Prioritizing high impact crop pests for actions to safeguard the plant resources of the Caribbean
The CPHD is a network of Caribbean Plant Health Directors. A major objective of the CPHD is the safeguarding of the plant resources of the Caribbean with a focus on crop plants.
Campaign to tackle Cassava Brown Streak Disease in Zambia takes hold after workshop
A communications campaign to raise awareness on and ways to tackle Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD) in Zambia is underway after a stakeholder workshop was held by CABI in partnership with the Zambia Agriculture Research Institute (ZARI) and the Zambia National Cassava Association (ZANACA).
Tackling the scale insect problem in Kenya
Scale insects are a group of very small insects that often don’t look like an average plant pest, but they are a growing problem in countries like Kenya. The pests attack important crops and plants that are integral to the country’s economy such as coffee, citrus and mango and in some cases have been known…
New paper calls for scientific diplomacy in plant health
Co-authored by leading plant health community representatives a newly-published paper calls for an international research collaboration in the fight against plant pests and diseases. The paper, published in Nature Plants, brought together 28 institutions, including CABI, and analyses new perspectives and challenges on global phytosanitary research coordination; particularly as human trade and movement continues to…
Addressing the root of the problem — why plant health and evidenced-based interventions matter to global development
by Duncan Barker (Research and Evidence Division, DFID) and Dr Roger Day (CABI). Reblogged from the DFID Research blog. Global agriculture faces a myriad of threats, of which one of the greatest is invasive species. With no native organisms to control them, invasive species such as plant pests and diseases spread out of control, damaging crops and…
A fifth of the world’s plants under threat, as report says 391,000 species now known to science
Dave Simpson – 11 May 2016 A ground-breaking report from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, has produced an estimate of the number of plants known to science. By searching through existing databases, the researchers have estimated that there are now 390,900 known plant species, of which around 369,400 are flowering plants. But this figure is…
New Strategy Receives Thumbs Up
This week in Douala, Cameroon, the General Assembly of the African Union’s InterAfrican Phytosanitary Council (IAPSC) gave the thumbs up to IAPSC’s new strategic plan. IAPSC Director Dr Jean Gerard Mezui M’Ella thanked all the organisation’s partners who had assisted in the preparation of the plan, especially FAO’s Regional Office for Africa for funding the…