South Korea Promotes the First Genome-edited Food Crop
Reading Time: < 1 minuteSINCE the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has determined that the soybeans improved using CRISPR-Cas9 are not considered as genetically modified, the Seed Project using CRISPR commences. “We received a decision from the USDA that the genome-edited soybean which contains a double amount antioxidant, anti-aging oleic acid, are not GMOs,” said Ji-Hak Han, Director of the Toolgen Seed Business Division […]
Groups push for Bt brinjal field trials in India
Reading Time: < 1 minuteTHE Alliance for Agri Innovation (AAI), a group from the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) has urged the central and state governments to allow the field trials of Bt Brinjal in India and sent a letter to the Ministry of Agriculture and chief ministers of Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and West Bengal to […]
Green climate fund approves new projects
Reading Time: 3 minutesROME: The Board of the Green Climate Fund today approved several new projects, including one for Côte d’Ivoire that marks the first time the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has helped an African country obtain a grant from the international entity. Along with the $11.8 million approval for Côte d’Ivoire, other two FAO-led […]
USDA Undersecretary: Rural Communities Must Benefit from AgBiotech Innovations
Reading Time: 2 minutesGO out, develop technologies, and let everyone learn, use, and benefit from these technologies especially the local rural economies.” These are the words of Ted McKinney, the USDA Undersecretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs during the opening ceremonies of the webinar series organized by the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) High Level Policy Dialogue […]
Man rooted to the soil earns World Food Prize 2020
Reading Time: 3 minutesDES MOINES, Iowa: The World Food Prize – usually likened to being the “Nobel for Agriculture” was awarded to Rattan Lal, an Indian-American soil scientist. Lal earned the 2020 award for his research which led to improved food [ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”show” ihc_mb_who=”2,3,5″ ihc_mb_template=”1″ ] production and a better understanding of how atmospheric carbon can be held […]
Forests are critical for promoting pollination in agriculture and biodiversity, says FAO report
Reading Time: 2 minutesROME: Forests and trees are critical for promoting pollination by bees, butterflies and other animals, and there is an urgent need to stop their habitat degradation and safeguard biodiversity, according to a new report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. [ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”show” ihc_mb_who=”2,3,5″ ihc_mb_template=”1″ ] The report jointly produced by FAO and Bioversity […]
First International Tea Day sees call for joint action to ensure sustainability of tea sector
Reading Time: 2 minutesROME: FAO on May 21 marked International Tea Day by stressing the crucial need to ensure the sustainability of tea production – a basis for the livelihoods of millions of farmers – especially at a time when the world economy enters a recession and incomes decline as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. [ihc-hide-content ihc_mb_type=”show” ihc_mb_who=”2,3,5″ ihc_mb_template=”1″ […]
Worst locust attack in three decades
Reading Time: 4 minutesSINCE RECENTLY massive swarms of locusts have been threatening agricultural production and livelihood across South Asia, Africa and the Middle East. These regions which are battling the global Covid-19 pandemic like the rest of the world – have now to deal with locust invasion which is very damaging to their farmland crops. In India, desert locusts […]
Experts identify genome editing and other innovations to accelerate food system transition
Reading Time: < 1 minuteAN INTERNATIONAL team of almost 50 experts identified 75 emerging innovations and 8 action points that can help speed up the transition to a sustainable and healthy food system. Their recommendations are published in Nature Food. At present, 40 percent of global land is used for food production, which contributes to land-use change, biodiversity loss, and greenhouse gas […]
Peanut polemics!
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIN 2019, researchers from The University of Western Australia, the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), and Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University sequenced the peanut’s complex genome. At the same time, researchers from the International Peanut Genome Initiative also made the breakthrough in sequencing the peanut genome. Soon after the two results were […]