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 …
Water use by plant communities across years of varying water availability indicates how terrestrial water balances will respond to climate change and variability as well as to land cover change. Perennial biofuel crops, likely grown mainly on marginal lands of limited water availability, provide an example of a potentially extensive …
The drafting of a new biosafety bill is being prepared to regulate import of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the country. Currently, there is no law at the federal level to check import of genetically modified (GM) seeds in the country. In absence of a law, the country is fast …
Even in the best of times, life is harsh in Siyagijima, a desolate village in southwest Zimbabwe. After the worst regional drought in nearly a decade and the failure of nearby crops, it is likely to be even harsher. For 31-year-old Mejury Tererai, whose maize and cotton crops have been …
This study presents the findings of research into the global socio-economic and environmental impact of genetically modified (GM) crops in the eighteen years since they were first commercially planted on a significant area. It focuses on the farm level economic effects, the production effects, the environmental impact resulting from changes …
Starvation is looming in Zimbabwe after widespread failure of crops coupled by the country's policies that have failed to stimulate economic growth. A snap survey by The Standard in various parts of the country showed that a large chunk of the staple crop -- maize -- is now a write …
Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development has projected low farm yields following its 2014/15 second Agricultural Production Estimate survey. Minister of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development, Dr Allan Chiyembekeza told Tuesday in Lilongwe today that the decline is mainly attributed to floods and prolonged dry spell that the country …
Government says it is alive to the hunger threat in the country following reports of failed crops in some parts of the country. Zambia faces a threat of hunger with the drought spell having left the crop wilted while the late re-appearance of the rain has left the little remainder …
Weed Technology—As acreage under maize keeps on increasing in recent years, maize-attacking insects have become a widespread problem, including populations of the rootworm that have developed resistance to insecticidal proteins. Foliar sprays are ineffective because this rootworm, and other insects such as the sugarcane beetle, attack maize seedlings below ground. …
Pizza delivery chain Domino’s has been selling genetically modified pizzas, despite its website claiming that it is ‘GM-free.’ Research by campaign group GM Freeze found that the company’s ‘thin and crispy’ pizza bases have been made using genetically modified soya bean oil and maize flower since February. Waitrose has also …
Do the wet savannahs and shrublands of Africa provide a large reserve of potential croplands to produce food staples or bioenergy with low carbon and biodiversity costs? We find that only small percentages of these lands have meaningful potential to be low-carbon sources of maize (~2%) or soybeans (9.5–11.5%), meaning …
Maize yield is sensitive to high temperatures, and most large scale analyses have used a single, fixed sensitivity to represent this vulnerability over the course of a growing season. Field scale studies, in contrast, highlight how temperature sensitivity varies over the course of development. Here we couple United States Department …
The number of suicide cases by farmers due to agrarian reasons have increased by 26 percent to 1,109 in 2014, with majority of deaths reported from Maharashtra, Parliament was informed on Tuesday. Out of 1,109 cases, 986 were reported from Maharashtra, 84 from Telangana and 29 from Jharkhand. In 2013, …
New EU rules that would allow member states to ban or restrict the cultivation of genetically modified (GM) crops in their territory have moved a step closer, following their formal adoption by the European Council. Under existing rules, member states can only ban or restrict the use of a genetically …
India has emphasised inclusion of adaptation as a part of Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC). For understanding adaptation requirements, we need to understand and value climate change impacts first. This preliminary assessment tries to estimate the cost of global climate change impacts for India. The study aims at estimating first …
A European Parliamentary committee on Tuesday backed a new limit on traditional biofuels made from food crops that critics say stoke inflation and do more harm than good to the environment. Those seeking to promote a new generation of advanced biofuels made from seaweed or waste welcomed Tuesday's vote. But …
Provincial Minister for Agriculture Dr Farrukh Javed has said that the high yielding hybrid maize seed, jointly evolved by the breeders of Maize & Millet Research Institute Sahiwal and the experts of Punjab Seed Corporation, is no doubt a greatest achievement, which would not only gear up the growth of …
US agencies, funders such as the Gates Foundation, and agribusiness giant Monsanto are trying to force unwilling African nations to accept expensive and insufficiently tested Genetically Modified (GM) foods and crops, according to a new report released. The US, the world's top producer of GM crops, is seeking new markets …
Can honey bees keep away “gundhi bug” (locally called bambuchi) in paddy? Definitely, says Ramakrishna Shenoy, an agriculturist and an ex-serviceman, from Beluvai in Mangaluru taluk. Mr. Shenoy said that the “gundhi bug” was a major menace in his paddy field for rabi crops (November-February) and not for kharif crop …
Permits renewed for research on several rice and corn strains, a move hailed by some scientists as a big step towards commercialisation The central government has renewed permits allowing scientists to grow three varieties of genetically modified rice and corn on the mainland, more than three months after they expired, …
