Sandi Doughton, Seattle Times, March 30, 3009 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation said Monday it wants to tap top scientific minds to help improve the plight of small farmers in the developing world.

The Seattle-based philanthropy announced a $48 million collaboration with the National Science Foundation to fund cutting-edge research on ways to make crops resistant to drought, disease and pests, improve soil quality and tackle a wide range of problems that limit agricultural productivity in Africa and other poor corners of the world.

Each organization will provide $24 million over five years. “This partnership with the NSF is an exciting opportunity to tap into the most innovative, transformative ideas the global scientific community can offer,” said Rob Horsch, deputy director of the Gates Foundation’s agricultural development initiative.

Research on genetically-modified plants could be included in the program, said Deborah Delmer, NSF manager for the collaboration, called BREAD: Basic Research to Enable Agricultural Development. “Genetic engineering is a tool,” she said. “We’re not going to hold back any kind of science from being considered in these projects.”

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Genetically modified foods will eventually provide answers to the food security situation in Kenya, according to agribusiness leaders. Mr Michael Turner, the managing director of Actis East Africa, a private equity fund with interests in agribusiness and other sectors said GM technology will open up arid and semi arid land in Kenya to food production.

“Passing the biodiversity law was a good idea. We have to find a way of making use of more than half of the country which is arid and semi arid,” he said. Kenya’s food security needs have been increasing dramatically over the years, because of the growing population, failure to use farm inputs and the now the climate change which is changing rainfall patters. “We will have no excuse to ignore the technology that can increase our food output,” said Agriculture Minister William Ruto, “This is our future.”

Proponents of the GM food in Kenya say the country has good research capacity to enable local scientists develop GM crops that are specifically suited to the country’s needs. Sidney Quantia, the coordinator of the Kenya Biodiversity Coalition had said earlier that the Biosafety Bill 2008 which was assented by the President Mwai Kibaki in February does not allow labelling of foods produced from genetic modified crops.

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Mauritius will implement a national biosafety framework on the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) to ensure that the health of the population and the environment are not put in danger, Agro-Industry and Food Production Minister Satish Faugoo announced on Thursday.

At a workshop organized with the support of the United Nations Environment Programme and Global Environment Facility in Port Louis, Faugoo said GMO crops can be part of the answer in global food security but people must know what they are eating.

He said there is a lingering fear in the public about GMO foods although such concerns are mainly a lack of proper public awareness and information on such foods. He said the government has the responsibility to ensure that the benefits of GMO products outweigh the risks of producing and consuming them.

Purdue University has introduced a new website that aims at helping livestock producers in the transition to growing organic products.

TheOrganic and Alternative Livestock Production Systems website deals mainly with poultry, pork, beef/dairy and large ruminants, goats, sheep and small ruminants. Additionally, it looks into the topics of forage and pasture management, and processing information, amongst other topics.

“This website is geared toward providing producers the information they need to get started in not only organic livestock production, but also grass-fed beef and pasture-raised pork and poultry, as well,” said a Purdue Extension animal sciences specialist and website coordinator Paul Ebner.

“Producers will learn what changes they will need to make to their existing practices to raise US Department of Agriculture-certified organic livestock, the kinds of feed that are allowable under the USDA standard and how to properly process organic livestock.”

South Africa has shipped fewer lemons so far this season but there is a steep rise in exports of satsumas compared with last year

South Africa’s citrus sector has recorded a fall in early lemon shipments but a rise in satsuma exports so far this season and industry sources say that these trends may manifest themselves for the entire early season.

So far this season, only 800 tonnes of lemons have been exported compared to 1600 tonnes last year at the same time. In total, the lemon forecast for South Africa is 9.3m cartons, which will be 2 per cent down on last season

The South African Citrus Growers’ Association (CGA) says reports out of Spain have indicated a difficult northern hemisphere lemon season, particularly in the European market.

Only 40 per cent of the total Spanish lemon crop, which was originally forecasted at 1m tonnes, was harvested by end February and there are reports that 200,000 tonnes could be left on the trees.

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