FARM NEWS - AFRICA DAILY

Bacterial shock to recapture essential phosphate

Apr 02, 2012 (SPX)

Bacteria could be exploited to recapture dwindling phosphate reserves from wastewater according to research presented at the Society for General Microbiology's ...

Some cool to tobacco industry research

Apr 02, 2012 (UPI)

Health experts in China say they oppose letting the national tobacco company, China Tobacco, vie for the country's annual science prize. China Tobacco, the worl...

China's Tibetan herders face uncertain future

Apr 02, 2012 (AFP)

Tibetan herder Gatou used to live a nomadic life on the grasslands of the Tibetan plateau before he was rehoused under a controversial Chinese government scheme...

Rising Number of Farm Animals Poses Environmental and Public Health Risks

Mar 30, 2012 (SPX)

The global population of farm animals increased 23 percent between 1980 and 2010, from 3.5 billion to 4.3 billion, according to research by the Worldwatch Insti...

DNA traces cattle back to a small herd domesticated around 10,500 years ago

Mar 30, 2012 (SPX)

All cattle are descended from as few as 80 animals that were domesticated from wild ox in the Near East some 10,500 years ago, according to a new genetic study....

World scientists define united approach to tackling food insecurity

Mar 30, 2012 (SPX)

Nearly one billion people in the world are undernourished, while millions suffer from chronic disease due to excess food consumption. Global demand is growing f...

Vaccinating chickens could prevent food-borne illness

Mar 30, 2012 (SPX)

A vaccine could be developed to prevent Campylobacter being carried in chickens. This approach could drastically cut the number of cases of food poisoning, savi...

Ancient civilizations reveal ways to manage fisheries for sustainability

Mar 29, 2012 (SPX)

In the search for sustainability of the ocean's fisheries, solutions can be found in a surprising place: the ancient past. In a study published on March 23 in t...

French village offers residents chickens to cut rubbish

Mar 28, 2012 (AFP)

A village in northwestern France has come up with an innovative way to cut back on local rubbish production -- offering each home two free chickens to consume o...

An invasive Asian fly is taking over European fruit

Mar 27, 2012 (SPX)

Coming from the Asian continent, Drosophila suzukii has only been in Spain for a short time. Far away from slipping through into the Iberian Peninsula, it accel...

Small clique of nations dominate global trading web of food and water

Mar 26, 2012 (SPX)

It's not easy, or economically feasible, to ship freshwater across the globe. But when scientists use food as a proxy for that water - taking into account how m...

Produce safety future focus of supermarkets, farmers and consumers

Mar 26, 2012 (SPX)

Shoppers will continue to see the Fresh Local Produce sign in supermarkets, but stores will increasingly require growers to show proof of good agricultural prac...

Cooking better biochar: Study improves recipe for soil additive

Mar 26, 2012 (SPX)

Backyard gardeners who make their own charcoal soil additives, or biochar, should take care to heat their charcoal to at least 450 degrees Celsius to ensure tha...

Farmland buy-up is a trigger for tensions, say experts

Mar 25, 2012 (AFP)

Is it investment? Or a land grab? Within a few years, acquisition of foreign farmland has become an issue with plenty of explosive potential for the environment...

U.K. lifts Chernobyl restrictions on sheep

Mar 23, 2012 (UPI)

Restrictions on hundreds of British sheep farms, in place since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, have finally been lifted after 26 years, officials said. The 198...

Corn insecticide linked to great die-off of beneficial honeybees

Mar 23, 2012 (SPX)

New research has linked springtime die-offs of honeybees critical for pollinating food crops - part of the mysterious malady called colony collapse disorder - w...

Pesticide additives cause drifting droplets, but can be controlled

Mar 23, 2012 (SPX)

Chemical additives that help agricultural pesticides adhere to their targets during spraying can lead to formation of smaller "satellite" droplets that cause th...

Research reveals carbon footprint caused by China's irrigation system

Mar 21, 2012 (SPX)

China's groundwater irrigation system is responsible for polluting the atmosphere with more than 30 million tonnes of CO2 per year - according to research from ...

Fertilization by invasive species threatens nutrient-poor ecosystems

Mar 21, 2012 (SPX)

They can estimate whether native plants in the neighbourhood of invasive species incorporate the nitrogen fixed by the latter. The biologists examined the Sydne...

New antibiotic could make food safer and cows healthier

Mar 21, 2012 (SPX)

Food-borne diseases might soon have another warrior to contend with, thanks to a new molecule discovered by chemists at the University of Illinois. The new anti...