Developments
Head smut disease has a devastating impact on Napier grass, turning vigorous, impenetrable clumps of valuable livestock feed into thin, shrivelled stems. The problem is currently confined to relatively small areas, but the risk of spread throughout the region has made finding a solution a matter of...
Weaver Ants: traditional pest control method under threat
The Vietnamese tradition of using weaver ants to protect citrus crops is in danger of being lost, according to a farmer participatory specialist studying the practice. Intensification of horticulture and subsequent pressure from chemical companies are to blame but encouraging farmers to reintroduce the method could offer...
Deforestation is often blamed on poverty, but policy and politics are often equally culpable. In Ethiopia for example, the change of regimes in the 1970s pushed forests that had once been privately owned into limbo. They became the property of the government, but were not...
Eye to eye: diagnosing internal parasites
Looking into a sheep's eyes does not appear to offer much to a veterinary surgeon or a farmer. So why are more and more farmers, vets and animal health workers doing precisely this? Surprisingly, the answer is....
