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?
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Simulating nature: South African biorefinery modeled after four-stomach system found in cows
For billions of years, nature has perfected ways of dealing with the recycling of materials. Like a good housekeeper who ...
No more coffee or chocolate? Climate change could turn many everyday foods into rare luxuries
While historically certain foods such as coffee, chocolate and spices were luxury items, today these foods are supermarket staples in ...
Powerful argument for lab-grown meat: Although low- and middle-income countries contain only 40% of the world population, they make up 75% of deaths from food-borne illnesses
The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition found that low- and middle-income countries make up 75% of the deaths from food-borne ...
Video: Are GMOs sustainable? Can organic feed the world? One size doesn’t fit all
The debate about GMO safety and sustainability is ongoing, but one fact remains: food security is paramount. Does the absence ...
Infographic: US honeybee population reverses declines, shows sharp 8% increase over past decade, documents USDA
Over the last 20 years, the U.S. beekeeping industry has experienced significant changes that have included fluctuating honey bee colony ...
When will we reach a future in which meat no longer requires animal slaughter? There are still some barriers to that goal
Nearly 100 firms are vying to be the first to bring cultured meat to market. Select locations—including a private club ...
Viewpoint: Part 2 — Which developing countries are taking the lead in crop biotechnology innovation?
In Part One of this series, we “set the stage” for the economic reasons for acceptance of GM foods in ...
Viewpoint: Public Affairs professor advocates for agroecology systems, claiming technology-centric agricultural programs promoted by Gates Foundation has failed in Africa
Agroecology applies ecology and social science to the creation and management of sustainable food systems and involves 10 or more ...
Viewpoint: Cornell prof Anthony Shelton’s personal account of the sustainability and economic success of GMO eggplants in Bangladesh
I had the opportunity to work on a project that helped transform the lives of resource-poor farmers in Bangladesh and ...
With 80% of the global population expected to live in urban areas by 2050, is vertical farming a viable way to increase sustainable food production?
The agriculture industry is facing a wide range of challenges, trying to keep up with ever-changing markets and, of course, ...
Pest resistance developing to fall armyworm-fighting Bt maize prompts pest management strategies
Maize that is genetically engineered to contain specific toxic (to armyworms) proteins created by the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has ...
GLP Podcast: CRISPR-edited tomatoes debut in Japan; Regulating bogus supplements; Underwater farming is here
CRISPR-edited, hypertension-fighting tomatoes are on sale in Japan. Dishonestly marketed supplements continue to evade FDA regulation. Why doesn't the agency ...
Viewpoint: ‘Silent Earth’ cynically peddles scientifically unsupported insect apocalypse hysteria to nakedly promote organic agenda
To most people, food production, home ownership, and energy don't have much in common, but in the hands of 'science ...
‘Hybrids are coming’: Cell-cultured and plant-based meat blends are in development
From soy-based sausages to pea protein burgers, the plant-based category is booming. According to EU data, Europeans’ consumption of plant-based ...
‘MooLoo’ method: Toilet training cows to reduce their impact on the climate
Farmed cattle are known for their notorious contribution to greenhouse gas emissions—producing roughly 66 to 88 pounds of faeces and ...
Lab-grown fish can help protect our oceans — but does it taste good?
While lab-grown beef might help offset carbon emissions and reduce animal cruelty, the rollout of cell-based fish protein, shellfish and ...
GLP Podcast: Don’t fight science denial like this; CO2-sucking GE trees; Organic industry hates hydroponics
A new book outlines a method for changing the minds of "science deniers"—and it's terrible, according to a particularly harsh ...
Part 2: How scientists beat back anti-biotechnology activists’ ‘insidious campaign’ to block Nigeria’s approval of pest-resistant GMO cowpea
The standard for how to conduct a safely assessment is laid down by the Codex Alimentarius, a food code established ...
Kenyan scientists deploy CRISPR to protect bananas from diseases threatening to wipe out the world’s most popular variety
All the cultivated banana varieties are susceptible to diseases — and Banana xanthomonas wilt (BXW) is particularly problematic. BXW is ...
Part 1: Addressing food security in Nigeria — Seeds of hope for subsistence farmers as insect resistant GM cowpeas finally come to market
Not a lot has improved for Nigeria’s subsistence farmers over the years. Most can’t afford fertilizer and chemicals; there’s no ...
US honeybee boom: ‘Not only are they not in decline or endangered, their increase in numbers may be responsible for declines in other bee populations’
Today, more than 2.98 million honeybee colonies are currently registered in the United States, according to the US Department of ...
Edible but ugly: Bruised apples and spotty potatoes never make it to supermarket shelves. Tweaking crop genes could feed billions and help address climate change
Farming has a major food waste problem. Approximately 40 per cent of the food produced globally goes uneaten every year, ...
‘Organic alone cannot feed the world,’ says Swiss organic agricultural scientist at UN World Food Summit
On September 23, heads of state and specialist ministers [met] at the United Nations World Food Summit. As a member ...
From plant-based fillets to sushi cultivated in a lab, fish-free seafood has arrived
Plant-based products have been breaking into the foodie mainstream in the United States, after years in which vegan burgers and ...
Underwater farming? Biosphere grows strawberries, basil and lettuce deep in the Mediterranean
Strawberries, basil and lettuce are flourishing in a new biosphere farm anchored to the floor of the Mediterranean Sea off ...
Dismissing sizable sustainability benefits, organic industry petitions USDA to block hydroponics from being classified as organic
Organic food producers, which eschew synthetic pesticides for "natural" ones, regularly market their products as more sustainable than conventional offerings, but they're not ...
Gene editing: Powerful tool for managing climate change
Growing up, my family spent summer weekends on the beaches of New York State. Riding in a car packed with ...
