GM crops have gene(s) inserted from the same or unrelated organism using genetic engineering methods, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). These genes, FAO says, confer beneficial traits such as pest resistance, ability to grow in extreme and unfavourable conditions and increased nutrient levels among others. Take an example of a GM […]
Read More[Kaduna: Feb. 26, 2023] Farmers in Nigeria have been urged to stop using grains as seeds in order to increase harvests. Speaking in Kaduna during a meeting with farmers, Mr. Brighton Karume, Managing Director of ECOBasic Seeds Company Limited, said the country would be food secure if small-holders used certified hybrid seeds every planting season. […]
Read More(Abuja. January 30, 2023) Prof. Garba Hamidu Sharubutu, Executive Secretary of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), has joined the Board of Trustees of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) as the representative of the Federal Government of Nigeria. Prof Sharubutu was appointed following the recommendation of Dr. Mohammad Mahmoud Abubakar, the Federal Minister […]
Read More[ABUJA: Feb. 8, 2023] The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) has identified suitable planting windows for cowpea (beans) for different regions in Nigeria. This will help farmers cope with erratic weather patterns, said Dr Jean Baptiste, AATF Regional Representative for West Africa, during a visit to Pandagric Farms in Nasarawa State. “After a careful study […]
Read More[Sokoto: March 9, 2023] The Catholic Bishop of Sokoto, the Rt Rev. Mathew Kukah, has supported the commercialization of TELA transgenic maize variety to enhance food security in Nigeria. Speaking when delegates from the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, paid him a courtesy call, Bishop Kukah asked Africa to adopt […]
Read MoreBy George Achia Rising population calls for sustainable and efficient food production systems. In Africa, hybrid rice bred from two different parental lines for higher yields, improved resistance to pests and diseases and greater tolerance to environmental stress is now being touted as one of the solutions to eradicating hunger. But despite its potential to […]
Read More[Nairobi and Pretoria, February 23, 2023]: AATF and the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) have today announced a five-year partnership agreement aimed at accelerating Africa’s pursuit to eradicate poverty, hunger, and malnutrition and improve the general well-being of its people through their joint contribution to the creation of an enabling environment. […]
Read More(Nigeria: December 2, 2022) Former Nigeria President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan, has accepted AATF’s appointment as its Africa Ambassador for Agricultural Technology. Making the announcement after meeting with the former president in Yenagoa, Bayelsa South-South Nigeria during the week, the AATF Executive Director, Dr Canisius Kanangire said that the appointment was informed by His Excellency’s track […]
Read More[Jos, Nigeria: Nov. 15, 2022] Elder Isaiah Buwah is an aged potato farmer, in the Bokos Local Government area of Plateau State, North Central Nigeria. He has grown potatoes for the last forty years. During this time, most of his fellow potato farmers have given up on the crop due to the ravaging effects of […]
Read More[Tamale: November 2, 2022] When Bakuvie Zinna, a Ghanaian cowpea farmer, was invited by a local extension agent to take part in demonstrations for a new variety resistant to the pod borer, he couldn’t hide his excitement. Zinna considers the pest a key enemy for attacking his crops every other season and forcing him to […]
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