“Bangladesh will march forward on Golden Rice” said H.E. Matia Chowdhury, Minister of Agriculture for Bangladesh as she acknowledged the positive impact of biotech crops and their potential to help Bangladesh meet the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal of zero hunger by 2030. 
 

Kenya could soon begin using genetically modified (GM) animals in research as the country's biosafety authority is set to finalize draft guidelines on regulation of contained use of transgenic animals. Speaking at a workshop on regulation of GM animals in Kenya, acting Chief Executive Officer of the National Biosafety Authority (NBA) Prof. Dorington Ogoyi, said the authority is leading the way in preparing the ground for regulating biotech animals.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) Panel on Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO Panel) has released a scientific opinion on the data submitted for the renewal of authorization application of the herbicide tolerant and insect resistant genetically modified (GM) maize NK603 x MON810. The scope of the renewal application EFSA-GMO-RX-007 is for food and feed uses, import and processing, but excludes cultivation within the European Union (EU).

UGA researchers developed a new method to enhance the traits of crops. The introduced a human protein into Arabidopsis, and found that they could selectively activate silenced genes already present in the plant. The results are published in Nature Communications. Lexiang Ji, William Jordan, and co-researchers explored a new method known as epimutagenesis which makes it possible to breed diverse plants in a way that is not achievable through conventional techniques.

A new variety of zinc-enriched maize was released in Colombia to help fight malnutrition in South America. The new maize variety (BIO-MZN01) was developed by the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) with the support of HarvestPlus and other partners. Zinc is an essential mineral that has a vital role in human development. However, it is not naturally produced by the human body.

Ugandan farmer and social entrepreneur, Emma Naluyima, expressed her desire to plant GM crops because of their potential to solve the current challenges she's facing in the farm.  After graduating with a bachelor's degree in veterinary medicine in 2006, Naluyima started farming. With her professional background and 12 years of experience as a farmer on a one-acre farm in Entebbe Kawuku, she expressed her agricultural concerns and her aspirations regarding GM crops.

We need natural infrastructure - like forests, swamps, aquifers and grasslands - to overcome droughts and floods. With rapidly dwindling water supplies, Cape Town is making headlines as a city in the throes of a crisis. Residents, already experiencing impacts on their businesses and lives, are bracing for the worst as the government is forced to implement draconian water restrictions. As the world watches a city on edge, we need to ask ourselves: is this a forewarning of futures elsewhere?

IRRI congratulates Dr. Ruaraidh Sackville Hamilton, head of the International Rice Genebank, for receiving the Crop Trust Legacy Award. Dr. Hamilton is one of the seven award recipients recognized as “global gatekeepers” for their efforts and outstanding contribution in the field of plant genetic resources conservation. In a video about the Legacy Awardees, Marie Haga, Executive Director of Crop Trust, said “[the awardees have] diligently prepared seeds for the world for years. They have done a tremendous job for human kind by safeguarding the foundation of our food”.

The book Plants, Genes, and Agriculture - Sustainability through Biotechnology has been released by the Oxford University Press. The book discusses topics including how crop plant breeders look for specific traits to solve practical problems; genetic engineering of crops as a useful way to supplement conventional plant breeding; the nature of agribusiness in industrialized countries; and the vital contributions of developing countries and their smallholder farmers and the unique challenges facing them.

The oldest fossils of land plants are 420 million years old, but a recent study showed that pond scum first made landfall approximately 100 million years earlier.

Scientists have used plant genetic data at "molecular clocks" to estimate how long ago various species split based upon their differences in DNA—to figure out their evolutionary history.