Two major U.S.-based foundations have announced a grand scheme to rejuvenate Africa’s agriculture. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Rockefeller Foundation will spend $150 million towards green revolutionizing Africa’s agriculture.

The program, according to a joint press release from the two foundations, “intends to improve agricultural development in Africa by addressing both farming and relevant economic issues, including soil fertility and irrigation, farmer management practices, and farmer access to markets and financing.”

There is no doubt that this initiative has come at an opportune time. Africa’s agriculture is near total collapse and requires urgent reengineering. Africa has been slow in embracing cutting edge agricultural technologies such as biotechnology that have transformed the economies of many developing countries such as India, South Africa, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and China.

This initiative stands a good chance to transform Africa’s agriculture. For this dream to be realized, however, every modern agricultural technology must be explored. Bill Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation envisages “African plant scientists developing higher-yielding and drought resistant crops and African entrepreneurs starting seed companies to reach small-scale farmers…”

Developing high yielding and drought resistant crops would remain a dream as long as Africa continues to view new agricultural technologies prescribed by the west as tools of domination. This has been, especially, the case with agricultural biotechnology. Anti-biotechnology activists have made African farmers to believe that agricultural biotechnology only serves the interests of multinational seed companies. This is misleading.

As Africa gears up to receive the Rockefeller and Gates Foundations largesse, it must, first of all, appreciate that dismissing such innovative agricultural technologies as biotechnology by a hand wave will not serve its agricultural interests.

It’s instructive to mention that the African Union (AU) has a pivotal role to play in ensuring that Africa gains maximum benefits from novel agricultural technologies such as biotechnology.

Late last year, the AU through the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), commissioned a panel of African scientists and policy makers to study how modern biotechnology could be integrated into Africa’s agricultural and health sectors. The panel, co-chaired by Prof. Calestous Juma of Harvard University, has already drafted a report that, among other things, proposes the establishment of regional “Centers of Excellence” for biotechnology research. The report will be submitted to African heads of state meeting in January 2007. AU must ratify this report to enable Africa improve its agriculture.

James uses his communication expertise to create awareness about GM food. To read more about him, go to http://www.gmoafrica.org

[tags]biotechnology, agriculture, food[/tags]

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Gourmet food stores offer a unique shopping experience, because they have great fare and stock up on exotic food and drink from all over the world. Often, buyers for gourmet food stores travel all over the world in a bid to procure the best gourmet foods available, and to discover new items. They work with a variety of suppliers who make interesting products. Most gourmet food stores have in-house tasters who will approve a product before it is put up on the shelf. This is what sets gourmet food stores apart from regular grocery stores.

Technology has made it very easy to browse the web for the choicest gourmet food and drink. Gourmet food stores are easily found online, as there are many offering premium gourmet food. They assure you the best collection of food from all over the world, and will deliver them to your door. They promise quality and good prices.

Gourmet food stores are popular among the health conscious, environmentalists, the eco-conscious, the spiritual seeker, the epicurean and the indolent pleasure seeker. These stores offer free-range meats and eggs and fresh local produce. There is a very good chance that most or all of the items are organically produced and marketed on a fair trade basis.

It is noteworthy that gourmet food stores, co-ops and specialty food stores including markets, have a common theme and practice - serve the public healthy, clean, delicious food and drink that has been peacefully produced, without exploitation and with the earth and the human in mind.

Gourmet Food provides detailed information on Gourmet Food, Gourmet Food Stores, Gourmet Food Gift Baskets, Gourmet Food Gifts and more. Gourmet Food is affiliated with Healthy Smoothie Recipes.

[tags]Gourmet Food, Gourmet Food Stores, Gourmet Food Gift Baskets, Gourmet Food Gifts[/tags]

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UV Light is being used to kill bacteria in water filtration applications. It works so well many sewer treatment plants are using huge units to clear bacteria out of the water prior to allowing it to re-enter the ground water, river or ocean. Hospitals have also used UV light to kill bacteria, there are indeed so many applications for such technologies. Perhaps we ought to look into a small marble sized battery operated UV light Device. One, which can be ingested in the case of unwanted bacteria in the stomach. The small marble size device will pass thru the entire system into the stool, cleaning as it goes. Then the patient can merely eat some yogurt and other various things to put the good bacteria back into the system. I propose that the marble sized unit UV light flash a the best cycle for good bacteria and/or the worst cycle for bad bacteria. Ranges near or at 5-8 Hz.

There are many super small batteries, which can be used and the unit could be as small as an M & M candy or could be ingested with many of these little guys at a time on a relatively empty stomach. It will clean out the stomach, small intestines, large intestines and the colon using this UV light. It could be a very simple process and very inexpensive. Although it may not sound all too pretty the units could be used over and over again, by washing them in a set of small plastic containers and shaking them up. Similar to the old contact lenses; Saline solution and/or rubbing alcohol and then rinsing, turn them on and re-use or trade back into the doctors office for official service, recharging of batteries and complete sterilization. If you would like a more complete report on my idea, contact me.

Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/

[tags]uv light, bacteria, body, stomach, colon[/tags]

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