According to the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation's 2016 Food and Health Survey, Americans remain divided in their perceptions of GMO labeling and their use in the food supply. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires that GMO foods be labeled only if they have substantial differences from their non-GMO counterparts

A new study from Carnegie Institution for Science reveals how the regulation of stomata development in grasses could be used to improve plant efficiency and agricultural yield. Their work focused on the stomata of grasses, a family that includes maize, rice, and wheat. Scientists studied stomata in grasses since their stomata show several unique innovations.

The benefits to the farming community of partnerships between public research institutes and private companies have been demonstrated in East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, India, where machine transplantation has reduced the cost of cultivation by half, as well as increased yields by around 750 kg per ha.

In 2013, Kenya’s Ministry of Health was faced with a debate over the alarming rate of women dying in childbirth: was the cause deep-rooted cultural values, or could lives be saved with policy interventions?

Hanoi, Viet Nam. An FAO-supported kick-off workshop was held today in Ha Noi to enhance bio-energy sustainability in Viet Nam through use of Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) indicators.
 

The recent period of high agricultural commodity prices is most likely over, say the OECD and FAO in their latest 10-year Outlook. But the two organisations warn of the need to be vigilant as the probability of a major price swing remains high.

The United Nations food standards body Codex Alimentarius Commission is meeting in Rome from 27 to 30 June 2016 to examine food safety and quality standards.

Respiratory diseases are common ailments in calves. Hubert Pausch from the Chair of Animal Breeding at the Technical University of Munich in Germany and his team have traced a gene mutation in cattle responsible for it — a recessive mutation that alters the structure of the cilia of the airways. It only manifests in homozygous animals, where both parents were carriers of the mutation.

A research team from Kobe University in Japan has discovered four new genes in rice that are potentially significant to agriculture. The team used genome-wide association studies (GWAS), a frequently used method in analyzing human genes, instead of quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis, which has been in use for genetic analysis of crops.

Urgent action by the international community and governments in the Dry Corridor of Central America is essential to help build resilience, food security, and restore livelihoods damaged by drought and other extreme-weather effects of El Niño, United Nations leaders said today.