News brief

Salt-tolerant rice varieties for tsunami-affected areas

The first shipments of salt-tolerant rice varieties have been sent to Malaysia and Sri Lanka for farmers affected by the tsunami. Responding to requests for assistance, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) has sent more than six varieties to support the regeneration of agricultural livelihoods in affected areas. Dr Ren Wang, IRRI's Deputy Director General for Research, estimates that the Institute has more than 40 different rice varieties within its genebank that could tolerate salty conditions and could be used immediately by farmers in suitable areas. Rice production problems in the tsunami-affected areas of Indonesia and India are being assessed by IRRI scientists, and a team is to visit Sri Lanka to evaluate the extent of salt damage to coastal rice fields and to estimate how much land can be reclaimed by growing salt-tolerant rice. The Institute is also using its Rice Knowledge Bank to provide essential information on growing rice in the aftermath of the tsunami to anyone working with rice farmers.

UN report calls for more development aid...

A major UN report on world poverty and achieving the Millennium Development Goals calls for the mobilisation of hundreds of billions of dollars in assistance for the developing world. Entitled Investing in Development the report states that higher spending on development is needed across a much broader spectrum of countries than those currently favoured for comprehensive assistance and - for countries renowned for their poor track record - that money should be spent on helping to improve governance. The report also calls on donors to support scientific research on health, agriculture, natural resources, energy and climate change in order to promote economic growth. Whilst the report requests that overseas aid is more than doubled, this is accompanied by recommendations that major restructuring of international development is required if aid is to be more effective and less wasteful. The overarching claim is that although the targets to halve poverty are currently way off-track, it is still possible to meet the MDGs and even to eliminate poverty by 2025 if developed countries keep their promises for more concerted action.
For further information: www.unmillenniumproject.org

...whilst World Bank calls for trade reforms

Agricultural trade protection in industrialised countries and some middle income countries has to be reduced, says a new World Bank Report, if agricultural productivity in developing countries is to help reduce poverty. Unless protection measures are reduced, emphasises the Bank, increased agricultural productivity in developing countries will only lead to overproduction and declining prices for many commodities, undermining the efforts of poor competing countries to expand exports and rural incomes. The report, Global Agricultural Trade and Developing Countries, states that identifying superior policy options is not difficult, but the feasibility of reform depends on the power of vested interests and the ability of governments to identify efficient trade-offs among multiple aims such as food security, income transfers, and expansion of higher-value products in agriculture. Projections in the report indicate that without significant reforms, the agricultural trade surpluses of industrial countries will increase while the developing countries will face increasing agricultural trade deficits, exacerbating poverty.

Donors dig 25% deeper for funds

An additional 25 per cent funding for development has been announced by the World Bank. This is the biggest increase in 20 years and will be made available through the International Development Association, the World Bank's soft loans division. Of the $18billion that has been committed by major donors, the UK is contributing $3bn (£ 1.6bn), making it the second biggest donor. The International Development Secretary Hilary Benn, said that this was the biggest single donation ever made by the UK to the IDA and demonstrates Britain's commitment to increasing aid to the poorest countries, particularly in Africa. The announcement by the World Bank followed a meeting of the IDA in Washington, USA. Through the association, 40 donor countries will provide funding for grants or interest-free loans to support the drive to reduce poverty and meet the Millenium Development Goals in 81 countries. Areas of focus will include health, education and water, as well as agriculture.

Cocoa come-back for Nigeria?

Nigeria plans to more than treble cocoa production by 2008. Once a major producer of cocoa - 400,000 tonnes per year in 1970 - Nigerian production declined to its present level of 180,000 tonnes, well behind Cote d'Ivoire and Ghana. Announcing the government initiative at Ibadan, the Agriculture Minister Mr Adamu Bello said that 154 million Naira (US$1.1m) would be directed into subsidies for agrochemical and seedlings, with the country striving to emulate Ghana, which produced a record-breaking crop last year worth more than $1.2bn. As the world's second biggest producer, Ghana is well placed to exploit any shortfalls in production due to current civil unrest in Cote d'Ivoire, and the Nigerians could benefit similarly. The Nigerian government has also committed itself to encourage processing of cocoa locally rather than allowing European importers to add value, as in the past, and also hopes that local consumption of cocoa can be increased.

World first for indigenous rights

Indigenous farming communities in Peru have signed an agreement with the International Potato Centre (CIP) to regain their rights to potato varieties they have grown and bred over the past 7000 years. The objective of the agreement is to ensure that the genetic material does not become subject to intellectual property rights and that the diversity of Peruvian potato varieties is maintained. By establishing a 15,000-hectare 'potato park', conservation and control of management of the varieties will be handed over to the Quechua Indians living in the Andes region of southern Peru. Under the agreement, CIP has agreed to pay the cost of reintroducing over 200 varieties to land owned by farmers from six communities. Many indigenous varieties of potato have already been lost in Peru as the pressure to commercialise production and discard traditional varieties and technologies has led to the take up of modern varieties. The agreement is the first of its kind to be signed with local communities, which has been led by The Association for Nature and Sustainable Development (ANDES), a Cusco-based civil society group led by indigenous peoples. It is hoped that similar arrangements might be made for returning the rights of other major crops to indigenous peoples, and for greater complementarity to be achieved between genebanks and in-situ field-based conservation.

Fears of new epidemic as avian flu recurs in Asia

Avian flu strain H5N1 has re-emerged in Vietnam and spread from the southern Mekong Delta to central and northern regions since the virus resurfaced in December 2004. Vietnamese authorities have killed more than 250,000 birds since the start of the year and have banned poultry imports, including from China where the disease is thought to be still circulating in ducks and vaccinated chickens. As the number of human cases continues to increase, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has donated 5,000 doses of taminflu to help treat Vietnamese patients who have contracted the H5N1 virus. In Thailand, the first cases of H5N1 this year have been detected in fighting cocks. The authorities have responded by declaring a high alert throughout the country.

A joint statement issued by the FAO and the World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) states that the new outbreaks clearly show that the virus remains endemic in the region and that affected countries need to do more to keep it under control.

BSE in goats not a major concern

The first case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a goat was confirmed in late January 2005 by a panel of scientific experts. The animal, which was slaughtered in 2002, was one of a 600 goat herd that was culled after the disease was detected by French authorities. The delay in confirming the case was attributed to the time taken to confirm the results after tests were also conducted for scrapie. However, the few cases of BSE in Canada and the US and the single case of goat BSE confirmed in France should not be a cause for alarm, reported FAO in a recent statement. "These cases were detected because of the testing procedures that are now in place," said Andrew Speedy, an FAO animal production expert. Although there have been some cases of BSE in Eastern Europe, Israel and Japan, the disease is reported to be declining in Western Europe. To improve the lack of understanding about BSE in some regions and how it can be detected and controlled, FAO is working with Swiss experts to train veterinary staff from Asia, Eastern Europe, Latin American and the Near East, in methods of diagnosis, surveillance and prevention.

FMD vaccine for Kenya

A new vaccine, Kabete FMD Quadrivalent, launched recently by Coopers Kenya Limited could be a better solution to the recurrent foot and mouth disease which continues to affect the most productive livestock regions in Kenya. The new product, which is to be manufactured by the Veterinary Vaccines Production Center under the Kenya Agriculture Research Institute (KARI), provides broad cover against A, O, SAT1 and SAT2 serotypes of the FMD virus, which are the four prevalent strains in Kenya. The current vaccine being distributed by the Department of Veterinary Services is a trivalent vaccine, which protects against only three FMD strains. The new quadrivalent Kabete vaccine, however, is more expensive and is not subsidised by the government. Coopers Kenya plan to launch awareness campaigns targeted at educating potential users on the importance of FMD vaccination, why and when to vaccinate.

The threat of bluetongue to the UK

A major new research initiative is to be funded by the UK government into the risk of the viral disease, bluetongue, spreading from mainland Europe into the UK. The disease has led to the death of more than one million sheep in southern Europe since the presence of the virus was first recorded in 1998 but it can range in severity from lameness to facial swelling, fever and death. Since 1999 there have been widespread outbreaks of bluetongue in Greece, Italy, Corsica (France) and the Balearic Islands (Spain). Cases have also occurred in Europe in Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia, Kosova and Yugoslavia, and it appears that the virus has spread from both Turkey and North Africa. The virus is passed between livestock through the bites of Culicoides biting midges. These tiny flies are commonly found on farms across Europe and feed on all livestock species (as well as humans). The UK project, based at the Institute for Animal Health, Pirbright, will feature the first intensive survey of the distribution and abundance of biting midges across the UK. As part of this study IAH Pirbright is looking for sheep and cattle farmers who would be willing to allow trapping of midges to be carried out on their land.
For further information contact: Dr Simon Carpenter, IAH, Pirbright

Chinese consumption rockets

China's consumption of wheat, rice and meat now exceeds United States' consumption, reports the Earth Policy Institute. While per capita consumption is well below that of the US, China's 1.3 billion consumers make up in numbers what they lack in individual consumption. Similarly, China is now the biggest consumer of fertilizers (mainly nitrates and potash) as well as coal and steel. Its growing demand for wood is fuelling a huge and damaging extraction of timber in South-east Asia, some of it illegal, with Indonesia losing a forested area the size of Switzerland every year. Rocketing domestic demand is putting increasing pressure on China's own natural resources, particularly water, while pollution is contaminating water sources and the atmosphere. Nevertheless, growth of the world's sixth largest economy is continuing faster than ever, with a growth rate of 9.5 per cent in 2004.

IR-maize to be released in Kenya

Three seed companies in Kenya are to release a striga-resistant maize for field-testing. Kenya Seed, Lagrotech and Western Seed plan to have the Imazapyr Resistance-maize (IR-maize) seed commercially available before the end of 2005. The three companies have agreed to market the new variety under the common commercial name Ua Kayongo H1 (Striga killer). IR-maize is based on a naturally occurring herbicide resistance in maize that was first identified by researchers at BASF, and was later incorporated into Kenyan maize varieties by African plant breeders at the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute, (KARI) (see also Strategies to stop Striga). The Ua Kayongo will be coated with Strigaway™ herbicide. According to Dr Paul Woomer, Head of Research at SACRED -Africa in Kenya, seven tonnes of striga resistant cereal variety is to be made available to farmers in Nyanza and Western Provinces. The African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), in association with local partners, will also distribute Ua Kayongo to over 16,000 households and conduct several farmer field days, which will include a travelling workshop in June 2005.

Bioproducts for Malaysia

Biotechnology for farming and aquaculture is to be the focus of a new institute, Institut Bioteknologi Melaka, in Malaysia. Speaking at the opening in January, Chief Minister Mohd Ali Rustam added that activities would later include food production and animal husbandry and that the Institute would also produce plant extracts for the production of pharmaceuticals, nutriceuticals and cosmetics. Meanwhile in the Malaysian state of Sabah, a ten-year plan has been drawn up which details the legal and institutional framework, research agenda and action plans for biotechnology development in the State. Sabah's Chief Minister, Musa Aman, said that biotechnological processes were needed to "make the transition from exporting raw and semi-processed materials to exporting processed, high value-added products". To achieve this, the state government plans to encourage the commercialisation of research and innovations from the private sector and to provide support by developing the necessary infrastructure such as permanent food production zones, agro-technology and agro-industrial clusters. (see also Focus On Biotechnology)

Guide to a better world?

DFID is making a major effort to win public understanding of and support for development issues and challenges. The Rough Guide to a Better World is the title of a new joint-venture publication from DFID and Rough Guides, publishers of the well-known travel guides that famously cover destinations from Alaska to Zanzibar. This free slim-format publication offers a succinct guide to how the world can be made a better place for its poorest inhabitants, and suggests how individuals can get involved in this process. Featuring successes as well as on-going challenges, the book provides a large body of useful detail packed into a surprisingly handy and well-presented volume. Distributed free through post offices in the UK, it is primarily aimed at readers in Britain. However, readers of New Agriculturist outside the UK may be able to access copies through DFID and British Council offices. Since a better world is surely a destination that most people would like to reach, reading this title should complement the 'how to get the best from my travels' provided by other travel guides.
(Available free from UK Post Offices and enquiry@dfid.gov.uk)

1^st March 2005