CABI participates in a regional forum on Enhancing Global Food Security through Science, Technology and Innovation
I recently attended a one-day regional forum organised by the Human Life Advancement Foundation (HLAF) in Thailand. The meeting, held on 17th May 2017, sought to identify ways in which HLAF and other organisations, like CABI, can contribute to achieving food security especially through science, technology and innovation.
Building a climate-smart value chain: The role of research, development and technology
This is the second of a two-part blog series following my visit to Africa supported by CABI’s development bursary The first blog in this series described the Africa Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI) and how it aims to improve cassava agronomy to increase production and productivity, as well as how ACAI partnerships could build a climate-smart…
“Biocontrol? What’s that?”: My experience at CABI
Amy Hudson writes about what she learnt as a summer intern at CABI whilst working on the systematic review done in 2017 concerning the biological control of pests and the impact on crop yield. She spent time extracting relevant data from various online journals and compiled it so that a meta-analysis may be completed. Before…
Building a climate-smart cassava value chain: The role of partnerships
This is one of a two-part blog series following my visit to Africa supported by CABI’s development bursary In June 2017, I visited Zanzibar, Tanzania, to attend a 5-day planning meeting organised by the Africa Cassava Agronomy Initiative (ACAI). The purpose of this planning meeting was to bring together all project partners to identify project…
CABI Books on Livestock Breeds and Breeding Are Essential Resource for Education, Research and Policy Influencing
This article focuses on the following three books 1. “Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding: 2 volume pack”, edited by V Porter, L Alderson, S Hall, D P Sponenberg, March 2016, Hardback, 9781845934668. Volume 1: Asses, camelids, cattle, goats, horses and pigs, Volume 2: Sheep, water buffalo, yak and other livestock 2. “Mason's World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types and Varieties,” published in August 2002; DOI: 10.1046/j.1439-0388.2002.00353. 3. “A World Dictionary of Livestock Breeds, Types and Varieties” by Ian Lauder Mason, 1996 (ISBN 0851991024) [previous editions: 1988, 1969 1957 (reissued with Supplement), first published in 1951) In March 2016, CABI published “Mason's World Encyclopedia of Livestock Breeds and Breeding”, which was written by co-authors (Porter, Hall and Sponenberg). This is a major international and much expanded reference book based on Ian Mason's original book, which includes breeds of domestic livestock. This version covers conservation of animal genetic resources,…
Taking the power back
How apple growers are regaining control of the supply chain from retailers Apples are one of the world’s most popular fruits. In 2013 world production reached almost 82 million tonnes and the export value broke US$8 billion (FAO STAT, 2017). The fruit comes in all shapes, sizes, flavours and colours; yet what we see in…
Author of Month Blog: Olfaction in Animal Behaviour and Welfare, Birte L. Nielsen
We all use our nose much more than we think. Is this fish okay to eat? Can you smell gas? Mmm, they smell nice! From knowing when to change a baby’s nappy to choosing (and using) a particular deodorant, odours affect our behaviour on a daily basis. And yet, we do not consider ourselves a…
6 lessons learned on organising a stand at an ‘international development’ event
Public events are a great opportunity to make CABI more visible and enlighten others on how our work is improving livelihoods all over the world. As a regular on the conference circuit, I know the value and challenges of organising a stand at an event. Most recently I attended the 1st All Africa Post Harvest…
Author of the Month – Global Urban Agriculture, A.M.G.A. WinklerPrins
Urban Agriculture and its Role in Community Building A.M.G.A. WinklerPrins Urban agriculture (UA) is about much more than producing food, it is about growing communities and empowering people. The social interactions needed to grow food in urban settings, whether in organised community gardens or allotments, in abandoned lots, sacks, balconies, or berms, brings people together…
Omega oils 3, 6, 7 and 9 – what’s the difference?
Many people are not sure how omega oils feature in their diet and in what quantities they should be consuming them. Considering that many of are not getting even the minimum levels in our diet that are deemed “critical” to health by the World Health Organization (WHO), maybe we should rethink our 'laissez faire' attitude.