The National Academy of Sciences conducted a two-day workshop on how to communicate about genetically modified organisms (GMO) to the public. The workshop was held on January 15-16, 2015 in Washington, DC. The workshop was attended by life science researchers and featured speakers who are experts on science communication.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has announced its decision to deregulate Monsanto's Dicamba-tolerant trait technologies –Roundup Ready 2 Xtend™ soybeans and Bollgard II® XtendFlex™ cotton. The decision will be published in the Federal Register in the near future.

Between 2004 and 2011, Brazil reduced deforestation rates in the Amazon by 77%, thus decreasing its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by more than a third. This is an all-time record. No country had ever been able to cut down emissions so drastically over a similar period, including reductions in transportation, energy and all other sectors.

19 January 2015, Rome - Genetic resources have a critical role to play in feeding the world — especially as climate change advances faster than expected — and much more needs to be done to study, preserve and utilize the biological diversity that underpins world food production, according to a new book released by FAO today.

Professor Lord Krebs, Principal of Jesus College, told the Oxform Farming Conference that organic farming does not necessarily equate to environmentally friendly farming. He explained that organic farming is generally less productive per hectare meaning more land is needed to produce a certain amount of food.

A study by a group of researchers of National Research Centre on Plant Biotechnology (NRCPB) and Institute of Biotechnology, ANGRAU, India reports that the transgenic herbicide tolerant rice could tolerate up to 1% of commercial Roundup, which is five times more than the usual dose used to kill weeds under field conditions.

Origin Agritech Limited announced that the Biosafety Certificate for its genetically modified phytase corn has been renewed by the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture. The Biosafety Certificate for GM phytase corn was originally received in 2009 which was valid for a period of 5 years. The Certificate expired in August 2014.

8 January 2015, Rome - FAO's monthly Food Price Index declined in December after three months of stability. Continued large supplies and record stocks combined with a stronger U.S. dollar and falling oil prices contributed to the decline.

Some 27 participants from national and local media, farmers and members of the Biosafety Commission participated in a three-day visit to corn and sugarcane research stations and farms. The event jointly organized by Indonesian Biotechnology Information Center (IndoBIC), NOFA, and CropLife Indonesia aimed to provide an overview of the corn and sugarcane seed industry in Indonesia.

China has officially approved the imports of genetically modified (GM) crops: a corn variety developed by Syngenta AG, a soybean developed by DuPont Pioneer, as well as a soybean variety from Bayer CropScience AG. The approval for Syngenta's Viptera corn covers corn grain and processing byproducts, such as dried distillers' grains, for human and animal consumption.