UK aid backs ground-breaking British research into ‘super-crops’
Sunday, 2018/02/04 | 05:23:51
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CGIAR; January 26, 2018.
Figure: Bean diversity helps farmers tackle climate change. Credit: Georgina Smith / CIAT
UK scientists are leading new cutting-edge research to create crops that are more nutritious, more resistant to disease and better able to withstand severe floods or drought in Africa, in addition to developing medicines to protect farmers’ livestock from devastating disease.
Millions of farmers in Africa, who depend on agriculture to support their families, struggle to grow enough crops to put food on the table because of natural disasters such as drought, or floods, which destroy their livelihoods.
Now UK scientists, backed by UK aid, are using their expertise to identify the specific genes in crops that means they are more nutritious, grow faster and are more resilient to disease and extreme weather. This scientific work to create ‘super-crops’ will help up to 100 million African farmers lift themselves and their families out of poverty, in turn building stability and prosperity, which will help African countries become our trading partners of the future.
International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt announced the new UK aid research, which is being carried out by international organisation, CGIAR, during a joint visit to the University of Edinburgh with Bill Gates.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is a major contributor to this area of innovative research and international partnerships like this are crucial to making scientific breakthroughs.
International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said:
“Unpredictable flooding, plant diseases and drought are threatening the lives and livelihoods of millions of farmers in Africa who struggle to grow enough crops to put food on the table – the urgency of the task is clear.
“That’s why UK aid is supporting British scientists to develop new crops that are more productive, more nutritious and more resistant to droughts and flooding, as well as creating new medicines to protect cattle and poultry from devastating disease.
“This transformative UK aid research will not only stop diseases from destroying the livelihoods of African farmers, it will also help control livestock diseases on British farms.
“New ideas, cutting edge science and innovative partnerships with organisations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will help Britain create a healthier, more secure and prosperous world for us all.”
At the University of Edinburgh, scientists are also leading ground-breaking work on diseases which cause huge economic losses for African farmers, including Animal African Trypanosomiasis (AAT), a disease which kills over 3 million cattle a year, has been estimated to cost over $4bn a year in total to African economies and can cause sleeping sickness in people.
Scientists believe that within the next five years – and for the first time in over 40 years – a new drug will be available to treat AAT. UK scientists have uncovered new molecules, which can be developed into an effective treatment for this devastating disease – with the aim of wiping it out.
See more: http://www.cgiar.org/press-releases/uk-aid-backs-ground-breaking-british-research-into-super-crops/ |
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