CIRAD - Actualités / News

La biomasse, source d’électricité économique à Madagascar

Mon, 13 May 2013 15:12:31 +0200

A Madagascar, la première centrale thermoélectrique à biomasse, vient d’être mise en route dans la commune rurale d’Andaingo. Cet équipement unique produit une électricité deux fois moins chère qu’un groupe électrogène au gazole à partir du bois issu des plantations d’eucalyptus locales. L’installation devrait permettre de développer les activités économiques et artisanales de la commune et d’accroître l’emploi et les revenus des paysans. Elle a été conçue dans le cadre du projet Gesforcom (Gestion communale, gestion communautaire et développement local) par le Cirad et ses partenaires malgaches.

Fruits Vol. 68, no. 2

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:13:32 +0200

A new issue of Fruits with an editorial paying tribute to Jacky Ganry, who was the journal's Scientific Director for almost 20 years.

West Africa: fonio postharvest operations are on the road to mechanization

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:19:54 +0200

Fonio plays a major role in enrusing food security and maintaining biodiversity in West Africa. However, between field and plate, the stages involved in processing this age-old small-grain cereal are particularly laborious. A new project, Aval Fonio, aims to mechanize some of those stages and support innovation by small-scale processing firms.

A disease is decimating coconut palms in Papua New Guinea

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 15:33:25 +0200

VIDEO. In Papua New Guinea, coconut palms and certain varieties of banana are affected by Bogia syndrome, a new disease caused by phytoplasms (insect-borne bacteria). The disease is threatening the international coconut collection for the whole of the Pacific region, in Madang province. The collection comprises 3200 individuals representing 57 varieties, and is intended to conserve varieties from the region. The disease has economic and social consequences, and also in terms of conservation. Researchers from several organizations, including CIRAD and Bioversity International, are on the warpath.

Agriculture can also mitigate climate change

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 17:52:11 +0200

Developing farming systems that emit less greenhouse gas while remaining productive and capable of coping with climate change is a prospect that is beginning to emerge in the various debates. CIRAD is playing its part by co-organizing a series of conference on a new concept: climate-smart agriculture.

Sustainable forest management policies in central Africa. Taking the informal sector into account

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:32:06 +0200

Small-scale chainsaw milling is the main timber-producing sector in central Africa as well as a source of income and jobs, but needs the support of public policies to make practices more sustainable and formalise the sector.

Plus de 30 000 lots de semences végétales à Montpellier…

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 11:32:49 +0200

Créé en 2006 par le Cirad, le Centre de ressources biologiques tropicales (CRB-T) de Montpellier permet de conserver, diffuser et valoriser des semences céréalières, en provenance du monde entier.

Perrine Burnod: "It is vital to secure the land tenure rights of crop and animal farmers"

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:55:28 +0200

Large-scale land grabbing first hit the headlines following the Daewoo affair in Madagascar in 2008. Researchers are currently continuing to look into the issues raised by such practices, to wit the publication of a special issue of the journal Cahiers Agricultures . A chance to take stock with Perrine Burnod, co-coordinator of the issue and economist at CIRAD.

Appropriations foncières et modèles agricoles

Wed, 24 Apr 2013 17:24:41 +0200

This special issue of Cahiers Agricultures looks at the role of land tenure in change in the rural sector. It examines the links between access to land, investment and forms of production in the agricultural sector. It also analyses the place given to land tenure and the different types of agriculture in the strateg ies of countries, investors and local stakeholder communities.

Avian influenza: CIRAD is on the front line in the war against H7N9!

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:17:07 +0200

In Asia and from Montpellier, CIRAD is working to respond to the emergence of a new strain of avian influenza A virus (H7N9), and has sent experts to Chine and Rome, at the request of the WHO and the FAO.

UMR Qualisud unveils its new-look website

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 15:04:13 +0200

The new website contains comprehensive information on the Qualisud (Integrated Approach to Food Quality) Joint Research Unit's activities.

Ruralité et développement durable en Nouvelle-Calédonie

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 11:11:57 +0200

A work that summarizes and puts into perspective the exchanges and debate on sustainable development in New Caledonia that took place during the Poindimié workshop in 2008.

The SIRMA (Irrigated Systems in North Africa) Skills Network in Partnership website

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:29:17 +0200

The "Irrigated Systems in North Africa" (SIRMA) skills network now has a website. It includes comprehensive information on the network's activities.

CIRAD confirms its support of open access to knowledge

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 11:39:51 +0200

Twenty-six establishments, including CIRAD, recently signed a partnership agreement to foster open archives and the HAL (Hyper Articles en Ligne) shared platform. This signature confirms CIRAD's support of the principle of open access to knowledge.

One Health: veterinarians are training doctors in China

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 16:27:05 +0200

Avian influenza and unexplained mass deaths of pigs and ducks… sanitary risk control in China needs to be improved. To this end, veterinarians from CIRAD are working on site to train doctors and researchers in risk analysis. A handbook validated by the World Health Organization and the Chinese Centre for Disease Control is also available. This initiative is part of the One Health approach.

Conference-debates: questioning biodiversity

Thu, 04 Apr 2013 15:51:59 +0200

Two conference-debates, open to all and organized jointly by Montpellier City Council and CIRAD, are to be hald on 11 and 19 April in Montpellier's Salle Pétrarque, ahead of the Fête de la Biodiversité (24 and 25 May 2013, Montpellier).

Fostering the spread of conservation agriculture in Southeast Asia

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:04:09 +0200

In Southeast Asia, conservation agriculture is gradually finding its place, notably within national research organizations. However, efforts still need to be made, involving each and every stakeholder, to foster a broader spread of these sustainable agricultural practices.

Sugarcane pests and diseases - Field guide - Indonesian version

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 17:06:29 +0100

A practical guide to sugarcane pests and diseases in Indonesia. A must!

La gestion intégrée des ressources naturelles renouvelables à Madagascar

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:40:40 +0100

What does "integrated management of renewable natural resources" mean? How is it applied to islands such as Madagascar? What are the conditions for its long-term future and extension to every type of ecosystem on the island? These are the questions the book sets out to answer.

AFROweeds1.0

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:21:40 +0100

AFROweeds 1.0 is an identification software and database on almost 200 weed species from East and West Africa.