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.
Below is the complete archive of related articles sorted by date.
Climate change could cripple Midwest but genetic technologies could offset damage
Climate change could hammer the Des Moines and Iowa economies in the decades ahead, as spiking temperatures dramatically reduce crop ...
Two markets for dietary supplements: Non-GMO and ‘made with genetic technology’
Opponents of the labeling of genetically modified ingredients have spent millions to defeat the various state ballot measures on the ...
Cheap food? Thank GMOs
Today, about one-in-eight people across the world do not have enough food to eat. Addressing this problem of food insecurity ...
False balance between public scientists and non-expert activists on orange crisis and GMOs
I'm so grateful to any author that takes the time to write about citrus greening disease and its potential solutions ...
Breeders work to mainstream genetic diversity of potato
Around the country, determined plant breeders, farmers, and chefs are joining forces to reinvent the potato and the transform the ...
Biology of flavorful orange juice
A “so what” story. That’s how I would label the enticingly titled “Juicy Secrets” investigation of “premium” orange juice by ...
Ex Food Babe staffer exposé? Does Vani Hari admit to spinning science for money and fame?
An interesting and revealing exchange with Vani Hari, the self-proclaimed Food Babe, began with an open letter published last week ...
Oregon governor seeks authority to establish ‘control areas’ for GMO crops
A bill proposed by Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber seeks to expand the authority of state farm regulators over genetically engineered ...
Video: Bill Gates advocates for GMOs in Brussels
Bill and Melinda Gates spoke to a Brussels audience, which didn’t appear shocked by their endorsement of GMO crops. The ...
Moms learn about GMOs on Illinois farm tours
When she read about an Illinois Farm Families field tour, Heather Guido applied. In May, she and other women in ...
Biotech crops show global promise but suffer from restrictive regulations
A paper by Calestous Juma and Katherine Gordon at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs argues that although many transgenic crops ...
Trade complicates handling of GMO crops, GM labeling could, too
The use of biotechnology has made things more complicated for seed companies, grain handlers and farmers. Charles Hurburgh, Iowa State ...
Indian Eco-Goddess Vandana Shiva, charging $40,000 a speech, takes anti-GMO crusade to Hawaii
"What could be more basic to freedom than food freedom and food democracy?” declared Indian anti-GMO activist megastar Vandana Shiva ...
Kansas farmers join GM corn lawsuit against Syngenta
You may have seen the ads on TV from lawyers looking for small town farmers. That's because Kansas farmers are ...
Consumers in global survey consider GMO-free foods very important
Asked what health attributes are very important when buying food, consumers in a global survey by Nielsen ranked “all-natural” and ...
Genome editing is future of biotech
I asked some of those social thought leaders for their predictions of what we can expect from biotech and biopharma ...
Orange juice might be missing at breakfast unless farmers try GMOs
Everybody loves Florida orange juice. Since its emergence in the late 1940s, the sunny beverage has survived hurricanes and anti-sugar diet ...
Chinese, New Zealander researchers look for year-round breeding genes in sheep
In 2013, the Chinese government announced its intention to achieve self- sufficiency in red meat production by 2020. This announcement ...
Scientists identify plant traits for crop improvements using in vitro cultures
Humans have been making use of plants for as long as there have been humans and plants. The actual cultivation ...
GMO Myth: Farmers “drown” crops in “dangerous” glyphosate. Fact: They use eye droppers
Anti-GMO activists and even some media reports claim that farmers growing GM crops "douse" their fields in "dangerous chemicals," glyphosate ...
Australian organic farmer appeals judgement denying compensation for GMO “contamination”
Two appeal hearings in the Marsh v Baxter case have been scheduled from March 23 to 25 in the Court of ...
Nutrition student challenges American nutrition societies to enter conversation over GMOs
NOTE: This letter was written by Kevin Klatt, a PhD student at Cornell University studying molecular nutrition. The National Academies ...
Consumers willing to pay more for GMOs with health benefits
Genetically modified crops with an increased vitamin and/or mineral content have large potential to improve public health, but their availability for ...
Will “non natural” synbio dairy products face same skepticism as GMOs?
Dairy-free genetically modified milk and cheese products could appeal to vegans' environmental sensibilities. But they also face pushback over concerns ...
Could genetic modification save male pigs from castration?
Each year, about 100 million little piggies go to market in the U.S. Half of those oinkers, unsurprisingly, are boars, ...
Genetic diversity of crops and animals threatened by climate change
Climate change threatens the genetic diversity of the world's food supply, and saving crops and animals at risk will be ...
