Africa
Africa’s smallholder farmers need support to build resiliency and sustainability
The world is at a standstill due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the smallholder farmers who feed millions of Africans ...
Animal breeding advances yield disease-resistant chickens to combat hunger in Africa
In many low and middle-income countries, indigenous chickens are an integral part of the farming system and are an important ...
Africa looks to build food self-sufficiency as COVID disrupts global supply chain
As Africa grapples with disruptions in the global supply chain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, some see it as an ...
Ugandan scientists use CRISPR in pioneering research to breed hardier cassava
Ugandan scientists have begun moving gene extracts into cassava cells in a first-of-its-kind research trial using the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing ...
Kenya pushes GMO cotton farming to meet soaring demand for masks
The Kenyan government has begun distributing genetically modified (GM) and hybrid seeds in a bid to increase cotton production to ...
Gene editing will revolutionize crop breeding in Africa, new paper predicts
Genome editing technology has the potential to revolutionize crop development on the African continent, especially in sub-Sahara Africa, according to ...
How Liberia’s decisive response to contain the Ebola outbreak provides a blueprint for how to manage the coronavirus and future pandemics
In April of 2014, an outbreak of a disease named after the Ebola River in Congo was reported in Guinea, ...
Viewpoint: Government-funded anti-GMO groups promote hunger in world’s poorest nations
Too many US, EU and UN government agencies have been captured by neo-colonialist elements in their leadership and ranks, and ...
Kenya distributes free GMO Bt insect-resistant cotton seeds to farmers to revive nation’s flagging textile industry
The government has started the distribution of free cotton seeds to farmers, including a genetically modified variety, in the latest ...
Without steady supply of pesticides, Africa faces food security ‘disaster’ caused by resurgent locust swarms
The locust is considered the most deadly migratory parasite and a single swarm covering a square kilometer can be made ...
Rising food prices amid coronavirus pandemic stress already fragile economies in developing world
As the coronavirus pandemic penetrates more deeply into global supply chains, prices for key staples are starting to soar in ...
Viewpoint: Africa’s battle against locust swarms exposes folly of fearing pesticides and GMOs
Europeans are panic-buying in the supermarkets around the continent .... The retailers are being overrun, but the only real shortage ...
Locust invasion has jeopardized the livelihoods of 20 million Africans—now a second wave is coming
Billions of desert locusts have swept across east Africa, threatening the livelihoods of more than 20 million people. Now a ...
COVID-19 virus spread prompts food insecurity fears in Africa
The spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus is prompting food insecurity fears in Africa, with some countries already experiencing rising prices, ...
Uganda’s agriculture minister wants churches to help promote genetic engineering
The Minister of Agriculture, Animal Industry and Fisheries (MAAIF), Vincent Bamulangaki Ssempijja has commenced his campaign which he said is ...
Studying the African genome could yield new medical treatments for everyone
A broader range of populations should be investigated to avoid genomic medicine being of benefit merely to a privileged few ...
Fall armyworm adds bitter note to farmer’s ‘sweet and sour journey’
For 83-year-old Florence Wambui Theiru, a life of farming in Central Kenya has been a sweet and sour journey. Over ...
Kenya GMO insect-resistant Bt cotton approval exposes ‘missed opportunity’ for neighboring Uganda
Kenya has made history as it joined six other African countries in commercial cultivation of BT cotton. Peter Munya, the ...
From hunger to profitable harvest: How GMO, CRISPR-edited plants can help curb $220 billion in annual crop losses
Innovations in plant genetics are inoculating vital food crops against devastating diseases ...
New report hails Ghana’s ‘unique’ biosafety regime as nation prepares for its first GMO crop
A new report has hailed Ghana’s “unique” biosafety regime as the West African nation prepares to commercialize insect-resistant Bt cowpea, ...
Coronavirus mystery: Why aren’t there more cases in Africa?
Experts still don’t know why so few cases of the new coronavirus have been reported in Africa, despite China – ...
CRISPR gene-editing can help turn Africa’s low-yielding rice varieties into sustainable staple crops
African Oryza glaberrima and Oryza sativa landraces are considered valuable resources for breeding traits due to their adaptation to local ...
Kenya aims to have 200,000 acres of commercial GMO insect-resistant Bt cotton by 2022
After many years of waiting, Kenya has finally commenced commercial farming of Bt cotton heralding a new dawn for cotton farmers in ...
Viewpoint: GMOs offer protection against diseases, including cancer, by shielding us from dangerous aflatoxins
How European irony became an African tragedy ...
Africa’s locust outbreak: Proof we need GMOs, pesticides and every other tool in the toolbox to combat crop-destroying insects
A perfect storm of conditions led to the locust attack currently tearing through East Africa and Pakistan, where countries are ...
Mozambique sees GMO crops as way to reduce poverty, achieve food security
Mozambique is exploring the use of biotech crops to boost food security following its successful field trials of genetically modified ...
Kenya picks 1,000 farmers to grow GMO cotton
The Kenyan government has identified 1,000 farmers who will receive the country’s first genetically modified (GM) cotton seeds. The farmers ...
