Editorial- Reducing costs in farming

Apart from the pain many farmers go through in land clearing and cultivations for crops planting, the end results of the labour, most times, do not justify the means as production cost would have eroded the profit margin expected to be made, thereby making the occupation very unattractive to many, especially the youths.

FG reaffirms commitment towards regulating antimicrobials use

The Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Dr. Mohammed Bello Umar

The Federal Government has reaffirmed its commitment towards strengthening policies on the regulation of the use of antimicrobial in Nigeria. The Permanent Secretary Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development Dr. Mohammed Bello Umar made this disclosure in a press release made available through the office of  director Information.          

Following in Darwin's footsteps: understanding the plant evolution of florist's gloxinia

More than 150 years ago, Charles Darwin's fascination with genetics and domestication catapulted the scientific world into new territory as scientists started to ask: How did a species evolve to be this way?

Farmers’ scribe laments politicisation, lack of direction by policy makers

·        Calls for adoption of China, Russia’s models of food processing, preservation

A scribe, Federation of Agricultural Commodity Associations of Nigeria (FACAN), Prince Peter Bakare has lamented the politicisation and lack of progress in the agriculture sector in the country. He expressed his mind in an exclusive interview he had with Foodfarmnews in Abuja.

Bacteria made to mimic cells, form communities

Rice University scientists have found a way to engineer a new kind of cell differentiation in bacteria, inspired by a naturally occurring process in stem cells.

New way to test for drug resistant infections

Scientists have developed a method to test whether an infection is resistant to common antibiotics.

Climate change could drive British crop farming north and west

Unchecked climate change could drive Britain's crop growing north and west, leaving the east and south east unable to support crop growing, new research suggests.

Climate change: Coalition promises $650 m to African farmers

A coalition of donors, aid institutions and philanthropy has promised to invest more than US $650 million in the CGIAR (formerly the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) System Organization to help 300 million smallholder farmers in developing countries towards awareness to  impacts of climate change, which already are eroding crop and livestock productions in places like sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Sorghum grain yield could be doubled

Plant scientists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) and USDA's Agricultural Research Service (ARS), in their search for solutions to global food production challenges, have doubled the amount of grains that a sorghum plant can yield.

New possibilities for gene therapies with spin of the Sleeping Beauty transposase

Scientists have developed a new variant of the Sleeping Beauty transposase. It has dramatically improved biochemical features, including enhanced stability and intrinsic cell penetrating properties.