Agriculture News and Research

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News outlets report on developments from Agricultural Research Conference

Nature News examines potential funding reforms for the Consultative Group on International Agriculture Research (CGIAR), which are under discussion at a the Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD) in Montpellier, France. The CGIAR "supports thousands of scientists working on agriculture and food security in developing countries," according to Nature News.

2 Apr 2010

ChromaDex signs agreement for commercial development of pterostilbene from University of Mississippi and USDA

A natural products chemistry company has licensed the rights for a promising botanical compound from the University of Mississippi and the Agricultural Research Service, which is the principal intramural scientific research agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

2 Apr 2010

Opinion: Job development for Haiti; NTDs in Africa; U.S. investment in TB

"Even before the earthquake, the Haitian economy was already on shaky ground. There is 70 to 80 percent unemployment in the formal economy. ... U.S. policy helped build this disastrous economy," AFL-CIO Executive Vice President Arlene Holt Baker writes in a Miami Herald opinion piece. Baker says previous employment efforts in Haiti resulted in "stop-gap jobs," which do not provide "employment stability or social protections."

2 Apr 2010

NSF panel to discuss advances in vaccine development and production in Asia/Australia

How did China and Australia develop and produce swine flu vaccine months before North America and Europe? A panel of U.S. experts will try to answer this question and report on other comparative findings in a workshop at the National Science Foundation in Arlington, VA, on May 5, 2010.

1 Apr 2010

Stakeholders, experts meet to develop agriculture reform roadmap

Experts meeting in Montpellier, France, for the Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development are calling for restructuring agriculture "to focus as much on new seed varieties as on good governance, women's empowerment and things like curbing commodities speculation," Reuters/Independent Online reports.

1 Apr 2010

U.S. lays out goals for role in Haiti recovery

As donors from more than 100 countries gather at the U.N. in New York Wednesday to discuss the rebuilding of earthquake-ravaged Haiti, Cheryl Mills, an advisor to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, said that the U.S. "will be focusing on agriculture, energy, health and security. Also (on) support to the government in holding elections," Agence France-Presse reports (3/30).

1 Apr 2010

Newsweek examines challenges associated wtih U.S. food aid program

Newsweek examines how the U.S. farm bill influences food aid by tracking the efforts of U.S. entrepreneur Navyn Salem as she worked to launch a nonprofit capable of providing ready-to-use therapeutic (RUTF) food aid known as Plumpy'nut - "a squeezable package of fortified peanut-butter-based paste … used to feed severely malnourished children and pregnant or lactating women" - to NGOs that contract with USAID.

1 Apr 2010

Company affiliation is the greatest driver of farm-to-farm disease transmission risk: Study

A new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health examines the potential influence that the business connections between broiler chicken growers may have on the transmission of avian influenza, H5N1. According to the study, the risk of between-farm transmission is significantly greater among farms within the same company group than it is between farms with different company affiliation.

31 Mar 2010

Haiti's recovery: CARE calls for substantial, sustained commitment from international community

At this week's International Donors' Conference Towards a New Future for Haiti (March 31, 2010), CARE will urge the international community to ensure all Haitians have a chance to rebuild their country anew. Women and girls, in particular, will be at the heart of CARE's policy recommendations to address Haiti's recovery, reconstruction and long-term development needs as donor countries, international organizations and other partners gather to pledge resources and commit to long-term efforts in Haiti following the devastating January earthquake.

31 Mar 2010

BRIC ministers reach agreement on promoting global food security

Brazil, Russia, India and China, collectively known as BRIC, have reached an agreement to promote global food security, the Moscow Times reports (Anishyuk, 3/29).

30 Mar 2010

China Medicine's 2009 revenues up 20.7%

China Medicine Corporation, primarily a manufacturer, leading distributor and developer of Western pharmaceuticals, traditional Chinese medicines, and other nutraceuticals, today announced its fourth quarter and full year 2009 results.

29 Mar 2010

PG Tips Black Tea promotes sound mind and nourished body

With the warmer weather and longer days starting to settle in, that can only mean one thing: time to break out of the winter hibernation mode, bust out the summer wardrobe and get out there! And no matter what the occasion or setting, Black is Back™ with PG Tips Black Tea, a refreshing, revitalizing and forward-thinking interpretation of a cultural classic.

29 Mar 2010

American obesity problem: Ongoing support to make lifestyle and behavior changes needed

An administration task force chaired by the U.S. Departments of Agriculture, Education and Health and Human Services is asking the public for recommendations to solve the American obesity problem, and a new poll by the American Psychological Association may have some answers.

29 Mar 2010

New scientific discoveries show that Canadian maple syrup can be good for health

The Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers is pleased to report on two new scientific discoveries which show that Canadian maple syrup can be good for you. These studies build on recent findings on the nutritional value of maple products, which have revealed both the antioxidant properties of maple syrup as well as the discovery of substantial quantities of abscisic acid.

27 Mar 2010

IRIN examines new global agricultural strategy report

IRIN examines a new global food security strategy based on a report to be presented on March 28 in France at the first Global Conference on Agricultural Research for Development (GCARD). The article includes details about food insecurity around the world, which has given rise to the need for new methods of providing more food.

27 Mar 2010

Recent releases in Global Health

"Sub-Saharan Africa is affected by a disproportionately high prevalence of both HIV infection and food scarcity," write the authors of an American Journal of Clinical Nutrition article on the relationship between malnutrition and the progression of HIV/AIDS. "Underweight individuals will continue to represent a significant proportion of patients who present for HIV care in sub-Saharan Africa.

27 Mar 2010

Obama requests $2.8B in emergency funds for Haiti

President Barack Obama sent a letter (.pdf) to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Wednesday asking the Congress "for $2.8 billion in emergency funds to provide for costs associated with relief and reconstruction for Haiti, after its devastating earthquake on January 12," Reuters reports.

26 Mar 2010

Lack of good health care curtails academic performance: Study

"Educationally relevant health disparities" are key drivers of the achievement gap, "but they are largely overlooked," said Charles Basch, the Richard March Hoe Professor of Health Education at Teachers College, Columbia University.

25 Mar 2010

ACS webinar on chemistry for food safety

Scheduled for Thursday, April 1, 2 - 3 p.m. Eastern Time, the free webinar will feature Walter Hammack with the Florida Department of Agriculture, as he discusses the various chromatographic tools, methods and regulations for food safety. His topic: "How Chemistry is Keeping Your Food Safe -Application of Ultra High Pressure Liquid Chromatography (UHPLC) in a Food Safety Laboratory."

24 Mar 2010

Former Presidents Bush, Clinton in Haiti; IADB forgives $479M Haiti debt

"Former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton clasped hands with residents of one of Haiti's massive tent cities Monday" during a tour of Port-Au-Prince, the Associated Press reports.

24 Mar 2010