The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) today launched the United Nations' Decade of Family Farming and a Global Action Plan to boost support for family farmers, particularly those in developing countries.

Australia's Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) has issued license DIR 166 to Queensland University of Technology for the limited and controlled release (field trial) of chickpea genetically modified (GM) for drought and other environmental stress tolerance. The field trial is proposed to take place from June 2019 until December 2024 in Walkamin, Tablelands Regional Council in Queensland on up to 3 hectares per year. It will assess the drought and heat tolerance and agronomic characteristics of GM chickpea under field conditions.

Australia's Office of the Gene Technology Regulator (OGTR) has issued license DIR 166 to Queensland University of Technology for the limited and controlled release (field trial) of chickpea genetically modified (GM) for drought and other environmental stress tolerance. The field trial is proposed to take place from June 2019 until December 2024 in Walkamin, Tablelands Regional Council in Queensland on up to 3 hectares per year.

Scientists from Arizona State University have determined the structure of a very large photosynthetic supercomplex, PSI-IsiA complex, a common form of photosystem I, one of the two essential engines of photosynthesis. The complex is unique in size, the largest photosynthetic supercomplex with a known molecular structure, and in complexity with more than 700 different molecules (mostly light-harvesting molecules) making up the complete structure.

Psychologists and biologists from the University of Rochester, the University of Amsterdam, and Cardiff University conducted a study to answer the question "Would consumers eat genetically modified food if they understand the science behind it?" The result of their study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology says that the answer is "yes".

People care about birds far more than they do about most forms of biodiversity. Birds share our sensory modalities, they are mostly diurnal, and their ability to fly makes them conspicuous and aesthetically attractive. Birds occur virtually everywhere we do, even in the center of the largest cities. They play prominent roles in religion, sports, arts, and conservation (1).

Germplasm exchange is a regulated process governed by the phytosanitary policies and procedures of International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) and national plant protection organizations. Since inception, CGIAR centres have adopted strict code of practice to ensure phytosanitary compliance executed by the purpose-made Germplasm/Seed  Health Units (GHUs),

The Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that future collaborative projects between the U.S. and Pakistan would include using American soybean feed in poultry, fish farming, and dairy industries; introducing genetically engineered (GE) maize; and working with various government agencies to develop uniform food safety standards.

University of Canterbury's (UC) newest Professor Emerita Paula Jameson has spoken about how important it is to consider gene editing as a tool to improve crop production to meet the sustainability demands of New Zealand. A UC alumna who holds double majors in plant physiology and chemistry and a PhD on wheat and cytokinins, Prof. Jameson sees gene editing as one technique that has a lot of potential to achieve the Aotearoa New Zealand's targets towards zero carbon in its agronomic systems.

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Lab (Berkeley Lab) have successfully used an open-source RNA analysis platform for the first time in an effort that could help engineer more efficient food and biofuel crops. Drop-seq, developed at Harvard Medical School in 2015, is a popular method for measuring the RNA present in individual cells, allowing scientists to see what genes are being expressed and how this relates to the specific functions of different cell types