Crops

Officials from 14 nations attend training conducted by ICRISAT

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The programme is aimed at tackling challenges such as land restoration, carbon neutrality, and smallholder farming sustainability. (Image source: ICRISAT)

A three-week international training on landscape resource conservation recently concluded at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) bringing together 24 participants from 14 countries

These include Ghana, Tajikistan, South Sudan, Myanmar, Morocco, Ethiopia, Cambodia, Liberia, Mali, Chad, Sri Lanka, Lesotho, Iran, and the Philippines. The programme is aimed at tackling challenges such as land restoration, carbon neutrality, and smallholder farming sustainability. It also provides a platform for sharing global best practices. During the training, director general-interim of ICRISAT, Dr Stanford Blade highlighted the importance of two-way knowledge exchange and encouraged continued collaboration beyond the workshop.

Key themes such as landscape hydrology, land resource inventory, natural resource management (NRM) structures, digital tools for landscape management, water budgeting, climate-resilient agriculture, sustainable farming practices, and nutrient management were covered during the training. Participants were also urged to translate their learnings into tangible actions.

At the inaugural session, Dr Ramesh Singh, principal scientist & cluster lead-ICRISAT at Development Centre, provided an overview of the course, while ICRISAT’s Global Research Programme directors, Dr Sean Mayes and Dr Victor Afari-Sefa, emphasised the role of collaborative research in addressing global challenges.

Participants engaged in immersive tour experiences which included an ICRISAT field visit and a one-week exposure visit to landscape intervention sites in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. The tour included the World Heritage Irrigation Structure – Sukma Dukma Dam – and visits to ICAR institutes IGFRI and CAFRI, which specialise in grassland and fodder research, as well as agroforestry.

“This training is not just an academic exercise; it embodies the spirit of South-South collaboration. I urge you to stay connected and build on this resource base to drive meaningful change,” Dr Blade emphasised. He also acknowledged the support of the Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, for facilitating the programme.

Novonesis takes over dsm-firmenich’s Feed Enzyme Allaince share

Novonesis has signed an agreement with dsm-firmenich to take over the sales and distribution activities of the Feed Enzyme Alliance in exchange for a total cash consideration of US$1.5bn

This acquisition aligns with Novonesis’ growth strategy and expands its presence across the animal biosolutions value chain. Financially, this transaction is accretive to revenue growth, adjusted EBITDA margin and adjusted EPS excl. amortisation, with attractive revenue synergies.

Novonesis will vertically integrate the complete value chain of the Alliance, adding dsm-firmenich’s sales and distribution activities alongside its existing product innovation and production capabilities. The fully integrated business will be better equipped to serve existing and new customers with strong insights into core markets and product technologies enhancing R&D and unleashing further innovation.

Through the successful combination of Novozymes and Chr Hansen, Novonesis is now an industry leader in animal biosolutions with one consolidated go to market model and leading technological know-how. With this transaction Novonesis will have a greater customer reach and a broader offering of market leading biosolutions, combining enzymes and probiotics, for both animal nutrition and health. This acquisition will accelerate Novonesis’ sales growth of animal biosolutions by a low-single-digit CAGR above market growth.

“The Alliance has been a great success for both companies, establishing a global leadership position in feed enzymes," said CEO of dsm-firmenich, Dimitri de Vreeze. I am confident that this business will continue to thrive under the leadership of Novonesis, and I am pleased that the long-term commercial relationship with our Animal Nutrition & Health business will continue.”

DatoDurian pioneers first tokenisation of Malaysian durian farm

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The DatoDurian private launch event was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (Image source: DatoDurian)

Malaysia's first live agriculture tokenisation project, DatoDurian has announced the completion of its private sale, selling 100% of the initial round

This milestone, achieved ahead of schedule, solidifies DatoDurian's position as the pioneer in blending agriculture and blockchain technology to revolutionise Malaysia's premium durian industry. By tokenising durian farms as Real-World Assets (RWAs), DatoDurian enables investors to own a share of Southeast Asia's most profitable agricultural market. The platform not only provides unprecedented access to a thriving industry, but also ensures transparency and long-term stability for investors.

DatoDurian is also offering customers free cryptocurrency tokens, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. This choice from the company enforces their stance on trust and security for all users. These tokens are designed to be traded 24-7-365 on several security exchanges globally like NexStox, offering seamless global liquidity. The company also adheres to Shariah principles, unlocking access to the US$445 trillion global market that is inaccessible to Islamic Finance.

In a public token sale, DatoDurian is creating and distributing tokens on Mantra Chain, a purpose-built RWA Layer 1 Blockchain, that's capable of adherence to real world regulatory requirements in the coming weeks. "At MANTRA we're focused on empowering those with high quality asset classes - just like DatoDurian's farms - with the leading protocol and infrastructure they need to seamlessly participate and build solutions in the evolving RWA tokenisation space.Just like real estate, agriculture makes a perfect use case for tokenisation. It's exciting to see how this project could lead to others and the opportunities it will yield," said CEO and co-founder of MANTRA, John Patrick Mullin.

Desert Control joins UNWFP SPRINT programme

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The WFP Innovation Accelerator supports bold and transformative solutions to address food insecurity. (Image source: Adobe Stock)

Leader in soil and water conservation technology, Desert Control AS has been selected to join the United Nations World Food Programme’s (WFP) Innovation Accelerator SPRINT Programme

Our participation in this programme aims to pilot the innovative Liquid Natural Clay (LNC) technology in Iraq, focusing on sustainable food production and efficient water resource management. Funded by a grant from the WFP Innovation Accelerator, the six-month pilot will be executed in collaboration with Desert Control’s regional partner, Soyl and the WFP Iraq Country Office. The project will target the enablement of agricultural cultivation under harsh desert conditions at a site managed by the Iraqi Ministry of Agriculture’s Department of Forestry and Combating Desertification. The initiative aims to demonstrate LNC's capacity to improve soil health, reduce water consumption, and convert low-value agricultural land into fertile areas suitable for high-value crops.

"Iraq has been grappling with environmental challenges such as drought, desertification, and water scarcity, which jeopardise food production and community livelihoods," said Ole Kristian Sivertsen, CEO of Desert Control. "Being part of the WFP Innovation Accelerator Programme enables us to develop a blueprint for drought response and resilience, utilising our innovation to transform degraded land into fertile soil. By enhancing agricultural productivity under water-limited conditions, we empower communities to manage their resources sustainably and contribute to global food security."

The WFP Innovation Accelerator supports bold and transformative solutions to address food insecurity. Its SPRINT Programme (Sustainable Product Innovation & Technology) offers seed funding, hands-on project management and access to WFP’s expert networks. Desert Control’s involvement aligns with WFP’s mission to eradicate hunger and achieve Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger).

"By leveraging innovative solutions like Liquid Natural Clay, we aim to tackle the root causes of food insecurity while building resilience in regions most affected by climate change and resource scarcity," said Bernhard Kowatsch, head of the WFP Innovation Accelerator. "We look forward to Desert Control and Soyl joining our programme to explore the potential of this technology to unlock sustainable food production."

Kashif Shamsi, group CEO of Mawarid Holding, parent company of Soyl, expressed: "As a group deeply committed to the conservation of natural resources, we are honored to work with Desert Control and WFP as the implementation partner for this groundbreaking initiative. This innovation programme holds immense potential to create lasting impact, transforming how communities in arid regions can sustainably cultivate their lands and achieve food security, which can become a global blueprint for solutions to end hunger."

The project plans to demonstrate the innovation’s impact on agricultural crops, including olive trees, pistachio, and windbreak varieties in sandy soils, with performance monitored against designated control areas. Success metrics encompass reduced water usage, improved tree survival rates, and observable plant and ecosystem health enhancements.

"Through participating in this programme, we aim to demonstrate how marginal land and sandy soils can be transformed into productive agricultural land, contributing to food security and sustainable economic development," Sivertsen added. "Our mission is clear: soil health leads to healthy plants with less pressure on natural resources, which support healthy food, healthy people, and, ultimately, a healthy planet. We aim to make earth green again by delivering innovations that secure the future of humanity and the resources we depend on, and we are proud to work with the WFP team to drive meaningful impact on this mission."

Distribution agreement inked to market new biological crop protection product

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Velsinum will increase access to biological alternatives for vegetable and potato operations. (Image source: Bayer)

Bayer recently announced that the company has signed a new exclusive distribution agreement with UK-based Ecospray to market a biological liquid nematicide sourced from garlic

The product presents a biological alternative to traditional synthetic chemical nematicides in vegetable and potato crops, and will be marketed in the European Union under the new name Velsinum.

“Farmers in the EU are in desperate need of new, effective solutions against pests for their high-value vegetable crops,” said Jens Hartmann, regional head for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) at Bayer’s Crop Science Division. “Velsinum will be a welcome addition into Bayer’s trusted portfolio of biological solutions and technologies supported by innovations like Velum, BioAct, Nematool and Terra MG.”

Nematodes cause over US$77.4bn worth of damage to crops globally each year with all crops facing at least one nematode pest threat. Velsinum will offer growers a new tool against nematode root damage with complementary benefits for both plant and soil health. Plants which can avoid root damage are better able to absorb available nutrients and also can withstand disease and pest pressure overall, all while safekeeping beneficial earthworm populations to maintain soil quality.

Ecospray’s knowledge and expertise of the naturally occurring bioactive compounds contained within garlic has allowed the company to develop effective plant protection products which take advantage of the natural nematicidal properties of garlic extract in order to create safe, effective and zero-residue solutions.

“We are excited to collaborate with Bayer on Velsinum, which is fully compatible with Bayer’s existing biological portfolio,” said Peter McDonald, CEO of Ecospray. “This partnership is a strong endorsement of Ecospray and its R&D capabilities developed over many years. We also greatly appreciate the ongoing support from our existing distributors in Europe Certis Belchim BV and CBC (Europe) SRL., who remain vital to our market development with our legacy product Nemguard.”

Bayer’s partnership with Ecospray continues Bayer’s work to bring new botanical and biological solutions from the open innovation ecosystem to growers, while encouraging diversity in modern agricultural practices and enabling additional regenerative agricultural practices. With Bayer’s trusted brand, global commercialisation capabilities, and unparalleled agricultural systems expertise Bayer helps to bring effective biological products to market more quickly.

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