One of the primary requirements in commercializing a genetically modified (GM) crop is the proof of its substantial equivalence with its non-GM counterpart. In other words, substantial equivalence means that a new product such as a GM crop must be the same as the non-GM crop except for the traits that were enhanced, added, or removed through genetic engineering.

A team of scientists from Universidad Autonoma de Sinaloa (UAS), Mexico, successfully developed a genetically engineered tomato that can help treat hypertension. Hypertension affects 30 percent of the world population, according to the World Health Organization. Thus, the researchers looked at scientific literature to search for proteins that help reduce hypertension and devised a way to incorporate the protein in tomatoes, which is a popular fruit globally.

Rich in natural resources, including fertile land, abundant water, and a wealth of biodiversity, coastal deltas across the tropics serve many nations as “breadbaskets” or “rice bowls.” Such is the case for Asia’s Ganges and Mekong River deltas, two of the world’s largest. Providing livelihoods for rural people, they also produce nutritious food (rice, fruit, fish, and shrimp) for hundreds of millions of consumers.

Health Canada has notified the International Rice Research Institute that it has no objection to the food use of Provitamin A Biofortified Rice Event GR2E (Golden Rice). The Department conducted a comprehensive assessment of this rice event according to its Guidelines for the Safety Assessment of Novel Foods, which are based upon internationally accepted principles for establishing the safety of foods with novel traits.

The world needs to produce an estimated 60 percent more food by 2050 to ensure global food security, and it must do so while conserving and enhancing the natural resource base. Water is a major input in the provision of food – from production in the field through all the steps in the value chain. Water is also required to meet personal and household needs, for energy and industrial production, and to maintain important water-dependent ecosystems and ecosystem services.

GM canola was approved in Australia in 2003 after a science-based risk assessment. This was followed by moratoria imposed by state governments because of potential trade impacts, which lasted up to six years in the main canola growing states and ongoing in other states. USask's Scott Biden and colleagues used the Canadian GM canola adoption curve to estimate the potential environmental and economic benefits of GM canola from 2004-2014 if the moratoria were not implemented.

In a novel and large scale study, researchers from the University of Maryland (UMD) College of Agriculture and Natural Resources (AGNR) have put together 40 years of data to quantify the benefits of Bt corn. Previous studies have shown the benefits of Bt corn adoption on pest management for pests like corn borer for years, but this is the first study to look at the effects on other offsite crops in North America.

Kansas State University (K-State) researchers have discovered the mechanism by which weeds develop resistance to the popular herbicide glyphosate. The research team found how Palmer amaranth and common waterhemp evolved resistance to glyphosate in such a short time. Based on research, they discovered that glyphosate resistance in Palmer amaranth occurred very rapidly.

The Cornell Alliance for Science, in collaboration with Water Efficient Maize for Africa (WEMA) Project, Uganda Biosciences Information Center (UBIC), and other partners conducted a two-day training workshop on agricultural biotechnology for Ugandan journalists from March 9-10, 2018 at the National Crops Resources Research Institute (NaCRRI) in Namulonge, Wakiso district, Uganda.

A big regional effort to bolster social protection policies in Latin America and the Caribbean is essential to lower rural poverty and reverse the recent uptick in hunger, FAO Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva said today. “The region can’t remove the support given in recent years to those who are most vulnerable,” he said at an event focused on the Zero Hunger campaign during FAO’s Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean.