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Showing posts with label Food Productivity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food Productivity. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Africa most prone to food shortage - NEPAD


Chief Executive Officer, NEPAD, Dr. Ibrahim Mayaki
Available statistics from the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) show that Africa is the most prone to food insecurity as it affects a larger percentage of the continent's population.
NEPAD revealed to NaijaAgroNet in a press statement that Africa needs energy security in order to get out of poverty and achieve food security.
Speaking at a workshop on linking bioenergy and food security in Africa recently, the chief executive officer, NEPAD, Dr. Ibrahim Mayaki said transformation in energy generation and services is necessary to achieve food security in Africa.
Also, experts at the workshop agreed that African countries have to progressively move away from the use of fossil fuels and increase the share of renewable energy sources in their total energy mix.
Other energy highlighted by the experts include solar, wind, hydropower and geothermal; that bioenergy would play a major role in the coming decades on the continent.
Prof. Emile Van Zyl of the University of Stellenbosch said Africa has the potential to be a major player alongside Brazil in the biofuels trade if it applies modern technology as Africa produces 606 million litres of biofuels equivalent of 2 per cent of the global trade with South Africa alone accounting for more than half of the total output.
 NaijaAgroNet further gathered that the technical arm of the African Union (AU) Commission, the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency has a vision to give 35 per cent of African population access to energy in the next 20 years.
Yinka Awosanya/LS
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Monday, June 18, 2012

300 leading cassava researchers to attend GCP21


About 300 global leading cassava researchers and stakeholders would attend Global Cassava Partnership for the 21st Century (GCP21) scheduled to hold between June 18 and 22, 2012.
The international cassava conference to be held in Uganda would focus on improving cassava productivity through scientific research and development.
The organisers in a press release made available to NaijaAgroNet stated that GCP21 consists of 45 member institutions working on research and development of cassava.
The Cassava Global Partnership, NaijaAgroNet learnt advocates for cassava issues while leveraging research and development by facilitating dialogue among farmers and stakeholders through scientific and technical meetings.
The partnership also seeks smart strategies, funding opportunities and catalyzing solutions to technical challenges like cassava genomics.
The chairman of GCP21-II, and scientist at NaCRRI, Dr. Yona Baguma said the greatest reward of his life time would be to bring about a significant transformation in cassava to impact on peoples' lives especially those who depend on the crop.
GCP21, in 2011 had initiated several research projects totaling over $60 million, about N9.6 billion in grants in the areas of cassava genomics, genetic engineering, biofortification, genetics and biology.
The report of the research projects would be presented at GCP21-II.
Participants will exchange knowledge and experiences in the areas of socio-economics, biodiversity and genetic resources, post-harvest, starch modification, nutrition, genomics, molecular genetic markers and gene discovery, tissue culture and transformation, biotic and abiotic stresses, participatory research and technology transfer.
Yinka Awosanya/LS
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