FARM NEWS - AFRICA DAILY

Greater-than-additive management effects key in reducing corn yield gaps

Mar 23, 2015 (SPX)

While many recent studies have documented that agricultural producers must significantly increase yields in order to meet the food, feed, and fuel demands of a ...

Dairy industry making strides toward reducing its carbon footprint

Mar 23, 2015 (SPX)

Agricultural greenhouse gases (GHG) make up 8.1% of total U.S. GHG emissions. The dairy cattle farming industry is being challenged to reduce greenhouse gas emi...

China imposes new curbs on Norway salmon imports

Mar 23, 2015 (AFP)

China has imposed new restrictions on imports of Norwegian salmon citing fears of a fish virus, Norwegian authorities said on Monday. As of Monday, Beijing has ...

Pesticides not the sole culprit in honey bee colony declines

Mar 23, 2015 (SPX)

Colony declines are a major threat to the world's honey bees, as well as the many wild plants and crops the bees pollinate. Among the lineup of possible culprit...

Season-long nutrient supply in soybean a low-hanging fruit

Mar 23, 2015 (SPX)

Over the last several decades there have been substantial yield improvements in soybean. Because of new varieties and new agronomic practices, the yield potenti...

Survival gardening goes global via cellphone animations

Mar 23, 2015 (SPX)

Subsistence farmers in Africa, the Americas and the Caribbean are learning how to construct raised planting beds and install drip irrigation systems to boost th...

Cropping Africa's wet savannas would bring high environmental costs

Mar 20, 2015 (SPX)

With the global population rising, analysts and policymakers have targeted Africa's vast wet savannas as a place to produce staple foods and bioenergy groups at...

Hangover for Bordeaux wines as Chinese demand dries up

Mar 19, 2015 (AFP)

Sales of France's famous Bordeaux wines fell sharply last year, winemakers said on Thursday, blaming a poor harvest in 2013 and rapidly slowing demand in China,...

Hidden greenhouse emissions revealed in new Board of Agriculture report

Mar 18, 2015 (SPX)

Restoration of wetlands can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This is shown in a report that has been written in part by researchers from the University of Gothe...

Too haute to handle? French cuisine hard to swallow in China

Mar 18, 2015 (AFP)

With its unusual cutlery, bizarre names and complex etiquette, French haute cuisine is as daunting as it is appealing to Chinese diners, despite the Asian count...

Understanding plants' immune systems could lead to better tomatoes

Mar 16, 2015 (SPX)

Spring is just around the corner and for millions of Americans, that means planting a garden with plenty of fruits and vegetables, including tomatoes. However, ...

'Low risk' bird flu outbreak at Dutch farm: official

Mar 12, 2015 (AFP)

Dutch authorities have identified an outbreak of avian flu in chickens at a farm in the centre of the country that is likely a "low risk" strain, officials said...

Early herders' grassy route through Africa

Mar 10, 2015 (SPX)

A University of Utah study of nearly 2,000-year-old livestock teeth show that early herders from northern Africa could have traveled past Kenya's Lake Victoria ...

Dartmouth-led team identifies circadian clock gene that strengthens crop plant

Mar 10, 2015 (SPX)

Dartmouth researchers and their colleagues have identified a circadian clock gene that helps a key crop plant to withstand extreme cold and salty conditions, wh...

Chinese cyber-dissident takes farmers' land fight online

Mar 09, 2015 (AFP)

He spent years in jail for running one of China's few websites dedicated to reporting human rights abuses. But now authorities appreciate his coverage, Huang Qi...

Protecting crops from radiation-contaminated soil

Mar 06, 2015 (SPX)

Almost four years after the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan, farmland remains contaminated with higher-than-natural levels of rad...

How healthy is genetically modified soybean oil?

Mar 06, 2015 (SPX)

Soybean oil accounts for more than 90 percent of all the seed oil production in the United States. Genetically modified (GM) soybean oil, made from seeds of GM ...

Ripe for business: Chinese students learn about wine

Mar 04, 2015 (AFP)

Zhizie Wu has come a long way since he first sipped -- or rather chugged -- a glass of wine. Back then it was mixed with soda. Now, after two years in the Frenc...

China plans rural land reform trial

Mar 04, 2015 (AFP)

China will carry out a groundbreaking trial programme that may allow farmers to sell land, a senior official said Wednesday, a step towards liberalising rural r...

Heavy toll as Australian farmers struggle through drought

Mar 02, 2015 (AFP)

On the road to Walgett a sign welcomes visitors: "Farming is not a way of life, it keeps everyone alive." But with drought taking a heavy toll on the region, fa...