Agricultural Research & Development in Africa

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Key challenges for Kenya in big push to reduce post-harvest losses

Kenya estimates that 20% of cereals are lost even before reaching the market. That's a high figure, particularly since it doesn't include food waste...

By Timothy Njagi Njeru, Priscilla Wainaina 20 Apr 2018

Papers to help improve labour safety in agriculture, forestry sectors

The back-breaking jobs in the agriculture and forestry sectors are some of the most dangerous. To reduce health risks, FAO has published two papers mapping ways to improve worker health and safety...

19 Apr 2018

Honeybees hog the limelight, yet wild insects are the most important and vulnerable pollinators

A broad library of evidence suggests there has been a widespread decline in their abundance and diversity since the 1950s. This matters because such insects are critical both for the reproduction of wild plants and for agricultural food production...

By Philip Donkersley 16 Apr 2018

New maize seeds impress farmers as yields improve

Tanzania - A new maize variety is expected to combat food scarcity in Geita where pests and drought ravage crops...

By Elias Msuya 12 Apr 2018

Deforestation in tropical Africa is not as bad as previously thought

A recent study shows that the loss of forests in tropical Africa in the past century is far less severe than previously estimated. Our analysis shows that forests have, on average, shrunk by 21.7%...

By Julie C. Aleman 12 Apr 2018

Researchers developing drought-tolerant African crops

Drought impacts negatively on maize and sorghum, staple crops for many African countries. When combined with legumes, they supply nutrients in a form that ensure high-quality protein diets for humans and animals...

11 Apr 2018

The next great water crisis may be under our feet

Around 44% of irrigated food production worldwide uses groundwater as a water source. And as surface water becomes more scarce or polluted, agriculture will demand more and more groundwater...

By Karen G. Villholth 10 Apr 2018

Two major crop scourges are hybridising to produce a new mega-pest

Australian scientists have found evidence that two of the world's most damaging pests have hybridised to create a dangerous mega-pest with pesticide-resistant genes and warn that its spread throughout the global agricultural community could be devastating...

By Rich Haridy 10 Apr 2018

Newly-discovered coastal current has direct implications for fishing industry of Madagascar, SA

The existence of a coastal current off Madagascar has been discovered by South African, Malagasy and French researchers. Understanding the South-West Madagascar Coastal Current has direct implications for the management of local fisheries south of Madagascar...

10 Apr 2018

Eco-farming can solve hunger, climate crises, experts say

Asian farmers are growing rice and rearing fish in the same fields to increase their income and reduce weeds, while Ghanaians are using crop residues as compost to boost yields. Such eco-farming techniques could deliver nutritious, environmentally friendly food for a growing world...

9 Apr 2018

Africa's great migrations are failing but there is a solution - and you can eat it too

With colonial-era subsidies of the fencing system gone, what's left is a lose-lose system that hinders local farmers, tourism and sustainability...

By Penny van Oosterzee 6 Apr 2018

Strengthening the role of family and small-scale farmers in scaling up agroecology

According to FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva family farmers must remain central to bringing agroecology to scale...

6 Apr 2018

Applications for Fall Armyworm Tech Prize open

Feed the Future is calling for applications for the Fall Armyworm Tech Prize which offers to fund up to $400,000 in digital solutions aiming to help stop the spread of the pest in Africa...

5 Apr 2018

Agroecology's potential to transform food systems for the better

"We need to promote a transformative change in the way that we produce and consume food. We need to put forward sustainable food systems that offer healthy and nutritious food, and also preserve the environment. Agroecology can offer several contributions to this process."

4 Apr 2018

Research & Development Africa