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.
Are pesticide residues on food something to worry about?
Just like anything that goes into your body, it’s the dose (the amount) that matters ...
Food and your brain: ‘Ultra-processed’ foods high in salt, sugar and fat are cheap and accessible — but increase risks of anxiety and depression
Although many ultra-processed foods—soda, candy, energy bars, fruit-flavored yogurt, frozen pizza, and frozen meals—can satisfy cravings for sweet, fatty, salty ...
President Macron’s attempt to appease French anti-glyphosate environmental lobby goes awry, alienating both his activist base and farmers
Good news for French agriculture. Finally, the European Commission decided to follow what a majority of Member States wanted, in this ...
A llama-inspired way to protect crops
Most of us will never see a live llama except at a zoo unless we have an opportunity to travel ...
Viewpoint: Nigeria may be running out of farmable land. Is there a biotech-based solution?
It is probable that Nigeria would experience a scarcity of cultivable land and a notable reduction in the nitrogen levels ...
How algae, mushrooms and grass can supplement ‘de-carbonization’ initiatives
The prominence of the forestry industry in Sweden’s bioeconomy has whipped up controversy. Many scientists, activists, and NGOs are critical of ...
Pesticides and Food: It’s not a black or white issue — Has pesticide use decreased since the introduction of GMO crops?
What is the truth about crop pesticides and their residues in food in 2018? ...
The ‘holy grail’ of beer yeasts: How genetically-modified IPAs could stay fresh forever
Yeast is central to brewing, as it turns the sugars provided by barley malt and other grains into alcohol, while ...
300% yield boost: Analyzing Nigeria’s first GM potato project, one year later
The Genetically Modified (GM) Potato Project ongoing in Nigeria has concluded its first-year multi-locational confined trial in three locations, with ...
Viewpoint: Perversity activism — How European anti-biotechnology NGOs end up promoting commodity-crop farming, consolidating the seed market and undermining sustainability
One of the most attractive advantages of NGTs is the low cost of entry for innovators. Labs in developing countries ...
Relief to resilience: Bangladesh’s remarkable journey in biotechnology
In agricultural biotechnology, Bangladesh stands as a symbol of progress and innovation. Over the years, this South Asian nation has ...
CRISPR-created strawberries that stay firmer and fresher longer could revolutionize fruit industry
The cultivated strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa, Duch.) is one of the Rosaceae family renowned for its flavor and health benefits, ...
Cleaning up the atmosphere: Can seaweed farming help capture carbon dioxide?
Researchers are looking into a wide range of approaches to removing carbon from the atmosphere. Some are straightforwardly technical, like direct ...
Facing food security threats, Ghana makes 4-year commitment to promoting research and development on genetically modified crops
The designation of Ghana as the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) collaborating center for Africa, focusing on plant breeding and ...
Analysis: Do neonicotinoid and glyphosate pesticides threaten bees? A reassessment
"The honeybee is in no way endangered. If there’s a top ten list of what’s killing honey bee colonies, I’d ...
Growing food on the moon: With an injection of bacteria, scientists turn inhospitable lunar soil into fertile home for crops
If humankind is ever to establish long-term bases on the moon, there will be a need for a regular source of ...
Viewpoint: Inflation and climate change prompt American farmers to assess agricultural practices
Agricultural policy has gotten caught up in culture wars that have snarled other aspects of American life ...
Why gene-edited non-browning ‘Arctic apples’ are potential game changer for reducing food waste and extending supply chains
Three varieties of non-browning Arctic apples developed by a Summerland-based company are now rolling off the production line at a ...
Disaster interrupted: Which farming system better preserves insect populations: Organic or conventional?
A three-year run of fragmentary Armageddon-like studies had primed the journalism pumps and settled the media framing about the future ...
Revising 10 fact-based perspectives on entrenched food myths: Gene editing is good, diet soda is fine, organics is not the answer
I’ve been trying to suss out true and false to the best of my inevitably human, imperfect ability, and for ...
Viewpoint: ‘Anti-technology activists unfairly malign genetically modified mustard crop that could drop pesticide use by 40%’
The polarised debate over genetically modified (GM) crops in India is back in the limelight. The advocates and dissenters of ...
If seedless watermelons don’t have seeds, how do we grow more of them?
Although seedless watermelons have existed since 1940, and have been widely available at grocery chains since the 1980s, they continue ...
Here’s how we can overhaul our food and farming systems to grow enough food to meet population and climate change challenges
As consumers, our relationship with food – how we grow, produce and eat it, must change in response to increased ...
Joint Kenya-Uganda-Nigeria GMO research project develops blight-resistant, higher yield potato
Timothy Kipsang, a farmer from Kipkabus in Uasin Gishu County, has been growing potatoes on his farm for more than ...
37% yield increase: Almost all monetary gains from Indian GMO mustard will go to farmers, not to seed companies
Huge gains from biotech cotton commercialized [in India] two decades back notwithstanding, policymaking came to a standstill in terms of ...
China is the world’s top importer of soy and corn. Could dozens of recently-approved GMO varieties help boost production and curb imports?
China has approved dozens of genetically modified corn and soybean seed varieties for planting, in a breakthrough move that could ...
Reishi, chaga, lion’s mane: Is it possible to verify trendy ‘superfood’ mushroom supplement claims?
Recent studies have shown that mushrooms are packed with essential vitamins, minerals, fiber, and special compounds that are great for your ...
