Sustainability / GreenGenes
Food production needs are expected to roughly double over the next 35 years as the world population grows and people in under developed countries become more affluent and demand more calories. Healthy ecosystems are vital to the survival of all organisms. How can we grow crops without harming the environment? How can we balance technology and global food security? What is the right balance of organic and conventional farming? What role can genetics and biotechnology play without compromising the needs of tomorrow?
Below is the complete archive of related articles sorted by date.
Edible cotton? USDA approves biotech seeds that can be spread like peanut butter
Americans may soon be eating cotton for the first time — not just wearing it — as a new edible ...
After successful demonization campaign against herbicide glyphosate, anti-GMO activists and environmental groups take aim at atrazine
In July, the US Environmental Protection Agency issued an extensive report that reviewed decades of science and declared that a ...
Breeding disease-resistant sugarcane now a possibility with unlocking of sugarcane genome
For centuries, sugarcane has supplied human societies with alcohol, biofuel, building and weaving materials, and the world's most relied-upon source ...
Sustainability failure: Anti-GMO France’s 10-year effort to slash pesticide use boosted spraying by 12%
In 2008, the French government announced a dramatic shift in agricultural policy, calling for pesticide use to be slashed in ...
‘Low-emission’ cows that produce less methane gas take center stage amid growing climate change fears
From low-emission cows to robotic soil management, the farming industry will have to explore new approaches in the wake of ...
Viewpoint: If organic farmers want to promote sustainable farming they should reconsider hostility toward CRISPR-gene editing
A University of California, Berkeley professor stands at the front of the room, delivering her invited talk about the potential ...
New USDA research shows honey bee numbers stable—and probably growing
In 2006, large and mysterious losses of honey bee colonies led entomologists to classify a set of diagnostic symptoms as ...
Viewpoint: If Nigeria wants sustainable agriculture, leaders must embrace biotech crops
World over and in various countries around the world there are laws to checkmate whatever one may think of. There ...
Drought resistance gene could help corn, soy crops survive Argentina’s scorching temperatures
The fertile grasslands of Argentina produce food for hundreds of millions around the world, and they have the potential to ...
Billionaires and Bacteria are Racing to Save Us From Death by Fertilizer
It was January 15, 1881, and the U.S. envoy to Peru had to duck for cover .... Chile had invaded Peru ...
‘Gold standard’ assessing neonicotinoids: Field bee hive studies find pesticides not major source of health issues
Some lab studies but almost no field ones suggest neonicotinoid pesticides are harming bee health. Why is there such a ...
Viewpoint: Link between bee death and glyphosate still a ‘far-fetched’ story
Glyphosate is a herbicide, in other words, it is toxic to plants. Its target enzyme is not found in insects ...
Why organic apple farmers spray their trees with insecticides 32 times on average during each growing season
A lot of people buy organic foods because they believe organic means free from chemicals and pesticides. But the truth ...
Viewpoint: Political ‘horse-trading’ at U.N. threatens sensible GMO, gene editing crop regulation
[T]he U.N.’s agencies, programs, commissions and international agreements have a dismal record of accomplishment, especially while acting as the world’s regulator-wannabe for ...
Why Ugandan banana breeders say it’s critical to add genetic engineering to their toolbox
Ugandan researchers have been successful at developing robust hybrid bananas through conventional breeding techniques. Yet they see a strong need ...
Organic trade group suit challenging Trump’s withdrawal of animal guidelines will go forward
A ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia will allow a lawsuit by the Organic Trade ...
Video: Meet the gene-edited cows that could revolutionize beef production
On July 14, 2018 Genzelle, an Angus calf genetically engineered to withstand Brazil's high summer temperatures, was born. Cows like ...
Beyond pesticides: Engineered crops that fertilize themselves from air
Plants are surrounded by nitrogen, but it's unusable as found in the atmosphere. Scientists may be able to change that ...
Nigeria green lights field trials of disease-resistant GMO staple crops
The Federal Government has granted permits for confined field trials on genetically modified maize, rice, cassava, sorghum and cowpea to ...
Mushrooms protect honey bee from disease-carrying Varroa mite, study shows
It’s not easy being a bee these days. Apis mellifera, the Western honey bee, is crucial to agriculture worldwide but faces ...
Roundup ban? Glyphosate-free farming would mean higher food prices
Food production without the use of glyphosate (commonly sold as Roundup) to control weeds, will mean increased food prices. ...
‘Chemical free’ organic industry’s unacknowledged ‘pesticide problem’
The organic label is often touted as meaning "pesticide free" and has become a rallying cry for anti-GMO activists. But ...
70 percent of consumers confused about GMOs, but may still embrace crop biotech
To better gauge and understand consumer perceptions of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) ..... a new public survey commissioned by GMO ...
Viewpoint: Anti-GMO groups offer no solutions to Africa’s food security problems
A joke that is going around refers to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as “nothing going on.” My experience over a 15-year ...
Why does America grow 90 million acres of corn every year?
The U.S. is the No. 1 producer of corn in the world. Planted on over 90 million acres, it is ...
Sunflower pollen may protect bees from deadly diseases
[A] new study offers hope for a relatively simple mechanism to promote bee health and well-being: providing bees access to ...
Video: Organic vs conventional farming—do we have to pick one or the other?
The public debate over the costs and benefits of organic and conventional farming continues unabated. But what exactly separates them? ...
Will ‘precautionary mindset’ at UN biodiversity meeting threaten agricultural innovation?
Some 196 countries may decide to limit access to the benefits of pioneering new biotechnological applications at an upcoming international ...
