October 30, 2009
South Africa: Critics Welcome Rejection of Genetically Altered Potato
The recent rejection of a permit application for the general release in South Africa of a potato that has been genetically altered has received a standing ovation from the African… Read more »
South Africa: New Potatoes - Blessing Or Curse?
The debate around genetically modified (GM) crops in South Africa has flared up once again after the rejection of a permit application for the general release of the SpuntaG2, a… Read more »
Africa: FAO Launches Key Land Initiatives
People's rights to work the land – an indispensable pre-condition for food security in Africa – are the subject of two key initiatives by international agencies working… Read more »
South Africa: Urban Subsistence Farmers Spread Wings
A project which began as an effort to empower citizens of Cape Town's poorest neighbourhoods to grow their own food has mushroomed into a scheme for selling vegetables for the… Read more »
Mauritania: Desert Locusts Threaten Region
A potentially serious infestation of desert locusts has broken out in Mauritania, but experts are hopeful that quickly implemented countermeasures will prevent a repeat of… Read more »
October 29, 2009
Africa: Digital Soil Mapping Helps Continent's Farmers
Digital mapping has been used in the West to ascertain soil variation and help determine why some crops perform better than others in particular regions. In Africa, digital… Read more »
Africa: Food Crisis Forces Changes on GM Crops
Daniel Mataruka is director of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) in Nairobi. The non-profit organization aims to improve the lives and agricultural output of… Read more »
Africa: Agriculture Group Finds Targeting Women Improves Food Security, Family Incomes
Gender inequalities are a key impediment to achieving food security in many households in sub-Saharan Africa. Although women do most of the farming on the continent, growing an… Read more »
October 27, 2009
Liberia: Post-War Farmers Persevere Amid Multiple Challenges
Nathaniel Ziayee and his family live in a single-room hut built with mud bricks and palm branches, held firmly together by sticks cut from the bushes that surround their small… Read more »
Africa: Green Revolution Requires Supporting Farmers, Says Agriculture Expert
Akin Adesina, vice president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (Agra), talked to AllAfrica about the work of the young, Nairobi-based institution and how its… Read more »
October 26, 2009
Liberia: Displaced by War, Families Grow Own Food
"The cassava we are eating today is from that small garden you see over there," said Hayford Quaye, a 50-year-old father of four. His cassava garden was planted just behind a large… Read more »
October 15, 2009
Africa: 'Greener' Green Revolution the Aim of New Gates Foundation Grants
In advance of World Food Day, marked on 16 October every year, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced a total of $120 million in grants for nine agricultural projects.… Read more »
Africa: Green Revolution Alliance to Form Agriculture Policy Hubs
The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) is getting U.S. $15 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support policy innovations and implementation to… Read more »
Africa: Gates Foundation Provides Grants for Agriculture Projects
In advance of World Food Day, marked on 16 October every year, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will announce a total of $120 million in grants for agricultural projects.… Read more »
October 02, 2009
Zimbabwe: Food Company Stops Buying Grace Mugabe's Milk
The international food company, Nestlé, has announced that it is to stop buying milk from a dairy farm owned by Zimbabwean first lady Grace Mugabe. Read more »
September 30, 2009
Africa: Climate Change Will Hit Ten Million Children - Report
Climate change will increase the number of malnourished children in Africa by 10 million to 52 million in the next 40 years, and the continent needs new agricultural… Read more »
September 29, 2009
Malawi: President 'Determined' to Lead Country Out of Poverty
Bingu wa Mutharika, who was elected to a second term as president of Malawi in May, is an international economist with a PhD from Pacific Western University in Los Angeles in the… Read more »
September 22, 2009
Africa: Continent's Leaders Hold Talks With Obama at UN
African issues will be in the spotlight Tuesday when President Barack Obama hosts a luncheon for some two dozen African heads of state and government at the United Nations on the… Read more »
August 05, 2009
Africa: Aid Plus Trade Can End Extreme Poverty
Against the backdrop of an international economic downturn and changes in government leadership in the United States and United Kingdom, donors, development officials and… Read more »
Africa: Aid Plus Trade Can End Extreme Poverty
Against the backdrop of an international economic downturn and changes in government leadership in the United States and United Kingdom, donors, development officials and… Read more »
August 04, 2009
Africa: We Can Eliminate Extreme Poverty By 2025
Jeffrey Sachs, author of The End of Poverty, is the director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University in New York. He believes that extreme poverty can be eliminated by 2025… Read more »
Africa: Change Ways of Giving Aid, Says Economist
Paul Collier is the author of "The Bottom Billion," an award-winning book that shines a light on some 50 failing states in the world and the billion people who live in them. He… Read more »
Africa: Invest in Small Farmers, Says IFAD Chief
Kanayo F. Nwanze, president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), recently spoke with AllAfrica about the future of international assistance and the role… Read more »
July 15, 2009
Africa: Zimbabwe Has 'Potential for Change' - Says Top U.S. Congressman in Wide-Ranging Interview
Donald M. Payne, who has represented New Jersey's 10th District in the United States House of Representatives since 1989, chairs the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa and… Read more »
July 10, 2009
Africa: G8 Nations Pledge U.S. $20 Billion for Agriculture
Nations represented at the G8 Summit of the world's major industrial powers have promised to raise U.S. $20 billion to promote sustainable agricultural development in developing… Read more »
