IRDC projects aim to increase food security in developing countries

THE International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD) in Canada announced projects to prevent livestock diseases and post-harvest fruit losses as well as continue research initiated by the Canadian International Food Security Research Fund (CIFSRF).

"Canada supports research in agricultural innovation and nutrition as a means to increase food security and improve the lives and livelihoods of people in developing countries," said the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie. "The successful CIFSRF research projects are excellent examples of the transformative role innovation can play in helping to combat global hunger."

"These international collaborations will improve the lives of poor small-holder farmers and strengthen rural economies. With these innovations, farmers will be able to better feed themselves and supply more nutritious food to consumers in developing countries. At the same time, we are identifying the most effective ways of taking these food security solutions and achieving large-scale impacts with them," said IDRC president Jean Lebel.

The projects will be supported by the CIFSRF, which finances research in agricultural innovation and nutrition with the aim of increasing food security. It is now seeking to develop the following solutions:

·         Based on newly identified proteins, researchers at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada, and the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization, are developing a vaccine to help protect cattle against a form of pneumonia affecting livelihood of 24 million in Africa. The team will coordinate with manufacturers and government regulatory agencies to prepare for the widespread rollout of the vaccine in the region.

·         An efficient combination vaccine protects livestock against up to five deadly diseases. It was developed by a CIFSRF-supported team led by the University of Alberta, Canada, and the Agricultural Research Council, South Africa who will now carry out field trials of the combination vaccine and continue research on a vaccine against African swine fever.

·         The natural compound hexanal delays the ripening of mangos, according to researchers from the University of Guelph, Canada, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, India, and the Industrial Technical Institute, Sri Lanka. With the aid of nanotechnology, the team will continue to develop hexanal-impregnated packaging and biowax coatings to improve the fruit's resilience during handling and shipping for use in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. It will also expand its research to include other fruit and look at ways to commercialise the technologies.