Stronger Plants, Stronger Science, and Stronger Communication
The SAFE act (Safe and Accurate Food Labeling Act) or HR 1599 seeks to regulate labeling of GMOs. It recently passed the House and is currently in the Senate. In this post, I’d like to explore the highlights of the bill and outline my thoughts on why some organizations are opposing it. Continue reading “Is HR 1599 the SAFE Act or the DARK Act?”
Written by Caroline Coatney
Russia has said a loud and resounding no to GMOs this spring. The country banned the import of GMO food and food products a few months ago. It has also postponed Decree 839 from coming into effect. Currently, no GMO crops are allowed to be grown on Russian soil, excluding those used for research purposes; GMO foods and ingredients can only be imported. Decree 839 would have allowed Russian farmers to cultivate and sell GMOs as long as proper registration procedures were followed. However, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev recently announced that the decree’s original effective date—July 1, 2014—has been pushed back by three years due to necessary infrastructure not being ready in time. Medvedev explained that Decree 839 is being delayed “not because it [is] wrong, but because the deadline stipulated in it was too optimistic.”
These recent decisions have sparked Russian policy envy from anti-GMO advocates from across the world. Continue reading “Why does Russia Plan to Stop GMO Cultivation and Imports?”
Today, the UK Environmental Secretary, Owen Paterson, delivered a speech about genetically engineered crops at the Rothamsted Research station near St. Albans. He called for a new approach to considering GM crops, which he said could help farming become more sustainable and efficient. The following is the full text of the speech.
Thank you all for coming this morning.
There is no better venue at which to initiate a discussion about GM technology and the role it can play in helping us meet future challenges than here at Rothamsted Research – the joint home of the Norman Borlaug Institute for Global Food Security.
Back in the 1940s, against a backdrop of war, famine and political instability, Borlaug helped initiate what became known as the Green Revolution. This revolution saw a series of technological advances transform crop production in developing countries. It’s no exaggeration that Borlaug is referred to as “the man who saved a billion lives”. His example demonstrates what mankind can achieve through the application of science.
More than 70 years on from that pioneering work, the challenges facing us are no less daunting with the world’s population expected to grow from 7 billion to 9 billion by 2050. As the recent Foresight Report set out, we must achieve “sustainable intensification” if we are to feed ourselves. The era of complacency about food production must come to an end. Continue reading “Paterson Speech: UK must lead the World in GM crops”
A Presidential committee today released a report calling on the Federal Government to launch a coordinated effort to boost American agricultural science by increasing public investments.
The report was initiated at the request of Catherine Woteki, the Undersecretary for Research, Education, and Economics, and Roger Beachy, former Director of the National Institute for Food and Agriculture.
The report has several interesting observations and important recommendations that, if implemented, would enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of US and global agriculture.
Their recommendations include:
1. Expand the role of competition in agricultural research funding:
Continue reading “Presidential committee recommends increased funding for Agricultural research”
Tomorrows Table: What does GMO really mean?
For years, journalists, television producers and newspaper reporters that write about genetically engineered crops, have used the term “GMO” (genetically modified organism) to describe these new crop varieties. The marketing industry has taken to writing “GMO-free” on their products, as a way to increase sales to consumers fearful of the genetic engineering process.
The problem is that the term GMO is misused and misunderstood.
Take, for example, a recent story on Voice of America about a newly developed rice variety that is tolerant of flooding. The producer made a valiant effort to explain the genetic basis of this new variety:
“The new strain is genetically improved, but not genetically modified, so is not subject to tight controls on genetically modified foods.”
Does anyone know what is he talking about? I do, so please let me explain. Continue reading “Tomorrows Table: What does GMO really mean?”
The Tech Awards, presented by Applied Materials, honors individuals, non-profit organizations and for-profit companies who are using technology to significantly improve human conditions in 6 awards categories.
The technology used can be either a new invention or an innovative use of an existing technology.
NBC will be livestreaming the awards ceremony tonight from the Santa Clara Convention center.
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/on-air/as-seen-on/The-Tech-Awards-2012-177952521.html
A story by Guest Blogger Kay Watt
Rice steamed in the husk and left to dry, then threshed is one of the subtle specialties of the region.
In Panama the rainy season lasts most of the year. Rivers flood, runoff pours down hillsides, and the red clay roads become impassable. Horses strain forward against thick mud rising almost to their chests, soaked riders urging them on. The village of Limón, 300 people and a two-room school house, both depend on and fight against the rain. Continue reading “Seeds for Change: The Need for Stress Tolerant Crops in Central America”
A paper in this week’s issue of Nature and a commentary on Revkin’s DotEarth blog reinforces the argument that a hybrid path in agriculture — incorporating both conventional and organic production practices — gives the best chance of feeding some 9 billion people by midcentury in an ecologically-based manner.
The thoughtful and comprehensive study compares yields in organic and conventional systems and addresses the criticisms of an earlier study by Badgley et al (for problems with the earlier study, see the supplementary discussion in Seufert et al).
The organic agriculture movement has been important because it has brought consumer attention to the overuse of some pesticides and fertilizers. It has also raised awareness of the need to foster soil fertility. But organic farming practices are just part of a future sustainable agriculture. Just like conventional farmers, organic farmers face pests that are difficult to control or environmental stresses that can affect yield. For example, strawberries are highly susceptible to soil born diseases. Currently both conventional and organic growers purchase clonally propagated seedlings that were fumigated with methyl bromide, an insecticide known to increase the risk of prostrate cancer. Continue reading “Study points to role for both organic and conventional agriculture in sustainable food production”
Another vigilante for truth. Lithodid man exposes Jeffrey Smith #antiGMO claims to light of day in this entertaining video. Well done Lithodid.
Strawberries are a particularly pest prone crop.
To control these pests, more than 9.5 million pounds of pesticides, including over 3 million pounds of methyl bromide, a toxic ozone-depleting chemical is applied each year. Methyl bromide is also associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer in farm workers.
We all like strawberries, but this pesticide use seems excessive: more pounds of pesticides were applied to 28,000 acres of strawberries than to 780,000 acres of cotton (and cotton is one of the world’s most pesticide intensive crops).
To avoid contributing to the use of methyl bromide, I have long purchased locally grown, certified organic strawberries. The organic approach is to rotate strawberries with other crops such as broccoli or a cover crop. Continue reading “What makes an organically grown strawberry environmentally friendly?”
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