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.
Yearning for self-reliance and wary of imports, China edges closer to bucking wary public and embracing GMOs
Although GMOs have gained widespread acceptance elsewhere in recent years, Chinese consumers remain deeply opposed to them, and the government ...
The world’s most popular banana variety is under threat of extinction — and genetic engineering solutions are blocked. Here are alternatives.
Since the 1990s a new strain of the fungus TR1 (or panama disease), which wiped out the Gros Michel banana ...
Red-fleshed apples: The story behind the genetic anomaly with health and nutritional benefits
To an unsuspecting consumer, these delicate apples could easily be mistaken for the commonplace Gala or Braeburn varieties. But inside, ...
Viewpoint: ‘As climate changes, we urgently need to engineer plants to withstand harsher climates’
Genome editing using CRISPR technology may be a key approach to improving agricultural production. It is already being used to ...
UK mulls break from EU’s restrictive crop biotechnology rules to gain an edge in international trade
With a few helpful tweaks to its regulations on crop biotechnology, the European Union could easily spawn an avalanche of ...
Are pesticides in foods a new holiday concern? (‘No’)
The holidays are typically centered around food. Large gatherings of families eating holiday meals, potlucks at work and churches, and ...
Viewpoint: Why Thailand should rethink its opposition to biotechnology
Thailand needs a "new mindset" to adopt controversial genetically modified organism (GMO) technology to increase agricultural productivity and serve the ...
Viewpoint: ‘Time is of the essence’ — Climate-resilient crop varieties can take over a decade to come to market
Researchers are experimenting with engineering crops to better manage higher temperatures. “Continuously improving seeds to grow more resilient and high-yielding ...
Thankful for science: How pesticides made your Thanksgiving meal possible
This year, you're going to pay 24 percent more for a turkey, a tough bite out of the wallet for ...
Endangered rice: Key crop provides 25% of global calories, but rising temperatures threaten long-term viability
For much of the developing world, rice is a key to human survival. But at the same time, climate change ...
The perfect grain for the perfect beer: How CRISPR could improve barley crops
Using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, scientists develop and study gene-edited barley that resists pre-harvest sprouting. After a spell of unexpected rain, before ...
Viewpoint: Nigeria needs biotechnology to rescue itself from ‘primitive agricultural practices’
As Nigeria struggles to address the increasing food challenge by its citizens, the director general, National Biotechnology Development Agency, Prof ...
Could pumpkin pie be on the “86 list” this Thanksgiving?
If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, you’ve probably heard the term “86” which basically means that they’re out of ...
Crop extinction crisis? 50% of India’s produce varieties are at risk
Crop and varietal diversity are critically important for global food and nutrition security, as well as the livelihoods of millions ...
What do crop gene editing regulations look like across the globe?
To determine the global regulatory landscape, [an article by the Norwegian University of Life Sciences] focused on the regulations of ...
Seed Speaks Video: ‘Farmers are inherently sustainably minded’ — Agriculture is often unfairly criticized as a carbon polluter yet technological advances have dramatically reduced climate change impacts
For decades farmers and others working in agriculture have worked hard to implement practices to make their farms more sustainable ...
Battle royale in Europe over agricultural genetics
In an op-ed published in October, French Agriculture Minister Julien Denormandie said it is now necessary to launch the “third ...
Economic consequences of regulations of GM crops
Are regulations hampering the potential for biotechnology to contribute to global food security? ...
Global food security has been lagging since 2015. Here’s how renewed public-private partnerships could turn around the decline
Global food security is at a tipping point. After decades of both absolute and relative improvement in food security worldwide, ...
Climate-resilient desert crops: New generation of hardy seeds optimized for harsh environments
While thirsty crops like alfalfa and corn dominate the region, [farmer Laura] Parker has emerged as a leader in revitalizing ...
Viewpoint: Monsanto doesn’t control Mexican farmers’ seed choices — activist groups do
For the last 25 years I've listened to the tired argument that Monsanto controls farmer seed choice. Over and over ...
Food prices have increased by 33% worldwide and costs are continuing to rise. How can we boost productivity to feed a growing population?
The FAO food price index has increased 32.8 per cent from September 2020 – food prices globally have increased by ...
Can ‘indigenous’ and GM seeds co-exist in Africa?
It’s high time farmers in the developing world are given access to the improved seeds and agricultural innovations that have ...
Mexico’s corn production needs to increase significantly — is this possible with agroecology, and without GMOs?
Through its Decree banning imports of GM corn and restricting trade with the United States and other countries, the administration ...
Daily Beast investigation: Conspiracy-spreading anti-GMO group USRTK — founded and funded by anti-vaxxers — is New York Times and The Guardian’s favored source on crop biotechnology
Research from the nonprofit U.S. Right to Know has undergirded New York Times reporting on the food system, and outlets ...
Viewpoint: Global climate talks could expand agricultural research and genetic innovation to better address warming concerns
The worst-case consequences of rising temperatures and drought played out this year in Madagascar with the first famine induced by ...
Viewpoint: ‘Anti-GMO activists persist in their fear tactics targeting the African public’ — Here’s the damage they wreak in the less developed world
From the beginning, genetically engineered (GE) crops (also known as GMOs) have been controversial. Europe has always been at the ...
