Burundi steps up training efforts to meet country’s need for more Plantwise plant doctors
Burundi has been busy stepping up its efforts to train more Plantwise plant doctors to meet the country’s need to help more smallholder farmers grow more and lose less to potentially devastating crop pests and diseases. The East African country officially joined the global Plantwise programme since 2021 with major…
CABI-led study creates first forecasting models targeting Fall Armyworm larval stages for Africa to help fight against devastating pest
A CABI-led study has developed the first forecasting models targeting the larval stages of fall armyworm – using near real-time earth observation data and pest occurrence within a farmers field, the models will assist in the fight against the devastating fall armyworm (FAW) pest which in Africa alone is estimated…
USD $106bn finance gap in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia agricultural business
The Commercial Agriculture for Smallholders and Agribusiness (CASA) programme has published ‘The state of the agri-SME sector – Bridging the finance gap.’ The report estimates demand for financing, from around 220,000 agri-business SMEs in sub Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia at USD $160bn with banks, impact investors and other financial…
MARA-CABI Joint Lab witnessed ‘outstanding progress’ in 2021 despite COVID-19 pandemic
The Chinese Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA)-CABI Joint Laboratory for Biosafety (Joint Lab) has reported ‘outstanding progress’ in all aspects of its business throughout 2021 despite challenges posed by the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. The Joint Lab – which was launched in 2008 by MARA and CABI, and is…
CABI Academy digital teaching resources addressing agricultural challenges now available in Rwanda
The CABI Academy, which addresses a multitude of agricultural challenges faced by smallholder farmers around the world, is now available in Rwanda – thereby helping extension workers to advise on how to best tackle issues such a crop-devastating pests and diseases. The full suite of courses and resources contained within…
CABI partners with The Liveability Challenge 2022 to help shortlist entries for the challenge boasting a S$1m prize
CABI is partnering with the The Liveability Challenge 2022 to help shortlist entries in the Food & Agritechnology track for the Grand Finale held later this year. Organisations have until 1 April to submit disruptive, game-changing solutions that will help cities accelerate decarbonisation, meet increasing demand for food, and conserve…
Study highlights ways to strengthen the Invasive Alien Species system in Zambia
A CABI-led study has highlighted recommendations to help improve the invasive species system in Zambia including the establishment of a central body to coordinate Invasive Alien Species (IAS) activities and advocation of increased funding for the prevention, early detection, rapid response and control of IAS. ‘CABI Working Paper 27: An…
CABI contributes to position paper highlighting plan to safeguard African biodiversity
CABI has contributed its expertise in a new position paper in the journal Nature – from the African BioGenome Project (AfricaBP) – which highlights the goals, priorities, and roadmap of the impressive Africa-led effort to sequence the genomes of plants, animals, fungi, and protists that are endemic to the continent…
CABI’s expertise in Integrated Pest Management shines at 10th International IPM Symposium
The CABI-led global Plantwise programme and the integration of more environmentally friendly and safer-to-use biological controls for crop pest and disease management have been highlighted at the 10th International IPM Symposium. In addition, Plantwise scooped the IPM Team category in the associated 2021 International IPM Achievement Awards of Excellence. The…
Low potato yields in Kenya not down to management practices alone, CABI study suggests
Low potato yields averaging 8.6t/ha are not only determined by the management practices employed by potato farmers in Kenya, a study by CABI scientists based at CABI’s regional centre for Africa suggests. Poor quality of potato planting materials – where there is an over-dependence on the informal sector – could…