Ghana poultry farm’s integration model trains community.

Ghana poultry farm’s integration model trains community.Working with indigenous guinea fowl and layers, model farm in Ghana hopes to establish integrated model with local producers. A model poultry farm in the north of Ghana is hoping to meet local demand for poultry meat and eggs, and to share rearing knowledge with local farmers. What little commercial broiler production exists in the country tends to be concentrated in the south. Northern Ghana has never been a poultry-producing region, despite strong demand for meat and eggs. Access is further hampered by the country relying on imports for much of its broiler meat, making it expensive. But demand for poultry meat does not have to be solely satisfied by broiler meat, and this new model farm is working with guinea fowl - rather than broilers - and layers. Tibzaa Farm, located near the regional capital of Tamale was established in 2011 by Sintaro Mahama, a former International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent logistics manager, who wants it to function has a model farm to advance agricultural progress in the region. The farm has adopted the slogan of “Endless opportunities” and, as Mahama explains: “This means that we are facilitating the local communities.” The farm has breeding flocks of about 2,000 indigenous guinea fowl and approximately 5,000 Lohman Classic Brown layers, which are already producing eggs for sale. The farm is the process of registering local farmers to work with it and rear guinea fowl or laying hens. Basic training is being carried out on-farm, but there are plans to increase the farm’s training opportunities. more

Bayer ; Training smallholder farmers in sustainable farming practices.

Training smallholder farmers in sustainable farming practices. How can we help cocoa farmers in Africa or vegetable farmers in Guatemala to grow safe and healthy food and bring their produce to market? With its Food Chain Partnership initiative, Bayer takes several approaches to support farmers worldwide in running sustainable, profitable farms. Ten thousand smallholder farmers – that’s an incredible number. And this is the number of growers we have trained in a single collaboration with the San Juan Agroexport farming business, one of the largest exporters of fresh vegetables from Guatemala. As a result of our training, the farmers learned more about safe use of crop protection products and sustainability management – very important factors. What’s more, another outcome of this project was increased yields, improved post-harvest performance, and the fact that San Juan Agroexport is now better able to meet export requirements. more

Lawyer exchanges court dress for agric overalls.

Lawyer exchanges court dress for agric overalls. The Essex Agricultural Society is a registered charity that promotes agriculture and rural related industries through a year long diary of educational and social events. It has been serving the farming community in Essex for over 150 years.more

New PTSD study identifies potential path to treatment.

New PTSD study identifies potential path to treatment.A study of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—conducted by the VA National Center for PTSD (NCPTSD), National PTSD Brain Bank, and Yale University—has identified a new potential mechanism contributing to the biology of the disorder that may be targeted by future treatments. Among combat veterans, PTSD is a common and disabling condition that is associated with high suicide risk, and in some cases it is difficult to treat effectively. Patients—civilians with significant trauma history and veterans with combat-related or civilian trauma history—are commonly treated with a combination of psychological therapy and medications aimed at alleviating diverse symptoms, such as hyper-arousal and depression More

Artificial sweeteners linked to risk of weight gain, heart disease and other health issues.

Artificial sweeteners linked to risk of weight gain, heart disease and other health issues.Artificial sweeteners may be associated with long-term weight gain and increased risk of obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease, according to a new study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Consumption of artificial sweeteners, such as aspartame, sucralose and stevia, is widespread and increasing. Emerging data indicate that artificial, or nonnutritive, sweeteners may have negative effects on metabolism, gut bacteria and appetite, more

Engineered bone marrow could make transplants safer.

Engineered bone marrow could make transplants safer.Engineers at the University of California San Diego have developed biomimetic bone tissues that could one day provide new bone marrow for patients needing transplants. Bone marrow transplants are used to treat patients with bone marrow disease. Before a transplant, a patient is first given doses of radiation, sometimes in combination with drugs, to kill off any existing stem cells in the patient's bone marrow. This pre-treatment is meant to improve success of the transplant by clearing up space in the marrow, allowing donor cells to survive and grow without competition from the patient's own cells. But this treatment often comes with harmful side effects, such as nausea, fatigue, loss of fertility and others.more

Chinese bike-sharing startup aims at US with new model.

Chinese bike-sharing startup aims at US with new model.Rapidly growing bike-sharing startup Mobike already has 100 million users in China. And it's now looking to the US and Europe in the hope its unique "dockless" system can disrupt the industry. Mobike this week brought a handful of the brightly-colored two-wheelers to showcase at the Fortune Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen, Colorado. While many major US cities already have bike-sharing programs, Mobike co-founder and chief executive Davis Wang said he wants municipalities to take a look at his company's new concept. "If you look at (traditional) station bikes, it's like a desktop PC," he said. "We are more a smartphone. You just use it." more