Building work starts on Pakistan’s first commercial facility to produce a biocontrol product for maize
Rafhan Maize Products Co. Ltd has begun building an AflaPakTM dedicated laboratory and production facility in Faisalabad which will be the first commercial facility in Pakistan for manufacturing a biocontrol product for the country’s maize sector.
Soil Health – applications and opportunities for climate-smart farming, food security and environmental integrity
Poor soil fertility is a key constraint to improving farm productivity and farmer livelihoods in sub-Saharan Africa as it is elsewhere in the world. CABI has a long history of helping to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers through better access to practical information about integrated soil fertility management as part of the Africa Soil…
Turning Point for Phytosanitary Risk Management?
International trade in plants and plant products has transformed the world in both positive and negative ways. The introduction of destructive non-native pests is one of the negative consequences. Effectively managing pest risk associated with international trade while also promoting the benefits of trade is most effectively accomplished when it is a shared responsibility across…
Aflatoxin control in Pakistan: A project which will change landscape of country’s maize crop
Aflatoxin, produced by a poisonous fungus, is a serious threat to food security by contaminating many of Pakistan’s agricultural products, including cereal grains, chilies, dry fruits, nuts and milk.
The advantage of developing ‘linkages’ for Better Cotton Initiative in Sindh province, Pakistan
In agriculture, cotton crop plays a vital role in the economy of Pakistan as the fourth biggest producer in the world behind China, India and the United States. But cotton yields and livelihoods are at risk from a range of pests such as Whitefly, Thrips, Cotton Mealybug, Pink Bollworm, and other sucking and chewing type…
Boosting banana productivity in Tanzania: Farmer reaps rewards with up to three-fold increase
In Tanzania, where demand for bananas is high, banana farmers face the challenge of low productivity caused by pests and diseases and limited basic knowledge on banana management practices. The ‘Improving banana agronomy practices for small scale farmers in highland banana cropping systems East Africa’ project set a goal to raise banana productivity in Tanzania from 10mt/ha/yr to 25 mt/ha/year. The banana agronomy project which is led by National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO) is implemented in partnership with Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute (TARI), Bioversity International, International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and CABI is also operated in Uganda.
Conservation of beneficial insects through NEFR installation in cotton crop
Cotton crop is the main source to produce the fiber, cotton seed cake, and for animal feed to support an increase in milk production and oil in good quantities. The sticks of cotton crop also support in burning fires for cooking purpose in the rural areas of Pakistan in places where other resources are not…
Training of organic cotton farmers for seed multiplication
Organic cotton refers to naturally cultivated cotton without the use of any synthetic agricultural chemicals, such as fertilizer or pesticides or transgenic technology, to secure sustainable, ecological and biodynamic agriculture. Organic cotton also promotes and enhances biodiversity and biological cycles and is beneficial to human health and the environment.
Aflatoxins: A peril which limits the export of maize crop from Pakistan
The agriculture sector is one of the most climate-sensitive sectors of Pakistan’s economy. It responds to temperature, precipitation, soil radiation, etc., which are directly associated with climate change. Rising temperature, uneven distribution of precipitation, floods, droughts, and other climatic disasters have affected human life along with socio-economic sectors of the world.
As a diamond cuts a diamond, ‘good fungus’ will reduce ‘bad fungus’ in maize crop
CABI, along with its partners Rafhan Maize Products Co. Ltd and with the support of the National Agricultural Research Centre (CDRI, ASI), are busy evaluating the efficacy of AflaPak™ in Pakistan – a biological control agent/product for outcompeting the strains of aflatoxin producing Aspergillus flavus in maize.