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"[KUALA LUMPUR] New approaches to agricultural research and development (R&D) that support local innovation are needed in order to tackle global poverty, say agriculture experts. At a conference, Re-imagining Agricultural Research in Development Dialogue, held in Penang, Malaysia last month (29-31 January), experts from the agricultural sector convened to discuss how agricultural research could best be used to benefit the 870 million people still living on less than US$1.25 a day. "The [conference] was motivated by the realization that agricultural research was not benefiting the poorest of the poor," Boru Douthwaite, Knowledge Sharing and Learning theme leader for the CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems (AAS), tells SciDev.Net. "

The Research Council of Norway funds HAVBRUK2 for research in aquaculture, including with international partners. Special priority is given to collaboration with researchers in the EU, USA, Canada, China, Japan, India, Chile, and Brazil. Collaboration with researchers in other countries will also be of interest.

"The relationship between Tertiary Agricultural Education (TAE) and its siblings - Research, Policy and industry actors- can make or break Africa's agricultural sector. Strengthening the link between these four components not only ensures food security in the continent but also bolters - significantly - the continent's socio-economic development.Africa's agricultural potential can only be optimally harnessed if deliberate efforts are made to ensure that agricultural education is aligned to industry needs and research findings generate innovative products and approaches for industrial application and also feed into national and regional policies."

"The relationship between Tertiary Agricultural Education (TAE) and its siblings - Research, Policy and industry actors- can make or break Africa's agricultural sector. Strengthening the link between these four components not only ensures food security in the continent but also bolters - significantly - the continent's socio-economic development.Africa's agricultural potential can only be optimally harnessed if deliberate efforts are made to ensure that agricultural education is aligned to industry needs and research findings generate innovative products and approaches for industrial application and also feed into national and regional policies."

"GERMANY - The international scene of micro-algae experts met in Hamburg for the 7th International Algae Congress. The latest research results were exchanged, innovative technologies presented and practical applications discussed. A selected Commission of Experts also identified the best Senior Researcher, the best Junior Researcher and the company with the best innovation within the algae industry."

"The most abundant biological resource on earth, marine microalgae, has not previously been used directly in food production. Researchers at Uni Research are hoping to change that through the MIRACLES research project."

Europe-Africa Research & Innovation News n°9 - April 2014 [Delegation of the European Union to the African Union] In this edition: · Call for EU-SA Twinning Activities in Marine Sciences and Raw Materials · ERAfrica announces outcome of first call · Engaging SME's in EU-Africa STI Research Cooperation

"The European Commission launched an online consultation on the role of research in global food and nutrition security. The aim of the consultation is to gather the views of stakeholders, citizens and the scientific community on the role that research has to play in tackling the challenges associated with ensuring food and nutrition security. We want an open and forward-looking debate with stakeholders to encourage dynamic and evidence-based policy making to tackle the many pressing challenges associated with food and nutrition security."

AUSTRALIA - Researchers looking to develop a Sydney Rock Oyster which will grow fatter faster, have unwittingly discovered a strain that is immune to the diseases Q X and Winter Mortality.

IFPRI's flagship report puts into perspective the major food policy issues, developments, and decisions in 2014 and highlights challenges and opportunities for 2015. Drawing on rigorous research, IFPRI researchers and other distinguished food policy experts consider a wide range of crucial questions:

"There are too few links existing between value chain researchers and value chain practitioners. The AgriFood chain toolkit is designed to help researchers and practitioners overcome this challenge. The Internet is a gateway to numerous websites, resources and tools to help us understand agrifood value chains or build the capacities of value chain actors and analysts. The missing links in this agriknowledge chain are effective mechanisms to foster interaction and exchange among researchers devising value chain tools and field practitioners using them."

Education, training and research in agriculture, agroforestry and natural resources are important cogs in the engine of socio-economic development. These elements drive innovation which eventually translates into food security and a better environment.

Publié le 25/09/2013 JERICO (Towards a Joint European Research Infrastructure network for Coastal Observatories) est un projet européen (programme FP7) qui vise à créer un réseau européen d'infrastructures dédiées à l'observation côtière."

"Retrouvez tous les appels sur http://ec.europa.eu/research/participants/portal/desktop/en/opportunities/h2020/index.html"

ESKO FLAG covers the coastal region of the Gulf of Finland. This is an area with a long tradition of professional small-scale coastal fishing, though the number of registered full-time fishermen has been steadily declining over the past 25 years and it is increasingly difficult to get new and younger people to continue this traditional activity. In recent years, questions have been raised about the sustainability of fishing activities in this area. Notably, WWF Finland publishes a yearly consumer guide, which classifies the main types of fish caught in this area, especially salmon and whitefish, as endangered, threatened or protected species, and recommends consumers not to buy them. To compound the problem, there are also some conflicts between fishing professionals, recreational fishing and fishing tourism concerning the exploitation of fish stocks in the area.

"Agropolis Fondation lance un appel à projets « Open Science Research ». La date limite de soumission des propositions est le 15 septembre 2014, à midi, heure française. Agropolis Fondation a pour objectif de soutenir des programmes scientifiques de niveau international dans le domaine de l'Agronomie et du développement durable, en s'intéressant aux problématiques du Nord comme du Sud. Cet appel à projets "Open science" vise à promouvoir de nouvelles façons de faire de la recherche en favorisant une démarche collaborative sur des sujets scientifiques majeurs, impliquant plusieurs acteurs. Pour en savoir plus, consulter le site d'Agropolis Fondation : http://www.agropolis-fondation.fr/fr/soutenir-la-science/appels-a-projets/appel-a-propositions-open-siences-recherche-est-ouvert.html Une réunion sur cet AAP est prévue le mardi 8 juillet, à 14h00, à Agropolis International en salle B06-Badiane."

The summit is organized by CCARDESA, SADC and Agriculture Research Council (ARC-South Africa) and co-hosted by Department of Agriculture Forestry and Fisheries (DAFF) in South Africa.

"(20/05/2014) This year's European Maritime Day Conference held over the 19 & 20 May in Bremen, saw industry experts and policy makers from across Europe come together to discuss how innovation and research in the maritime economy can drive a European growth and jobs recovery whilst securing a sustainable future for Europe's seas. The main conclusions drawn by participants included: There is a vast potential for jobs and sustainable growth in the maritime economy. To exploit it we need to invest more in knowledge and innovation and focus on placing sustainability at the heart of Blue Growth. The issues related to seas and oceans can only be addressed at international level - more global governance is of paramount importance. The EU's Maritime Spatial Planning and Maritime Security Strategy are good examples of what can be achieved. Next year's European Maritime Day will be held by Piraeus, Greece, in May 2015."

"Une raffinerie d'un nouveau type a été inaugurée aux Pays-Bas en septembre: VALORIE (Versatile ALgae On-site Raw Ingredient Extractor) est une usine pilote qui vient d'ouvrir ses portes à Lelystad. L'usine mobile est une initiative de TNO (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientic Research), de l'entreprise Algae Food & Fuel et de l'université de Wageningen."

"Prawn farming in Senegal may hold the key to eradicating a common and deadly parasitic disease. Researchers believe if the shell fish are reintroduced into the West African nation's rivers, they will eat the snails that host the parasite that causes schistosomiasis. Spread through contaminated water, the disease, also known as bilharzia, kills more than 200,000 people a year, according to UN figures. More than two million more are infected each year by the parasitic worms which impair child growth and damage internal organs."

"IRELAND - Sea lice infestation is unlikely to be a significant factor influencing the conservation status of salmon stocks according to a research paper published in the latest edition of the prestigious Journal of Fish Diseases."