India's Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA) and FAO are strengthening their collaboration to boost rural development and reduce poverty in Asia and Africa via local initiatives focused on empowering rural women and youth. Building on years of successful partnership, the two organizations have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) today to intensify joint efforts aimed at building the capacities of the rural poor to fully benefit from rural economies

VIB, a life sciences research institute, based in Flanders, Belgium, published two new booklets as part of the Facts Series. One of the series is entitled Bananas: The Green Gold of the South, which elaborates on processes to produce new and improved banana varieties that contribute to sustainable, environmentally friendly, and economically viable agriculture.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and FAO have signed a $15 million agreement aimed at boosting the capacity of developing countries to track key agricultural data -information that is essential to good policymaking and that will help track progress toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
 

The Australian Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) invites comments from the public to assess license application DIR 145 from Monsanto Australia for the commercial release of two types of genetically modified cotton: Xtend Flex™ and Bollgard^® 3 Xtend Flex™ cotton. Xtend Flex™ cotton has been modified for tolerance to the herbicides glyphosate, glufosinate, and dicamba.

A team of researchers from Michigan State University (MSU) has developed a plant that can outgrow and outcompete its neighbors for light, and defend itself against insects and disease. Led by Gregg Howe, MSU Foundation professor of biochemistry and molecular biology, the team modified an Arabidopsis plant by "knocking out" both a defense hormone repressor and a light receptor in the plant.

Researchers from the University of New Hamphire (UNH) revealed the genetic mystery of Fragaria iinumae, one of the ancestors of cultivated strawberry. After four years of study, the researchers completed the genetic analysis, which could lead to improved varieties of strawberry. The scientists made a linkage map of the seven chromosomes of F. iinumae, which enabled them to solve the genetic puzzle about the eight sets of chromosomes of cultivated strawberry.

Ramiro ‘Ram’ Cabrera, 75, an award-winning graphic designer at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) for more than three decades, passed away in Antipolo, Manila on 1 September. Mr. Cabrera was among the first group of communicators hired in the early 1960s by Robert F. Chandler, IRRI’s first director general, to begin getting the message out about the new Institute’s mandate to fight hunger in the world. He retired in 1997 after 31 years of service to the Institute.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who devoted her life to assisting the poorest of the poor, stands as an inspiration to all to work together to eradicate hunger and poverty worldwide, Pope Francis told FAO Director General Jose Graziano da Silva and WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin in a short meeting yesterday.

Tuber crops are considered as important staple food after rice and maize in Vietnam. Because Vietnam is the origin of “taro”. Cultivated tuber crops as sweet potato, cassava, yam, taro, edible canna (Canna edulis), zinger,  ... have become popular in Vietnam. Tuber crop germplasm conservation has significantly expressed an important work in agriculture. In 2011-2015, Vietnam PGRC has collected 3,459 accessions of 19 tuber crop nurseries, then ex-situ preserved under field condition and green house.

With fisheries and aquaculture emerging as transformational forces for African economies, more needs to be done to mitigate the impacts of climate change and illegal fishing on oceans and coastal communities. This was the key message FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva delivered to leaders at the African Ministerial Conference on Ocean Economies and Climate Change in Mauritius today. The conference will identify opportunities to enhance Africa's ability to build climate-resilient ocean economies.