Work in the genetic resources program at the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (photo on Flickr by CIAT/Neil Palmer). Are promising genetically modified food crops doomed to stay in greenhouses? What about crops whose bits (of bits) of their genomes have been ‘precision edited’ with the help of new genome engineering tools (Talens and Crispr) … Continue reading
Tag Archives: GMOs
Biotechnology / Cattle / Disease Control / East Africa / ILRI / ILRIComms / Kenya / LiveGene / LIVESTOCKFISH / Trypanosomiasis
Disease-resistant cattle for Africa
Boran cattle grazing at Kapiti Ranch, in Kenya (photo credit: ILRI). ‘Plans are under way to develop a cow that is resistant to trypanosomiasis at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI). ‘The disease is known as nagana in animals and sleeping sickness in human beings. ‘“Since animals carry parasites that cause trypanosomiasis, a resistant cow … Continue reading
East Africa / Food Security / ILRI / Kenya / Policy
Kenya ban on the import of GM food illegal, not backed by law–Romano Kiome
Kenyan children weed a maize plot (photo on Flickr by Care of Creation). ‘A senior Kenyan government official has dismissed last year’s ban on the import of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) into the country—calling it ill-advised and lacking the backing of law. ‘Romano Kiome, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, says the ban cannot … Continue reading
Agriculture / Biotechnology / CGIAR / Food Security / Livelihoods / Nutrition / Policy / Presentation / Research / USA
‘Nothing improves an economy as efficiently as agriculture’–Bill Gates to US Senate
Bill Gates visits a site of the East African Dairy Development project, which is funded by his foundation; researchers based in Nairobi at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), a CGIAR centre, provide technical and other backstopping to this project, which is led by Heifer International (USA) (photo on Flickr by EADD). ‘Investing in agriculture … Continue reading
Biotechnology / Environment / Food Security / Genetics / Opinion piece / Policy / USA
Greening our meat: A vegan conservationist speaks out, and considerately, on controversial food issues
Vegan and conservationist Mark Tercek, president and CEO of The Nature Conservancy, the largest environmental non-profit organization in the Americas, had an interesting response this week to a question about eating meat and genetically modified foods—two of the most durable of the hot ‘foodie’ topics of the North, with vegetarian and carnivore consumers, organic and high-tech … Continue reading
Kenya’s newly elected government advised to be bullish on agricultural biotechnology and genetically modified foods
Cynthia Onzere, a staff member in the animal biotechnology laboratories of the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), in Nairobi, Kenya (photo credit: ILRI/Evelyn Katingi). ‘A newly elected government provides a country with a rare opportunity for a fresh start—and President Uhuru Kenyatta’s nomination this week of Felix Kiptarus Kosgey to become Kenya’s next Cabinet Secretary … Continue reading
Agriculture / Article / Asia / Biotechnology / Environment / Genetics / ILRI / India / North America / Seeds / USA
‘Nature’ takes a hard look at the ‘messy middle ground’ — the ‘difficult adolescence’ — of GM crops
Cover of a special issue of ‘Nature’ on GMOs, 2 May 2013. The leading British science journal Nature has published a special issue on GM crops: Promise and reality (2 May 2013). This hub of updated science-based information on GM crops includes feature news stories, commentaries, a podcast and more. ‘Foreign genes were successfully introduced into … Continue reading
Agriculture / Biotechnology / East Africa / Event / Food Security / Research / Uganda
GMOs good for Africa–Calestous Juma, Kenyan biotechnology expert and Harvard professor
Calestous Juma, a Kenyan agricultural and biotechnology expert and professor at Harvard University, gave the keynote presentation at the 2011 launch of Bio-Innovate, at ILRI’s Nairobi campus (photo credit: ILRI). Biotechnology and genetic engineering have the potential to do for agriculture what mobile technology has done for the communications sector in Africa, a renowned Harvard … Continue reading
Biotechnology / East Africa / Kenya / Seeds
Small-scale Kenyan farmer argues for letting Kenyans grow GM crops
Gilbert arap Bor, a small-scale farmer and member of the Truth about Trade & Technology Global Farmer Network, makes an argument in the Daily Nation (Kenya) for letting farmers here grow genetically modified crops. ‘The season of Lent is upon us–the time of year when Christians around the world prepare for Easter through prayer, charity, and … Continue reading
Animal Breeding / Biotechnology / Canada / Environment / Fish / Food Security / North America / Pigs / Research
Eco-friendly GM pigs under development in Ontario
Min piglets at the experimental station at the Institute for Animal Science, in Beijing, China (photo credit: ILRI/Mann). Jeremy Cooke of the BBC reports in this video on a genetically modified pig, dubbed ‘Enviro-Pig’, being developed in Ontario that may be among the first of GM farm animals developed for human consumption. (Salmon genetically modified … Continue reading
ILRI Clippings 