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.
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 ...
Podcast: Seralini’s infamous rat study 10 years later — Looking back at the retracted research linking GM corn and glyphosate to cancer
Ten years ago the biotech world froze and horrific images of three tumor-ridden rats penetrated the media. Social media erupted ...
Precautionary Politics: Europe Moves Backward into a Fear-Based ‘Dark Ages’ in Regulating Agriculture and Cancer Risks
David Zaruk, Founder of GreenFacts, Environmental-Health Risk Governance Analyst, Professor at Odisee University College | July 25, 2018 Highlights: The ...
Viewpoint: Anti-GMO activists, from Organic Consumers Association to Joe Mercola to Vandana Shiva, formed an alliance. Why this is good news for biotech and science supporters
Alliances and networks is the new game plan among anti-GM activists. Recently, Organic Consumers Association [read GLP profile head Ronnie ...
Australia approves trial run of high-yield herbicide-resistant GM canola and mustard seeds
Australia's Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) has issued license DIR 188 to Nuseed Pty Ltd., for the limited ...
Biofortification of staple crops: How the mundane pearl millet grain was transformed into a ‘hunger fighting’ gladiator
Pearl millet has long made up the bulk of diets of rural communities in drought-prone regions of India and Africa ...
Viewpoint: ‘Chaos is coming’ — Cost of food staples like tortillas, chicken and eggs will skyrocket if Mexico follows through with its GM corn ban
If the food shortage is already high, hold on because it will get worse — because chaos is coming with ...
Viewpoint: Why Washington should sharply increase funding for intensive agricultural to address climate change, spur sustainability
The 20th century was a time of massive changes in US agriculture. From farmers scraping a living out of the ...
Viewpoint: Ideology not science — Here’s why NBC News’ factually inaccurate reporting on the ‘dangers’ of the weedkiller glyphosate sets a dangerous precedent
What happens when an online information resource leans into clickbait? It’s annoying but generally harmless entertainment. When it’s a resource ...
How a new regulatory structure for biotechnology-tweaked crops might work — and why it’s desperately needed
Current approaches for triggering safety testing of genetically engineered (GE) crops vary substantially among countries and generally lack scientific merit, ...
Why are seedless watermelons ‘genetically modified’ but not considered GMOs?
Before, there were two types of people: those who spit out the seeds of the watermelon and those who removed ...
Study: $261 billion — That’s how much GMO crops have boosted farmers’ incomes
This paper updates previous estimates for the global value of using genetically modified (GM) crop technology in agriculture at the ...
Zambia’s traditional pig farmers poised to embrace reproductive biotechnology in break from European-inspired anti-biotech sentiments
Zambia’s traditional pig farmers are poised to further embrace reproductive biotechnology, including advanced forms of artificial insemination as an alternative ...
65,000 Bangladeshi farmers now grow GMO insect-resistant eggplant as production soars among local farms
In 2020/21, more than 65,000 farmers in Bangladesh used genetically modified Bt aubergines. A rapid increase since the GM crop was ...
After deliberating less than an hour, Missouri county jury concludes glyphosate weedkiller did not cause plaintiff’s cancer, delivering Bayer/Monsanto 5th court victory in a row
A St. Louis County jury has determined Bayer and the former Monsanto should not be held liable in a lawsuit ...
Indonesia looks to GMOs to address inflation, though some farmers are skeptical
The government is set on boosting the development of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), despite skepticism from experts and farmers that ...
Ghana plans for education, stewardship in GMO cowpea rollout
As Ghana readies genetically modified cowpea for commercialization, proper stewardship is paramount to safeguard the responsible management of the technology, ...
Disease-resistant GM cassava promises to be game-changer for Kenya
At the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO) center in Mtwapa, Kenya, scientist Paul Kuria uproots two sets of ...
‘Smart plants’: The next generation of crops will have genetic on-off switches
Climate change is going to put a severe strain on the ability of the world’s plants to survive. Entire ecosystems ...
Nutrition, productivity, climate adaptability: Surge in African crop biotechnology research poised to address malnutrition and food security
Scientists are using genomics to tackle malnutrition in Africa and more. The African Orphan Crops Consortium (AOCC), founded in 2011, ...
A UK Farmer’s Perspective: What are the Consequences for Sustainability and the Public When Biotechnology Innovations are Withheld?
Jake Freestone, Farm Manager at Overbury Farms, West Midlands, United Kingdom | July 10, 2018Highlights:European politicians bows to activist pressure, ...
Facing low corn and soybean yields, Vietnam looks to genetic engineering to increase food security
Vietnam is dependent on imported feed materials because our corn and soybean yield is low, production costs are high, and ...
Researchers ask Indian farmers to halt use of government-developed genetically modified Bt cotton use after bollworm pest scare
It is the end of the road for the country’s first genetically-modified Bt cotton seed variety developed by a public ...
40% yield increase: How tweaking one gene could create a super rice that adapts to climate change
Many people are hesitant to eat plants or animals that have been enhanced with foreign genes, citing health and environmental concerns, the ...
Part II: Web of Disinformers: The network of anti-crop biotechnology activists, and the funders behind their campaigns
Carey Gillam, once a reporter at Reuters covering food and farming, left her job under a cloud, challenged by her ...
