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.
Video: How Chinese firms finance litigation disrupting intellectual property in biotech and food distribution system
The commodification of lawsuit funding [...] opens the door to even more bad faith participation in the justice system. ...
Sustainability impact of GM crops? Nuanced study suggests mostly positive environmental effects
When the researchers delved into the body of literature, it revealed an interesting push and pull between the benefits and ...
‘Banana apocalypse’? How disease resistant bananas can help overcome a global lack of genetic diversity
“[QCAV-4] is a Cavendish,” [Prof James Dale] says. “The bananas look the same, they feel the same, they peel the ...
Gourmet mold sausage? Food waste inspiring Michelin-starred chefs
Food waste is a huge issue in the U.S., where an estimated 30% to 40% of the food supply is tossed out ...
Food prices will climb everywhere as temperatures rise due to climate change – new research
Climate change, and specifically rising temperatures, may cause food prices to increase by 3.2% per year, according to a new ...
Seed bank ransacked as Sudan’s civil war destroys a critical resource in a starving nation
More than 100 universities have been damaged or destroyed, according to Mohamed Hassan, president of the Sudanese National Academy of Sciences, ...
Anti-biotechnology campaigners embrace classic crops, are suspicious of hybrid varieties and claim genetic modification violates nature. Here’s a primer on the differences
Understanding how GMOs differ in traits, development, and farming benefits is important for farmers and consumers. Dr Eliud Kireger of ...
Africa’s most pressing need is more food. Here’s how technology could turn desperation into productivity
Africa stands at the crossroads of its agricultural revolution, confronting the dual challenge of urbanisation and a growing population. However, ...
Viewpoint: The EPA just banned a crop chemical. What does that say about activist claims that the agency has become a dupe of the chemical industry?
Last month, the EPA issued an emergency suspension of the herbicide Dacthal and has initiated a process to cancel all ...
In Canada, cows and other livestock animals are responsible for 40 percent of methane emissions – a potent greenhouse gas. Here are some solutions
Can a shot with anything other than a bullet stifle a cow’s methane burps? If the shot is a vaccine, ...
Politicization of food: Italy’s far right has turned food into a political battleground
Since its rise to power in 2022, a coalition of far right parties led by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni ...
Viewpoint: ‘Complaining about failing crop yields in Africa without posing a solution is whining’ — Here’s what’s needed to reverse it
A recent research article— “Crop yields fail to rise in smallholder farming systems in sub-Saharan Africa” — uses 7 models, ...
10 years after the introduction GM eggplant in Bangladesh, public support for biotechnology innovation grows
The agricultural sector in Bangladesh is currently facing numerous challenges. The country is currently endeavoring to adopt modern biotechnological tools, ...
Viewpoint: Probiotics are not regulated by the FDA. Do they even work?
Probiotics, also referred to as live biotherapeutic products (LBPs), are products that contain live organisms, such as bacteria, that are found naturally ...
Climate-adaptive crops open door to a ‘new era of gene-edited food’
Genetic engineering remains extremely contentious in Europe. This matters because resistance to food altered by biotechnology is holding back development ...
Regulatory barriers stunting the European cultivated meat revolution
A 2022 study found that food production accounts for over a quarter (26%) of global greenhouse gas emissions, and around ...
‘Mold burgers’: The source of your favorite sandwich might be a bit unconventional in the future
Genetically altered mold could be the future of food, providing tasty, healthy and environmentally friendly snacks. New research suggests that ...
Blockchain, AI, vertical farming: Here are 8 ways modern technology is ramping up food production
We are living in an era of rapid technological advancements. This naturally shows the impact of modern technology in various ...
Viewpoint: Science colonialism — Europe and the United Nations are blocking crop biotechnology poised to address global hunger
Wealthy countries with natural 'breadbaskets' - places where it is easy to grow food - have so much abundance they ...
Viewpoint: Here’s a reform roadmap to guide regulators as they seek to modernize oversight of the fast-innovating agricultural biotechnology industry
In 1986, the United States established a “Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology.” In the decades since, this policy ...
Calorie counting? AI could help, bite by bite
[R]esearchers in Canada are leveraging artificial intelligence to analyze food bite-by-bite. All diners have to do is record themselves eating ...
Fact Check: No, we have not ‘perfected’ technology to put vaccines in lettuce and tomatoes
A post on X (formerly Twitter) claims that the University of California has perfected the technology to put vaccines in lettuce ...
Debunking the ‘MSG is harmful’ myth: How baseless stories spawn enduring food fears
Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is the poster child for food additive fear, chemophobia, and the harms of using anecdotes as evidence ...
Is your cheese GMO? The Non-GMO Project and other activists claim 90% of cheeses in America are ‘tainted’. Here are the facts
In cheese production, the need to use traditional rennet obtained from calf stomachs has largely been removed because of a ...
GLP podcast: China bans ‘irresponsible’ germline editing; losing weight causes cancer? Modern culture could drive mental health issues
China has banned germline gene editing, calling the technology, "irresponsible and not permitted." A recent study suggested that losing weight ...
Processed meat and memory: Connections between eating bacon, hot dogs and dementia
Regularly eating processed red meats like bacon, hot dogs, sausage, and salami may increase the risk of developing dementia, according ...
Can CRISPR gene editing spur increased consumption of fruits and vegetables?
Pairwise, a food and agriculture company that uses gene editing and CRISPR technology to transform plants and production systems, recently ...
