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James Wachai Profile and Articles
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1). Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference Kicks Off in Australia
A major international conference on agricultural biotechnology starts in Melbourne, Australia, today (August 6, 2006).The Agricultural Biotech International Conference (ABIC) brings together representatives of biotech companies, agricultural researchers and policy makers from across the world.
The theme of this conference is Unlocking the Potential of Agricultural Biotechnology.
2). Private-Public Sector Partnership Necessary in Biotechnology Research
There are very interesting developments in the field of agricultural biotechnology currently taking place in India.
The Maharashtra Hybrid Seed Company (Mahyco) has offered to transfer the technology and basic breeding material of Bt Brinjal, a low calorie vegetable widely grown in India, to two public sector institutions; The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore (TNAU) and the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad (UASD).
3). Regionalization of Biotech Investments the Only Hope for Africa
Should Africa regionalize biotechnology investment? This is one of the key issues in the draft report on the future of biotechnology in Africa, prepared by a panel of eminent African scientists and policy makers.
The panel, set up by the Africa Union and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad), has “proposed a key biotechnology mission for each of Africa’s regions, where such investments will have the largest potential to boost development and nurture excellence.
4). South Africa Should License Research Lab on Genetically Modified Sorghum
Prof. Florence Wambugu, a renowned agricultural biotechnologist and the founder of Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International, is currently entangled in a row with the South African government over her plan to set up a multimillion dollar research laboratory and greenhouses to develop genetically modified sorghum.
Prof. Wambugu has received a huge grant - US$415 million - from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to develop genetically modified crops, which have proved essential in alleviating food insecurity.
5). Agricultural Biotechnology is Beneficial to Smallholder Farmers
Anti-biotech activists are fond of casting genetically modified (GM) crops as a domain for stinking-rich farmers. They have vainly tried to ingrain in the minds of many that smallholder farmers have nothing to gain from GM crops cultivation.
But a research published last month by Marnus Gouse and Johann Kirsten, both of the University of Pretoria, South Africa, Carl Pray (Rutgers University, U.
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