FARM NEWS - AFRICA DAILY

Greenpeace slams palm oil giant supplying Oreo, Gillette

Oct 22, 2013 (AFP)

Oreo cookies and Gillette shaving cream are among products driving the destruction of Indonesia's forests, Greenpeace said Tuesday, accusing agri-giant Wilmar I...

Nitrate from fertilizer lingers in soil for decades: study

Oct 21, 2013 (AFP)

Synthetic nitrate fertilizers used in large-scale farming may leave a legacy of pollution that persists for decades in the soil and groundwater, researchers in ...

Maths study of photosynthesis clears the path to developing new super-crops

Oct 21, 2013 (SPX)

How some plant species evolved super-efficient photosynthesis had been a mystery. Now, scientists have identified what steps led to that change. Around three pe...

Urban soil quality and compost

Oct 18, 2013 (SPX)

With higher populations and limited space, urban areas are not often thought of as places for agriculture. A recent surge in community gardens, though, is bring...

Paraguay's Cartes vetoes grain export tax

Oct 17, 2013 (UPI)

Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes has moved to remove a law that critics say could cripple the landlocked country's cereals and oilseeds export trade. Busines...

Unregulated, agricultural ammonia threatens national parks' ecology

Oct 16, 2013 (SPX)

Thirty-eight U.S. national parks are experiencing "accidental fertilization" at or above a critical threshold for ecological damage, according to a study publis...

Badgers ultimately responsible for around half of TB in cattle

Oct 15, 2013 (SPX)

Badgers are ultimately responsible for roughly half of tuberculosis (TB) in cattle in areas with high TB prevalence, according to new estimates. However, only a...

France's Dumex pledges change after China bribery claims

Oct 15, 2013 (AFP)

French baby formula maker Dumex has pledged disciplinary action and management changes in China after state media accusations that staff offered healthcare work...

Rural land use policies curb wildfire risks - to a point

Oct 14, 2013 (SPX)

Using Montana's fast-growing Flathead County as a template, a Washington State University researcher has found that moderately restrictive land-use policies can...

Conflict and clashes over China's prized caterpillar fungus

Oct 14, 2013 (AFP)

In a dirty, dimly-lit room in a backstreet of one of China's poorest rural towns, a trader combs his leathery fingers through a $17,000 bag of caterpillar fungu...

European retailers embrace crooked fruit, ugly veggies

Oct 13, 2013 (AFP)

Any takers for blemished apples, misshapen carrots and overly bent cucumbers? Some European retailers are entering the market of ugly fruits and vegetables, pos...

New potential for nutrient-rich prairie fruits

Oct 11, 2013 (SPX)

Researchers working at the University of Saskatchewan have discovered new potential in prairie fruits, in particular, buffaloberry, chokecherry and sea buckthor...

McGill discovery should save wheat farmers millions of dollars

Oct 11, 2013 (SPX)

The global wheat industry sometimes loses as much as $1 billion a year because prolonged rainfall and high humidity contribute to grains germinating before they...

WCS reduces fish bycatch with escape gaps in Africa

Oct 11, 2013 (SPX)

Scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Kenyan Marine and Fisheries Research Institute have achieved a milestone in Africa: they've helped bui...

Google Street View is new arm against alien species

Oct 10, 2013 (AFP)

Google Street View can be a useful weapon in the costly and time-consuming fight against invasive species, French biologists said on Thursday. A team at France'...

Asia's changing food needs mean export opportunities

Oct 10, 2013 (UPI)

Asia represents a huge potential for food exports, particularly from Australia, a report indicates. In its study "'What Asia Wants: Long-term food consumption t...

No Fukushima radiation effect on bulls

Oct 09, 2013 (AFP)

The testes and sperm of bulls abandoned in the evacuation zone around the battered Fukushima nuclear plant were not affected by chronic exposure to radiation, a...

Early spring warming has greatest effect on breaking bud

Oct 09, 2013 (SPX)

The timing of the first leaves on trees and plants can make or break an agricultural season. Too early, and the leaves might be blasted by the last frost. Too l...

NMSU and NMDA work together to boost organic farming

Oct 09, 2013 (SPX)

When the organic program began in 1991, New Mexico certified $5,000 worth of organic produce. By 2011 the state certified $61 million in organic crops. "Organic...

Bt sweet corn can reduce insecticide use

Oct 09, 2013 (SPX)

Since 1996, corn containing a gene that allows it to create a protein that is toxic to certain insects, yet safe for human consumption, has been grown in the Un...