Current science for improving water stress resilience in plants

Two brief introductions about how to overcome stress damage in crops have appeared in this months ISB April 2011 newsletter, coming out of Virginia Polytech.They cover manipulation of leaf pore (stomata)  density and better triggering of plant stress responses:Regulation of…

The Future of Food and Farming Priority 6: Promote sustainable intensification.

The Future of Food and Farming: Challenges and choices for global sustainabilityUK Government Office for Science 2011Executive SummaryFrom the IntroductionProject aim: to explore the pressures on the global food system between now and 2050 and identify the decisions that policy makers…

Chaotic UN decision making part of the human welfare problem

Daily Caller, September 20, 2010Not so pro-BonoAn op-ed in Sunday’s New York Times about the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals by rock singer Bono (yes, you read that right) was naive and misguided.  The minimal successes at improving the health…

GM drought tolerant corn now legal as a food component in Australia

Food derived from drought-tolerant corn line MON87460Food derived from insect-protected soybean line MON87701Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code – Amendment No. 118 – 2010Food Standards Australia New Zealand Act 1991PreambleThe variations set forth in the Schedule below are variations to…

Climate change and links to food insecurity underlined by events in Russia, including a ban on wheat exports.

2nd UPDATE: Wheat Prices Hit 2-Year Highs Following Russian Ban - WSJ.comTHE WSJ is reporting that wheat futures prices soared Thursday to their highest levels in two years after Russia said it would ban grain exports due to a severe…