ABNETA
Agricultural Biotechnology Network in Africa
"Strengthening Sustainable Use of Plant Genetic Resources"
September Alert
September 2006

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AATF to Launch Agriculture Information and knowledge Sharing Forum in Nairobi

AATF to Launch Agriculture Information and knowledge Sharing Forum in Nairobi

New forum to facilitate better understanding of the science and technology to enhance agricultural advancement through interaction of scientists with the media, law makers and policy makers will be launched in Nairobi, 14 September 2006. A monthly forum to facilitate the flow of information between the scientific community, policy makers and the general public will be launched in Nairobi on 14 September 2006 by the Nairobi-based African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF).

The Forum to be known as the Nairobi Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology will bring together stakeholders in agriculture and enable interactions between scientists, journalists, the civil society, industrialists, lawmakers and policy makers. The Forum will provide an opportunity for key stakeholders to know one another, share knowledge and experiences, make new contacts and explore new avenues of bringing the benefits of biotechnology to the African agricultural sector.
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Three lead speakers will preside over the launch. Professor Ruth Oniang’o, a renowned Kenyan nutritionist, food scientist, academic and legislator, will speak on the role of scientists in community development, while Mr Wellington Chadehumbe, a Johannesburg-based venture capital economist and. Chief Executive Officer of Triumph Venture Capital (Pty) Ltd South Africa, a company that funds technology-based start-up companies to promote sustainable and innovation-driven economic growth in South Africa will speak on "Truth, Freedom and Growth. More Info


FAO REPORT TACKLES ROLE OF BIOTECH IN PROTECTING GENETIC RESOURCES

Developing countries should have the capacity to use biotechnology tools, when appropriate, to stop the decline of agricultural diversity and to use genetic resources in a sustainable way. Experts expound on “The role of biotechnology in exploring and protecting agricultural genetic resources”, a recent publication of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Biotechnology tools include molecular markers, cryopreservation, and reproductive technologies.

Developing countries should have the capacity to use biotechnology tools, when appropriate, to stop the decline of agricultural diversity and to use genetic resources in a sustainable way. Experts expound on “The role of biotechnology in exploring and protecting agricultural genetic resources”, a recent publication of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Biotechnology tools include molecular markers, cryopreservation, and reproductive technologies.


Edited by John Ruane and Andrea Sonnino of FAO’s Working Group on Biotechnology, the publication presents, among others, the status of the world’s genetic resources for food and agriculture; use of cryopreservation and reproductive technologies for conservation of genetic resources; and the use of molecular markers for characterization and conservation of genetic resources.


Presently, developing countries are unable to fully use these biotechnologies due to the lack of sufficient funds, human capacity, and adequate infrastructure. Hence, the authors suggest greater collaboration among research institutions worldwide.


A PDF version of the publication is available at ftp://ftp.fao.org/
docrep/fao/009/a0399e/a0399e00.pdf
. For an overview of the publication, read the FAO press release at http://www.fao.org.

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