Crops & Food
We eat to live. Humans use approximately 11% of Earth’s land for the cultivation of crops for food, but also for clothing, medicine and biofuels. Globally, major crops include sugarcane, pumpkin, maize (corn), wheat, rice, cassava, soybeans, hay, potatoes and cotton.
Below is the complete archive of related articles sorted by date.
Strawberries are often perfectly shaped, humongous and uniform — but the flavor leaves much to be desired. Genetic engineering could change that
Native strawberries have been grown in the British Isles for centuries. But the ones we eat today are the product ...
GLP podcast and video: Eating meat = cannibalism? Glyphosate safety reaffirmed (again); The science-free campaign against aspartame
Is meat-eating analogous to human sacrifice? One Washington Post contributor says yes, but how strong is her case? Another expert ...
Which diet is highest in ‘ultra-processed’ foods? Vegan tops list, sparking more nuanced conversation about UPFs
Veganism has the potential to promote healthy eating as people ditch meat - but the rise of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) ...
6 fake news websites stoking fear about crops grown from genetically-engineered seeds
"Fake news" may be new to most people, but not to followers of the anti-GMO debate. Here are some of ...
With climate disruptions increasing and bans on most genetically-engineered crops, African crop yields remain among lowest in the world
Africa has a huge population with by far the least sophisticated food production and processing systems. Any improvements would have the ...
Tracing the chickpea: How trade and migration shaped this popular legume’s genetics
With its nutty flavor and dense nutrient profile, the humble chickpea has captivated palates and nourished civilizations for millennia ...
Viewpoint: Food upcycling — Maybe the key to food sustainability isn’t growing more crops, but cutting back food waste
[The Salt and Straw] ice cream chain is among those at the forefront of the upcycling movement, the process of ...
Russia banned GMOs years ago to distinguish itself from the United States. What’s its current stance toward genetic engineering, CRISPR and other New Breeding Techniques?
Russia's decision to ban importation and cultivation of GMOs made sense from a political perspective. But it's a decision the ...
Why small African pig farmers are losing out on big data revolution globally transforming agriculture
The Cloudfarms pig-production-management software program provides real-time reporting through big data captured via workers’ smartphones as they move through the pig ...
GLP podcast and video: Aspartame doesn’t cause cancer; Alcohol is good…and bad for you? An expert checklist for spotting health scares
Does the sweetener aspartame, found in all sorts of foods and drinks, cause cancer? Controversy over the chemical's safety has ...
Orange ‘super banana’: Gates-funded Ugandan scientists develop vitamin A enhanced fruit that could help reduce blindness and save lives
Wilberforce Tushemereirwe holds up a genetically modified banana that took millions of dollars and 20 years to make. It contains ...
Flipping the script: Gates Foundation funds ‘farmer-centric’ approach to developing next-generation agricultural technologies in the developing world
Across the world, agricultural scientists are starting to work backward. For years, they’ve seen how improved crop varieties — which ...
‘We live in a changed climate’: Here’s what may happen to wheat crops as number of heat waves and droughts increase
The world is getting hotter, causing shifts in seasonal patterns and increasing the amount of extreme weather such as severe ...
Can regenerative agriculture live up to its hype and help feed a globally growing population?
Decades of industrial agriculture have caused environmental and social damage across the globe. Soils have deteriorated and plant and animal species are ...
22% yield increase: How non-photochemical quenching, or NPQ, could dramatically boost corn production
Awash in a rowed sea of its brethren, a corn leaf relegated to the lowest rung of its stem spends ...
Humans have been genetically modifying crops for thousands of years. Here are some examples of what some popular foods used to look like.
Ever wonder how your food would look and taste if humans had not genetically modified them over the course of ...
Still-unapproved CRISPR gene-drive could suppress fruit-killing vinegar flies
Researchers have developed a "homing gene drive system" based on CRISPR/Cas9 that could be used to suppress populations of Drosophila ...
Climate-induced ketchup shortage? How AI and other advanced technologies are helping farmers navigate global warming
Three summers’ worth of unprecedented high heat in the world’s key tomato-producing regions—Australia, Spain, and California’s central valley—have led to ...
How soon will gene-edited seeds become the agricultural norm?
Rabobank sees that expectations for gene edited crops are high, and significant growth in their adoption is projected in the ...
Kenyan High Court rejects appeal to suspend genetically modified crop import ban
The government recently suffered a setback when the Court of Appeal declined to overturn orders of the High Court suspending ...
From dirt to the dinner table: Tracking how foods make the journey across a massive globally-connected food system
I’m a naturally curious person, but sometimes life (read: kids) takes me off course. But recently, I seized the opportunity for ...
Kenya upholds ban on GMO crop importation
The Attorney General (AG9) has lost a bid to have orders stopping the importation of genetically modified foods (GMO) suspended ...
Microplastics are widespread across our food supply. Are they a health hazard?
A new study by CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, is one of the first to analyze the available academic literature ...
USDA promotes new rules to improve seed industry competition and enhance resiliency of America’s food supply chains
On March 6, 2023, the United States Department of Agriculture ("USDA") released a new report: "More and Better Choices for ...
Mexican argument that corn ban does no harm meets US opposition
The Mexican government continues to minimize U.S. concerns over President Andrés Manuel López Obrador's restriction on genetically modified white corn, ...
Mustard greens genetically tweaked to be less bitter will be the first CRISPR edited food available in the US when they reach supermarkets this summer
A gene-editing startup wants to help you eat healthier salads. This month, North Carolina–based Pairwise is rolling out a new ...
Does GMO corn increase crop yields? More than 20 years of data confirm it does — and provides substantial health and safety benefits
While many studies show that genetically modified crops contribute to yield gains, GMO critics say that they don’t. Such claims, ...
