World leaders today signalled an unprecedented level of attention to curb the spread of infections that are resistant to antimicrobial medicines. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) happens when bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi develop resistance against medicines that were previously able to cure them.
 

 Harvard University Professor Calestuos Juma (figure) examined why people oppose new technologies such as biotechnology in his new book Innovation and Its Enemies: Why People Resist New Technologies.

An international conference on how to achieve healthy and sustainable oceans has welcomed the growing support for a ground-breaking FAO-brokered international accord on illegal fishing. The Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing (PSMA), is the fruit of years of intense negotiations. It finally came into force in June.

Plant breeding innovation has brought significant impacts in European agriculture, such as increase in yield with fewer inputs and less effect on the environment, according to an EU-wide study. The report The Economic, Social, and Environmental Value of Plant Breeding in the European Union was released by Hffa Research GmbH and was commissioned by the European Technology Platform

A new trait stack from Syngenta, Agrisure^® 3120 E-Z Refuge^®, has received registration approval from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Agrisure 3120 E-Z Refuge offers above-ground insect control, featuring two modes of action against corn borer and control of ear-feeding insects, with the convenience of an integrated refuge product.

Despite years of research efforts, it has been remarkably difficult to develop efficient methods for transformation (i.e., genetic modification) of grain crops. The most preferred method generally involves Agrobacterium tumefaciens, however, the bacterium infects only a narrow range of grain cultivars, and many cultivars are recalcitrant to regeneration.

The National Biosafety Authority (NBA) has approved environmental release (open field cultivation) of MON 15985 event (commonly referred to as Bt cotton) for the purpose of conducting limited National Performance Trials (NPTs). This follows an application submitted by Monsanto Kenya Ltd in October 2015 seeking approval for "environmental release, cultivation and placing on the market."

In their efforts to improve the food security and livelihoods of farmers around the world, potato breeders at the International Potato Center (CIP) strive to develop marketable, resilient varieties with resistance to viruses and late blight that can be grown in an array of environments. An excellent example of the potential of such a potato is CIP variety No. 392797.22, a high-yielding clone that can be found in fields all over China and is grown in several other countries.

An app that allows farmers to identify pests and diseases using their mobile phones and provides remedial measures is the latest addition to using modern digital tools to benefit smallholder farmers. A key feature of the mobile app ‘Plantix’ is automated disease diagnosis. Farmers can upload a photo of their infected crop and the app will provide a diagnosis.

The latest technologies developed at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) attracted a big crowd at a Southeast Asian agri-business show held on 8-10 September in Bangkok. Hundreds of people who attended the SIMA ASEAN 2016, including farmers from Nakhon Ratchasima Farmers Group, also visited the IRRI booth.