In the World: Nanotech on the Farm

Summary posted by Meridian on 3/12/2010
Source: MIT News
Author: Anne Trafton

The article discusses a project organized by Meridian Institute, and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to help smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa improve agricultural efficiency. A team of scientists traveled to Kenya and Ghana last summer, to study three agricultural value chains: cassava, dairy, and maize. The team came up with over 200 innovative ideas to help farmers overcome obstacles they face on a daily basis, and have since narrowed these down to 22 concepts, several of which involve the application of nanotechnology. Cassava is a staple crop for millions of people in Africa, but it has a short shelf life, and will spoil within one to three days after harvest. Farmers must get it to a processing center as soon as possible or it will go to waste. Paula Hammond, a professor of chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States, and a member of the project team, along with other scientists, is working to design a plastic storage bag lined with nanoparticles that would react with oxygen, preventing the rotting. According to Hammond, the bag "would enable farmers to harvest and store and process at times convenient to them." Other nanotechnology based solutions include a milk container with antimicrobial properties that would preserve milk longer than the plastic jugs currently used by most dairy farmers, and a nanopatterned paper diagnostic tool to detect heat and pregnancy in cows. Todd Barker, a Partner at Meridian Institute, says the next step is to develop, test and bring these ideas to commercialization, "... to make sure the ideas that came out of the trip reach the farmers in Africa." The article can be viewed online at the link below.

As tagged by Meridian Institute:

Related Forums:

NDN Home

Manage Subscription

Search News Archives

3rd International Seminar on Nanosciences and Nanotechnology -- Seminario Naotecnologias Cuba (7/29/2010) The 3rd International Seminar on Nanosciences and Nanotechnology, organized by the Office of the Scientific Advisor to the State Council of the Republic of Cuba and the Center for Advanced Cuban Studes (CEAC), will take place from September 6-10, 2010, in Havana, Cuba. The aim of the conference is to open new paths of cooperation for the development of CEAC, consolidate existent and emerging networks in the country, and provide elements for the design of a national strategy in this field. [More]

Super-sizing a Cancer Drug Minimizes Side Effects -- MIT News (7/29/2010) Scientists at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST) have designed a new version of the drug cisplatin, one of the first chemotherapy drugs given to patients diagnosed with cancer, that spares the kidneys, allowing doctors to use higher doses. [More]

An Asphalt Pact Cut Fumes—& Created A Model -- New Haven Independent (7/29/2010) At a recent conference hosted by the United States National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), convened to talk about the potential health hazards in the nanotechnology industry, a successful partnership between government, industry, and workers to tackle worker safety in the asphalt industry was looked to as a possible model for addressing worker safety in the nanotechnology industry. [More]

Nanomagnets Remove Pathogens from Blood -- Nanowerk (7/28/2010) Researchers from the Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering of the ETH Zurich, Switzerland, have demonstrated a novel use of nanomagnets to rapidly and selectively remove heavy metal ions, overdosed steroid drugs and proteins from human blood. [More]

More News...

Learn how to include these headlines on your own website by clicking here.

Please email us if you require text-only versions of the daily emails.








our team contact us site map	In the World: Nanotech on the Farm Summary posted by Meridian on 3/12/2010 Source: MIT News Author: Anne Trafton The article discusses a project organized by Meridian Institute, and funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, to help smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa improve agricultural efficiency. A team of scientists traveled to Kenya and Ghana last summer, to study three agricultural value chains: cassava, dairy, and maize. The team came up with over 200 innovative ideas to help farmers overcome obstacles they face on a daily basis, and have since narrowed these down to 22 concepts, several of which involve the application of nanotechnology. Cassava is a staple crop for millions of people in Africa, but it has a short shelf life, and will spoil within one to three days after harvest. Farmers must get it to a processing center as soon as possible or it will go to waste. Paula Hammond, a professor of chemical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), United States, and a member of the project team, along with other scientists, is working to design a plastic storage bag lined with nanoparticles that would react with oxygen, preventing the rotting. According to Hammond, the bag "would enable farmers to harvest and store and process at times convenient to them." Other nanotechnology based solutions include a milk container with antimicrobial properties that would preserve milk longer than the plastic jugs currently used by most dairy farmers, and a nanopatterned paper diagnostic tool to detect heat and pregnancy in cows. Todd Barker, a Partner at Meridian Institute, says the next step is to develop, test and bring these ideas to commercialization, "... to make sure the ideas that came out of the trip reach the farmers in Africa." The article can be viewed online at the link below. The original article may still be available at web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2010/nanotech-farm-0312.html As tagged by Meridian Institute: Implications: Socio-Economic Effects, Human Enhancement Materials And Manufacturing: Manufacturing, Materials Regions: North America, Sub-Saharan Africa Stakeholders: Donors, Academia, NGO Food And Agriculture: Nutrition, Crops, Agriculture, Food Related Forums: Materials and Manufacturing Food and Agriculture Socio-Economic print format	NDN Home Subscribe Manage Subscription Search News Archives 3rd International Seminar on Nanosciences and Nanotechnology -- Seminario Naotecnologias Cuba (7/29/2010) The 3rd International Seminar on Nanosciences and Nanotechnology, organized by the Office of the Scientific Advisor to the State Council of the Republic of Cuba and the Center for Advanced Cuban Studes (CEAC), will take place from September 6-10, 2010, in Havana, Cuba. The aim of the conference is to open new paths of cooperation for the development of CEAC, consolidate existent and emerging networks in the country, and provide elements for the design of a national strategy in this field. [More] Super-sizing a Cancer Drug Minimizes Side Effects -- MIT News (7/29/2010) Scientists at the Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology (HST) have designed a new version of the drug cisplatin, one of the first chemotherapy drugs given to patients diagnosed with cancer, that spares the kidneys, allowing doctors to use higher doses. [More] An Asphalt Pact Cut Fumes—& Created A Model -- New Haven Independent (7/29/2010) At a recent conference hosted by the United States National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), convened to talk about the potential health hazards in the nanotechnology industry, a successful partnership between government, industry, and workers to tackle worker safety in the asphalt industry was looked to as a possible model for addressing worker safety in the nanotechnology industry. [More] Nanomagnets Remove Pathogens from Blood -- Nanowerk (7/28/2010) Researchers from the Institute for Chemical and Bioengineering of the ETH Zurich, Switzerland, have demonstrated a novel use of nanomagnets to rapidly and selectively remove heavy metal ions, overdosed steroid drugs and proteins from human blood. [More] More News... Learn how to include these headlines on your own website by clicking here. Please email us if you require text-only versions of the daily emails.