Tag: Africa
The Tech Awards 2012 | NBC Bay Area
The Tech Awards, presented by Applied Materials, honors individuals, non-profit organizations and for-profit companies who are using technology to significantly improve human conditions in 6 awards categories. The technology used can be either a new invention or an innovative use of an existing technology. NBC will be livestreaming the awards ceremony tonight from the Santa…
Evidence Stacking Up Against Biotechnology Critics
Editors Note: republished with permission from http://www.technologyandpolicy.org. By Calestous Juma Critics of agricultural biotechnology have long maintained that the technology is unsuitable for small-scale farmers and harmful to the environment. But according to newly-released adoption rates, evidence is pointing in the opposite direction. In its latest report, Global Status of Commercialized Biotech/GM Crops: 2011, the…
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Bill Gates speaks out about helping small farmers gain access to reliable markets
Chicago Council on Global Affairs Speech May 24, 2011, Prepared Remarks by Bill Gates, Co-chair and Trustee of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Thank you, Representative Granger, for that kind introduction. Everyone here is grateful for your long-standing leadership on global health and development issues, and we look forward to helping you as you…
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Bill and Melinda Gates are giving a boost to BioCassava Plus too
from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation webpage on BioCassava Plus BioCassava Plus The Need Cassava is central to the diets of more than 250 million people in Africa. Though rich in calories, it offers limited nutritional value. As a result, many people who rely on cassava as their main source of calories are deficient in a…
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The End of Poverty Part VI. Effects of high-quality modern agricultural technology on food production in Malawi
Maize (corn) production, and net exports trade statistics for the African country of Malawi for the period 1998 to 2008, based on FAOSTAT data. Graph prepared by D Tribe. There is much debate and concern about food security and development for Africa. On a hopeful note, several GMO Pundit posts have dealt with the wonderful…
Fungal growth on grain poses a real risk to infants in Tanzania
Infant foods should be screened for mycotoxins10.nov.10Institute of Tropical Medicine AntwerpCarl Lachat ANTWERP -– An international team of scientists calls for protecting complementary food for infants in developing countries – especially those where corn is a staple food – against fumonisin, a toxin produced by fungi. Until now, physicians thought the growth retardation of children…
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World bank has wavered from its poverty-reduction mission — to Nigeria’s detriment
The World Bank’s Palm Oil MistakeNY TimesBy THOMPSON AYODELE Published: October 15, 2010Lagos, Nigeria WHEN the World Bank held its annual meeting last weekend, there was much discussion of trade imbalances and currency wars, but nothing about Nigerian palm oil. That’s a shame, because the bank’s loans for plantation agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa and other…
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GM regulations move slowly forward in Africa
Transgenic harvestEditorial. Published online 06 October 2010African nations are laying foundations to extend the use of GM technology on the continent. The use of genetically modified (GM) crops for food divides opinion, especially when it comes to Africa. Sharp views on the technology in the developed world, honed by more than a decade of arguments…
African GM cowpea potentially huge boost for local farmers
Scientists claim GM cowpea could generate US$1 billionBusani Bafana, SciDEv net1 October 2010 The cowpea is emerging as an important food crop [SALY, SENEGAL] A pest-resistant version of the black-eyed pea, a subspecies of the cowpea, is on track for commercial introduction, promising higher yields and claimed savings of up to US$1 billion on a…
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