Much of the worlds’ annual harvest loss to pests and diseases occurs as a consequence of crops grown in monocultures, or cultivated varieties with uniform resistance. This uniform resistance is met by the continuing evolution of new races of pests and pathogens that are able to overcome resistance genes introduced by modern breeding, creating the phenomenon of boom and bust cycles. One of the few assets available to small-scale farmers in developing countries to reduce pests and diseases damage is their local crop varietal diversity, together with the knowledge to manage and deploy this diversity appropriately. Read the full paper: 
In Zambia, Ethiopia and Malawi, Self Help Africa has been working to develop effective community seed production systems that allow farmers to produce and distribute certified, high quality seed varieties that are more robust and can better cope... 
Today’s post is from Bioversity technical editor, Vincent Johnson, based in Bioversity’s Montpellier Office in France where he supports Bioversity’s work to conserve and promote the use of di... Martijn Eggink is cultivating a new bell pepper variety with an exotic flavour. 
Species loss lessens the total amount of biomass on a given parcel, suggesting that the degree of diversity directly impacts the amount of life the planet can support... 
Agriculture is too often seen as an 'employment of last resort', avoided by young people. 
Technological innovation can't be imposed on poor people -- they must be engaged to select ideas that suit their lives, writes Lawrence Gudza. 
In recent years the economic value of pollination-dependent crops has substantially increased around the world. 
A study finds that early inhabitants of the Amazonian savannahs farmed without fire, which may prove a more sustainable conservation method. 
The International Food Policy Research Institute says policymakers must face up to serious weaknesses in the global food system. |
A scheme to improve rural Zambia's communication infrastructure is just one project on the Global Research Alliance's agenda. 
Interest in cocoa farming among the youth in parts of Ghana is growing following an initiative by the Cadbury Cocoa Partnership to involve them in helping farmers raise yields and incomes by accessing improved seeds the youth raise in nurseries. 
Images play an essential role in the transmission of knowledge, be it by illustrating how people interact with bananas, or by revealing details about the banana plant and its enemies. To encourage excellence in photography, ProMusa is pleased to announce its first ever photo competition. 
The UN, incidentally, has declared this decade as the 'International Decade of Biodiversity'. About 18 seed conservation groups from 7 states of India and 7 districts of West Bengal participated in the Kolkata Seed Festival, ... 
There are signs that near-extinct varieties of fruit and veg, so-called "heritage crops" are making a comeback. 
The three outcomes highlighted in the workshop summary note are: WHO and the CBD will jointly implement select activities, including writing and launching the discussion paper “Review of Health in the Rio Conventions;” workshop participants welcome... Plants are flowering faster than scientists predicted in response to climate change, research in the United States showed on Wednesday, which could have devastating knock-on effects for food chains and ecosystems. 
World governments have launched an 'IPCC' for biodiversity, which will assess ecosystems and natural resources. 
Mothers find drought-resistant maize helps to provide a better diet for their hungry kids... 
West African farmers have teamed up with Australian scientists to design a training programme for cotton producers in 14 African countries. |
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