The persistent threat of emerging plant disease pandemics to global food security
Global plant disease outbreaks are increasing, threatening the food security of vulnerable people in many parts of the world, writes Wayne Coles, PR Manager, CABI. A nutritious and stable food supply can help lift them out of poverty and improve their health. However, the spread of plant diseases, exacerbated by climate change and the global…
Using natural solutions to overcome crop toxins and increase Pakistan’s maize production
On World Food Safety Day, 7 June, we look at how a natural solution to a maize toxin is helping to safeguard Pakistan’s food security and smallholder farmer incomes. Aflatoxin contamination presents a severe threat to Pakistan’s population including its smallholder farmers, writes Dr Babar Bajwa, Senior Regional Director – Asia, CABI. They cause serious…
CABI Culture Collection plays key role in new research investigating multiple outbreaks of coffee wilt disease
The CABI Culture Collection – which contains over 30,000 living strains from 142 countries – has played a key role in new research from scientists at Imperial College London and the University of Oxford investigating multiple outbreaks of the host-specific coffee wilt pathogen Fusarium xylarioides.
Three years on, the Good Seed Initiative still reaps rewards for farmers in Tanzania
A CABI study brief has shown that three years on, the Good Seed Initiative is still reaping rewards for farmers in Tanzania, writes Dr Monica Kansiime, Scientist-Agricultural Economist, CABI. The study entitled Perspectives on sustainability of smallholder seed enterprises: a case study of African indigenous vegetables in Tanzania reveals how this initiative was instrumental in…
Bundling agricultural services under the Seeing is Believing project in India
The Seeing is Believing (SIB) project started in Tamil Nadu (a southern state in India) in May 2019 in partnership with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and The M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), writes Akanksha Nagpal and Arun Jadhav.
World’s indigenous peoples to bear brunt of climate change, warns UN paper
Indigenous peoples around the world – the guardians of traditional knowledge systems and underutilized, forgotten crops that may yet prove critical for global food security – are likely to be hit hardest by climate change, says a United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS) 2021 brief co-authored by scientists representing the Association of International Research and…
A range of incentives could help open up free access to FAIR data in agriculture
Access to data on soil health, agronomy and fertilizer based upon FAIR could be a ‘game changer’ in helping to create greater food security within Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia who are already battling with the impacts of climate change, crop pests and diseases, writes Ruthie Musker, Project Officer – Data Policy & Practice at…
Global rescue plan needed for fruit and vegetable diversity
UN Food Systems Summit 2021 brief charts a path forward to conserve precious genetic resources for future food crop options. The many fruit and vegetable species in food production systems contributing essential nutrients to human diets are under threat from land use, climate change, and other factors, reports a United Nations Food Systems Summit (UNFSS)…
Punjab wheat growers hope to boost productivity with combine harvester and wheat straw chopper
CABI is working with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to help small-scale wheat farmers in the Hafizabad and Sheikhupura districts of Punjab, Pakistan, boost their productivity by demonstrating the benefits of modern machinery – the New Holland TC-56 combine harvester and wheat straw chopper.
Maize growers of Punjab helped to manage aflatoxins through biological control technology
Maize crop in Pakistan presents a remarkable success story from the last few years. For instance, the country’s maize production increased from 705 tonnes in 1971 to 7,000 tonnes in 2020 – growing at an average annual rate of 5.15%.