawi
Mali
Mauritania
Morocco
Mozambique
Namibia
South Africa
Sudan
Swaziland
Tanzania
Uganda
Zambia
Zimbabwe
July 08

Malawi government okays research into genetically modified crops

Testing of Bt cotton to start this year in Uganda

June 08

Egypt joins Africa Rice Center as member country

Emergency Rice Initiative launched to help African countries severely hit by soaring prices - Concrete action plans developed to urgently stimulate rice production in 11 African countries as an immediate follow-up to the Rome World Food Summit

First Egyptian approval of genetically modified corn raises questions

Statement by the African Seed Trade Association on the food crisis
Communiqué de l'Association Africaine du Commerce des Semences sur la crise alimentaire

New rice-growing system developed for the wetlands of West Africa

FAO starts seed distribution in Mauritania - Trucks with more than 500 tonnes of seeds are on their way to the countryside

New Gates grant for FAO statistics improves information in 17 African countries

Le riz en Afrique : quatre organismes de recherche français et africains renforcent leur collaboration

Conversations about plant biotechnology: Potential advantages of GM cotton for Burkinabe farmers

Boosting food production in Africa’s "breadbasket areas" - New collaboration among Rome-based UN agencies and AGRA

Scientific innovations will trigger Green Revolution in Africa

May 08

A "Green Revolution" for Africa is announced

CIMMYT e-newsletter vol 5 no 5 - May 2008
- Doubled haploids speed development of drought tolerant maize for Africa

At time of food crisis, new rice varieties boost Africa’s rice production

Accord tuniso-syrien dans le domaine des grandes cultures

Regional training programme on 'Plant Genetic Resources and Seeds: Policies, Conservation and Use'

First report of Brown rot on potato in Mauritius

Egypt approves commercialisation of first GM crop

Kenya launches revolutionary US $50 million farm programme to provide small-scale farmers and farm businesses financing and credit

Yellow mottle and blast diseases on rice in Uganda

April 08

Africa holds the future for world rice farming

Home-grown maize seed solutions in southern and central Africa

First report of Tobacco streak virus on faba bean in Sudan

Golden wheat greens Kenya's drylands - Scientists and farmers pioneer hardier, healthier wheat through IAEA partnerships

Africa Rice Center (WARDA) actively assists African member states manage the rice crisis

Plant Genetic Resources for Agriculture, Plant Breeding, and Biotechnology - Experiences from Cameroon, Kenya, the Philippines, and Venezuela

Meeting of rice breeders from 10 African countries sets forth strategy to boost rice production in the face of rising food prices and import crunch
Les exploitants agricoles africains obtiennent l’accès à des variétés de riz ‘pluvial’, résistantes aux maladies

Egypt approves a Bt -corn variety for domestic planting, the first such approval in Egypt

Blast disease on rice in Kenya

French bean breeding in Kenya

Tanzania to develop drought tolerant maize

Seed Update - A Quarterly Publication of the Seed Security Network of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)

Highlights on tangible progress made by the Africa Rice Center (WARDA)

USDA/FAS GAIN report: Kenya planting seed report 2008

Blast disease on rice in the central province of Kenya

March 08

WARDA Board approves new research directions targeting major rice challenges in Africa

Undiagnosed diseases on maize and bean in Benguela, Angola - Request for information

African Agricultural Technology Foundation to develop drought-tolerant maize varieties for small-scale farmers in Africa - Long-term goal of public-private partnership is to reduce crop failure, alleviate hunger and poverty

Representatives from 35 countries attend the 8th Annual Congress of the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA)

Scientists meet to launch a multi-million dollar project  to step up rice production in Africa and Asia

February 08

New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD)-Michigan State University partnership to bolster Africa’s biosafety capacity

Nouveau système pour la sécurisation de l'approvisionnement en semences céréalières au Maroc

Getting quality seed to maize farmers in eastern and southern Africa

Iowa State University awarded $450,000 to enhance nutritional value and marketability of common beans in Uganda and Rwanda

North Africa Biosciences Network (NABNet) to improve barley varieties for North Africa

Le Burkina Faso est prêt pour la vulgarisation du coton Bt

Senegal seeks WARDA’s support to boost domestic rice production

Uganda approves Bt cotton trials

First report of Rice yellow mottle virus in rice in The Gambia

January 08

Impoverished areas of Africa and Asia face severe crop losses from climate change in 20 years

Partners for life: CIMMYT and maize researchers in eastern Africa

African seed collection first to arrive in Norway on route to Arctic seed vault

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) commits US$180 million to revive depleted soils of small-scale farmers
L’Alliance pour une révolution verte en Afrique (AGRA) promet 180 millions de dollars US pour revitaliser les sols appauvris des petits exploitants

Confined field trials of GM cotton approved in Uganda

Genetic discovery can boost the provitamin A content of Africa's maize

BBSRC research shows that diversionary tactics save crops from pests in developing countries


December 07

Verdict Systems and Astec Global sign agreement to sell Verdict data loggers in Asia and Africa through Astec Global

December 07 newsletter of the African Seed Trade Association (AFSTA)
- Invitation of AFSTA Congress 2008
- The African Seed Trade Association signs an MoU with the African Union
- STAK celebrates its Silver Jubilee: 25 years of providing quality seed to farmers
- AFSTA joins West Africa Seed Alliance (WASA)
- SADC Permanent Secretaries finalize MoU on SADC harmonized seed regulatory system

South Africa: Biofuels situation update

New variant of Wheat stem rust, strain Ug99 in Kenya

Report of sorghum smut in Karamoja, Uganda

First reports of Tomato chlorosis virus in southwestern Turkey and in Mayotte Island, France

Biofuel: Africa's new oil?

Project to develop more nutritious sorghum announces scientific breakthrough

Gates Foundation funds unprecedented effort to unleash expertise of African women in the agricultural sciences - New program to fast track the careers of African women scientists, seeks to fix leaky pipeline of women agricultural researchers in Sub-Saharan Africa
La Fondation Gates finance une initiative sans précédent de 13 millions de dollars pour donner libre cours aux compétences des femmes africaines dans les sciences agricoles - Le nouveau programme va accélérer la carrière de 360 femmes scientifiques africaines et renforcer la présence des femmes dans la recherche agricole en Afrique subsaharienne

November 07

Tunisia opens national gene bank to promote the development of sustainable agriculture in the country

Maroc: La société nationale de commercialisation des semences intervient pour stabiliser le marché des semences

CIMMYT e-newsletter vol 4 no 11 - November 2007
- Turning on the power: New maize protein quality test for developing country labs
- Iran can serve the world in wheat breeding
- New maize hybrid in western Kenya: The farmers speak

Bruce Paterson joins Plant Health Products as Marketing Manager

West Africa Biosciences Network to improve sorghum breeding in West Africa

Eight West African countries to benefit from a regional biosafety project

Village wheats may fend off stem rust
Las variedades tradicionales de trigo podrían rechazar la nueva roya del tallo

African Development Bank rice project sows success in West Africa

Syngenta and the Royal Society of Chemistry launch African science initiative
Syngenta et la Royal Society of Chemistry lancent une initiative scientifique en Afrique
Syngenta und die britische Royal Society of Chemistry gründen Wissenschaftsinitiative für Afrika

New Bayer CropScience insecticide spirotetramat granted first regulatory approval
Neues Bayer CropScience Insektizid Spirotetramat weltweit erstmals zugelassen

African farmer and world agricultural leader announced as President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA)

Bt maize trials harvested in Egypt

U.S. Department of Agriculture begins issuing import permits for fruits and vegetables from Africa

Bacterial ring rot on potato - Algeria ex Canada

October 07

New information platform for East African farmers

Biocarburants : une rencontre au sommet pour l’Afrique

New Kenyan maize variety resistant to the larger grain borer, a pest that destroys a third of Kenya's maize crop every year

Combating cassava mosaic

African cassava breeders network moves to derail spreading epidemic of devastating crop virus

Legumes step into the limelight in the tropics

Top maize breeders in Southern and Eastern Africa urge governments to speed approvals of new crop varieties needed by farmers
Les principaux sélectionneurs de maïs en Afrique orientale et australe exhortent les gouvernements à accélérer les autorisations pour les nouvelles variétés de cultures nécessaires aux agriculteurs

ICRISAT incubates agri-business projects in Mozambique

Historic change for rice research in Africa: Eastern and Central African countries join WARDA as members

September 07

Undiagnosed disease in vegetables crops in the Volta Region of Ghana

Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology opens website on biotech in Africa

CIMMYT e-newsletter vol 4 no 9 - September 2007
- The larger grain borer is taking a beating from CIMMYT breeders in Kenya
- Battle to prevent a global wheat crop catastrophe from an unchecked airborne fungus

The Economic Impact and the Distribution of Benefits and Risk from the Adoption of Insect Resistant (Bt) Cotton in West Africa

Seed Update - A Quarterly Publication of the Seed Security Network of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)

First report of Asian soybean rust caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi on kudzu in South Africa

WARDA appoints new Assistant Director General for Research & Development

Iris yellow spot virus in onion seed crops in South Africa

African partnership announces the launch of a critical PhD program for crop breeding in Africa
- Cornell University will support the University of Ghana to train African plant breeders to confront indigenous problems

L’Algérie a réalisé son autosuffisance en semences céréalières

First report of Asian soybean rust in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Regional consultation on biotechnology and biosafety for agriculture and environment in the West Asia and North Africa sub-region

August 07

New maize and wheat varieties to fight hunger in Kenya

Bt maize trials perfom positively in Egypt

First report of soybean rust caused by Phakopsora pachyrhizi in Ghana

First all-African GM crop is resistant to maize streak virus

World rice research centres unite to address major challenges facing African rice growers

Zambia will not grow GM crops

New results from field testing in the southern hemisphere confirm the momentum in Monsanto's R&D pipeline

African rice production gets major boost
La production rizicole en Afrique connaît une promotion importante

2nd International Seed Trade Conference in CWANA Region to be held in Cairo, Egypt

July 07

IITA/Gatsby innovations on cowpea production impact on farmers in the northern Guinea

Government of Kenya publishes bio-safety bill

African scientists and agricultural organizations welcome AGRA clarification on biotech research

New low-cost technology counters widespread aflatoxin food poisoning, increases agricultural exports

USDA/FAS GAIN report: Republic of South Africa, Annual Biotechnology Report

Kofi Annan, Chair of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa holds first of fact-finding missions with African smallholder farmers to boost agriculture

Founder of Uganda's Victoria Seeds Ltd. awarded African Green Revolution Yara Prize for 2007

First all-African produced genetically engineered maize is resistant to maize streak virus

SADC FANR ministers approve SADC harmonised seed regulatory system

Seed Update - A bimonthly publication of the Seed Security Network of the Southern African Development Community (SADC)

Barley yellow dwarf virus & stem rust, cereals - Kenya

June 07

Kenya's National Biosafety Committee approves field trails of a genetically engineered cotton variety

Economists draw urgent attention to Africa’s looming rice crisis

Iowa State University Seed Science Center scientists facilitate agreements between the 14 member countries of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to improve seed policies and regulations and to reduce seed trade barriers in the region

Taking on biotechnology the African way: does GM technology help small-scale farmers?

First report of Brown stalk rot on maize in South Africa

New university course to help agricultural scientists in Africa communicate their research to a wider audience

Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa appoints former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan as Chairman of the Board

Africa must create its own biotechnology agenda

Gates Foundation funds Purdue University's effort to protect food, enhance African economy

May 07

Mali to encourage and finance agricultural research and development

Afrique de l’Ouest : les paysans, créateurs de biodiversité agricole

New standard for East African organic products to be launched at Tanzanian conference - Organic label expected to boost profits for small farmers, expand exports and domestic and regional sales

Efforts to fight hunger in Africa by preserving seeds and boosting research into improved crop varieties

Uganda to conduct field trials of GM insect resistant cotton

África confía en la llegada de los cultivos biotecnológicos resistentes a la sequía

Genetically modified chicory brings hope to African malaria patients

NERICA contributes to record rice harvest in Africa

Pre-empting a horticultural and food security disaster in eastern Africa: scientists move in to tackle the invasion of leafminer flies into the region

Un colloque international sur la gestion des ressources génétiques en zone de savanes d’Afrique de l’Ouest

Alternative crops take root in Swaziland

Zimbabwe: consumer watchdog warns against maize price increase

ProMED-mail: Fungus responsible for Africa's deadly maize identified / Biological control of aflatoxin contamination in maize in Africa

April 07

Fungus responsible for Africa's deadly maize identified
Hongo que causa el maíz letal africano es identificado

East Africa small-scale cereal farmers receive major boost

Wheat killer spreads from East Africa to Yemen - New partnership formed to monitor and prevent spread of dangerous fungus

West Africa to boost food crops with biotechnology

African universities develop 'regional PhDs' to accelerate agricultural research and biotechnology development in Eastern and Southern Africa

March 07

Introduction of NERICA rice in the Central African Republic

Mozambique aims to lead 'green revolution' - Science and innovation will be used to improve crops

WARDA Board of Trustees endorses harmonization of activities with CIAT, IITA and IRRI

Regional Training Programme on Plant Genetic Resources and Seeds: Policies, Conservation and Use to be held in Ethiopia

Insect Resistant Maize for Africa (IRMA) II

New Seed Initiative for Maize in Southern Africa

Representatives from 33 countries attend the 7th Annual Congress of the African Seed Trade Association

Working towards aflatoxin-resistant groundnut varieties

Drought causes maize prices to shoot up in Swaziland as food shortages loom

The role of agricultural biotechnology in hunger and poverty alleviation for developing countries

Finding the seeds of recovery close to home: Seed Systems Under Stress Program helps African farmers buy and use locally available seed

New Partnership for Africa's Development and Forum on African Research in Agriculture join forces to bring new agricultural technologies to farmers

February 07

Cornell University students put marketing and management skills to work for Kenya's seed industry

South Africa’s Minister for Agriculture underscores need for biofortification

High genetic diversity discovered in Eritrean barley

African Biofortified Sorghum to continue engagement with South African government in efforts to proceed with sorghum greenhouse trials

Bayer CropScience’s new food chain partnership project in Africa Green World: Working with Kenyan traders and small-holders to produce safe and healthy food Corn and vegetables for farmers’ own use and for the European export market

GM crop production up 180% in the Republic of South Africa

CIMMYT newsletter:
- Giving African farmers room to grow
- Small seed with a big footprint: Western Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Nepal

Research consortium to continue engagement with South African government in efforts to proceed with sorghum greenhouse

January 07

DuPont Group Vice President discusses future of African agriculture at World Economic Forum Annual Meeting

Nerica rice among the top agricultural breakthroughs of the last 30 years

Enhanced, drought-tolerant maize will give African farmers options, even with global warming

South African researchers to begin field tests of first-ever GM crop developed by Africans for Africa

Dangerous wheat disease jumps Red Sea - Devastating fungal pathogen spreads from eastern Africa to Yemen, following path scientists predicted


For earlier releases, please use the keyword search function

Electronic newsletter of The African Seed Trade Association

News from the Seed Association of Morocco

Challenges for Plant Variety Protection in Africa

First workshop on Foundation Seed Enterprise

Birth of National Seed Association of Ivory Coast

 

Editorials

Plant Variety Protection
for Southern Africa:
Progress and Pitfalls

The communication factor in African biotech crops

By Dr. Wynand J. van der Walt, Senior Partner, FoodNCropBio Consulting and Facilitation Services

Strengthening Africa’s private seed sector to serve smallholder farmers

by Dr. Edward Mabaya, Research Associate, Cornell University

 


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