Back to current edition

The battle for the US Presidency has been a battle of communications, proving again that it is communication and not money that makes the world go round! But, whereas the rival political campaigns in America have been bankrolled by seemingly bottomless pockets, communication for development gets scant funding. However, this all too often neglected aspect of development got a thorough airing in September when the 9th UN Roundtable on Communication for Development drew together many of the most experienced professionals in this neglected field. New Agriculturist presents some of their comments in Points of View.

Neglected crops also get an airing, in Focus on. It's remarkable that human nutrition depends on a mere handful of the many thousands of edible plants available for consumption; the remainder, though often important in small localities, remain unutilised elsewhere and largely ignored by scientific research. Many face an uncertain future, reducing biodiversity and availability of potentially useful foods.

Vanilla is far from neglected but the future of this crop is unclear as rising prices make it too expensive to use; the fascinating history of this spice is the subject of the lead book in In Print, while the spice island of Sri Lanka is our Country Profile. Finally, a range of topics in Developments covers subjects including alternatives to agriculture in rural areas; how the somewhat neglected cereal crop sorghum looks set to enjoy a new lease of life in India, where it offers a more reliable feed source than maize for India's burgeoning broiler and layer poultry sectors; and the work of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation in bringing about a royalty-free transfer of technology to subsistence farmers. Ample to absorb and digest in this month's New Agriculturist!

As always, if you have any feedback on this or recent editions, please do get in touch.

Points of view Communication for development - recognising the need and deciding on its implementation Focus on Underutilised crops Local knowledge, global importance Health through diversity Nuts about the future Hidden crops of the Andes An unintended barrier to EU markets Indigo: a future far from dark In Print Vanilla: Travels in search of the luscious substance The State of Food and Agriculture 2003-04 Food Wars: The global battle for mouths, minds and markets Ploughing Up the Farm: Neoliberalism, modern technology and the state of the world's farmers The Atlas of Water: Mapping the world's most critical resource Wastewater Use in Irrigated Agriculture: Confronting the livelihood and environmental realities Restocking Pastoralists: A manual of best practice and decision support tools Positive Developments Communication for Rural Innovation: Rethinking agricultural extension Municipal Forest Management in Latin America Perspective Surviving the Banana Crush By Marcella Harris, President, WINFA

News Latest on the locusts Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Peace Prize for Wangari Maathai Russia commits to Kyoto Organic farming reviewed A great catch... ... in the CG Science Awards Avian flu vaccination Timing is everything in overcoming pesticide resistance GM wheat for the desert Tech Museum Awards 2004 US rejoins International Coffee Organisation Cow coded Rice fungus goes underground Developments Unlocking the potential of Africa's farmland Not by farming alone Mouldy sorghum finds its niche Breeding from the bottom up The African Agricultural Technology Foundation Country Profile Sri Lanka Picture feature Bolivia: Tibet of the Americas

To access an earlier edition of New Agriculturist visit the back issue page. Here we provide access to all articles in previous editions of New Agriculturist. The latest information on conferences is contained in the current edition only.

Alternatively if you are looking for an article on a specific subject, you can also search the site.

To suggest a subject for a future edition of the New Agriculturist, or to offer material to us, please use our suggestions page.

Interacting with New Agriculturist

You are free to print copies of the articles contained within the New Agriculturist and distribute them to those who do not have internet access. Articles may also be used in other publications on the condition that New Agriculturist is credited as the source of the material, and a sample is sent to WRENmedia. For all other uses please ask permission of the authors.

Photographs are from the photo library of WRENmedia unless otherwise stated and may only be duplicated with express permission. Please contact Mike Davison for further information.

Organizations and companies wishing to display services in New Agriculturist and to be linked with this site should contact Patrick Harvey.

For information onWRENmediaservices, simply click on the logo below.

Editorial team:
Susanna Thorp, Mike Davison, Susie Emmett, Michael Pickstock and Anne Moorhead.

Webmaster:
Patrick Harvey

The authors of the New Agriculturist do not guarantee the accuracy of the information contained in the New Agriculturist, nor do they accept responsibility for errors or omissions or their consequences. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of WRENmedia.