CEOs need to accelerate their action plans to safeguard the production of commodities critical to the global population and economy as heat stress and drought risk rise around the world, according to PwC's report, Climate Risks to Nine Key Commodities: Protecting People and Prosperity, published. The report, which analysed nine …
The Narendra Modi government’s decision to disallow field trials of 15 varieties of genetically modified (GM) crops came on top of several state governments virtually thwarting such trials of 45 GM crop varieties approved by the regulator during the previous UPA regime. The Genetic Engineering Appraisal Committee (GEAC) gave approval …
The disease in maize crop in Ghamake village in Pawannagar VDC of western Dang has destroyed maize crop worth over Rs. 20 million. It has destroyed maize in some 300 bighas of land, said local farmers. All maize of the field was destroyed in a few days from disease seen …
The state government has launched its much-touted crop diversification plan by reviving maize cultivation on a massive scale. This year, the government is pushing for an increase in the area under this crop by about 75,000 hectares. With the Centre announcing a minimum support price (MSP) on maize and the …
Genetically modified corn seeds are no longer protecting Brazilian farmers from voracious tropical bugs, increasing costs as producers turn to pesticides, a farm group said on Monday. Producers want four major manufacturers of so-called BT corn seeds to reimburse them for the cost of spraying up to three coats of …
Climate change could pose an even greater threat to global food production than previously thought, according to new research. Rising temperatures will not only damage heat-sensitive crops – they’ll also increase toxic air pollution, which will harm crops even further. The study, out this week in the journal Nature Climate …
Ozone pollution, which worsens breathing problems and causes air quality warnings, may compound global warming's damage to the world's food crops, according to a new study. Ground-level ozone, formed mainly from pollutants emitted by burning fossil fuels for cars, industry and power plants, increases as temperatures rise. That's why air …
Future food production is highly vulnerable to both climate change and air pollution with implications for global food security. Climate change adaptation and ozone regulation have been identified as important strategies to safeguard food production5,6, but little is known about how climate and ozone pollution interact to affect agriculture, nor …
The world faces a small but substantially increased risk over the next two decades of a major slowdown in the growth of global crop yields because of climate change, finds this new research by Stanford professor David Lobell and Claudia Tebaldi from the National Center for Atmospheric Research In many …
The FAO Food Price Index was down for a third consecutive month in June, a decline mostly influenced by lower wheat, maize and palm oil prices that reflected ample supplies and improved global production prospects for these commodities. According to the FAO Crop Prospects and Food Situation report, the outlook …
Informal knowledge of farmers is considered to be important for many difference practices required in sustaining both crops and ecosystems, especially when no solutions are known from scientific knowledge. Farmers practice trial and error to formulate crop management technologies specific to location. In this article, we document the indigenous practices …
Why aren't the markets spooked by the poor monsoon in June? Simple, because forecasts point to rain picking up in July, water reservoir levels are higher than average and India has buffer stocks that would cover any shortages. "The present reservoir storage level looks comfortable. Simultaneously, the meteorological department too …
The health effects of a Roundup-tolerant NK603 genetically modified (GM) maize (from 11% in the diet), cultivated with or without Roundup application and Roundup alone (from 0.1 ppb of the full pesticide containing glyphosate and adjuvants) in drinking water, were evaluated for 2 years in rats. This study constitutes a …
The Avaaz online activist network is calling on Maltese activists to petition Maltese European Commissioner Tonio Borg not to grant approval to the first new genetically modified crop across Europe in 16 years, over serious doubts about GMOs’ long-term health and environmental impacts. “Malta and 18 other states voted to …
One-third of the world’s corn is produced in “highly or extremely highly water-stressed regions,” a threat to the largest global crop, according to a statement released today by the World Resources Institute. China, Mexico and India have the largest percentage of corn grown in such areas, while Brazil and Argentina …
Pesticide use is surging among U.S. corn farmers who are worried that some insects have become resistant to genetically modified versions of the crop. That’s an unexpected reversal since one of the promises of engineered corn when it was introduced 17 years ago was its ability to kill pests. The …
The days of "king corn" could be numbered as climate change brings higher temperatures and water shortages to America's farmland, a new report warned on Wednesday. Nearly one-third of US farmland is devoted to raising corn and the country produces about 40% of the world's corn crop. But the $1.7tn …
The Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Monday approved a proposal of the State agriculture department, which shortlisted Monsanto and two other companies to provide high yielding varieties (HYV) of maize seeds to farmers at subsidised rates during the current Kharif season. According to a release quoting a spokesperson …
The price of popular breakfast cereals is set to soar over the next 15 years as a result of climate change, argues a new report from Oxfam International. If left unchecked, the effects of climate change on basic crops—like rice, wheat and corn—could drive up the cost of Kellogg's Frosted …
Genetically modified crops and foods are neither safe nor necessary to feed the world, a new report by genetic engineers shows. The second edition of GMO Myths and Truths, co-authored by genetic engineers Dr John Fagan and Dr Michael Antoniou and researcher Claire Robinson. Genetically modified (GM) crops and foods …
El Nino events can have a significant impact on the yields of certain major food crops, a study has shown. Researchers say the climatic phenomenon, which triggers changes in temperature and rainfall, can reduce maize yields by more than 4%. El Nino episodes are caused by changes in the sea …
