World Environment Day 2014 – “Raise Your Voice, Not the Sea Level”
World Environment Day (WED) on June 5th is used by the United Nations to encourage global awareness and stimulate action to protect the environment. It was established in 1972 on the same day that the UN Conference on the Human Environment began and the first WED was celebrated in 1973. Each year it is hosted in…
The ethics of tobacco packaging
In the week of World NO Tobacco Day (31st May 2014) this blog addresses tobacco packaging: the use of standardized packaging & pictorial health warnings for cigarettes to further reduce consumption and address the world's leading agent of death...tobacco.
E-cigarettes – not healthy
I was horrified to see e-cigarettes associated with the word ‘healthy’ in a store near me recently. They are not. It is undisputable that nicotine is highly addictive and that there is a risk of poisoning with its use. The question is does this harm outweigh the benefits if e-cigarettes reduce smoking? The evidence that…
Stakeholders recommend solution to challenges in Ghana’s citrus industry
CABI recently attanded a workshop to avert the total collapse of the citrus industry in Ghana. Along with other organizations, the Ministry of Food and Agriculture is looking for CABI to create innovation platforms to help improve the country's citrus industry. Stakeholders are most concerned about 'angular leaf spot' disease on which CABI has been asked to create guides.
Celebrating International Biodiversity Day!
22 May is International Biodiversity Day! This year, the theme is Island Biodiversity which was chosen to coincide with the UN's International Year of Small Island Developing States. Islands and their surrounding seas are unique. They ae often made up of many plant and animal species that are endemic—found nowhere else on Earth. The legacy of a unique…
Invisible helpers: working equine animals provide vital support to women in developing countries
A report launched this month by the animal welfare organisation the Brooke highlights the extent to which women in developing countries rely on donkeys and other working equids. The report, Invisible Helpers, calls for greater recognition of the role of working equine animals in supporting women and their families, and emphasizes the importance of looking…
CABI announces ICM Master’s programme on Swiss TV
CABI Switzerland's Andre Gassmann (left) joins Professor Ted Turlings on national television station Canal Alpha to announce the first ever Master's degree in the Swiss Canton of Jura. The degree will focus on Integrated Crop Managment (ICM) and provide an opportunity for students from around the world to study with experts while based at the…
EU ban on mango imports highlights importance of phytosanitary certification
A ban on imports of mangoes from India to the EU is likely to cause dramatic losses to Indian growers and has produced an outcry amongst growers in India and retailers in the UK. The ban on importing mangoes from India came into effect today 1 May and will continue until 31 December 2015 –…
CABI's Dr Richard Shaw joins BBC Oxford Radio live in the studio tomorrow at 2pm GMT to talk about invasive species in the EU and around the world, plus what CABI is doing to help management major and emerging threats. For those in the UK, listen live April 23 at 2pm here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01wz16m
Dengue situation in a Southern Indian state (Andhra Pradesh) – Gaps and opportunities in Community Awareness
Dengue is the fastest growing vector-borne disease worldwide, and reported cases in the Southern Indian state Andra Pradesh have steadily risen from 313 in 2008 to 2299 in 2012. The many missed cases due to partial reporting by private hospitals and clinics in this state, increased urbanisation and lack of people participation in health issues, makes one sceptical of the true burden of this potentially deadly disease. A community physician in Hyderabad summarises knowledge and practice on community awareness of dengue in Andra Pradesh, and looks at strategies to make information & communication a priority for addressing know-do gaps.