Agriculture & 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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Viewpoint: Why two sacred cows of organic farming, grass-fed beef and biofuels, are hurting the planet
Anne Kim: [M]ost of us aren’t farmers, we’re eaters. Can you drill down a little bit about the specific practices ...
CRISPR bacon and hot dogs will soon be commonplace. Here’s why they are safe
From hot dogs to crispy bacon, US food staples could be made of gene-edited meat as early as 2026. Yes, ...
Stinky plants: The evolutionary explanation
Not all flowers emit odors that are enticing to humans. Three types of flowering plants – Asarum simile, Eurya japonica, and Symplocarpus ...
Malaysia scientists hopeful government will reform laws to open the way for sustainable gene-edited rice
Since 2021, several scientists have been developing new genetically edited rice varieties with targeted traits, such as resistance to disease ...
Fossil fuels are embedded in our food chain. What can be changed to reduce the environmental trade-offs
A new report from renowned international thinktank IPES-Food, Fuel To Fork, documents how fossil fuels are the lifeblood of the food industry ...
Beyond herbicides: AI opens the door to sustainable weed control
Weeds remain one of the most persistent problems in agriculture. But the biggest issue facing modern farmers isn't getting rid ...
GLP podcast: Politics over science. Why food safety debates are driven by ideology
America's ferocious battles over food safety and nutrition are often driven by politics and other ideological considerations rather than cold, ...
Viewpoint: A disturbing conversation about glyphosate with a science-denier
The intent of my previous column on glyphosate was simply to encourage some critical thinking. In it, I wrote: Glyphosate is an ...
Why brussels sprouts taste better, and how will genetic engineering help create new varieties
About 30 years ago, a Dutch scientist identified the chemicals that made brussels sprouts bitter. He selected seed varieties with lower levels ...
What are the trade-offs if India allows the import of U.S. GMO feed?
As India inches closer to announcing an interim trade deal with the United States...[the] proposed inclusion of genetically modified (GM) ...
Viewpoint: While plaintiff attorneys link ultra-processed foods to rising obesity levels, the science remains unconvincing
Opinions regarding “safe” and unsafe foods vacillate more than hem-length fashion. While we disregard emerging data, fail to conduct sound ...
What chemicals are used in organic farming?
[N]atural agricultural chemicals ... provide organic farming with pest management, nutrient supplementation and soil improvement solutions. [These include:] ... Pyrethrins: ...
‘Bee death spiral’? Pesticide-resistant Varroa mites driving record number of U.S. honeybee losses
“Every time I went out to the beehive there were less and less,” says Bret Adee, one of the largest ...
Viewpoint: A world without glyphosate would mean more weeds, soil erosion and carbon emissions, and smaller crop yields
Too much rain can devastate a crop. That was especially true when cultivators were the primary weed technology. It was ...
GLP spaces on X: The ‘Dirty Dozen,’ dissected
Each year the Environmental Working Group's (EWG) "Dirty Dozen" list ranks fruits and vegetables with the supposedly highest pesticide residues, ...
Unpacking RFK, Jr.’s claims: Are canola, soy bean and safflower oil feeding the obesity epidemic and poisoning America?
[Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.] has said...vegetable oils — extracted from the seeds of plants, like canola, soybean and safflower — are ...
Abu Dhabi’s ADQ to focus on vegetable gene editing as it seeks stake in seeds company
ADQ, Abu Dhabi's wealth fund, plans to acquire a 35 per cent stake in France's Limagrain Vegetable Seeds as the ...
Viewpoint: ‘Alarming new research on glyphosate?’ Here’s how the Ramazzini Institute distorts science, spreads alarmism and fuels baseless lawsuits
According to a new study, glyphosate, the most widely used pesticide in the world, is extremely carcinogenic. In this study, ...
Viewpoint: Europe’s meandering path on gene editing policy may soon near a breakthrough moment
A very large number of countries (more than 30 spread over every continent: America, Asia, Africa and the Pacific Rim) ...
Tennessee becomes 16th state to require labelling of cell-based meat
Tennessee is laying the groundwork for how any "cell-cultured food product" can be sold in the state as lab-grown meat ...
AI is helping to develop gentically engineered food for long-term space missions. We may all benefit
Stored meats, tomatoes and even onions can't last a few weeks let alone a seven-to-10 month journey to Mars but ...
Younger Chinese farmers readily embracing AI and other smart technologies
From AI-powered data platforms to drones flying across the skies, Generation Z farmers in China are embracing a modern approach ...
Opportunities, challenges and concerns as gene edited pigs may soon be on the regulatory platter in Europe
The US Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) recent decision [approving gene edited pigs] has prompted [quesions about] what this technology ...
M&M’s and Fruit Loops — two symbols of dyes in processed food — are resisting RFK, Jr.’s call for ‘voluntary’ replacements
[A]fter he declared war on synthetic food dyes, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has already secured the cooperation of ...
How plant-based meats are made
As a vegetarian I’d be the first to say that plant-based meat has gotten significantly more pleasant in the last ...
Gene editing could revolutionize sustainable food production in Peru
Peruvian agriculture is [characterized] by crops such as potato, maize, rice, asparagus, mango, banana, avocado, cassava, onion, oil palm, chili, ...
USDA takes aim at Chinese farmland holdings amid rising national security concerns
U.S. Department of Agriculture chief Brooke Rollins announced...that the U.S. government will move to ban sales of farmland nationwide to ...
