Fungus-farming termites descend from an African rain forest Eve
Agriculture is not unique to humans: some insect groups have also evolved this way of life. One such group is the fungus-farming termites, which cultivate fungi as food inside their nests. Such termites can be found in both rain forest and savannah habitats in the Old World tropics, from Africa to Asia. But as researchers report this week, a combination of DNA sequence analysis and computer model...Butterfly farming to help save rain forest
Researchers at the University of Warwick's plant research arm Warwick HRI have received a £295,000 Darwin initiative grant to develop a butterfly farming industry in Guyana that will help support 5000 people in 16 rainforest communities and help save the rainforest itself. The University of Warwick team will work with the Iwokrama International Centre for Rain Forest Conservation in Guyana...Farming Plays A Crucial Role In Reducing Global Warming
Agriculture has become synonymous with food production, but that is not always the case since farming operations also provide a safe habitat for wildlife besides playing a key role in reducing global warming. // "Agriculture, which includes planted forests, is the world's largest human-managed ecosystem," said Scott Swinton, professor of agricultural economics at Michigan State University. "There...Bihar CM Nitish Kumar Favours Herbal Farming
The Chief Minister of Bihar Mr. Nitish Kumar is all for a giving a boost to herbal plants.While his predecessor Rabri Devi used to cultivate potato, tomato and green vegetables// at their official residence, he wants to develop the place as a resource centre for herbal farming. Nitish Kumar comes from a family with ayurveda and herbal background. His father was a leading ayurvedic pra...Exiled Tibetans In India To Adopt Organic Farming
Tibetans in India is to take up organic farming according to the decision taken by the Tibetan government in exile, which is based in the hill town of Dharmasala.// 'Under an integrated development programme by 2007, $25 million will be spent on organic fertilisers,' said a spokesman of the Tibetan government led by the Dalai Lama. There are over 100,000 Tibetan refugees livi...Organic Farming May Increase The Output Of Apples In Himachal
Himachal Pradesh farmers were urged by the experts to concentrate on organic farming in order to increase the output of the apples, which has been alarmingly dropping due to the use of chemical fertilizer. // So says a team of Swiss and Indian experts who have just ended their field trip to the hill state to raise awareness about the need for adopting organic farming. Apple...Outsourcing Farming, a Chinese Initiative
Plagued by scarce water supplies, China is turning to a new trading partner 15,000 miles away - Brazil - to supply more protein-packed beans essential to a richer diet//. For more than 2,000 years, the Chinese have turned soybeans into tofu, a staple of the country’s diet. In China, vanishing cropland and diminishing water supplies are hampering the country’s ability to feed itself....