Nanotechnology promises revolutionary solutions for all kinds of problems. At this early stage it is possible to outline the applications of nanotech that could contribute to development and poverty reduction, and the dilemmas that might emerge. Whether developing countries will really benefit will depend on science and research policies in both the South and the North.   read more >>

The International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology for Development (IAASTD) is working toward achieving consensus on ways to ensure global food security. In April, in Johannesburg, some of the world’s governments will decide whether to approve the IAASTD report.   read more >>

Since the end of the Cold War, rapid progress in commercial technology, along with the War on Terror and international peace enforcing missions, have been driving precision and remote control warfare. But these weapons do not fulfil the promise of ‘bloodless’ war.   read more >>

Last year more the solar industry made record profits. The worldwide demand for PV solar systems grew from a mere 125 megawatts (MW) in 1999 to 4,500 MW in 2008. This huge increase in demand was largely due to market incentives, in particular the feed-in tariff (FiT). The FiT was first introduced in Denmark, then on a larger scale in Germany and later in Spain. It works as follows: utility companies are obliged by law to accept - and give priority to - renewable energy (wind or solar) that ‘third parties’ produce and feed into the electricity grid. They also have to pay a fixed amount per kilowatt hour (kWh), guaranteed for many years (20 in Germany, 25 in Spain). To cover the costs of the FiT scheme, utility companies are permitted to raise the price per 1 kWh that households pay for their electricity. In most cases, the costs of the incentive scheme do therefore not appear in government budgets.1   read more >>

The Science Forum 2009 is now well and truly under way. After opening remarks by the chair of the CGIAR Science Council, Rudy Rabbinge, among others, the conference is kicked off by several agenda-setting keynote speeches. First up is Professor Martin Kropff, Rector of the host institution, Wageningen University. Kropff takes full advantage of his platform to advertise his university, speaking with practised fluency about its capabilities, mission and current reorganisation into a unive...   read more >>

During the second afternoon of the Science Forum, we plunge into a session that ought to have been scheduled on the first morning – a scene-setting plenary that delves into the key themes that are supposed to be framing the conference: forging partnerships and mobilising linkages. It’s great pity that the four useful presentations have come so late in the agenda, particularly since they take place after the parallel workshops are already over. Nevertheless, the four speakers provide us...   read more >>

Many of the speakers and participants in Science Forum 2009 invoked the spectre of hunger in the context of population growth and climate change. The prognosis is of increasing pressure on scarce agricultural land and water as we try to produce enough food. It is said that we must exert ourselves to the utmost to make farming more productive over its existing surface area, since we cannot afford to expand the available agricultural land. And the need is urgent. At the same time, the con...   read more >>