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.
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Concerned about pesticide levels in food? Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list ignores organic pesticides while misrepresenting conventional trace chemical dangers
The Environmental Working Group wants to insure allied journalists like Sheila Kaplan that their new "dirty dozen" list is almost ready ...
Do conventional crops reduce biodiversity as advocacy groups claim? Is modern plant breeding necessary? Examining populist views on modern agriculture
The aim of the European Seed series on Myths, Fake News, Misinformation and Disinformation is to dive deeper, taking a closer ...
Grains, coffee and citrus are among foods threatened by rising temperatures. Some species may go completely extinct without new solutions
There are some ways in which we can definitely expect climate change to alter what we eat. Here are some ...
Viewpoint: Do US regulatory bodies pose a national threat to safe and productive agriculture?
The Biden administration has released an updated security memorandum, which outlines the threats to the American agricultural system, as well ...
Gene-edited wheat ‘significantly lowers levels of cancer-linked acrylamide which forms when bread is baked or toasted’
A strain of gene-edited wheat that could be sold in Britain under a new law has been shown to lower ...
Podcast and video: Fighting cystic fibrosis with viruses; Soaring seed prices; Europe’s byzantine plant-breeding rules persist
Cystic fibrosis is a fatal condition that claims patients at an early age, so why does it persist? Soaring seed ...
China’s cloned super-cows can produce 100 tons of milk per cow — 30% more than U.S dairy cattle
Chinese scientists have cloned three "super cows" able to produce 18 metric tons of milk per year and more than ...
‘USDA has been aware for years that its oversight of organic food fraud has been a massive failure’. Here’s what’s needed
Amended U.S. Department of Agriculture rules announced last month suggest the agency has high hopes for plans to crack down on fraud ...
Natural crops untouched by human tinkering? Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and brussels sprouts are genetically-altered variants of the Brassica family
The cruciferous vegetable family, also known as the Brassicaceae or Cruciferae family, originally hails from the Mediterranean and Central Asia ...
Here is how agriculture has evolved over the centuries… and how the science of farming continues to change
Crop production evolved independently in several regions of the world. However, historians believe the first instance of agriculture took place ...
GLP podcast and video: Universities host anti-science quack Vandana Shiva (again); Communist Cuba is pro-GMO; 1 year of ‘bioengineered’ food labels
Dozens of researchers recently blasted two universities for inviting anti-vaccine, anti-GMO activist Vandana Shiva to speak. Why do America's academic ...
Viewpoint: Why leftist GMO rejectionists should take notice of Cuba’s emergence as biomedicine and ag-biotech innovator
This past Christmas was not the best of times for Cubans. It was difficult to find food such as chicken, ...
Cuba poised for production of wheat modified by radiation mutagenesis that adapts to extreme heat and climate fluctuations
The history of Cuban science is full of the challenges faced by daring, diligent and, above all, persistent researchers. An ...
Europe’s sugar beet crop faces potentially devastating consequences in wake of EU court ruling blocking countries’ ability to grant neonicotinoid pesticide use exemptions
A European Union court ruling reinforcing a ban on neonicotinoids — a type of pesticide considered harmful to bees — ...
67 tons: Harvest of first commercial-quality GMO beta carotene-enriched Golden Rice nears completion in Philippines
More than 67 tons of fresh paddy of beta carotene-enriched rice have been harvested in 17 Golden Rice production sites ...
Viewpoint: Could crop biotechnology mitigate dislocations from climate change? Anti-GMO activists say ‘no’. Here’s why they are wrong
We’ve heard a lot about climate change, and its impact on crops, especially in tropical and sub-tropical regions of the ...
Part I: With Kenya poised to embrace growing and importing genetically modified crops, Ugandan farmers and scientists bemoan their country’s inaction
The decision last fall by newly-elected Kenyan President, Dr. William Samoei arap Ruto to lift his country’s 10-year ban on ...
GLP’s Jon Entine on Seed World: How the Ukrainian war and African famine are changing public perceptions about genetic modification of crops and agricultural gene editing
There are many questions and misunderstandings that surround gene editing, especially as the world still works to understand the technology. In ...
Viewpoint: Has the organic trend gone stale? After 10 years of growth, organic food sales have started to fall in the UK
After 10 years of slow but steady growth, sales of organic food and drink in UK supermarkets have fallen by ...
Insect food? Public skepticism remains a major hurdle but here is the sustainability case for including them in our diet
The consumption of insects has slowly increased as the benefits become widely discussed. More than 2,000 edible species have been identified ...
Philadelphia Cream Cheese launches plant-based version
Philadelphia Cream Cheese is launching a plant-based version of its original-flavored spread. This is the first time a big brand ...
Reversal: As Kenyans face escalating threats of hunger, country’s High Court temporarily suspends import of GM corn
The High Court in Kenya has temporarily suspended the government’s plan to allow importation and distribution of genetically modified organisms ...
India’s highest court weighs approval of GM mustard, its first biotech food crop
The row over transgenic crops in India is back. On 18 October, India’s Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) approved the ...
‘Sustainable fondue’: Cattle and dairy farming produces billions of tons of CO2 each year. Here’s how climate-friendly lab-grown cheese can change that
Hi, I’m Will, and I have a cheese addiction. My partner regularly catches me swiping slices when I am cooking, ...
Genetically modified crops and sustainability: 25 years since their widespread introduction, yields are higher and the environmental footprint is smaller
Genetically modified (GM) crops have increased global food, feed and fiber production by nearly 1 billion tonnes (1 tonne equals ...
More than 3,000 plants — including some organic crops — developed by mutating seeds using radiation or chemicals. Here’s an explainer
Plant mutation breeding, also called variation breeding, is a method that uses physical radiation or chemical means to induce spontaneous genetic variation in plants ...
Poultry meat and eggs are the most common sources of Salmonella infections. Here’s how CRISPR could address the problem and keep you from getting sick
The poultry industry is under intense scrutiny right now when it comes to Salmonella control, but a new next generation sequencing technique ...
