How to go organic

This website from the US-based Organic Trade Association provides a range of resources and advice for growers and farmers on establishing and running a profitable organic farm. Information is divided into resources for producers and processors, with extensive links and information. There is also key information on environmental benefits and marketing and certification issues. Although the site is targeted at North American farmers, its content will be of benefit to a wider audience.
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Food for the Hungry: the case for buying locally

Last month, I spoke to a group of British parliamentarians who sit on something called the International Development Committee. Their role is to scrutinise the work of the Department for International Development. ”DFID” – as it is known - is the arm of the British government concerned with promoting development, supporting the alleviation of poverty across the globe, and funding multilateral organisations like the UN World Food Programme.
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Zimbabwe: Small Scale Farmers Seen As Backbone of Food Security

A crop forecast by the Zimbabwean government that this year’s maize production will fall short of the national requirement by about one million metric tonnes is leading to a reassessment of the role of communal farmers in guaranteeing the country’s food security.
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Fighting Pests And Diseases Organically With Help From Wild Cocoa Trees

In every production zone worldwide, cocoa trees are faced with pests and diseases that can wipe out entire harvests. To protect their crops, farmers often use costly, polluting chemicals or labour-intensive manual techniques. However, there are now clean, ecological methods, for instance using sources of natural resistance.
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The Story of Golden Rice

The Syngenta Foundation for Sustainable Agriculture asked the two inventors of Golden Rice to talk about their discovery and about its future. We also asked Syngenta to clarify its role with the Golden Rice program.
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“Patenting the “Climate Genes”…And Capturing the Climate Agenda”

“The world’s largest seed and agrochemical corporations are stockpiling hundreds of monopoly patents on genes in plants that the companies will market as crops genetically engineered to withstand environmental stresses such as drought, heat, cold, floods, saline soils, and more. BASF, Monsanto, Bayer, Syngenta, Dupont and biotech partners have filed 532 patent documents (a total of 55 patent families) on so-called “climate ready” genes at patent offices around the world.” The ETC Group, 2008.
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Africa plants more, led world in Billion tree campaigns

Four sub-Saharan Countries are reportedly leading in the billion tree campaigns initiated 18 months ago.

The four are led by Ethiopia Kenya, Rwanda and Senegal which however trails Morocco. Combined the four planted over the targeted one billion trees.In terms of geographic distribution, Africa is the leading region with over half of all tree plantings.
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Uganda sets up biotechnology centre to study cassava

Uganda’s scientists have set up a biotechnology centre at the National Crops Resource Research Institute (NCRRI) for purposes of modifying cassava.
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Strong signs of record rice production

But prices are expected to remain high in 2008 - Myanmar disaster could worsen outlook

Production growth could even be higher if recent appeals and incentives to grow more rice lead to a larger expansion of plantings, according to the Rice Market Monitor. “But the cyclone disaster in Myanmar could well worsen our forecast,” she added.
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Development of Environmentally Safe, Insect Resistant Maize Varieties for Food Security in Kenya

Due to the current high population growth rate, there is an urgent need for new stem borer management technologies that can reduce the crop losses due to this pest, and thus increase maize production to cope with this increasing demand for maize, the major staple food crop in Kenya.
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