FAO 2 April, 2015, Abidjan , Cote d'Ivoire - High-level authorities from 15 countries pledged on Thursday to collaborate on a global plan to wipe out forever the devasting animal disease known as ‘Peste des petits ruminants' by 2030, a lethal plague for goats and sheep and the scourge of rural households in vast swathes of the developing world.

Around 100 farmers from different towns in the province of Camarines Sur, Philippines, as well as local agriculture officers, faculty, students, and staff of the Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA) were enlightened on the science, safety, and potential benefits of the fruit and shoot borer resistant Bt eggplant developed by the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) during the Public Dialogue on Bt Eggplant held on March 27, 2015 at CBSUA, Pili, Camarines Sur.

Photosynthesis is an important physiological process in plants due to its food production ability. A study by University of Illinois and CAS-MPG Partner Institute for Computational Biology, Shanghai, suggested that photosynthesis can play a key role in increasing the yield potential of a plant. Hence, improving a plant's photosynthetic efficiency can be a potential strategy in meeting the global food demand.

As part of its “Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade” or FLEGT Action Plan, the European Union (EU) is negotiation Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPA) with timber producing countries. The VPA are voluntary but binding trade agreements which once implemented ensure timber and wood products exports from the partner country to the EU are legal.

Kansas State University scientists led by Eduard Akhunov have released the first haplotype map of wheat, providing detailed description of genetic differences in a worldwide sample of wheat lines. The study included 62 wheat lines from around the world that were either modern cultivars or varieties not previously improved through formal breeding techniques, called landraces

Every rainy season Jane Kabugi’s home comes under attack. The torrential rain so desperately needed downstream to fuel Kenya’s rising electricity demands – and Nairobi’s water requirements – has literally been tearing her home and farm apart.

COLLEGE STATION – A ground-breaking Texas A&M AgriLife Research-led study on corn has identified useful gene variations for yield increases, drought tolerance and aflatoxin resistance that could make a real difference to Texas producers in the years to come, according to researchers.

Ghanaian scientists and farmers have agreed on the country's need to harness the benefits of biotechnology for the country, despite opposition by a section of stakeholders. Speaking at a recent event of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology held at the Water Research Institute (WRI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Dr. A.B Salifu

Fusarium head blight (FHB) and Fusarium seedling blight (FSB) are devastating wheat diseases. The research team of Yu-Cai Liao from the Huazong Agricultural University in China studied the expression of RNA interference (RNAi) sequences from a Fusarium graminearum virulence gene, chitin synthase (Chs) 3b, to enhance wheat resistance. Three RNAi constructs were found to silence Chs3b in transgenic F. graminearum strains. These were then expressed in two transgenic wheat lines. The transgenics exhibited high levels of resistance to FHB and FSB. The three RNAi present in the transgenic wheat efficiently down-regulated the Chs3b expression in the pathogen.

Scientists from the Pakistan Agriculture Research Council (PARC) released four new rust resistant wheat varieties during the Variety Evaluation Committee (VEC) meeting at the PARC headquarters on March 3, 2015. Included in the new varieties is a biofortified wheat with 50% Zinc (Zn) content.