UNCERTAIN FUTURE FOR PALM OIL

 Coveted or reviled, palm oil represents a quarter of all vegetable oils. The market for this oil must meet strong demand while overcoming numerous obstacles: La Niña, Covid and environmental.

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By WILLAGRI

Morocco, on the front line for green hydrogen

Green hydrogen is on everyone’s mind regarding tomorrow’s mobility, whether it is road, rail, air or sea travel. This energy is presented as an alternative to fossil fuels. In Europe.

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• 387 views

By WILLAGRI

Major Functions of Phosphorus in Plants

Phosphorus (P) deficiency represents a major mineral nutrient deficiency in agricultural soils affecting crop production. Plants absorb P mainly in the form of orthophosphate ions (i.e., H2PO4– and H2PO4-2); however,.

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By WILLAGRI

Agroecology at the heart of the bioeconomy

The bioeconomy, at its most fundamental level, aims to generate value from photosynthesis. It seeks to transform biomass into a resource for everyday applications in modern society: food production, of course, but also industrial uses or recycling. In this way, agricultural by-products are increasingly being used as renewable raw materials for industrial applications, in particular in the sectors of energy, chemistry and construction.

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By Jean-Marie Séronie

Biotech seeds and farmers’ seeds in Africa: the diversification route

In December 2019, Kenya decided to authorise the commercialisation of transgenic cotton within the country. “This should help farmers increase revenue thanks to increased levels of production”, explained Head of State Uhuru Kenyatta. The decision has largely gone unnoticed. However, it represents a turning point. The country, which passed a bio-security law in 2009, had banned all imports of transgenic products, including food products and seeds for food production. GM (genetically modified) plantations were banned. Only strictly-controlled research projects were able to take place. On one side, the African Agricultural Technological Foundation (AATF), a pro-GMO organisation based in Nairobi, was lobbying the government to repeal the ban. On the other, Greenpeace was calling for the ban to be maintained to prevent “big business from taking over the food production system”.

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By Pierre Jacquemot

Agricultural land available in sub-Saharan Africa?

Forecasts on the potential of agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa on the basis of which large scale land transactions are being deployed, are based on a rhetoric of the “empty continent”, adapted to establish agricultural policies as well as to justify all manner of greed. This thesis of the existence of “dormant resources” which would amount to approximately a billion hectares in useful agricultural surfaces area is incorrect. This article introduces the concept of actual availability of agricultural land and takes into account all the real estate constraints in order to assess the surface area likely to be actually devoted to agriculture.

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By Pierre Jacquemot