News & Highlights

Pest and Diseases Image Library, Bugwood.org. ARS Scientists Help Fight Damaging Moth in Africa ARS Scientists Help Fight Damaging Moth in Africa. The sterile insect technique or its derivative for moths, inherited sterility, is being successfully applied to suppress the False Codling Moth (Thaumatotibia leucotreta) in an environment-friendly way. This approach was developed several years ago by the Joint FAO/IAEA Division in a multiagency project in South Africa, and can also be used to keep this harmful insect out of the USA and many other countries. The False Codling Moth is still confined to sub-Saharan Africa, where it is resistant to many insecticides and a key pest of citrus and many other crops. Full Story »

Deadly cattle plague, once the bane of farmers, on its deathbed Deadly cattle plague, once the bane of farmers, on its deathbed. Arguably, rinderpest in the most dreaded cattle disease because of its epidemic history that caused massive depopulations of livestock and wildlife on three continents and because it has been responsible for several famines and the loss of draught animal power in agricultural communities of the last three centuries. The Agency, in collaboration with a global effort, contributed towards the successful eradication campaign.
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Use of the Sterile Insect Technique to Tackle Olive Fruit Fly Use of the Sterile Insect Technique to Tackle Olive Fruit Fly. Despite being revered by kings and symbolising peace, olive trees are attacked by Bactrocera oleae, more commonly known as the olive fruit fly. This small, insect can damage up to 90% of a farmer's fruit, damaging the crops and the livelihoods of the olive growers and export industry. Scientists from the Joint Division FAO/IAEA are proving to control the pest using the Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), a nuclear-based pest control technology. Full Story »

IAEA and African Union Commission Join Forces in Fight Against Deadly Tsetse Fly IAEA and African Union Commission Join Forces in Fight Against Deadly Tsetse Fly. African countries joined forces with the IAEA to take a decisive step in the fight against the tsetse fly, the main carrier of parasites that cause sleeping sickness in humans and trypanosomosis in animals. Thanks to the increased use of Sterile Insect Technique (SIT), a nuclear-based pest control technology, African countries are expected in future to clear more of their territories of this deadly insect. Full Story »

World Summit on Food Security World Summit on Food Security. Sixty Heads of State and Government and 191 Ministers from 182 countries and the European Community attended the World Summit for Food Security from 16-18 November 2009. Full Story »


World Trade Organization - Transparency deal emerging for developing nations' treatment in food safety and related issues. Full Story »

Community-based Dairy Veterinary Services in Bangladesh Community-based Dairy Veterinary Services in Bangladesh. Bangladesh has taken advantage of results from previous research conducted through IAEA CRP and TCP to develop a self-sustaining Community-based Dairy Veterinary Service. Full Story »

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Upcoming Meetings

1 - 5 February 2010
Biology of Male Mosquitoes in Relation to Genetic Control Programmes, Vienna, Austria.
Scientific Secretary: J. Gilles

1 - 5 February 2010
Regional Training Course on the Establishment of Standard Screening Protocols for In Vitro and In Vivo Selection of Crop Mutant Lines Tolerant to Drought, RLA/5/056, Cali, Colombia.
Scientific Secretary: Madeleine Spencer

8 - 10 February 2010
Genetic Variation on the Control of Resistance to Infectious Diseases, Vienna, Austria.
Scientific Secretary: Gerrit Viljoen / M. Garcia

NAFA Meetings »