Aid to Rwandan Pyrethrum FarmersChrysanthemum farmers in Rwanda will be the beneficiaries of a partnership between the SC Johnson and the Norman Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture based in Texas A&M University. Dried flower heads of certain types of Chrysanthemum are the source of the natural insecticide pyrethrum. The partnership will focus on improving pyrethrum yields, quality and production through farmer organization, advanced technology and more effective agricultural practices. This new project will be implemented through the already existing project on Sustaining Partnerships to Enhance Rural Enterprise and Agribusiness Development project or SPREAD, a USAID-funded effort led by the Borlaug Institute. Dr. Tim Schilling, director for enterprise development for the Borlaug Institute is optimistic that this public-private partnership will help improve the livelihood of thousands of small-holders, mainly subsistence-level, pyrethrum farmers in northern Rwanda. The Rwandan government has already reserved some 14,000 hectares, about 34,500 acres, for pyrethrum production. For details, see the press release at: http://agnews.tamu.edu/showstory.php?id=1233
This article is part of the Crop Biotech Update, a weekly summary of world developments in agri-biotech for developing countries, produced by the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology, International Service for the Aquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications SEAsiaCenter (ISAAA) View Crop Biotech Update (
June 5, 2009
) Newsletter |
