Crowdfunding for agricultural projects at TICAD-VI.

Agriculture is the new global currency and various countries are trading their products,expertise,innovations and ideas to ensure economic growth of their countries.The world itself is a global village making it easy to transfer ideas,technology and trading boundaries. Countries participating in crowdfunding for agricultural projects are engaging through partnerships ,investment drive and private participation. Investors forum for agricultural projects has become common place in many countries and also various states,wherein the countries showcase their agricultural products,the benefits of their products,the profitability of their value chains and the policies that will attract investors. Technology in terms of agritech are showcased to enhance collaborations with nations that are technologically savy so that there could be tech-transfer, tech-exchange and tech -collaborations. The Tokyo international conference of African development(TICAD) is one of such forum to provide a platform for the facilitation and promotion of high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and Africa’s development partners on issues pertaining to economic growth, trade and investment, sustainable development, human security, peace and stability and government. TICAD was launched in 1993 by the Government of Japan, to promote Africa’s development, peace and security, through the strengthening of relations in multilateral cooperation and partnership, particularly with the country. TICAD 2016 is in Nairobi,Kenya and the country aims to sell agriculture,infrastructure and innovation for funding to development financial institutions. The kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) Chief Executive Carole Kariuki believe these ` three areas will transform the country’s economy. Kenya's aim is to negotiate with development partners that include the World Bank Group, African Development Bank, Japan External Trade Organisation, and the Africa Union Commission during the high level policy dialogue. President Muhammadu Buhari will attend the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) in Nairobi, Kenya, this the first-ever TICAD Summit to be held in the African continent in its over 20 years of history. The hosting of TICAD is an indication of increase African ownership in the TICAD process which has been attracting much attention from African states and all TICAD partners,which include the the United Nations System , the African Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and the New Economic Partnership for Africa’s Development Planning and Coordinating Agency (NEPAD Agency), as well as civil society and the private sector. The highest-level of representations from African states and TICAD partners are expected at TICAD-VI. Watch here

Girl caged like a dog .

A four year old girl has been living in a cage like a dog because her aunt claims she has HIV and she is a witch. The Ondo State Police Command has arrested a 28-year-old woman, Mary Matthew, for allegedly locking away a four-year-old foster daughter in a kiosk in the bush for over five months in Imafon Village area. The state Commissioner of Police, Hilda Harrison while parading the suspect said she was arrested on the strength of the information given to the police.She said, “Mary and her husband, who alleged that the girl was possessed, decided to lock her outside the house. On receipt of the information, the personnel attached to the Juvenile Welfare Centre of the police command visited the scene and met the girl in the cage as reported. “She (Precious) was immediately rescued and taken to the police clinic for medical attention, while the suspects are under interrogation and will soon be charged to court.”Olayemi Ojumu (ASP), who led the team that rescued the victim said Precious tested negative to HIV. She said, “When we got to the village, we saw the girl with a swollen body. She was holding a loaf of bread. She had defecated on her body inside the cage where she was kept in the bush. They didn’t allow her to come out to live with them. They gave her food and water inside the cage. Ojumu said Precious was taken to the police clinic after her rescue. it was also gathered that Ojumu donated blood to the victim. more

Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine Launches iPad®-enabled Learning Program.

Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM) today announced the launch of a new program that provides all new students with an iPad® custom-designed to offer a digitally advanced multimedia learning experience. Nicknamed the “PawPad,” the iPads® feature leading-edge learning apps designed by RUSVM to enhance the student experience in the classroom and laboratory. “This is an important advancement in the way we serve our students as digitally native learners,” said Guy St. Jean, DVM, interim dean of RUSVM. “We expect the iPad® program to enhance our students’ learning experience and support mastery of the curriculum, and we are proud to be an early adopter of this in veterinary education.” Each iPad® includes customized learning apps that deliver gaming and multimedia presentations of material contained in the RUSVM curriculum. The PawPad also offers apps that have direct access to tools used by students such as the online student portal, library reference material, e-books and outside learning apps that help reinforce learning material. RUSVM faculty members helped design the apps and participated, with students, in a pilot program in fall 2015. The PawPads are being distributed to every student in the September 2016 incoming class. A group of expert users will help students and faculty optimize their use of the device and help direct the development of future apps. The iPad®’s portability, ease of use, and ability to provide anytime/anywhere access to curricular material have been cited as benefits to students. contributed by yahoo finance.

Addressing Poverty in Africa by Promoting Growth of “Miracle Rice”.

New Rice for Africa (Nerica), also called “miracle rice,” is helping to address the issue of poverty in Africa. Rice is a luxury food that people can eat only on special occasions in many African countries. It has high nutritional value, and it serves as a valuable source of income for farmers. Japanese agronomist Tatsushi Tsuboi has been working for more than 20 years to promote the spread of rice cultivation. Known as “Mr. Nerica,” he rigorously follows an approach based on going out into the field to provide guidance; so far he has trained about 50,000 local farmers. It is a cross between pest- and drought-resistant African rice and high-yield Asian rice, combining the strengths of both. It can be harvested twice a year under local climate conditions. Tsuboi explains, “Nerica grows even in moist lowland locations unsuited to use as fields for other crops, and it can be planted in the gaps between crops like coffee and bananas. After growing it experimentally in various locations, I became confident that this strain of rice could help resolve Africa’s poverty issues, and I decided to work at spreading the cultivation technology.” 　 In 2004 the Japanese government decided to dispatch an expert to Uganda to support the spread of Nerica, and Tsuboi was selected for this role, serving as a JICA expert on Nerica adaptation. Study results had indicated that among the countries of Africa, Uganda is best suited to Nerica cultivation in terms of the climate and environment of its relatively dry upland area. So the idea was to start with an initiative aimed at producing a success story there. 　 Tsuboi set up a rice cultivation research section to study Nerica at Uganda’s National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI), and this served as the base for guidance activities covering everything from the sowing of seeds and the care of the rice plants through the harvesting of the rice. Tsuboi developed a distinctive program to promote the spread of Nerica. He gives each farmer who participates in his training sessions 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of seed rice, enough to produce a harvest of 50 kg (110 lbs.) or more of unhulled rice. And each farmer is asked to give 2 kg (4.4 lbs.) of seed rice from what he harvests to neighboring farmers. The experience of growing rice on their own enhances farmers’ technical capabilities, thereby leading to an increase in the rice cultivation area. 　 The circle of Nerica-growing farmers is continuing to extend steadily, and over the 10 years after Tsuboi took his post in Uganda, the upland rice cultivation area grew from 5,500 to 65,000 hectares (13,600 to 160,000 acres). Farmers tell Tsuboi that the income from their rice sales has helped them, for example, by letting them send their children to high school or by making it possible for them to have mobile phones. 　Tsuboi is optimistic that Nerica will bring a brighter future to Africa. “Over the past thirteen years I’ve trained more than 2,000 African researchers and extension workers. I want to keep up my activities until the day comes when Nerica will have spread throughout Africa and the issue of poverty is resolved.” Today he continues to work under the African sun, spreading rice cultivation technology. Tsuboi provides guidance in Uganda. In addition to guidance for farmers, Tsuboi, operating from a Nerica rice-growing test station in Uganda as his base, trains extension workers and researchers. He has trained over 2,000 such professionals in countries around Africa. In his training for farmers, Tsuboi provides detailed instructions, such as the best depth for planting the seeds and the best amount of space between the rice plants. Proper growing techniques can increase harvests by a significant multiple. contributed by japan.go.jp

Edible food packaging made from milk proteins.

Foods at the grocery store come wrapped in plastic packaging. Not only does this create a lot of non-recyclable, non-biodegradable waste, but thin plastic films are not great at preventing spoilage. Scientists are now developing a packaging film made of milk proteins that addresses these issues -- and it is even edible. Current food packaging is mainly petroleum-based, which is not sustainable. It also does not degrade, creating tons of plastic waste that sits in landfills for years. Research leader Peggy Tomasula, D.Sc. says the protein-based films are powerful oxygen blockers that help prevent food spoilage and when used in packaging, they could prevent food waste during distribution along the food chain. To create an all-around better packaging solution, Tomasula and colleagues at the U.S. Department of Agriculture are developing an environmentally friendly film made of the milk protein casein. These casein-based films are up to 500 times better than plastics at keeping oxygen away from food and, because they are derived from milk, are biodegradable, sustainable and edible. Some commercially available edible packaging varieties are already on the market, but these are made of starch, which is more porous and allows oxygen to seep through its microholes. The milk-based packaging, however, has smaller pores and can thus create a tighter network that keeps oxygen out. In addition to being used as plastic pouches and wraps, this casein coating could be sprayed onto food, such as cereal flakes or bars. Right now, cereals keep their crunch in milk due to a sugar coating. Instead of all that sugar, manufacturers could spray on casein-protein coatings to prevent soggy cereal. The spray also could line pizza or other food boxes to keep the grease from staining the packaging, or to serve as a lamination step for paper or cardboard food boxes or plastic pouches. The U.S. Food & Drug Administration recently banned the perfluorinated substances that used to coat these containers, so casein coatings could be a safe, biodegradable alternative. culled from science daily.

Virtual reality and cancer cure.

Virtual technology could also be used to find new treatments for cancer. A team at the University of New South Wales has used high-resolution electron microscope data to reconstruct a human breast cancer cell in 3D CGI. It’s the first time a cancer cell has been reconstructed for virtual reality. This means scientists can don VR headsets to walk through the “landscape” of the cell, including its nucleus, mitochondria and endosomes to see how nanoparticle drugs are absorbed. This will look as if you have shrunk down to nano size, to the height of 40 one-billionths of a metre and you are navigating the surface of the cell. This will provide amble information as you are literally walking within the cell and gather data required. The aim of the project is to accelerate discoveries by giving researchers a new perspective on cancerous cells. Drug delivery requires successful penetration of the cell membrane ,this visualization will give insight into the level of penetration; if the drug gets past the tough cell surface, or whether the body automatically stops it. 3D has enabled better visualization and thus expanding the treatment strategies and health interventions. Many more surgeries are now possible because of of innovations stemming from 3D printing and 3D technology. excerpts from wired.co.uk.

Edible robots and cancer cure.

Researchers from the Polytechnique Montréal, The University of Montreal and McGill University, have made a breakthrough in cancer research, by developing tiny 'robots' that can travel through the bloodstream to administer a drug with precision by targeting the active cancerous cells of tumors. This method blasts a tumor with medication while avoiding jeopardising the integrity of organs and surrounding healthy tissue, meaning a lower dosage of toxic drugs is suitable for treatment.At present, it has only been tested in mice but the nanobots successfully targeted colorectal tumours. The nanorobotic agents are actually composed of more than 100 million flagellated bacteria - and therefore self-propelled - and loaded with drugs that moved by taking the most direct path between the drug's injection point and the area of the body to cure. The drug's propelling force was enough to travel efficiently and enter deep inside the tumors. When in contact with a tumor, the nanorobot-like bacteria can detect oxygen-depleted tumor areas, known as hypoxic zones and deliver a drug to them, without human intervention. The hypoxic zone is created by the substantial consumption of oxygen by tumor cells and are known to be resistant to most therapies, including radiotherapy, meaning the futuristic treatment could save more lives. The bacteria used in the experiment move in the direction of a magnetic field, while a sensor measuring oxygen concentration enables them to reach and remain in the tumor's active regions. By exposing them to a computer-controlled magnetic field, the researchers showed the bacteria could perfectly replicate artificial nanorobots of the future designed for this kind of task. The innovative use of nanotransporters will have an impact not only on creating more advanced engineering concepts and original intervention methods, but it also throws the door wide open to the synthesis of new vehicles for therapeutic, imaging and diagnostic agents. culled from wired.co.uk.