Maternal, Newborn, and Adolescent Health

The primary focus of this study in Pakistan will be improving the food production under reduced water conditions to feed the ever increasing population of the world.

The ""Sustainable Aquatic Agriculture for Lakes"project, of Grupo Cabal in Nicaragua and the University of Costa Rica in Costa Rica, will test technologies to cultivate aquatic plants and horticultural and grain crops on floatation, contributing to increase food production without spending fresh water beyond what normally evaporates from lakes.

Many rural households often get excess food at harvesting time but thereafter face deficits and undernutrition due to poor storage and bad planning for surplus. We will develop an innovative food banking scheme to reduce wastage and malnutrition.

Cowpea (AKA black-eyed pea) is a high-protein superfood, well-suited to growing in even the dry, poor soil conditions of sub-Saharan Africa. It isn't widely consumed in the region, however, due to the flatulence it causes - a problem that could be reduced by sugar-reducing enzymes, or by soaking and other techniques. With partners at the University of Guelph, cowpea-based hummus, flour and other products will be tested, with product promotion through social groups, retail outlets and other avenues. For more information visit: http://giiafrica.org/

We aim to develop a pesticide against maize weevils and aflatoxin-producing fungi. It will be implemented in Tanzania. If successful, it will improve food safety and production.

More than 842 million people, mostly in the developing world, do not have enough food. Poor nutrition causes 45% of deaths in children under five. This innovation is introducing a passive (natural) aeration system to improve water quality and production in aquaculture ponds. The idea uses the notion that a pond has two layers. The top layer is oxygen rich, as plants in the water generate oxygen in daylight. The bottom layer is cold and oxygen depleted.

Between 2006-2009 in Nairobi, only 17% of the total maize sampled and 5% of feed was fit for human and animal consumption respectively. University of Western Ontario researchers have developed novel yogurts containing a bacteria that, in the stomach, sequesters certain toxins and heavy metals and degrades some pesticides. We have developed novel yogurts containing lactobacilli bacteria to sequester aflatoxins and heavy metals and degrade some pesticides. When these bacteria are added to locally produced foods, they can reduce morbidity associated with these toxins.

Wireless-based biosensor network to detect mycotoxins in maize harvesting, storage and transportation

Rhizosphere engineering through biostimulation of Quorum quenching bacteria for controlling bacterial diseases in vegetables Bacterial pathogens have been largely controlled through pesticides even though there are risks involved. Aside from the economic demerits, pesticides negatively affect animal and human health due to their direct, indirect and residual effects, and are considered as risk to biodiversity, biosafety, and environment.

A low-cost, paper-based device developed by this project will help detect E. coli bacteria and other pathogens in food and water in low-resource settings.