July 10, 2022
Morocco: Morocco - A Top Fertiliser Producer - Could Hold a Key to the World's Food Supply
Morocco has a large fertiliser industry with huge production capacity and international reach. It is one of the world's top four fertiliser exporters following Russia, China and… Read more »
July 03, 2022
South Africa: How Beetles Trick Bees Into Feeding Them Food Rich in Nutrients
Honey bees are useful not only to humans but to other "free riders" attracted to their stored resources. The small hive beetle (Aethina tumida) is one of the species that rely on… Read more »
June 30, 2022
Central Africa: Covid Hurt West and Central Africa's Small-Scale Fishers. They Need More Support
From Senegal through Ghana to Cameroon, small-scale fishing is both a livelihood and a way of life for people in coastal parts of West and Central Africa, with more than two… Read more »
Africa: How Marine Fisheries Can Add Millions of Tonnes to Africa's Catch
The African continent produces seven million tonnes of marine fish a year. This capture has increased in recent years thanks to improved catches in west Africa and the end of… Read more »
June 21, 2022
Somalia: No Time for Complacency - Somalia's Unfolding Famine Catastrophe
Somalia is on the brink of catastrophe. A recent assessment suggests that 7.7 million Somalis need emergency aid right now, a similar number to those affected by the Ethiopian… Read more »
June 16, 2022
Africa: China to Adopt Genetically Modified Maize and Soy - Why It Matters for South Africa
Something important for global agriculture happened this past week but received minimal media coverage. The Chinese National Crop Variety Approval Committee released two standards… Read more »
June 15, 2022
Africa: Why It's Crucial to Safeguard the Ancient Practice of Finding Wild Honey With Birds
In parts of Africa, a small bird called the Greater Honeyguide (Indicator indicator) helps people search for honey. It approaches people and chatters and flies in the direction of… Read more »
June 13, 2022
South Africa: Inflation in South Africa - Rising Food Prices Hit Poor People the Hardest
Concerns about rising food prices are making the headlines across the world as pressures mount in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The war has driven up prices of… Read more »
June 01, 2022
Southern Africa: Enforcing Competition Would Ease Food Price Hikes in East and Southern Africa
Small and medium-scale farmers and agri-businesses in east and southern Africa are getting a raw deal. To succeed they need fair and integrated regional markets. Research by the… Read more »
May 31, 2022
South Africa: ANC Policy Papers Touch On Key Issues Facing Agriculture and Land Reform in South Africa
The latest policy discussion document published by the African National Congress (ANC) presents a positive change from the ambiguous agriculture policy the South African governing… Read more »
May 20, 2022
Africa: Over 100 Years of Antarctic Agriculture Is Helping Scientists Grow Food in Space
Figuring out how to feed people in space is a major part of a larger effort to demonstrate the viability of long-term human habitation of extraterrestrial environments. On May 12,… Read more »
May 19, 2022
East Africa: Banana Paper Could Save East Africa's Potatoes From Devastating Worms
Potatoes originated in South America, where they were domesticated about 8,000 years ago. The plants were eventually brought to Europe in the mid-1500s, from where they spread to… Read more »
May 18, 2022
Zambia: Herbicides Threaten Edible Weeds in Zambia - That May Be Bad News for Local Food Security
The use of herbicides - substances that control unwanted plants - is on the rise across Africa. This trend has been referred to by some researchers as the "herbicide revolution".… Read more »
May 12, 2022
South Africa: Black Farmers Need Support - How It Could Be Done
Most countries in both the rich and the developing world have some sort of programme to help early career farmers (mostly, but not exclusively young people) to get established in a… Read more »
May 09, 2022
East Africa: Famine in Ethiopia - The Roots Lie in Eritrea's Long-Running Feud With Tigrayans
The war in northern Ethiopia that began in November 2020 has left millions in Tigray on the brink of famine. Read more »
March 10, 2021
Cape Verde: How Indigenous Beans Could Boost Food Security
With just over half a million inhabitants, Cabo Verde is heavily dependent on food imports. It spent $65 million importing food products in 2018. Read more »
January 30, 2019
Zambia: We Revealed the Value of Zambia's Wild Yam. Why It Matters
Wild harvested crops are a vital source of food in much of the world. Some common wild edible plants in southern Africa include wild mushrooms, such as Termitomyces titanicus,… Read more »