Science and Development Network
News, views and information about science, technology and the developing world
News archive results 1-20 of 134 in Agriculture & Environment and Agri-biotech
The sequencing of the cassava genome may speed up the development of more nutritious and virus-resistant varieties of the crop.
NEWS | 23 November 2009 | EN
Agriculture and how it can adapt to climate change should be given more attention at Copenhagen, a group of scientists has urged.
NEWS | 20 November 2009 | EN
The sequencing of the maize genome should boost efforts to find higher-yielding and climate change-proof varieties.
China's agricultural science is expanding fast, and its 'world share' of research papers is rising too, says a report.
A farming research centre is set to open in Mozambique with funding, seeds and advice from China.
Pakistan's Biological Safety Association has been reinvigorated with new powers in a drive to enhance biosafety regulations in the country.
NEWS | 30 October 2009 | EN
Against expectations, West African rice varieties have interbred in the field — and war may have helped these improved hybrids spread.
Pests, disease and post-harvest problems are drastically reducing crop yields, a summit has heard, and quick technical fixes are a priority.
NEWS | 23 October 2009 | EN
The Indian government will now consult the public before deciding whether to agree with regulators and approve GM aubergine.
NEWS | 16 October 2009 | EN
Scientists and farmers from Peru and Ethiopia will defend agrobiodiversity through the exchange of scientific and traditional knowledge.
NEWS | 16 October 2009 | ES
The African Biosafety Network of Expertise can now begin building African countries' biosafety knowhow in earnest.
NEWS | 15 October 2009 | EN
Africa is starting to produce more food for its people by embracing farming technology, according to a new UN report.
South African researchers will soon begin field trials of a variety of maize capable of withstanding extreme dehydration.
NEWS | 6 October 2009 | EN
A cassava virus rampant in southern Africa could be facing annihilation, thanks to genetic research in South Africa.
Crop yields will plummet and millions more children will go hungry unless agricultural practices adapt to climate change, warns a report.
Norman Borlaug, the scientist and humanitarian credited with leading the Green Revolution, which boosted food supplies in Asia, has died.
The devastating effect of blast fungus on rice paddies worldwide could be dampened by the discovery of a gene that makes plants resistant.
NEWS | 24 August 2009 | EN
Researchers have found two genes which help rice survive long-term flooding, raising the possibility of higher yields in flood-prone areas.
NEWS | 20 August 2009 | EN
Soybean farmers in Central and West Africa will soon have a variety resistant to an Asian fungal rust that can devastate their crops.
GM plants that are more salt tolerant could be good news for farmers in many regions of the world struggling with high salinity.
NEWS | 22 July 2009 | EN
Our blog, by SciDev.Net columnist Priya Shetty, will fill you in, as will our interview with the Global Forum's Gill Samuels
Millions of people still drink arsenic-contaminated water despite scientists' solutions
Policymakers must improve water storage to help developing countries adapt to climate change