Methane from agricultural activities
Reading Time: 2 minutesBY SALMINA BARVIN BT MD SAMEENUDEEN AGRICULTURE sustains humanity and provides livelihoods for over 800 million people—27 percent of the global workforce. But many agricultural practices emit a substantial amount of greenhouse gases, including large amounts of methane, which is many times more potent than carbon dioxide at warming our planet and adds to dangerous air […]
Improving country’s food production: Issues and policy responses
Reading Time: 3 minutes BY PROF DATUK M NASIR SHAMSUDIN THE food sector in the country is facing major challenges that will persist for the next decades. These include providing sufficient food to meet the growing population and rising per capita income as well as dietary changes, eradicating hunger and food insecurity. The sector is also influenced […]
Role of women highlighted in study focused on the benefits of good farmer seed production
Reading Time: 2 minutesA NEW STUDY looking at the benefits of good farmer seed production suggests women need more support to participate in contract farming – to the same extent as their male counterparts – and have more equality along the whole food value chain. The CABI-led research – which sought to assess the benefits of good farmer […]
Urban farming – a game-changer for the homeless
Reading Time: 2 minutesBY JS KESHMINDER AND RASMUNA MAZWAN MUHAMMAD ADDRESSING the vulnerability of the homeless with the increasing Covid-19 cases gave birth to Pusat Transformasi Anjung Kelana (PTAK). PTAK is a homeless shelter that accommodates around 70 people experiencing homelessness. PTAK uses urban farming as a medium to nurture farming skills and inculcate a positive attitude among […]
Novel analytical tools developed by SMART key to next-generation agriculture
Reading Time: 4 minutesSINGAPORE: Researchers from the Disruptive & Sustainable Technologies for Agricultural Precision (DiSTAP) Interdisciplinary Research Group (IRG) of Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), MIT’s research enterprise in Singapore, and Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory (TLL), highlight the potential of recently developed analytical tools that are rapid and non-destructive, with a proof of concept through first-generation examples. The […]
International research team identifies bacterium that protects rice plants from diseases
Reading Time: < 1 minuteAN INTERNATIONAL research group including researchers from the Institute for Environmental Biotechnology at Graz University of Technology have shown how a bacterium inside the seeds of rice plants effectively and environmentally friendly inhibits destructive plant pathogens. The research group has been investigating the microbiome of rice plant seeds for some time in order to establish correlations between plant […]
Chinese scientists discover rice gene for adaptation to low soil nitrogen
Reading Time: < 1 minuteSCIENTISTS from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have found a gene that plays an important role in helping rice adapt to low soil nitrogen. Nitrogen fertilizer has an indispensable role in increasing crop yields, but on the other hand, it creates a severe threat to ecosystems. For […]
Pakistan’s agriculture industry remains open for biotech opportunities
Reading Time: 2 minutesECONOMIST Graham Brookes of P.G. Economics Ltd. continues his online country reports to provide the latest data on the economic and environmental benefits of genetically modified (GM) crops. His latest episode was hosted by Pakistan, with Federal Minister Syed-Fakhar Imam of the Ministry of Food Security and Research in attendance. Brookes first gave his 23-year global report […]
FAO reports lack of progress in achieving SDG
Reading Time: < 1 minuteTHE world is lagging in attaining the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030, and the COVID-19 pandemic is making it even harder, according to the report of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. “We need better data to better understand the path we need to take to get to our destination,” said FAO Chief Economist […]
The Philippines grants GM corn seeds, farm input to farmers association’s model farm
Reading Time: < 1 minuteTHE Philippines Department of Agriculture (DA) through its Regional Office 9 turned over farm inputs to a farmer’s association in Zamboanga del Norte in Southern Philippines. The inputs, which included seeds of genetically modified (GM) yellow corn, were given as part of the Plant, Plant, Plant Program of DA Secretary William Dar. The San Isidro Farmers Association of Sergio Osmeña […]