Uganda was funded by the Standards and Trade Development Facility (STDF) to run a project from October 2012 to March 2015 to strengthen its phytosanitary capacity in order to meet requirements of the European Union (EU) market and reduce interception of its rose exports due to the presence of...

Opuntia stricta (Haw.) Haw (Cactaceae) is invasive in Laikipia County, Kenya, impacting negatively on biodiversity and livelihoods. To control this invasive plant the biocontrol agent Dactylopius opuntiae (Cockerell) (Hemiptera; Dactylopiidae) 'stricta' biotype was released in 2014. A preliminary...

Understanding the sustainability of social-ecological systems requires quantifying the relationships between ecosystem service supply and use. However, these relationships, and the influence of environmental change on supply and use, are poorly known. Here we apply a nested sampling design to...

One of the main drivers of food insecurity is pests, which are estimated to cause around 40% of crop losses worldwide. We examine the food security effects of plant clinics, a novel agricultural extension model that aims to reduce crop losses due to pests through the provision of demand-driven...

Background: Although Kenya has a relatively high number of registered biopesticide products, little is known about biopesticide use by smallholders. This paper documents farmers' current use and perception of chemical pesticides and biopesticides, their willingness to pay for biopesticides, and the ...

This paper assesses the relative costs and benefits of desiccant beads drying/hermetic storage and alternative drying and storage technologies. The study was conducted in Kenya and Tanzania in areas producing and trading vegetable seeds using a sample size of 280 respondents. The study revealed...

A description is provided for Loma boopsidis, which infects fish of the family Sparidae off the west coast of tropical Africa; infections developing in the host cytoplasm (but not in nerve tissues), without diplokarya, and resulting in tumours (also known as 'xenomas') in which the host nucleus is...

A description is provided for Loma camerounensis, which infects freshwater fish of the family Cichlidae in tropical sub-Saharan Africa; infections developing in the host cytoplasm (but not in nerve tissues), without diplokarya, and resulting in tumours (also known as 'xenomas') in which the host...

The Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol establish that genetic resources shall be accessed only upon the existence of prior informed consent of the country that provides those resources and that benefits arising from their utilization shall be shared. Pursuant to both...

Africa's food systems are among the most vulnerable sectors to climate risk. Unfortunately, numerous activities along food supply chains (production, processing, storage, marketing and consumption) are also important contributors to climate change. Despite the differential effect of climate events...