Saturday, March 20, 2010

A slightly older IFPRI publication but a good read...

A slighltly older publication but a really good is an IFPRI Food Policy Review that I am a co-author. "Measuring the economic impacts of transgenic crops in developing agriculture during the first decade : Approaches, findings, and future directions".

If you want to read this publication please click here http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/publications/pv10.pdf

My new publication at IFPRI

This is my new publication at IFPRI, an IFPRI Policy Brief titled "Delivering Genetically Engineered Crops to Poor Farmers: Recommendations for Improved Biosafety Regulations in Developing Countries". The abstact

Small-scale, resource-poor farmers in developing countries face daily stresses, including poor soils, drought, and lack of inputs. Ongoing trends such as climate change and population growth will likely exacerbate binding stresses. A new generation of genetically engineered (GE) crop research aims to alleviate these pressures through the improvement of subsistence crops—such as cassava, sorghum, and millet—that incorporate traits such as tolerance to drought, water, and aluminum in soils as well as plants with more efficient nitrogen and phosphorus use. However, many developing countries lack the necessary biosafety systems for a timely and cost-effective adoption. This brief focuses on the regulatory reforms necessary for farmers and consumers in developing countries to benefit from GE crops.

To read the brief please make a click here in http://www.ifpri.org/publication/delivering-genetically-engineered-crops-poor-farmers

Sunday, March 14, 2010

Bloggin' from Burkina Faso

From Wikipedia (To see article Click here )

Burkina Faso (pronounced /bərˌkiːnə ˈfɑːsoʊ/ bər-KEE-nə  FAH-soh; French: [byʁkina faso]) – also known by its short-form name Burkina – is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger  to the east, Benin  to the south east, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the southwest.

Its size is 274,000 km² with an estimated population of more than 15,757,000. Formerly called the Republic of Upper Volta, it was renamed on August 4, 1984, by President Thomas Sankara to mean "the land of upright people" in Moré and Dioula, the major native languages of the country. Literally, "Burkina" may be translated, "men of integrity," from the Moré language, and "Faso" means "father's house" in Dioula. The inhabitants of Burkina Faso are known as Burkinabè (pronounced /bərˈkiːnəbeɪ/ bər-KEE-nə-bay).


Burkina Faso's capital is Ouagadougou. After gaining independence from France in 1960, the country underwent many governmental changes until arriving at its current form, a semi-presidential republic. The president is Blaise Compaoré. The country occupies the sixth to last place on the Human Development Index.