Sweet potato has its centre of origin in the tropical regions of the Americas but is now mainly produced in Africa. According to FAO data, after China, most production takes place in Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Ethiopia. In Europe, sweet potatoes a… Read More
Definitively yes! And immediately, having full conscience that this is operating in a system where crop failure is not just an economic problem for a farmer, but a life-threatening issue. The question is, can we move ahead? Progresses have been rela… Read More
In a decision that made headlines around the world, a California jury awarded $289 million dollars, a stunning amount, to a former groundskeeper for a California school district who claims that he contracted non-Hodgkins lymphoma from exposure to a c… Read More
In previous editions of European Seed, seed company experts discussed struggles relating to the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) for plant genetic resources (PGR), entered into force in October 2014. In our second article in this s… Read More
For years, there has been a shrinking level of expertise in the area of seed morphology. According to Germany’s Wolfgang Stuppy, scientific curator for the Botanic Garden at Ruhr-University Bochum, since the mid-20th century, seed morphology has n… Read More
There’s a revolution going on in the ground below us. A growing group of passionate farmers have been experimenting with complex combinations of cover crops seed species which may have as much influence as cash crops on the future of sustainable fa… Read More
Tea plants are native to East Asia, and probably originated in the borderlands of north Burma and southwestern China. By annual per capita consumption of tea, the countries with the highest consumption are Northern Ireland (6.9 kg), Ireland (2.19kg) … Read More
Lack of quality and improved seed in the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) countries has contributed significantly to food insecurity and poverty. The availability of quality seed in this region in terms of variety, accessibility… Read More
The East African Community (EAC) legal and policy framework for agricultural development has been established and is provided for under several key documents; the Treaty for the Establishment of the EAC, EAC Customs Union, and EAC Common Market Proto… Read More
The national seed associations are often the pivotal point for initiating and maintaining the communication from the seed sector to the political decision makers in a country. European Seedasked four different African seed associations what kind of i… Read More
Prior to the year 2000, the African continent did not have an umbrella body that could collectively be the voice of the seed industry. Something had to be done about it and hence, after several meetings and consultations among key seed stakeholders, … Read More
The agriculture sector accounts for 22% of Kenya’s GDP, with the majority of the population dependent directly or indirectly on agriculture. Kenya has a well-established seed sector and is a member of regional and international institutions relevan… Read More
Eighteen national organizations representing agriculture and science communities recently joined together in signing a statement in support of the International Statement on Agricultural Applications of Precision Biotechnology (“the Internation… Read More
The EU is committed to support partner countries through external policies and instruments. Emphasised in the Communication on the Future of Food and Farming of November 2017, the future common agricultural policy will play a greater role in enhancin… Read More
