Agriculture News and Research

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Opinions: New U.S.-backed global food, agriculture program; Foreign aid to Africa; Medicines in Africa

In a Wall Street Journal opinion piece, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner and Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, announce the launch of the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, a fund "to help the world's poorest farmers grow more food and earn more than they do now so they can lift themselves out of hunger and poverty."

23 Apr 2010

Report recommends increasing investment in small-scale farms run by women to achieve hunger MDG

An ActionAid report released on Wednesday recommends that major aid donors increase their support of small-scale farms run by women in developing countries to maximize the chance of meeting the U.N. Millennium Development Goal of halving hunger by 2015, Reuters reports.

23 Apr 2010

Study uses new BL-DMAC method to measure PAC levels in cranberry products

Natural compounds in cranberries are linked to the prevention of urinary tract infections (UTIs) but inconsistencies in methods currently used commercially to measure levels can result in the over- or under-estimation of potency levels, leaving product manufacturers and consumers without good data. A study published today in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture outlines a new, commercially viable method of measuring these compounds.

22 Apr 2010

GfK Kynetec announces acquisition of AIS

GfK Kynetec, the global leader in market research for the crop protection, biotechnology and animal health industries, announced today the acquisition of the non-crop business of Agricultural Information Services, London, UK. The acquisition enables GfK Kynetec to serve as the sole supplier of detailed data on the total global usage of crop protection products - within agriculture and in all other applications.

22 Apr 2010

Reuters examines uneven economic growth, welfare programs in India

Reuters reports on the recent efforts by India's government to expand welfare programs throughout the country: "Since helping the Congress party win re-election last year, welfare has fast become the government's knee-jerk answer to policy dilemmas as it tries to ease food inflation, help growth trickle down to the poor, and win hearts and minds in" the country, the news service writes.

21 Apr 2010

Avian flu's endurance in 5 countries poses global threat to human health, FAO official says

Though the world has made "great strides" in eliminating H5N1 (avian flu) from poultry since the "peak of its outbreak in 2006" in 63 countries, the virus persists in Bangladesh, China, Egypt, Indonesia and Vietnam, VOA News reports (DeCapua, 4/16).

20 Apr 2010

Opinion: After health reform, U.S. should focus on responding to global health needs

"Now that the Obama administration has delivered on health care in the United States, we should think about families around the globe who suffer from malnutrition and lack access to basic maternal and child health-care services, including family planning," Thomas Lovejoy of Population Action International and Jim Harkness, president of the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, write in a MinnPost.com opinion piece that examines the health needs of people living in developing countries and ways Congressional leaders can respond.

17 Apr 2010

Federal Research Public Access Act introduced in House of Representatives

Fueling the growing momentum toward openness, transparency, and accessibility to publicly funded information, the Federal Research Public Access Act of 2010 (FRPAA) has been introduced today in the U.S. House of Representatives by Rep. Mike Doyle (D-PA) and a bi-partisan host of co-sponsors.

16 Apr 2010

UA Superfund Research Program to study contaminated dust, water and health issues

Metal-laden dust and contaminated water, and their health effects, will be the focus of multiple projects for the University of Arizona's Superfund Research Program during the next five years. The National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences recently notified UA that the Superfund Research Program, funded since 1989, will receive an additional $14 million in grant funding through 2015 to conduct the research.

15 Apr 2010

UCSF: Obesity prevention strategies must start as early as possible

To be a truly comprehensive and successful anti-obesity program, First Lady Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign must include interventions that target pregnant women, infants, and pre-school-age children, UCSF experts say.

15 Apr 2010

Oragenics signs distribution agreement with RICCI PHARMA

Florida-based biotechnology company Oragenics, Inc., and RICCI PHARMA, a recognized health products company with offices in Rome and Slovakia, have entered into a distribution agreement that the parties anticipate will provide Oragenics' proprietary oral care probiotic products, EvoraPlus® and EvoraKidsTM, to RICCI PHARMA. RICCI PHARMA will have exclusive distribution rights through Duc in Altum, a foundation whose humanitarian projects are inspired by the social teachings of the late Pope John Paul II.

13 Apr 2010

Johns Hopkins Hospital launches Meatless Monday campaign to encourage healthier

The Johns Hopkins Hospital will launch a campaign on Monday, April 12 to encourage healthier eating among patients, visitors and staff — Meatless Monday.

12 Apr 2010

World Bank commitments during economic crisis reach all-time high

The World Bank on Wednesday announced it "has committed a record $100 billion in financial support over the past 18 months to help developing countries recover from the global economic crisis," Reuters reports.

9 Apr 2010

ICRC will nearly triple aid to combat food shortages, drought in Niger and Mali

The International Committee of the Red Cross announced Tuesday that it plans to increase aid to Niger and Mali, "where several million people are suffering from serious food shortages triggered by drought," SAPA/News24 reports.

8 Apr 2010

Major social science study to accompany Bovine TB BVDP

A major social science study to accompany the Government's Bovine TB Badger Vaccine Deployment Project, to be launched this summer [2010], will be led by a researcher from the University of the West of England, with colleagues from the Countryside and Community Research Institute, in collaboration with Exeter and Cardiff Universities, Drew Associates Limited, the Veterinary Laboratories Agency and the Food and Environment Research Agency.

7 Apr 2010

Community forum to discuss statewide efforts to improve children's health in Pennsylvania

In recognition of National Public Health Week, Secretary of Health Everette James today hosted a community forum at Owen J. Roberts Middle School and High School in Chester County to discuss statewide efforts to improve the health of Pennsylvania's children.

7 Apr 2010

Gene duplications can lead to functional diversity in organisms

New information about early Native Americans' horticultural practices comes not from hieroglyphs or other artifacts, but from a suite of four gene duplicates found in wild and domesticated sunflowers.

5 Apr 2010

European Commission rolls out new food security policies; Agricultural Research Conference concludes

The European Commission (EC) recently announced that it has adopted two new policy frameworks "to help developing countries address food security in emergency and long-term situations" and has called upon member nations to implement similar policies, IRIN reports.

3 Apr 2010

Organic food production increases greenhouse gas emissions

If everyone became vegan and so ate only fruit and vegetables, then the reduction in greenhouse emissions for the whole of food consumption would be a mere 7%. The widespread adoption of vegetarianism would have even less impact, while organic food production actually leads to a net increase in greenhouse gas emissions.

3 Apr 2010

Purity profile of Pharmaceutical Grade fish oil

Dr. Dave Woynarowski MD is a nationally renowned fish oil expert who has been studying and using fish oil himself and in his practice for over a decade.

3 Apr 2010