Good Food is First Food. It is not junk food. It is the food that connects nature and nutrition with livelihoods. This food is good for our health; it comes from the rich biodiversity of our regions; it provides employment to people. Most importantly, cooking and eating give us pleasure. …
Wine-making is steeped in age-old traditions, but to address the threat of pests and concerns over heavy pesticide use, vintners are turning to science. With the goal of designing better grape breeds, scientists are parsing the differences between wild American grapes — which make terrible wine but are pest-resistant — …
Farmers allowed to use two neonicotinoid pesticides on their crop for 120 days despite concerns over serious risk to bees and other pollinators Farmers will be able to use blacklisted pesticides linked to serious harm in bees after the UK government temporarily lifted an EU ban. Opponents called the decision …
For many species, geographical ranges are expanding toward the poles in response to climate change, while remaining stable along range edges nearest the equator. Using long-term observations across Europe and North America over 110 years, we tested for climate change–related range shifts in bumblebee species across the full extents of …
Mass deaths of honeybees are increasing in Japan, due apparently to pesticides used for killing stink bugs in rice paddies, according to a study by the agricultural ministry. The ministry found that many cases of large-scale honeybee deaths occurred when such pesticides were sprayed on paddies near apiaries, officials said. …
Currently no direct evidence links in utero dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) exposure to human breast cancer. However, in utero exposure to another xenoestrogen, diethylstilbestrol, predicts an increased breast cancer risk. If this finding extends to DDT, it could have far-reaching consequences. Many women were heavily exposed in utero during widespread DDT use …
The White House has announced an ambitious plan to “promote the health of honeybees and other pollinators” in the United States in a bid to help reverse a worrying trend that has seen the honeybee population fall by half over the last seven decades. It includes making millions of acres …
Picture a red jeep bumping up and down a longish, straight, red dirt road in rural Colombia and, coming from the opposite direction, one lone motorcyclist. The two vehicles draw near and stop. “Amigo, we have problems,” says the motorcyclist to the jeep driver, “they’re fumigating.” “Where?” He gestures back …
With the help of a new training guide developed by FAO and the International Labour Organization (ILO), extension workers in Africa and elsewhere are engaging with rural communities to reduce children's exposure to toxic pesticides used in farming. Nearly 100 million boys and girls between 5 and 17 years old …
A review of scientific literature shows clear evidence that exposure to certain pesticides, currently allowed in European fields, is associated with different forms of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, and diseases of the newborn. This is the conclusion of a new report published by Greenpeace, Pesticides and …
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has told his government to stop using the controversial herbicide glyphosate — also known by its brand name Roundup. “I am going to ask the government officials in the National Drug Council at their next meeting to suspend glyphosate spraying of illicit cultivations (of coca),” …
Usha Ghatowar smiles wryly when asked about the pay she earns picking leaves at a colonial-era tea garden in India's Assam. "Do you think 3,000 rupees ($48) are enough when your monthly expenses can be double that?" she mumbles, as she puts on her "jaapi" hat of woven bamboo and …
In this second report of GMO Inquiry 2015, investigate the environmental impacts of genetically modified (GM; also called genetically engineered or GE) crops in Canada, and around the world. After 20 years, most of the GM crops grown in Canada are herbicide-tolerant, and the rest are insect-resistant (some are both). …
HETAUDA, APR 13 - Sustainable farming practices have led to a drop in the application of chemical pesticides in Makwanpur after decades of increasing use. Vegetable growers in a number of village development committees in the district have been shifting towards organic manure due to widespread awareness about the risks …
Recent organic diet intervention studies suggest that diet is a significant source of pesticide exposure in young children. These studies have focused on children living in suburban communities. The objective of the study was to determine whether consuming an organic diet reduced urinary pesticide metabolite concentrations in 40 Mexican-American children, …
(Reuters) - U.S. consumer groups, scientists and food companies are testing substances ranging from breakfast cereal to breast milk for residues of the world's most widely used herbicide on rising concerns over its possible links to disease. The focus is on glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup. Testing has increased …
It turns out that pesticides may affect male fertility. Scientists have found that men who eat more fruit and vegetables that were treated with pesticides have lower sperm counts and percentages of normally-formed sperm. Previous studies have shown that occupational exposure to pesticides might have an effect on semen quality, …
U.S. regulators will put new restrictions on the world's most widely used herbicide to help address the rapid expansion of weeds resistant to the chemical, Reuters has learned. The Environmental Protection Agency confirmed it will require a weed resistance management plan for glyphosate, the key ingredient in Monsanto's immensely popular …
Pesticides have been associated with Parkinson’s disease (PD), but there are few data on important exposure characteristics such as dose-effect relations. It is unknown whether associations depend on clinical PD subtypes. The researchers examined quantitative aspects of occupational pesticide exposure associated with PD and investigated whether associations were similar across …
Deep ocean fish are facing a host of health problems that may be due to man-made pollution, according to a new study. Even as far down as 2,000 feet to one mile beneath the surface, marine fish are suffering from liver pathologies, tumors and other conditions as harmful pollutants are …
Nearly half of food products in Europe contain residues of pesticides, with strawberries the most likely to exceed legal limits, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) said on Thursday. The official EU body also found traces of pesticides in organic foods, though it said its analysis of almost 81,000 food …
