Nestle on Wednesday ramped up its distribution of disease-resistant cocoa trees to farmers in Ivory Coast, part of a plan to boost productivity per hectare and improve the notoriously poor quality of the top grower's cocoa beans.
The world's biggest food maker, which has distributed some 140,000 saplings since 2009, said it will hand out 600,000 saplings by the end of the month and a further on
A cluster-randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was undertaken in 7 districts of the Brong Ahafo region of Ghana to assess the effect of weekly, low dose vitamin A supplementation in women of reproductive age on pregnancy-related mortality, all-cause female mortality and survival of their babies.
Based on evidence collected in four exemplar countries – Kenya, Bangladesh, Ghana and Vietnam – the overall aim of the study is to investigate the capacity of national legal frameworks to protect and mediate the rights of people vulnerable to environmental displacement induced by climate change.
When shopping for food, ever more consumers in rich nations pay attention not only to prices, appearance and flavour. They also consider environmental and social aspects. Therefore, certifications of organic production, fair-trade practices or regional origin often lead to a premium in the marketplace and can benefit small-scale farmers.
In Madina village, outside Accra, Ghana, children tease each other about whose urine has a redder color. Apart from being strikingly thin, they look healthy. Yet they could be affected by Schistosoma haematobium, a parasitic disease common in Africa, where local prevalence rates can exceed 50%. Early diagnosis ensures inexpensive and effective treatment and prevents stunted growth and developmental disabilities in children and bladder cancer or other organ damage in adults (3).
Nations including Democratic Republic of Congo are making surprise progress toward taking part in a $200 million project for slowing deforestation from late 2010, World Bank experts said.
They also said Latin America, with forested nations around the Amazon, had strong incentives to take part since most of the continent's greenhouse gas emissions came from deforestation and shifts in land use,
In its latest report on food insecurity, the FAO asserted that 915 million people were undernourished in 2008, and the figure is estimated to rise to 1.02 billion in 2009. The alarming numbers raise the twin questions of how the estimates are derived and how reliable they are.
