Agriculture News and Research

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New report from ONE reviews agricultural development in Africa over past decade

"In a report launched [on Tuesday] -- a valuable yardstick called, 'A Growing Opportunity: Measuring Investments in African Agriculture' -- ONE reviews the past decade and finds some notable successes in terms of mustering money and political commitment, and the impact of agricultural development," Roger Thurow, senior fellow on global agriculture and food policy at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, writes in the group's "Global Food For Thought" blog.

28 Mar 2013

Microbiologists identify unique resistance mechanisms of E. coli to carbapenems

As public health authorities across the globe grapple with the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, Tufts University School of Medicine microbiologists and colleagues have identified the unique resistance mechanisms of a clinical isolate of E. coli resistant to carbapenems.

27 Mar 2013

High-protein breakfast improves diet quality, prevents overeating

Breakfast might be the most important meal of the day, but up to 60 percent of American young people consistently skip it. Now, Heather Leidy, an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition and Exercise Physiology, says eating a breakfast rich in protein significantly improves appetite control and reduces unhealthy snacking on high-fat or high-sugar foods in the evening, which could help improve the diets of more than 25 million overweight or obese young adults in the U.S.

27 Mar 2013

Canadian International Development Agency eliminated, its functions merged with foreign affairs and trade department

"The Canadian International Development Agency will be eliminated and its functions merged with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, according to the 2013 budget, a surprise move that will more closely align development assistance with Canada's trade and foreign policy objectives," the Globe and Mail reports.

27 Mar 2013

Fralin Life Science Institute researchers use TALENS to alter mosquito genome

Virginia Tech researchers successfully used a gene disruption technique to change the eye color of a mosquito - a critical step toward new genetic strategies aimed at disrupting the transmission of diseases such as dengue fever.

22 Mar 2013

U.N. food agencies welcome Pope Francis's commitment to helping poor, hungry

"United Nations officials [on Tuesday] welcomed Pope Francis' public commitment to support those who live in poverty and suffer from hunger, and expressed their readiness to work with the new leader of the Catholic Church on these issues," the U.N. News Centre reports (3/19).

21 Mar 2013

USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah publishes annual letter

USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah on Tuesday published his 2013 annual letter. "Today, I am pleased to share with you our third annual letter about the work our Agency does around the world to help answer President Obama's call," he writes in the letter, available on the USAID webpage.

21 Mar 2013

Older women in rural areas tend to suffer from recurrent bouts of depression

Being female and living in a rural area are among several factors that predicted whether an elderly person with depression recovered over the course of a year, finds a recent study in Depression Research and Treatment. Additional risk factors included having high levels of stress, being chronically ill and having a low estimate of one's own mental health.

20 Mar 2013

Report says much work remains on hunger, nutrition; FAO head calls for 'integrated nutrition strategies'

"The world's food security remains 'vulnerable,' new data suggests, with some 870 million people experiencing sustained hunger and two billion suffering from micronutrient deficiencies," Inter Press Service reports.

19 Mar 2013

FAO to test new food security measurement tool

"The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is about to start testing a new way of measuring food security, which it hopes will provide a more timely and precise picture of hunger around the world," AlertNet reports.

15 Mar 2013

Viewpoints: Failures in treating ovarian cancer; A moral analysis of obesity; Bloomberg's overreach

A new study has found widespread failure among doctors to follow clinical guidelines for treating ovarian cancer, which kills 15,000 women a year in this country. This disturbing news shows the kind of challenge that health care reformers are up against in improving medical care - even when cost is not the issue (3/13).

15 Mar 2013

International conference examines critical link between urbanization and food security

Food Security in a Rapidly Urbanizing World, the first international conference examining the critical link between urbanization and food security, will be held at the University of Pennsylvania from Wednesday, March 13, through Friday, March 15, 2013.

14 Mar 2013

Study: Dietary deficiency of mineral selenium likely to be endemic among Malawi population

Enriching crops by adding a naturally-occurring soil mineral to fertilisers could potentially help to reduce disease and premature death in the African country of Malawi, researchers have said.

14 Mar 2013

Studies show prenatal nutrition may affect gene function in children's health

Pioneering studies by U. S. Department of Agriculture-funded research molecular geneticist Robert A. Waterland are helping explain how the foods that soon-to-be-moms eat in the days and weeks around the time of conception-or what's known as periconceptional nutrition-may affect the way genes function in her children, and her children's health.

13 Mar 2013

New, inexpensive nano-biosensor can detect Listeria monocytogenes in food

The foodborne bacteria Listeria monocytogenes sickens about 2,500 people in the U.S. each year and many more worldwide, killing about 25-30% of those infected. Listeriosis is caused by eating food contaminated with L. monocytogenes, and current methods for detecting the bacteria are costly and time consuming.

13 Mar 2013

Georgetown University Medical Center to host symposium on emerging zoonotic diseases

Georgetown University Medical Center will host a half-day symposium exploring emerging zoonotic diseases - contagious diseases that spread between animals and humans, which can be caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi carried by animals and insects.

11 Mar 2013

Global cancer problem ‘needs international solution’

Global leaders in cancer research and policy are calling on the scientific community and worldwide governments to unite against the disease.

8 Mar 2013

U.N. FAO head, E.U. development commissioner discuss nutrition, food security with Malawi president

"During a visit to Malawi on Tuesday, the head of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the European Union (E.U.) development commissioner highlighted the need to address malnutrition and food insecurity in the African country, while pledging to work together and support the government in its efforts to this end," the U.N. News Centre reports.

7 Mar 2013

Empowering women will improve food security, U.N. expert says

"Governments must adopt food security strategies that empower women as this is an effective way to reduce hunger and malnutrition, a United Nations expert said" Monday, the U.N. News Centre reports.

6 Mar 2013

Deleting Plin2 gene prevents obesity in mice

Researchers have discovered that deleting a specific gene in mice prevents them from becoming obese even on a high fat diet, a finding they believe may be replicated in humans.

6 Mar 2013