Archive for December, 2005

New herbicide-resistant wheat takes root with little protest

December 29, 2005
The Star Phoenix
By: Margaret Munro
Saskatchewan farmer Michael Kirk has a virtually invincible variety of wheat stashed in his bins ready for planting next spring.
The wheat, known by the name CDC Imagine, stands straight even in high winds and unlike many varieties is not prone to losing its seeds in bad weather, says Kirk.
But [...]

Biotech crops mark first decade with wins, losses

December 29, 2005
Reuters

When Monsanto introduced the world to genetically modified crops a decade ago, the biotech advancement was heralded as the dawn of a new era that could reduce world hunger, help the environment and bolster struggling farmers.
Now, biotech beans, cotton, corn and canola are profit-drivers at Monsanto and are lifting the fortunes of rival [...]

U.S. genetically modified crops steadily increasing

December 27, 2005
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
By: Rachel Melcer
As the number of commercially available, genetically modified crops grows, so do the benefits reaped by American farmers, according to a study released Tuesday by the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy.
With each new product introduction, the total acreage of genetically modified, or GM, crops planted in the [...]

U.S. genetically modified crops steadily increasing

December 27, 2005
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
By: Rachel Melcer
As the number of commercially available, genetically modified crops grows, so do the benefits reaped by American farmers, according to a study released Tuesday by the National Center for Food and Agricultural Policy.
With each new product introduction, the total acreage of genetically modified, or GM, crops planted in the [...]

S. African institutions plan Africa-wide scientific partnership

December 25, 2005
Africast

The African Centre for Gene Technology (ACGT), a South African network in modern biotechnology, and the University of the Witwatersrand, are working on a continent-wide partnership for scientists in biotechnology.
ACGT officials were quoted by the media Tuesday as saying the Centre planned to create opportunities for the involvement of African scientists throughout the [...]

Can the World Live Without Hunger?

Can the world live without hunger? YES and NO would be the obvious answers from rich and poor countries, respectively. Rich countries are endowed with food and rarely experience hunger and malnutrition. Poor countries can hardly feed themselves and this is unfortunate.
Why this disparity? Agricultural economists would rightly argue that massive investment in [...]

The story of man’s staple food

December 20, 2005
The Economist
In 10,000 years, the earth’s population has doubled ten times, from less than 10m to more than six billion now and ten million soon. Most of the calories that made that increase possible have come from three plants: maize, rice and wheat. The oldest, most widespread and until recently biggest of [...]

Aid for GMOs Research Welcome

“Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a life time,” is a Chinese proverb commonly used to ridicule handouts givers. Doling out handouts does not help the cause of a man/woman in need. Handouts kill ingenuity and encourage laziness. Handouts perpetuate dependency syndrome and stunt development. This is more so in African [...]

Zambia: Govt acts to speed up maize importation

December 13, 2005
IRIN

Zambia’s agriculture minister, Mundia Sikatana, says the government has decided to waive a requirement that scientists check whether duty-free maize imported from South Africa has been genetically modified in order to speed up shipments.
This follows complaints by the Millers Association of Zambia (MAZ) and the Zambia National Farmers Union (ZNFU) that the requirement [...]

Masedi Farms records impressive produce

December 12, 2005
Daily News

Despite the persistent drought that continues to affect Botswana, Masedi Farms still records impressive production results.
According to the project manager Peter Schuurs, the 2004-2005 cropping season was the seventh in the history of Masedi Farms.
It was distinguished by providing the best ever performance by the company.
In the face of the worst drought [...]