Tag Archive | "drought"

East Africa Community Sectoral Council Meeting: Tackling Food Security in the Horn of Africa

August 15, 2011 No comments yet

East Africa’s agricultural ministers are currently taking part in a week-long Sectoral Council meeting (from August 15-19) in Arusha, Tanzania to discuss the full implementation of the East Africa Community (EAC) Food Security Action Plan (2011-2015).
The EAC Food Security Action Plan has recently been developed, and agreed to by East African heads of states, to

Kenyan Smallholder Farmers to be Offered Crop Insurance

October 30, 2009 2 comments

Following a successful pilot phase for the new insurance scheme developed by UAP in conjunction with the Syngenta Foundation, Kenyan farmers will be able to purchase insurance against the effects of drought and excessive rain.
The program is the first of its kind. Here are more details:
Under the novel system, farmers register their purchases by sending

New Research Maps Critical Drought-tolerant Molecular Structure

October 27, 2009 2 comments

New research coming out of the Scripps Research Institute and the University of California, San Diego, has determined the molecular structure for a drought-tolerant plant hormone called abscisic acid.
In drought conditions, plants begin to produce more of this hormone, which creates a number of changes to their physical structure. Their seeds lie dormant in the

Researchers Develop Genetic Map of Cowpea, Enable New Varieties

October 25, 2009 No comments yet

A team of scientists at the University of California, Riverside have successfully developed a genetic map of the cowpea. This development will enable further research into new and more resilient varieties of this staple crop, which is grown throughout many regions of the developing world.
Mapping the cowpea is notoriously time-consuming and difficult. But now production

UN Agencies Team Up to Help Predict Future Food Shortages

September 11, 2009 No comments yet

Two UN groups are teaming up to help identify and respond to areas likely to be impacted by food shortages in the future.
The World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) has agreed to share data concerning floods, hurricanes, mudslides, drought and other forms of severe weather with the World Food Programme (WFP).
This information can help the WFP provide better

A Closer Look at Mozambique’s Agricultural Production System

September 11, 2009 No comments yet

In Mozambique, differences in rainfall contribute to higher levels of poverty in drier areas.
Poverty levels in drier regions of the country range from 67 to 85 percent, said Professor Firmino Mucavele, Director for Academic Reform and Regional Integration at Eduardo Mondlane University in a presentation of his analysis of agriculture’s true contribution to the Mozambican



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