CEOs need to accelerate their action plans to safeguard the production of commodities critical to the global population and economy as heat stress and drought risk rise around the world, according to PwC's report, Climate Risks to Nine Key Commodities: Protecting People and Prosperity, published. The report, which analysed nine …
As the fall armyworm continues to ravage crops in the region, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has come up with a mobile application to help farmers and governments fight the pest. The Fall Armyworm Monitoring and Early Warning System (Famews) will enable farmers and agricultural workers to report the …
On farms across Africa, a seemingly innocuous brown and beige caterpillar is waging a silent war, devastating rural incomes and posing a major threat to the continent's food supply. In just two years, the so-called fall armyworm has colonised three-quarters of Africa, according to the British-based Centre for Agriculture and …
Most farmers in Kenya are struggling with useless chemicals or traditional methods like applying of tobacco dust on maize leaves to control the fall armyworm. A new study shows 48 per cent of farmers last season sprayed their maize, but most of the insecticides could not kill the worm. Farmers …
Jane Kisia, a farmer at Korowe village in Nyando, Kisumu county at her maize farm that has been largely invaded by the deadly fall army worms. (Collins Oduor, Standard) The fight against highly invasive fall armyworm is estimated to cost Sh1 billion, a joint meeting convened by the National Assembly …
Speaking at the Stress Tolerant Maize for Africa (STMA) project annual meeting yesterday in Harare, Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement minister, Perrance Shiri said climate change has brought increased frequencies and severity of drought conditions, bouts of heat spells, and uncertainties in the length and quality of growing seasons. “… …
The DREB (dehydration-responsive element binding)-type transcription factors are classified into six subgroups, named A-1 to A-6. The members of DREB A-1 and A-2 subgroups have been reported to be involved in response to various abiotic stresses. However, there were only a few genes belonging to A-3 to A-6 subgroups to …
Drought is one of the major abiotic stresses affecting world agriculture. Breeding drought-resistant crops is one of the most important challenges for plant biologists. PYR1/PYL/RCARs, which encode the abscisic acid (ABA) receptors, play pivotal roles in ABA signaling, but how these genes function in crop drought response remains largely unknown. …
Efforts have been made in recent years to improve knowledge about soil greenhouse gas (GHG) fluxes from subSaharan Africa. However, data on soil GHG emissions from smallholder coffee-dairy systems have not hitherto been measured experimentally. This study aimed to quantify soil GHG emissions at different spatial and temporal scales in …
Cereal farmers in Rwanda have been warned to remain alert for a resurgence of the fall armyworm invasion. The pest, which infested an estimated 17,521ha of maize out of over 60,000ha last year during season B was successfully controlled, but experts urge farmers to remain vigilant. Evariste Tugirinshuti, head of …
Arusha — Armyworms and pernicious weeds are threatening crops in Arusha. It is feared that they will cause a food shortage. Fall armyworms (FAW), Parthenium hysterophorus weed and a maize wilting disease are causing a serious concern in the region. According to regional administrative secretary Richard Kwitega, the maize wilting …
Farmers in Cameroon struggling with the effects of prolonged drought are finding relief through a government-supported initiative to give them access to better crop seeds. The Southwest Development Authority (SOWEDA), based in Buea, has partnered with local farmer organisations to create seed farms that now supply small-scale farmers in the …
A plague of fall army-worm that has spread to all the country's provinces has infested nearly 150 000 hectares posing a serious threat to the country's major staple food crop -- maize, preliminary findings of the Agricultural Technical and Extension Services (AGRITEX) show. AGRITEX plant expert Rutendo Nhongonhema told plant …
India has among the highest lost years of life from micronutrient deficiencies. We investigate what dietary shifts would eliminate protein, iron, zinc and Vitamin A deficiencies within households’ food budgets and whether these shifts would be compatible with mitigating climate change. This analysis uses the National Sample Survey (2011–12) of …
Fall armyworm,Spodoptera frugiperda(J E Smith), an economically important pest native to tropical and sub-tropical America has recently invaded Africa, causing substantial damage to maize and other crops. We eval-uated functionality of a companion cropping system,‘climate-adapted push-pull’, developed for control of cerealstemborers in drier agro-ecologies, as an added tool for the …
Food prices in the coast region are on the increase due to prolonged drought. In Mombasa's Kongowea market, traders are decrying low supply of food produce. Speaking to the Nation on Wednesday, cereal trader Haward Keya said they had to increase the prices because of low supplies. "We are witnessing …
Traditional yellow maize though contains high kernel carotenoids, the concentration of provitamin A (proA) is quite low (<2 μg/g), compared to recommended level (15 μg/g). It also possesses poor endosperm protein quality due to low concentration of lysine and tryptophan. Natural variant of crtRB1 (β-carotene hydroxylase) and lcyE (lycopene-ε-cyclase) cause …
Pune: The recent, untimely rain and hail has not just destroyed crops but is causing an attack of various pests and diseases on the state’s rabi harvest. A report of the state agriculture department said over 100 villages had reported diseases on crops, particularly wheat, ragi, jowar, grams, maize and …
Over 3.4 million Kenyans face death from starvation as a result of an acute food shortage that has hit at least 14 counties. The bad news comes barely two months after the government froze the Sh90 maize-flour subsidy programme began at about the same time last year. At least six …
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in co-ordination with the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) and their respective implementing partners, have created a hands-on fact sheet to help small-scale farmers combat the spread of fall armyworm. They have partnered with over 350 000 farmers. The factsheet, …
A total of 33,948 farming households have been affected by fall armyworms in Dedza, raising fears there may be a reduction in maize production during this farming season, Agriculture officials have confirmed. Speaking in an interview with the Malawi News Agency ,Crops Officer at Dedza Agriculture Office, John Malunga said …
