Pacific Agriculture Show at Abbotsford Tradex a growing concern

Farmers, present and future, can get a hands on look at the latest technology and products available to the industry at the Pacific Agriculture Show held at Abbotsford Tradex until Saturday.
Photograph by: File photo, Abbotsford Times

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Agriculture 'still the best bet' in cutting African poverty levels

Despite the increased focus on new areas such as technology that are fuelling Africa's rapid growth, agriculture remains the best bet to pull millions out of poverty, a new report has found.

Africa's growth needs would be better served by focusing on food staples, the International Food Policy Research Institute says.

The report is based on case studies of 10 African countries that sought to determine how agriculture could better contribute to poverty reduction and improved food security.

The study found that agriculture-led growth has the greatest impact on reducing absolute poverty, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where the majority are farmers.

The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) puts the number of those directly involved in agriculture on the continent at 61 per cent.

Given that most of these are subsistence farmers, encouraging the growing of staple crops such maize, bananas and rice could go a long way in eliminating poverty, it said.

According to the institute, while export crops such as coffee and tea may have higher value than food crops and other staples such as livestock products, they do generate economic growth as effectively.

Tanzania’s livestock sector for example contributes around 12 per cent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product. The vast majority of the livestock, about 99 per cent, belongs to small owners, with a full third of the poor owning livestock.

In contrast, big farms and ranches in the country constitute only around one per cent of total livestock ownership, according to FAO data. Focusing on Tanzania’s livestock sector would therefore contribute greatly to reducing the country’s poverty levels, while at the same time stimulating sustainable economic growth, the study noted.

More cost effective

The same can be said of Mozambique’s roots and all staple foods in Zambia and Nigeria. According to the report, in Rwanda, growth driven by maize or pulses is 30-60 per cent more effective at reducing poverty than growth driven by export crops.

There is also good news for Africa’s agricultural policy makers. Investment in staples may be more cost effective in driving growth when compared to investment in non-agricultural sectors.

When quantified, returns achieved from non-agricultural growth (weighed in contribution to total GDP) would have to be significantly higher than those from agricultural growth in order to have better effectiveness at poverty reduction.

African nations should thus look into investing public resources in those agricultural sub-sectors with strong linkages to the poor, and to the overall economy.

Further examples are adduced: in Africa, 40 per cent of all root and tuber crops are produced by Nigeria, which is also the largest cassava producer in the world, with nearly 90 per cent of its production being for domestic consumption.

Cassava farming therefore plays a huge role in the lives of the country's mostly poor farmers and in the overall economy. As such, promoting growth in the root and tuber sub-sector could go a longer way in providing long term solutions to rural poverty.

Despite underscoring the importance of agricultural growth in eliminating poverty in Africa, the report also notes that increased growth in other non-agricultural sectors is necessary for faster urban development.

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Four attempts made to establish state agricultural school in Delhi

Talk about not taking “no” for an answer. Had area residents of Delhi given up about 100 years ago, there would never have been today’s State University College of Technology at Delhi. The people heard “no” three times from the state about seeking an agricultural school in their community, and very nearly a fourth time, but they never gave up and now have a good reason to celebrate the college’s centennial.

Elizabeth MacDonald can be credited for coming up with the specific idea of an agricultural school for Delhi. Her sister Amelia worked tirelessly to promote the idea. They grew up on the John T. MacDonald farm on Elk Creek Road, and grew troubled around the turn of the 20th century by how many young men and women were leaving the area for the cities. There was widespread concern across the nation that not enough food would be produced for the growing population.

Amelia MacDonald sought support of the leading citizens of Delhi and elsewhere for the agricultural school. Education in high school in Delhi and the region was directing students away from farms. Although Amelia did face some opposition to her mission, she secured a donation for the site of the proposed school. In 1908 she met with trustees of what was a private school at the time, the Delaware Academy. The school was then found on the site of today’s SUNY Delhi campus.

In 1910, two leading citizens, Messrs. S.F. Adee and E.O. Harkness, lobbied for a bill to establish a state agricultural school in Delhi. Other state institutions of this type were being authorized by the state Legislature at the time. The bill was introduced that year. It passed the Assembly and Senate, but was vetoed by the governor.

Delhi had high hopes it might have an inside edge with then Gov. Charles Evans Hughes, because of his earlier connection to the village. Hughes had taught for a year at Delaware Academy while studying law in the office of a local judge.

One local newspaper commented, “The veto is a cake of ice to Delhi.” Another, the Delaware Gazette of June 22, 1910, said, “It is discouraging but an agricultural education is an important matter. It must be made possible.”

Bills were introduced again in 1911 and 1912, but the results were the same. New York was experiencing quite a turnover in governors, as during this time Horace White, John Alden Dix and William Sulzer succeeded Charles Evans Hughes.

Others might have given up by that point, but Sen. Clayton Wheeler of Hancock and Assemblyman John Telford of Margaretville entered the bill one more time in 1913.

As described by The Walton Reporter of May 31, 1913, “The bill had been construed to the ‘scrap heap’ with many others calling for appropriations and had been marked by the committee of efficiency and economy for veto, when a delegation of Delaware county men made up of Senator C.L. Wheeler, Assemblyman John W. Telford, Sheriff J.J. Farrell, County Clerk W.H. Maynard, School Superintendent E.O. Harkness, C.R. O’Connor and Dr. George L. Hubbell arranged for a meeting with the governor. One delegation of Delhi businessmen had already been to Albany and returned with not much hope. After presenting Delaware county’s claims they left him, having the promise of another meeting in the evening.”

“The governor (Sulzer) at this time sent for the bill. It was marked for the committee who had it in charge for veto. The governor reminded the Delaware county men that the appropriations had already gone beyond what he intended, but after listening to their arguments again said, ‘I will sign this bill, first, because I believe it is a good bill, and I want to do everything I can to promote agriculture in this state, and second, because of the high esteem in which I hold Senator Wheeler and Assemblyman Telford of your county.’”

The bill became law on May 24 and called for an appropriation of $50,000 to establish the school. Ten minutes after Gov. Sulzer signed the bill, it became known in Delhi. It was read to a large audience at the Opera House, once found on Kingston Street, and it received great applause.

The Delaware Republican reported, “Church bells were rung and steam whistles blown … to commence the celebration. The band gave a concert from the pagoda, the park being profusely decorated with Chinese lanterns, while many business places and residences were brightly lighted. A sky rocket gave the signal for boy scouts to light a bonfire on Youmans’ hill followed by a fine display of fireworks near the village hall.”

The work began to establish the new agricultural school, and it was Oct. 14, 1915, when Delhi opened its doors to nine students. Visit www.delhi.edu for details on its 100th anniversary celebration.

On Monday: Another area state institution prepared to close in 1973.

City Historian Mark Simonson’s column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area during the Depression and before. His Monday columns address local history after the Depression. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or email him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is www.oneontahistorian.com. His columns can be found at www.thedailystar.com/marksimonson.

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Use technology for high yield, says agriculture expert

By Himanshu Nitnaware,

AURANGABAD: Farmers of the state need to make efficient use of modern technology to achieve maximum yield from available land. Efficient water and land management, along with technology, were the key for full-scale production in agriculture, said K P Gore, vice chancellor of Agriculture college, Parbhani, here on Sunday. 

Speaking at the inauguration of Maha-Agro, he said, "Reducing labour costs to maximize production needed to meet the increasing foodgrain demands of the country." 

The exhibit aimed to focus on modernizing the agriculture activities to achieve maximum production, said Vasant Deshmukh, co-organiser of Maha-Agro. 

Gore said that the production of grams had doubled in the last forty years in the Marathwada region, while the production of soyabean and rice wheat had increased three times and cotton, six times. 

He explained that around 40% of the production cost in agriculture was contributed by the cost of labour and the use of modern technology will help to reduce the production cost by 20%. "Traditional tools and their limitations are a major deterrent in obtaining the maximum agricultural yield," he added. 

"86% of the land is non-irrigated in the region which has received less than 25% rainfall in the last four years; and last year, it received less than even 50% rainfall," he informed. 

Gore said that around 15% of the water from rainfall was percolated, which could be increased to around 40% through water harvesting in major catchment areas. Around 5,000 hectares of land was being rendered useless due to soil erosion. He also said that subsidiary activities and parallel agricultural activities will help support agricultural production. 

Out of the labourers, around 70% of the female labours work on the fields. 

"Research is equally important for the farmers to study the soil quality, irrigation supply schemes and weather forecasts which would facilitate agricultural production. Implementation of modern technology, application of different strategies successfully tested by experts and organizing discussion forums to inspire farmers should be the need of the hour, "Gore said. 

The agriculture college has started 17 research centres, 34 research schemes for students and 24 central government schemes. "As many as 600 technology ideas, 20 instruments and various programmes for farmers have been conducted by the colleges," he added. 

Contradicting the use of modern equipment for agriculture, Congress district chief Keshavrao Autade said, "Farmers with small lands cannot afford to use modern equipment to improve their agricultural yield. It would make more sense to use traditional tools along with modern instruments for optimum utilization of resources." 

Autade said that land acquisition for development by government is a major concern among farmers who already have immense pressure to get maximum production from a small piece of agricultural land. 

K P Gore said that around 15% of the water from rainfall was percolated, which could be increased to around 40% through water harvesting in major catchment areas. Around 5,000 hectares of land was being rendered useless due to soil erosion.

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Program to improve Africa's agriculture

By Jin Zhu (chinadaily.com.cn)

A four-year program jointly launched by the UK and China will start this year to help African countries to improve their agricultural production capacity in a major effort to eliminate hunger.

With a UK investment of 10 million ($15.9 million) and the Chinese contribution of expertise, the program will facilitate the transfer of agricultural technology to low-income countries in Africa and Asia. Pilot projects will be first established in Malawi and Uganda.

Thanks to the input of advanced technology and supportive policies, China's grain output realized a ninth consecutive year of growth since 2004, Niu Dun, vice-minister of agriculture said at the second Africa-Britain-China Conference on Agriculture and Fisheries in Beijing on Monday.

"In addition to realizing self-sufficiency in grain, China has helped other developing countries, especially in Africa, to improve agricultural productivity and food security in recent decades," he said.

Since the 1950s, China has dispatched nearly 10,000 agricultural technicians to Africa and built more than 240 agricultural projects in African countries, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.

"Further cooperation with African countries, such as in the freshwater fishery and deep processing of agricultural product industries, will be strengthened in future," Niu said.

African participants also called for more technology and knowledge transfers to help the countries in term of the sustainable development of agriculture.

For instance, annual fish production in Malawi now is estimated at 90,000 metric tonnes mainly from natural sources while annual aquaculture production is only 3,600 tonnes, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security of Malawi.

"Great challenges, including the lack of appropriate improved technology in aquaculture and poor fish feed formulations, may hinder the country from increasing fish production from aquaculture," said Bright Kumwembe, director of finance and administration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security in Malawi.

"Food security is a global challenge, requiring innovation and efforts across the international community. The UK will certainly play its part in this global effort," the British Ambassador to China Sebastian Wood said at the conference.

The program will provide a platform to extend technology tailored to the needs and conditions of African countries and support joint research to find solutions to food security issues, he said.

"China has a lot of advanced technology in the agricultural sector, which may offer much support to African countries. But how to choose those appropriate technologies and seed varieties, which are adaptable to the actual situation in Africa, are the key to success," said Zhang Feng, a researcher from CABI, a research group in Britain that focuses on agriculture and the environment.

GM crops may not resolve food crisis, scientists say

NEW DELHI: Genetically modified (GM) crops have so far been promoted as the 'breakthrough' technology that will help resolve food insecurity in India. But a group of prominent agricultural scientists, who addressed the media on Monday in Delhi, said that GM crops may not help feed India's booming population. They suggested that India use a mix of ecological farming, supported by conventional breeding and make optimum use of local knowledge and natural resources instead.

"How we grow our crops, what kind of crops will be grown, where and by whom are in fact the critical questions", said Prof Hans Herren, Co-chair of International Assessment of Agricultural Knowledge, Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD), who was awarded the World Food Prize in 1995. "India must invest in rural infrastructure and institutions".

The scientists stressed that transgenic approaches are incompatible with sustainable agriculture and livelihoods. "What we really need is a shift in paradigm, where a holistic approach drives our interventions in agriculture without reductionist solutions hogging the centre-stage and taking away precious resources", Herren added.

Dr Doug Gurian-Sherman of the Union of Concerned Scientists, USA quoted a study on productivity of transgenic crops in the USA. He said that their studies had shown that conventional breeding and farm management continue to greatly out-perform transgenic technology when it comes to yield improvements.

Another scientist, Professor Jack Heinemann from the School of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury gave the example of South America where GM technology has failed to solve food crisis "Only two countries in the world, both in South America, grow GM on more than 40% of their agricultural land and both are suffering from increased food insecurity. Most of their poor neighbors that have not adopted GM have improving food security statistics," he said.

They gave the example of high-tech GMO technology in the USA. "Adopting GM technology has been accompanied by greater consolidation of resources and power for few seed companies, higher seed prices, greater risk for farmers and less choice in varieties with hardly any increase in productivity," they said.

The media briefing by scientists on 'Can GM Crops Meet India's Food Security and Export Markets?' was organized by Aruna Rodrigues, lead petitioner in a public interest litigation seeking moratorium on GM testing in India. Adding to the doubts over the success of GM technology in food is a study by a molecular biologist, Prof Gallis Eric Seralini of University of Caen in France.

It is one of the first studies to be done over the entire lifespan of laboratory rats and is the longest health impact study of genetically modified (GM) crops and herbicides on laboratory animals. Seralini's study was recently published in Elsevier journal, found that herbicide tolerant GM maize treated with and without herbicides had some serious health implications on rats.

There were increased cases of mortality among rats fed with GM corn, increased lever and kidney damages seen in the case of male rats fed with GM corn, increased tumors both in the case of male and female rats that have been fed with GM corn.

Also, the effects were sex dependent with the female rats fed with GM crops, developed mammary tumors and pituitary gland failure.

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Micro irrigation answer to depleting ground water level: Sharad Pawar

Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar today said the ground water level in the country is decreasing and there is an urgent need to check this through encouraging micro irrigation.

"The ground water table in the country has come down in the last few years and in order to check this we should work with technologies like drip and sprinkler irrigation, which minimises loss of water," Pawar said in his inaugural address at a national conclave on micro irrigation here.

Emphasising upon the need to encourage drip and sprinkler irrigation in the country, Pawar added that the government has implemented the National Mission on Micro Irrigation (NMMI) to propagate the use of this technology among the farmers.

The minister said that during the last decade the main concern before the country was self-sufficiency and food security, but now it is water conservation.

On the back of record production of foodgrains in the last few year, the country has been able to export agri products also.

India's agricultural exports in the last fiscal were about $ 37 million, Pawar added.

So far the country has shipped over 4 million tonnes of non-basmati rice, 2.5 million tonnes of sugar, 1.5 million tonnes of wheat and around 3.5 million bales of cotton, he added.

Rajiv Mundhra, Chairman, Indian Chamber of Commerce, which organised the conclave, said that the competitive advantage of micro irrigation lies in its lower usage of water and energy, process automation, reduced weed levels and improved production on margin land.

Various global and national level studies suggest that the water availability in India has started to deplete and by around 2050, the country would be on the brink of water scarcity, he added.

There is an urgent need to increase the penetration level of micro irrigation in the country to check the reducing ground water levels as well as to prevent wastage of water, Mundhra said.

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China, ASEAN to strengthen cooperation in agriculture

China and ASEAN countries will bring high-quality agricultural products to south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from Sep. 21 to 25 to deepen exchange and cooperation in agricultural technologies.

China and ASEAN countries will promote cooperation in agricultural technologies, including those related to cultivation, manufacture, research and development, seeding, pesticide and fertilizer, said the secretariat of the ninth China-ASEAN Expo (CAEXPO), which will start on Sept. 21 in the regional capital of Nanning.

The secretariat said 600 booths will be set up for the expo to display modern agricultural technologies, as well as livestock and food products from China and ASEAN countries.

So far, 360 enterprises from the Chinese mainland, Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as ten ASEAN countries, have applied for the booths, up 26 percent from a year earlier.

The expo is expected to attract more than 110,000 businessmen and customers, the secretariat said.

CAEXPO, hosted by the trade and economic organizations and departments of China and ASEAN countries, has been held annually since 2004.

Technology that saves water and supports agriculture

Is it possible to save on water but at the same time have a successful water irrigation system that supports your crops?

The system consists of a series of sensors that measure soil water content

It is perfectly possible according to an EU-financed project in Malta named WaterBee which designed a prototype irrigation system operated by a web-based interface and wireless networked sensors.

There is a pressing need and excellent commercial opportunity for such a system in agriculture, the largest industry in the world and, according to the WWF, wastes 60 per cent of the 2,500 trillion litres of water it uses each year. This amounts to 70 per cent of the world’s accessible water and constitutes a huge threat to the environment. A major culprit is inefficient water irrigation systems. In Europe, irrigated agriculture is the biggest water consumer – over 60 per cent – in the Mediterranean where drought is an increasing problem.

The successful WaterBee Research for SMEs project has researched, developed and proved the concept of the WaterBee prototype to provide a unique scientific soil-moisture model that automatically adapts to each installation and crop with a distributed web-based wireless sensor networked smart irrigation system to optimise water use efficiency in irrigation.

WaterBee is an intelligent ZigBee-enabled agricultural irrigation system, which greatly enhances the efficiency of existing irrigation systems.

The system consists of a series of sensors that measure soil water content (or potential), environmental parameters that influence ‘evapotranspiration’, and indicators of crop development or physiological status. The data gathered from these sensors is sent across a low-cost, low-power consumption ZigBee wireless sensor network. These sensors are effectively distributed over the cultivated area, given that different areas of the field, or fields, have different water requirements.

The sensors monitor these parameters and send readings across a ZigBee mesh network to a GPRS gateway (the same used in mobile phones) which sends all of this data to a central web service which uses an intelligent software application to automatically analyse the data and act upon it by selectively activating irrigation nodes only in the areas required. This data is fed into an intelligent software package that uses intelligent agents to act upon the information received from the sensors. The outputs and irrigation recommendations are presented to the user on a smartphone app or web browser.

The Maltese partner in this project is Saviour Gauci of Chadwick Mushrooms. Established in 1974 it is one of the leading local mushroom production enterprises. In 1985, a Dutch system of cultivation was introduced, and in 1988 a computer system for the control of temperature, humidity and carbon dioxide was installed. Since then, the company has always upgraded to keep up with the times. Now it has installed a demonstration site for the WaterBee system.

There are plans to scale-up the WaterBee system to a full reliable operational field prototype service, that will be demonstrated and validated over a 15-month period with complete growing cycles of various crops in six contrasting sites across Europe, namely Estonia, Italy, Malta, Sweden, Spain and the UK. This will also try to quantify profitable operation of the WaterBee service for growers, with water savings of 40 per cent while enhancing crop quality in each site.

This project is part-financed by the European Commission’s Seventh Framework Programme of funding for research projects.

Last month the Commission launched the final and largest ever set of calls for proposals for research under its FP7. In total, €8.1 billion will support projects and ideas that will boost Europe’s competitiveness and tackle issues such as human health, protecting the environment and finding new solutions to growing challenges linked to urbanisation and managing waste.

The Malta Council for Science and Technology, as the national contact point organisation for FP7 in Malta, assists researchers to tap into these funds. The FP7 Unit within the council offers free, tailored consultations to address specific needs and requirements through one-to-one meetings to ensure that beneficiaries tap into the right funding scheme to maximise the benefits.

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Green Biotechnology - A advanced technique to generate GM Ornamental Plants

Written by G. Akhtar - Dr. R. M. Balal - M. A. Shahid - T. Abbas - A. Akram

Biotechnology is not applied in the field of medical but also has a significant role in agriculture. The processes and methods of agriculture have been refined by the use of biotechnology to increment the productivity. Biotechnology has also revolutionized research activities in the area of agriculture which includes the following: (i) plant cell, tissue and organ Culture(ii) genetic engineering leading to transformation followed by regeneration of plants to give genetically modified plants carrying desirable, traits like disease resistance, insect resistance and herbicide resistance; eventually this may also be used for increasing photosynthetic efficiency, nitrogen fixing ability, improved storage proteins, hybrid crops, crops for food processing etc. The development of genetically modified foods and other agricultural biotechnology products has generated significant public debate. The potential for creating foods enhanced for health benefits or increasing crop yields was tantalizing, but there was also widespread concern about the technology’s health and environmental risks. The Pew Initiative on Food and Biotechnology spotlighted policy issues arising from these discussions and served as a credible, honest broker, bringing together people with differing viewpoints to examine the opportunities and challenges of agricultural biotechnology.

Green biotechnology is biotechnology applied to agricultural processes. An example would be the selection and domestication of plants via micropropagation. Another example is the designing of transgenic plants to grow under specific environments in the presence (or absence) of chemicals. One hope is that green biotechnology might produce more environmentally friendly solutions than traditional industrial agriculture. An example of this is the engineering of a plant to express a pesticide, thereby ending the need of external application of pesticides. An example of this would be Bt corn. Whether or not green biotechnology products such as this are ultimately more environmentally friendly is a topic of considerable debate.

Ornamental plants are grown as flowering plants in the gardens or as houseplants. Their most common features are flowers and others are leaves, bark, stem, and fruits of different color, size and fragrance. These are used for decoration of office, garden, house, roadside or any thing and place due to their decorative purposes and keep the people close to nature. Flowers of some ornamental plants are also used for extraction of valuable essential oils. Due to these reasons demand of ornamental plants is increasing with the passage of time and plant breeder are trying to produce new varieties of different attractive colors, more fragrance, longer vase life and resistance against pests and diseases but it is a very tedious process and takes many years to produce genetic modification.

Genetic engineering in combination with plant tissue culture is an efficient way of producing genetic modification in ornamental plants through alteration in genetic material by artificial means and is different from the traditional breeding because it does not need selection and pollination in the field, which takes many years to produce genetic modification with very little success. In this technique desired genes is isolated from a plant and transferred in the plant to produce desired characters.  There are two methods of gene transfer first is vector mediated transfer and second is direct gene transfer. In vector-mediated method of transformation a vector Agrobacterium is used, which a soil bacterium is causing outgrowths (galls) on the plants. This bacterium transferred the genes in the root cells of the plants to produce gall. Due to this ability it is used as vector. The gene of interest is isolated and transferred in the DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) of Agrobacterium, which infect the desired plant cell and transferred the desired gene in the plant cell. In the direct transfer method desired genes are transferred in the plant with out the use of vector. It has different methods like electroporation of protoplast, in this method pores are made in the protoplast membrane and through these pores plasmid DNA transferred in the protoplast, which is used to regenerate the plants. Microinjection, in this foreign DNA is transferred in the nucleus of protoplast by injection pipette of 0.2 mm diameter and protoplast is cultured to produce plants. Laser microbeam, in this UV-laser microbeams are used to produce pores in the membranes and DNA from the solution is entered in the cell through these pores. Electroporation into embryos, DNA is delivered in the embryos by electroporation. Particle bombardment, this is most desired used method of transferred because it can deliver DNA in cells, tissue or organs. In this method DNA particles are coated with gold or tungston and transferred by a gene gun, which accelerate particles to penetrate into the tissue.

Plant tissue culture also has very important role in the production of genetically modified plants because after the transferred cell or tissue are need to regenerate into new plant and production of more plants from that genetically modified plant. There are different direct and indirect regeneration techniques of plant tissue culture. In direct techniques direct shoots and roots are developed from the explants e.g. meristem culture, in which meristem is used to shoot and roots. Nodal culture, in this node is used to produce plants. In indirect methods first callus and then from callus shoots and roots are developed e.g. leaf, ovule, anther, petal and cell culture. After gene transfer in the cells or tissue of desired, callus is produced from these transformed cell which further form somatic embryos then shoot and roots. From this single plant many plants produced by mass propagation through plant tissue culture techniques.

Flower color is most important and attractive trait of ornamental plants. People want variation in flower color of different ornamental plants. To fulfill the growing need of different colored ornamental plants, genetic engineering is playing is role and successfully genetic modifications have been in many ornamental plants like rose, gerbera, petunia, chrysanthemum, carnation, torenia and lisianthus by inducing changes in anthocyanin (a class of flavonoids produces pink, red, violet and blue color in flowers) and Carotenoids (a class of isoprenoids produces yellow, orange and red color in flowers). Flower fragrance is also a very important trait to increase the value of ornamental plants. Fragrance of flowers is due to volatile compounds, which are secondary metabolites such as terpenoids, phenylpropanoids and derivatives of fatty acids. Few genes have been identified which directly involved in production of fragrance in the flowers of ornamental plants. As linalool synthase (lis) gene responsible for the production of fragrance was introduced in petunia and carnation but it does not produce olfactorally detectable changes in the fragrance of these flowers. Vase life is also desirable character of ornamental plants. Work has been done on genetic modification of many ornamental plants to increase their vase life like carnation, petunia and carnation etc. Insects and diseases cause major losses to ornamental plants. Different fungal, bacterial and viral pathogens attacked on the ornamental plants and in response to their attack chitinases and glucanases are produced in the plants. So the over production of chitinases and glucanases by genetic modification can produce resistance in the plants. More resistance has produced in against fungus in petunia and against blackspot in roses by genetic modification. From more than 30 years cry gene of Bacillus thuringiensis has been using for creating resistance in plants.

There is a great need of genetic modification in ornamental plants in our country to fulfill the growing needs and to earn a lot of by their export. It is a need of day to expand the work on genetic modification because we invest a lot of to import ornamental plants. Now work has been started to developed protocols for invitro regeneration of different ornamental plants (rose, gladiolus, carnation etc) in plant tissue culture, which is a step in this response. For this our government should develop more high quality lab. and private sector should also involved in this work, more short courses should arranged to produce skilled labour.

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Innovating agriculture

With innovative strategies and technological advancements, the agriculture industry in India is also going through a makeover. Though the growth chart has been slow there is a lot happening on that front. SANGEETA YADAV tells you more

Since the evolution of mankind, agriculture has been the main source of occupation. Even in the 21st century, more than 75 per cent of rural population still depends on agriculture for their livelihood and are involved in the production of food and raw materials.

With the advancement of technology, even this industry has gone through a makeover — newer machines requires less hardwork, labour and is time saving. From tracktors, harvesting tools to fertilizers and other resources, farmers are picking up the trend and using the concept of organic farming and application of science and technology to their otherwise age-old methods.

According to Professor C Ramasamy, National Project Coordinator, Agricultural Innovation Partnership (AIP): “Farming as an economic activity is becoming unviable due to various reasons such as risks in production due to rainfall failure, market fluctuations for agricultural commodities, government policies, severe labour shortage, particularly in South India and other factors. Hence private investment in farming is declining. Unless massive reforms such as promotion of genetically modified crops, improving agricultural commodity value chain by allowing multinational retailing, raising the land ceiling of cultivable land, encouraging producers’ organisation, Public Private Partnerships in agricultural R&D, et al are brought in, Indian agriculture will stagnate,” he adds. Given this situation, people in the urban cities and towns have started organic farming at their homes producing food for their own consumption. This practise is both safe and encourages savings as well.

Talking about the agriculture scenario of other countries, Ramasamy adds, “Agriculture is commercially organised in agriculturally advanced countries. The role of private sector in R&D, seed, fertilizer, agrochemicals, agricultural machinery production, etc. is given importance and system of value chain is promoted. Thus agriculture is promoted in agri-business mode making it economically attractive as a profession”. 

Public private initiative

Through the joint effort of  public and private sectors, new processes and products have been introduced to take Indian agriculture technologically forward.

“The right kind of policy environment is essential. For example, promotion of GM crops which offer enormous benefits and use of modern machinery are delayed due to lack of supportive policies.

“Moreover, Government needs to extend a holistic policy framework to make farming economically viable and encourage investment in private sector in R&D, marketing, input supply, et al.

Besides having counselors and teachers who can spread awareness to the farmers about the latest technology on the block, Government should enhance public investment in agricultural development in areas such as irrigation, market infrastructure, storage and export of agricultural commodities.

By providing good incentives to strengthen producers-processors-retailers-consumers linkages and strengthen the infrastructure in all the villages, wholesale and terminal markets can improve the performance of this field,” Ramasamy tells you.

 Revamping education and strategies

The agriculture education sector is also getting the support of private organisations. “A number of reforms are the need of the hour to strengthen agricultural education. Improvement in governance, merit as the sole criteria in selection of academic leaders and promotion of scientists, adequate investment in infrastructure and quality improvement in human resources, collaboration with leading institutions in developed countries and more decentralisation of educational administration are critical for taking Indian agricultural education to greater heights.

“Each university must have a Centre for Teaching and Learning Excellence to train the teachers. It must also take up research in this area so as to make appropriate policies to promote teaching-learning systems,” he concludes.

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100 Years of Agriculture Research

The agriculture industry depends on research laboratories to advance farming technologies, and one lab in Mandan is has been helping for 100 years. Friends and Neighbors gathered at the Northern Great Plains Research Laboratory in Mandan to celebrate a century of service.

"We`re tremendously excited to have a research location, to have been survived for 100 years and the different types of budget climates. To survive a lot of different technological changes over a century," said research leader Matt Senderson.

Over the years the lab has helped with technological improvements and changing farming practices.

"When you think about our laboratory was founded when the state was very very young. When farmers and ranchers where looking around for what types of things they could grow, or what would survive and what would not survive. Our lab really played a very important part in that very early on in the state`s founding," Sanderson.

The day started with several kids activities and USDA agency presentations. Each presentation focuses on a different part of agriculture. From soil health, to trees and even bugs.

"There`s always something that`s going to try to kill your tree. Some things we need to worry about more than others. There is no perfect tree. There is no pest free tree," said NDSU Extension Forestry Specialist Joe Zeleznik.

Another presentation called "A Bugs Life" talks about organisms that live in the soil and help with plant nutrition.

"What they do is they eat bacteria. And when they eat that bacteria, part of the bodies bacteria contains nitrogen. And so they`ll release some of that nitrogen, and them that nitrogen can go and feed other organisms or plants," said Research Soil Microbiologist Kris Nicholas.

After the presentations, producers took grazing and crop rotation tours.

Original article here

Science and technology holds key to triple agricultural yields

Dr. Godwin Koku Senanu Aflakpui, Research Scientist and Rector, Wa Polytechnic, on Thursday said there was the need to put more scientific and technological input into agricultural production, as "it can triple the yields of farmers.

"It is key to look at the science of the climate, and to help farmers adapt to these climate change and weather patterns which in effect will help increase our food production tremendously".

Dr. Aflakpui, said this in Accra at a public lecture organized by the Ghana Academy of Arts Science (GAAS) on the topic, "Poverty and Climate Change in Sub-Saharan Africa: Are We Winning or Losing the War?

He said less than half Sub-Saharan African countries had attained the New Partnership For African Development (NEPAD) minimum 6% growth rate of Gross Domestic Product since 1995, but only a few countries had consistently maintained the rate from 1995 till 2011; making it difficult to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) by the target date, he said.

Dr. Aflakpui said in addition, there were serious challenges to improving the performance of the agricultural sector in Sub-Saharan Africa, to meet the MDGs.

"Whether we lose or win the game against poverty and climate change depends on the seriousness with which we implement research and development interventions to improve and modernize agriculture," he said.

He said this would reduce poverty, mitigate the effects of climate change and help the vulnerable through the adaptation mechanisms.

He said agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa was predominantly rain-fed and therefore, the fortunes of the agricultural sector had generally followed the rainfall patterns from year to year.

Dr. Aflakpui added that Sub-Saharan Africa contained large tracts of degraded lands with extremely low agricultural productivity, especially in the Sahel region.

"For example, average crop yields per hectare in Sub-Saharan Africa are 1.5 tons for maize, 0.8 tons for sorghum and 0.7 tons for millet; as compared to 2.5 tons of maize in many other parts of the world," he said.

Dr. Aflakpui said this was due to poor soil quality, which occurred when soil organic carbon was lost to the atmosphere, leading to desertification.

He said it was estimated that the affected areas ranged from 3.47 to 3.97 billion hectares.

Dr. Aflakpui stressed that whilst there were existing policies on improving agricultural produce, "the key thing is in ensuring that the policies and interventions we have now work".

The lecture was attended by researchers, scientists, academia, students, journalists and a cross section of the public.**

Original Article Here

Pushing GM in Africa - the African Agricultural Technology Foundation

1.Harnessing the Potential of Public/Private Partnerships
2.Who are the African Agricultural Technology Foundation - a GM Watch profile

EXTRACT: The selection of a permanent Board of Directors for AATF was made with the assistance of its Design Advisory Committee (DAC) which was created to play 'a critical advisory role, guiding the formation of AATF' and to provide 'guidance on key operational issues'. This included 'guidance on the business plan, selection of board members, selection of the African headquarters, and the development of criteria for the selection of pilot projects.'

The Committee included the former Monsanto-trained scientist and lobbyist Florence Wambugu, who then headed ISAAA's AfriCenter, as well as a number of biotech industry employees, including Monsanto's Gerard Barry. Barry is quoted as saying that getting involved with AATF 'has been fantastic for us [ie Monsanto].' (item 2)
---

1.Food Security and Ag-Biotech News
for: 11/15/2006
http://www.merid.org/fs-agbiotech/

Harnessing the Potential of Public/Private Partnerships Source:AATF

This 2005 annual report from the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), based in Kenya, says that AATF's work demonstrates the viability and importance of fostering partnerships between technology donors, public research institutes, seed companies, NGOs, and government extension agents.

The report discusses how Monsanto has provided a royalty-free, non-exclusive license to AATF to use Monsanto's cry1Ab Bt gene for the development of insect resistant cowpea varieties.

AATF has sub-licensed the technology to Australia's Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) and the Nigeria-based International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), which are collaborating to produce Bt cowpea varieties well-suited to farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa.

Other licensing agreements for rights to a broad range of technologies, including gene technologies, biological control technologies, and mechanical implements, are being negotiated with a number of public and private institutions.

AATF was also active in 2005 with facilitating the introduction of "Strigaway" maize seed technology to about 5,000 western Kenyan farmers whose crops were severely affected by Striga, a parasitic weed.

The foundation coordinated with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and government extension services to disseminate, and private seed companies have now become involved in selling it.

The 40-page report is available online at the link below.
http://www.aatf-africa.org/publications/aatf-ar2005.pdf

---

2.African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)
GM Watch profile
http://www.gmwatch.org/profile1.asp?PrId=163

[for all the links]

The Nairobi-based African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) was formed in July 2002 under the direction of Eugene Terry, its Implementing Director. In April 2004 Mpoko Bokanga was appointed AATF's first Executive Director with Eugene Terry, who was previously an agricultural Advisor with the World Bank in Washington DC, continuing as Implementing Director.

According to its website (in 2003), 'The AATF is a new and unique public-private partnership designed to remove many of the barriers that have prevented smallholder farmers in Africa from gaining access to existing agricultural technologies that could help relieve food insecurity and alleviate poverty.'

The rice industry website Oryza.com explained the purpose of AATF in straightforward terms, 'The goal of the AATF will be to work with governments, companies, non-governmental organizations, and research centers to negotiate the sales rights of genetically modified crops and bring new agricultural technologies to the African market.'

And unlike AATF's website which only lists as donors USAID, the Rockefeller Foundation and the United Kingdom's Department for International Development , Oryza.com also lists the following biotechnology corporations: Monsanto, Dupont, Dow Agro Sciences and Syngenta.(Africa: Group to Promote GMO Sales, Oryza.com )

In some ways AATF appears to be modelled on the longer-standing International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications, which although originating in the US, has an office in Nairobi. Both ISAAA and AATF also have very similar backers and both work on GM 'technology transfer' to Africa, but AATF has been given a more African facade. Its website states, 'The AATF will be based in Africa and will be led, managed and directed by Africans.'

AATF's board is chaired by Jennifer Thompson, a scientist and fervent GM supporter who came to prominence as part of South Africa's regulatory body SAGENE, originally established under South Africa's apartheid regime. Interestingly, Thompson is also on the board of ISAAA as well as the biotech-industry backed South African lobby group AfricaBio.

The selection of a permanent Board of Directors for AATF was made with the assistance of its Design Advisory Committee (DAC) which was created to play 'a critical advisory role, guiding the formation of AATF' and to provide 'guidance on key operational issues'. This included 'guidance on the business plan, selection of board members, selection of the African headquarters, and the development of criteria for the selection of pilot projects.' The Committee included the former Monsanto-trained scientist and lobbyist Florence Wambugu, who then headed ISAAA's AfriCenter, as well as a number of biotech industry employees, including Monsanto's Gerard Barry. Barry is quoted as saying that getting involved with AATF 'has been fantastic for us [ie Monsanto].'

In June 2004 Mpoko Bokanga of AATF and J.B. Penn, U.S. under secretary of agriculture for farm and foreign agricultural services, signed a memorandum of understanding on behalf of the U.S. and AATF in which they agreed to work together to 'share and disseminate agricultural technologies that can help improve food production, increase food security, reduce poverty and expand agricultural trade', according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The signing took place at an ceremony in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, on the first day of a three-day ministerial conference on agricultural biotechnology sponsored by the USDA, the U.S. Department of State, and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). (US Department of State PRESS RELEASE, June 21, 2004)

AATF's Executive Director Mpoko Bokanga told the launch audience that the organisation is working with the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and the Syngenta Foundation to introduce a variety of GM maize resistant to the stem borer. According to a report by Aaron deGrassi of the Institute of Development Studies, the Syngenta Foundation's activities, such as the GM maize project being trialled by KARI, have more to do with PR than with delivering real benefits to poor farmers.

Other AATF projects are said to include a vitamin A maize and an initiative to increase cowpea productivity in sub-Saharan Africa. Aaron deGrassi's over all conclusion on GM projects is that 'while genetic modification may constitute a novel tool, in Africa it is a relatively ineffective and expensive one Cash-strapped scientists working with poor farmers in Africa might well regard genetic modification as a waste of time and money.'

Original Article Here

Agriculture needs investment in new seeds, technology

Application of old techniques and technology damages the crop and reduces the income of farmers PHOTO: FILE

By Imran Rana

FAISALABAD: In an effort to increase crop yield for achieving food security, massive investment is needed in introducing new varieties of seeds and improving farm technologies, suggest agricultural experts and farmers.

Seepage from watercourses, canals, distributaries, uneven fields and poor drainage have also made life difficult for farmers, underscoring the need for immediate rehabilitation, they say.

“Productivity remains low, causing a decline in exports and incomes of farmers,” said Mahmood Ahmad, an agricultural expert while talking to The Express Tribune. “If seed quality improves, crop yield can increase by 35%.”

“Imported seeds have better yield. Seeds being imported from Canada and Europe give a good output,” said Bilal Saeed, who deals in imported seeds. However, he pointed out that imported seeds were expensive compared to local seeds, forcing farmers to buy cheaper ones.

The farmers claimed that the country has not been able to produce required quantity of hybrid seeds. Though the farmers may not be able to bear the cost of such seeds, the government should provide subsidy on these, they suggested.

Water shortage is also a problem that has plagued farmers. Water shortage has destroyed crops, causing heavy losses to farmers, particularly when expensive imported seeds had been used, they said.

“Farmers are also handicapped by electricity outages for several hours in a day as they cannot run tube wells to make up for reduced water releases from rivers,” said farmer Junaid Ali.

At the same time, he cautioned that more than 50% of water pumped out through tube wells was saline or brackish, affecting the yield of crops. To address this issue, he called for applying water preservation technology.

“Major factors in productivity loss are poor soil fertility and less use of mineral fertilisers,” said Jamaal Ahmad, a farming expert.

He said urea and di-ammonium phosphate (DAP) were two major fertilisers used to fulfill requirements of land for getting a good yield, but their shortage was increasing due to high demand.

“Soaring prices of fertilisers have forced the farmers to opt for alternatives like bio-fertiliser,” he added.

Besides all these, the experts say, application of old techniques and technology at the time of handling the harvest damages the produce and reduces the income of farmers. Post-harvest losses are estimated to be in millions of rupees, they say.

Published in The Express Tribune

New Program to Spread Agricultural Technologies across West Africa

WASHINGTON, May 22, 2012 The World Bank s Board of Executive Directors today approved US$120 million financing for the second phase of the West African Agricultural Productivity Program that will improve food production by spreading new agricultural technologies in Ghana and Senegal.

 The program will finance technology exchange programs, align national priorities with regional ones to increase regional cooperation in food technology generation, and support a greater push for technology adoption and dissemination.

The Bank s support takes a resolved approach to making agriculture more productive and sustainable in West Africa, said Jamal Saghir, World Bank Director for Sustainable Development in the Africa Region.  It will contribute to increasing growth in the economy, improve food security and reduce poverty.

With population expected to increase from 300 million in 2011 to about 500 million in 2030, West Africa is faced with the challenge of satisfying rapidly growing food demand. The recent food, fuel and financial crisis have demonstrated the need in West Africa to fully utilize the sub-region s agricultural potential.

It is possible to increase production of key commodities that represent the basis of the West African food security system. Adopting new and improved crop management practices can increase cereal crops by 30 percent; irrigated rice systems could benefit from yield increase by nearly 50 percent; and cassava yield can be raised more than 40 percent.

 Regional production covers 80 percent of the population s food needs in ECOWAS, about 20 percent of its imports being food products. West Africa is severely affected by the current rise in global food, financial and fuel prices. Intra-regional agricultural trade remains limited and its share of the total world agricultural trade is marginal. Climate change, increasing population, and poor conditions of natural resources reveal an urgent need for improved agricultural production.

 The program will help Senegal and Ghana boost agricultural production to cope with the increasing demand for food in the region, said Abdoulaye Toure, Task team leader for the project. We are pleased to work in partnership with ECOWAS to boost dominant sectors, such as agriculture, to their potential so that the people of these countries can become self-sufficient and secure in food production.

* The World Bank s International Development Association (IDA), established in 1960, helps the world s poorest countries by providing loans (called credits ) and grants for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve poor people s lives. IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for the world s 81 poorest countries, 39 of which are in Africa. Resources from IDA bring positive change for 2.5 billion people living on less than $2 a day. Since its inception, IDA has supported activities in 108 countries. Annual commitments have increased steadily and averaged about $15 billion over the last three years, with about 50 percent of commitments going to Africa.

Source: World Bank Office Ghana

600 Gujarat farmers fly to Israel to learn agriculture technology

By: Himansh Dhomse

With the aim of learning about new agriculture technology, as many as 600 farmers from Gujarat have travelled to Tel Aviv, Israel to attend the Agritech Exhibition. The 18th international agricultural exhibition, which is held once every three years, is likely to see participation of more than 2,000 farmers from India, including 600 from Gujarat.

The farmers from Gujarat are eyeing better quality of crop as well as more produce with lesser use of water and pesticides. “It is for the first time that such huge participation of farmers from India including Gujarat has been seen at the Agritech Exhibition in Israel. From Gujarat and Maharashtra alone, over 1,200 farmers - 600 from each state - are participating,” said CEO of Radeecal Communications, Sanyal Desai.

Radeecal Communications is one of the companies representing India at the exhibition. Apart from these farmers, BJP president Nitin Gadkari as well as Haryana chief minister, Bhupinder Singh Hooda is likely to attend the event.

Meanwhile, at the Agrivest Summit held on Monday in Tel Aviv, agriculture experts and economists of Israel said that India has a lot to learn about agri-technology from Israel. India and Israel can both learn a lot from each other, said Eugene Kandel, head of National Economic Council — Prime Minister’s Office, Israel.

“Israel has transformed itself into a green country from a desert. We have faced huge issues including scarcity of water, food and energy. But by making efficient use of agriculture technology, Israel, spread across 22,000 sq km area with 4,20,000 hectare arable land, the country pacing ahead in terms of agriculture,” said Kandel while addressing the Agrivest Summit.

Talking about economic ties between Israel and India, Kandel said that there is much more potential in trade growth between the countries.

"Israel can learn about entrepreneurship skills from India. India handles a different set of issues such as size of the country, needs and demands, and cost of labour, which Israel can learn from. So the collaboration of the two has a huge growth potential," said Kandel.

Original Article Here