Coalition: Avert global food security crisis amid fight against pandemic
Reading Time: < 1 minuteA COALITION has called on world leaders urgently to maintain open trade of their surplus food products. The Call to Action has been made as the group is alarmed by the risk of global and regional food shortages triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Published on April 9, 2020, and signed by 60 experts, the call to […]
World Bank: Pandemic can disrupt food supply chain
Reading Time: 2 minutesWASHINGTON: The coronavirus outbreak and government policies to limit the disease could disrupt food supply chains, potentially threatening food availability, even as prices remain stable in 2020, the World Bank cautioned Thursday. Prices of agricultural commodities are likely to hold up better than oil, metals and other industrial materials that have seen demand plummet amid […]
Tropical nations worst hit by climate-related fish shifts
Reading Time: 2 minutesTROPICAL countries stand to lose the most fish species due to climate change, with few if any stocks replacing them, according to a study published in the journal Nature Sustainability. This could pose a serious governance challenge that warrants careful policymaking, the researchers say. As sea temperatures rise, fish species migrate towards cooler waters to […]
Ramping up the fight against Fall Armyworm
Reading Time: 2 minutesTOOLS are available to wrestle Fall Armyworm, a voracious invasive species that is ravaging crops in Africa, Asia and the Near East, and it is imperative to intensify coordination to curb the insect’s spread. “We will need to step up the alliance among key partners from all relevant sectors at the global level,” FAO Director-General […]
Study: Next-Gen consumers, farmers share hope for future of food and farming
Reading Time: < 1 minuteA FIRST-OF-ITS-KIND global study of Gen Z/millennial farmers and consumers examined views on the future of food and farming in the United States, Brazil, China, France, and Russia. The study of more than 3,000 respondents reveals that participants in different global markets have the same concern about the future of food and farming. The study, […]
Stuart’s on ‘upward mobility’ with vertical farming
Reading Time: 5 minutesWITH the advent of issues like climate change, decreasing arable lands, and a rapidly growing population, how does one plan to ensure food security without incurring additional costs to businesses and the environment? Stuart Thomas, 26, sees a solution to that problem in his enterprise, Babylon Vertical Farms. Operating out of a 320 ft2 shipping […]
Effects of climate change on local rice production
Reading Time: 5 minutesRICE, a global staple food is one among major agricultural crops in Malaysia after oil palm, rubber and cocoa. The production of rice is largely dependent on an efficient irrigation system which will be greatly affected by climate change. Climate change has led to tremendous effects on the yield of rice in the country. The […]
Study: Sustainability can be a selling point for new ingredients
Reading Time: 2 minutesTHE first UK consumer study on the use of Bambara Groundnut as an ingredient in products has shown that sharing information on its sustainable features increased consumers’ positive emotional connection to food. Researchers from the University of Nottingham’s School of Biosciences tested biscotti and crackers made with Bambara groundnut against standard commercial products. The study […]
How much will we eat in the future?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteTHE AMOUNT of food needed to feed the world’s population in the future is of vital importance. To date, scientists have only considered this question from the perspective of how much food people can afford to buy, how much food is healthy or what can be sustainably produced. However, researchers at the University of Göttingen […]
Developing market oriented rice hybrids
Reading Time: 2 minutesRECENT research and technological advancements have significantly improved the quality and viability of hybrid rice. Still, the lack of awareness among value chain actors on these improvements threatens to impede its full potential as a climate resilient alternative to traditional varieties. Characteristics like poor grain quality, lower head rice recovery percentage, chalkiness, high insect, pest, […]