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.

Researchers from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and scientists from The American Chestnut Foundation have confirmed that the addition of a wheat gene increases the blight resistance of American chestnut trees.

A group of researchers from the United States has published the results of their research on the genetic basis of drought tolerant soybeans. Their study focused on three specific characteristics that could make crops more drought tolerant and result in yield increases

Graham Brookes of PG Economics documented and analyzed the trends of weed control changes and herbicide tolerant (HT) crops in the USA from 1996 to 2012. The findings are published in GM Crops and Food journal. According to the report, the use of HT technology resulted to net reduction in both the amount of herbicide used and associated environmental impact when compared to the use of conventional production methods.

A new international study led by Chinese scientists and Bruce Tabashnik at the University of Arizona suggests that biotech crops and traditional farming practices can be compatible approaches to sustainable agriculture.

31 December 2014 –As South Sudan’s livestock owners have fled the ongoing conflict, millions of animals have been displaced, leading to fresh outbreaks of disease and rising tensions between pastoral groups and farmers, as well as within different pastoralist communities.

2014 was the International Year of Family Farming, and throughout the year FAO worked with our partners to keep the spotlight pinned on this critical player in the global food, nutrition and agriculture arena. According to the 2014 edition of our annual State of Food and Agriculture report - which focused on the needs of family farmers -- nine out of ten of the world's 570 million farms are managed by families, and produce about 80 percent of our food.

Brazil has added US $ 17 million in funding to projects undertaken in its ongoing partnership with FAO, highlighting the Latin American country's role as a key regional and global contributor to the fight against hunger. The decisions, added to ongoing projects has increased the portfolio of Brazil-funded projects through FAO to over $100 million.