Agriculture – Page 2 – Science Africa

08 Jun, 22

Ghana Shows Overwhelming Support for GM Cowpea Approval

Ghana Shows Overwhelming Support for GM Cowpea Approval By Joseph Opoku Gakpo Public comments submitted to Ghana’s National Biosafety Authority (NBA) show overwhelming support for approving pod borer-resistant cowpea, the country’s first genetically modified crop. Of the 889 letters received following a public comment solicitation period that closed in early May, only one expressed objection, with […]

07 Jun, 22

Opinion: ‘Agroecology’ to Drive Poverty among Farmers

Opinion :’Agroecology’ to Drive Poverty among Farmers By Joshua R. Muhumuza Pitting biotechnology against agroecology—as has been the case in a long-running debate around food and agriculture— is a fundamental error. Biotechnology is a set of tools that can be used to improve crops and animals, while agroecology is an approach to farming that has various meanings […]

07 Jun, 22

Kenya: Gene Editing to Improve Maize Disease Resistance

Kenya: Gene Editing to Improve Maize Disease Resistance With Africa’s population expected to double by 2050, the issue of how to feed this rapidly growing population under limited resources is becoming a major agricultural challenge. Furthermore, climate change is intensifying this challenge by negatively influencing crop productivity. According to Dr. Leena Tripathi, Director East African […]

02 Jun, 22

Hybrid Technology, Possible Solution to Increasing Rice Production in Africa

Hybrid Technology, Possible Solution to Increasing Rice Production in Africa By Sharon Atieno Though rice is a strategic food crop in Africa, there remains a big gap in production and consumption. So wide is this gap, that Africa imports more than 13 million tons of rice per year to meet the consumption demand. “This deficit […]

27 May, 22

Burera: Farmers trained to select healthy potato seeds finally making profits

Farmers in Burera District, Cyanika sector, Northern Province say that after undergoing training they are currently making profit by selecting and multiplying healthy potatoes seed stocks. The training known as positive selection is a simple practice in managing the quality of seed potato. It involves selecting healthy-looking, vigorous mother plants to obtain by themselves allowed […]

18 May, 22

WAP Urges Countries to Impose Moratorium on Factory Farming

WAP Urges Countries to Impose Moratorium on Factory Farming By Gift Briton (ScienceAfrica Correspondent) As the world prepares for COP27 to be held in November 2022 in Cairo, Egypt, World Animal Protection(WAP) has called for a moratorium on factory farming, which contributes up to 26% of the ongoing global climate change. According to the organization, […]

17 May, 22

Africa’s Need for GMO Bigger than Others, Expert Says

Africa’s Need for GMO Bigger than Others, Expert Says By Joseph Opoku Gakpo Africa has a more urgent need than the rest of the world to adopt genetically modified organisms for agricultural improvement, says Prof. Eric Yirenkyi Danquah, founding director of the West Africa Centre for Crop Improvement (WACCI) at the University of Ghana. Challenges […]

16 May, 22

Scientists: Gene Editing Key to Sustainable Agriculture in Africa

Scientists: Gene Editing Key to Sustainable Agriculture in Africa By Joan Conrow Africa must update its regulations to accommodate the gene-edited crops needed to sustainably intensify agriculture to feed the continent’s growing population, a new study says. “Sustainable intensification of agriculture in Africa is essential for accomplishing food and nutritional security and addressing the rising […]

09 May, 22

Underutilized Crops, Animal Species adding Value to African Porridge

Underutilized Crops, Animal Species adding Value to African Porridge By Mary Hearty The African porridge- made from cereal grains – is one of the staple African foods as it is consumed in most households as a weaning food for infants, nourishment for nursing mothers, the elderly and patients; a go-to breakfast, refreshment, and for some, a main meal. […]

05 May, 22

Digital Lime Calculator to Boost Crop Yields in Acidic Soils

Digital Lime Calculator to Boost Crop Yields in Acidic Soils By Gift Briton With soil acidity being a major problem facing tea farming mainly in central parts of Kenya, the issue of how much lime to apply in order to raise the soil pH to the required levels has been a big challenge to most farmers. […]