The Kenya National Biotechnology Policy will soon be tabled in parliament for debate, leading to its adoption and implementation. This was announced by an Assistant Minister for Education, Science, and Technology, Dr. Kilemi Mwiria, as he officially opened this year’s Scientific Revival Day of Africa seminar and exhibition recently held in Nairobi.

Dr. Mwiria, formerly of Kenyatta University in Nairobi, said inadequate funding and lack of a holistic science and technology policy in the country were stifling scientific innovation and invention. He challenged local universities, research institutions, and individual scientists to fight for competitive research grants and partner with local industries to fund their science and technology programs.

In the same seminar, Mr. Vimal Shah, Kenya’s leading industrialist, made an appeal to the government to pass biosafety laws. Dr. Margaret Karembu of ISAAA also spoke on the role of agricultural biotechnology in poverty alleviation, using the example of the tissue culture banana in East Africa to illustrate how a research product could move all the way from the lab, to farmers’ fields, and to markets. She also called for increased support for biotech education to empower farming communities with adequate knowledge on the technology to make informed decisions.

Scientific Revival Day of Africa was attended by about 100 participants, composed of policy makers, farmers, industrialists, students, scientists, academicians, teachers, local and international research institutions, and journalists, among others. The event was jointly organized by the African Technology Policy Studies Network (ATPS), the ISAAA AfriCenter, the African Academy of Sciences, and the African Center for Technology Studies.

For more information, e-mail Ms. Margaret Karembu at m.karembu@isaaa.org

WARDA RELEASES ANNUAL REPORT

The Africa Rice Center (WARDA) has released its Annual Report, along with its New Strategic Plan spanning the years 2003-2012. With continuing partnership-based research for development, WARDA reports that it will pursue its mission of contributing to poverty alleviation and food security in Africa, through activities aimed at increasing the productivity and profitability of the rice sector. It aims to significantly increase the quality, usefulness, and availability of knowledge and technology within the rice sector in order to support and improve the well-being of Africa’s poor.

The four key elements of its work are the (1) pursuit of coherence and excellence in core research areas, (2) adaptation of the network-based model for research collaboration, (3) enhancing the institutional capacity of national agricultural research and extension systems (NARES) and (4) direct engagement with the rice development sector. Its core research programs will also include studies into integrated rice production systems, and rice policy and development.

To read the report and other related documents, visit http://www.warda.org.

PRRI TO PREPARE ACTIVITIES FOR 2005-2006

The Public Research and Regulation Initiative (PRRI) aims to involve the public research sector in international agreements that are relevant to modern biotechnology, such as the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Aarhus Convention.

The PRRI has since been operating in three phases. Its first phase involved raising awareness on involvement in international agreements and negotiations, and was aimed at informing and educating the public research community. The second phase involved the scientists directly participating in the Meetings of the Parties (MOP2) to the Biosafety Protocol and the Aarhus Convention in 2005. The last phase is a multi-year project for structured involvement of the public research sector in relevant international agreements and their national implementation, which will take place 2006 onwards.

More activities are thus set, including participation of the Initiative in March 2006’s MOP3, as well as organization of preparatory meetings leading up to the third Meeting of the Parties. A project proposal for the third phase is likewise in the offing.

Detailed information about The Initiative and its activities can be found at http://pubresreg.org.

EC TO PROVIDE AID FOR NIGER, MALI

The European Commission (EC) has recently earmarked 6.6 million euros as humanitarian aid for Niger and Mali. The EC has moved to provide this funding mainly for nutritional support, dividing the funds into 4.6 million euros for Niger, and 2 million euros for Mali. The funds will be managed by the European Commission’s humanitarian aid department (ECHO).

Niger and Mali are currently suffering a food crisis due to a destructive cricket infestation in 2004, followed by drought. Both disasters led to a poor harvest, and most families are currently subsisting on a diet made up almost exclusively of wild roots and herbs. Infant mortality and malnutrition rates have likewise increased sharply. The money provided may benefit an estimated 300,000 people in Niger, and 110,000 in Mali.

The Commission also has a longer term development strategy aimed at reducing poverty in Mali and Niger. This entails an allocation of 392.2 million euros for Mali and 332.8 million euros for Niger for the period 2002-2007.

For more information, read the press release at http://europa.eu.int/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference
=IP/05/832&format=HTML&aged=0&language=EN&
guiLanguage=en.

WORK BEGINS ON BETTER, BIGGER WHEAT

Work has begun on a new wheat variety that will combine the best of East and West – that is, the British and Mexican types, to increase yield and sustainability of agriculture in the United Kingdom (UK). This is being carried out by scientists at UK’s University of Nottingham, in cooperation with the International Center for Wheat and Maize Improvement (CIMMYT). Funding support is provided by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

Central American wheat varieties have bigger and more fertile ears, while the UK varieties have smaller ears, and increased capacity for photosynthesis. Through comparative genetics, developmental biology, and plant physiology, the researchers hope to find what genes allow Mexican wheat to have bigger ears. This will hopefully allow them to produce a new, improved UK variety which will not need extra water or fertilizer.

Read more at http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk, http://www.cimmyt.org, and http://www.nottingham.ac.uk/
public-affairs/pressreleases/index.phtml?menu=
pressreleases&code=BIG-108/05&create_date=05-jul-2005

VIETNAM, US SIGN AGRI MOU

Vietnam’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) Cao Duc Phat and US Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Mike Johanns met during the Minister’s recent visit to the US, and signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in agriculture and other related fields. Both statesmen likewise agreed to facilitate an active exchange of information, ideas, skills, and techniques between the two countries, while promoting cooperation opportunities in solving agricultural issues of common concern.

Under the memorandum of understanding, the USDA will help MARD conduct scientific research into agricultural technology, and assist in giving MARD access to biotechnology, farm produce processing technology, and other new technologies important to agricultural research.

With reports from http://www.agroviet.gov.vn/
loadasp/tn/en/tn-spec-nodate-detail.asp?tn=tn&id=281951 and http://usinfo.state.gov/eap/Archive/2005/Jun/
22-679998.html.

ABIC 2006 TO BE HELD IN MELBOURNE

The Agricultural Biotechnology International Conference (ABIC) 2006 will be held from August 6 - 9, 2006, in Melbourne, Australia. Organized in association with AusBiotech, ABIC 2006 aims to bring together leading international researchers in the AgBio sector with industry partners and investors.

With the them “Unlocking the potential of agricultural biotechnology,” ABIC will organize speaker sessions that allow leading international experts to exchange ideas and nurture innovation; provide informative and educational speaker sessions that highlight the benefits of agricultural biotechnology to the non-scientist; hold forums that address key policy and risk management issues, such as commercial trials and regulatory approval for GM products; provide an opportunity for agricultural biotechnology companies and research organizations to meet with industry partners; and bring major investors in the agricultural biotechnology sector together with companies and research organizations seeking funding to develop their innovations.

For more information, visit http://www.abic2006.org/

EUROPABIO SUPPORTS CORDIA, BIOPARTNERING EVENTS

EuropaBio supports two biotechnology-related events to be held this October in London, England. BioPartnering Europe takes place on the 9th-11th, while CORDIA is slated for the 11th-13th. Featured in both events are meetings and discussions between industry and scientists.

EuropaBio members can save up to 600 British Pounds if they register before July 11. For more information, visit http://www.cordiaconvention.com

EC TO HOLD BIOTECH CONFERENCE

The European Commission (EC) will hold a conference in Brussels, Belgium from the 15th-16th of September, 2005 to chart a course towards a modern, knowledge-based bio-economy. The following issues will be discussed: the Lisbon Strategy and the knowledge based bio-economy; plants for the future; industrial biotechnology; knowledge-based agriculture; micro-organisms as untapped genetic resources; food research and competitiveness in the bio-economy; advanced genomics and biotechnology for eco-efficient innovations; converging technologies and disciplines, and new opportunities.

For further information, visit http://europa.eu.int/
comm/research//conferences/2005/kbb/index_en.html