j) Professor Sir Brian Heap (Director of the Biosciences for Farming in Africa Programme; Advisor, ‘Smart Villages’ project; Fellow of the Royal Academy; Former Master of St Edmunds’ College, Cambridge; Former President of the European Academies Science Advisory Council)

Duration: 20 mins 8 secs
Share this media item:
Embed this media item:


About this item
Image inherited from collection
Description: Biosciences for Farming in Africa; Smart Villages Entrepreneurship
 
Created: 2014-11-11 17:12
Collection: Cambridge-Africa Day 2014
Publisher: University of Cambridge
Copyright: Cambridge-Africa Programme
Language: eng (English)
Distribution: World     (downloadable)
Keywords: Africa; Biosciences for Farming in Africa; B4FA; Journalism; Agriculture; Smart Villages;
Credits:
Person:  Professor Sir Brian Heap
Editor:  Dr Bjoern Hassler
Author:  Cambridge-Africa
Explicit content: No
Aspect Ratio: 4:3
Screencast: No
Bumper: UCS Default
Trailer: UCS Default
 
Abstract: Two active projects will be summarised concerned with technology and entrepreneurship in African countries.
The first project which started in 2011 - Biosciences for Farming in Africa (www.B4FA.org) is directed towards the implementation of impressive scientific advances in food security where the need is greatest. No single solution will solve this problem but the new genetic technologies of plant breeding developed during the last few years promise to help increase agricultural production and save people from hunger in a sustainable manner.
Two scholarly booklets linked to a dedicated website with videos (B4FA.org) synthesize information in a balanced, accessible and affordable form for a wide-ranging audience in Africa. The web site acts as a portal for accurate and accessible information about plant genetics and biosciences, and it is used to circulate a widely-read “Week in Review” African newsletter and a very active social media presence.
A Media Fellowship Programme on GM crops and the new genetics of plant breeding attracted 160 journalists and editors in Ghana, Nigeria, Uganda and Tanzania. It has proved an overwhelming success, in terms of both outputs and outcomes, generating more than 1000 journalists’ pieces in 2 years and we believe that the activities are well on the way to achieving lasting impacts.
Available Formats
Format Quality Bitrate Size
MPEG-4 Video 932x360    1.9 Mbits/sec 288.02 MB View Download
WebM 932x360    457.64 kbits/sec 67.54 MB View Download
iPod Video 480x360    493.9 kbits/sec 72.83 MB View Download
MP3 44100 Hz 249.78 kbits/sec 36.89 MB Listen Download
Auto * (Allows browser to choose a format it supports)