As Asian agriculture increasingly intensifies to satisfy food and income demands of a growing population, it meets with the reality of soil degradation. Agricultural activities is one of the leading causes of soil degradation in the region, which in most countries, is already causing a decline of average crop yields primarily due to loss of nutrients in the soil.

IRRI is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Humnath Bhandari as IRRI Representative in Bangladesh effective 1 February 2018. Dr. Bhandari brings a wide range of experience to the job and will serve as the focal point of IRRI activities in the country. He will lead all key initiatives to further strengthen IRRI’s commitment and partnership with the Government of Bangladesh, particularly the Ministry of Agriculture, the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute,

ISAAA in 2017: Accomplishment Report has been released. The report showcases the programs implemented by ISAAA through the Global Knowledge Center on Crop Biotechnology, and its regional centers SEAsiaCenter and AfriCenter.

Biotechnology has been recognized as one of the tools to boost food security by several countries, however, some remain to be skeptical about adopting it. Rwanda is one of the latest countries that made actions towards legalizing GM crops. According to an official at the Rwanda Environment Management Authority (REMA), they have drafted a law regulating GM crops. Furthermore, Gérardine Mukeshimana, Minister for Agriculture and Animal Resources

In 2016, the global area of biotech crops reached 185.1 million hectares, according to a research paper authored by Drs. Rhodora Aldemita and Randy Hautea of the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications (ISAAA). The results of their study are published on February 2, 2018 in GM Crops and Food.

Dr. Zachary Lippman of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) in New York, USA, and Dr. Byoung-Cheorl Kang of Seoul National University in Seoul, South Korea presented seminars on genome editing and genomics at the Institute of Plant Breeding, University of the Philippines Los Baños on January 23, 2018.

Arctic® Fuji, Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc.'s (OSF) third nonbrowning Arctic® apple variety has been approved by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) and Health Canada (HC).

The CFIA and HC have announced that the Arctic® Fuji variety "did not pose a greater risk to human health than apples currently available on the Canadian market.

Members of the Africa Women for Biosciences (AWfB) have vowed to rally behind biotechnology as they advocate for efficient and effective policy environment. The network, comprising of women with an interest and passion in science, technology and innovation, said this during a biosafety communication training workshop held on January 25-26, 2018, in Nairobi, Kenya.

Food shortage in conflict-stricken areas continues to rise, implying greater need for food and livelihood assistance, according to the January 2018 report of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and World Food Programme for the United Nations Security Council. The report includes status of food insecurity in 16 countries: Afghanistan, Burundi, the Central African Republic,

West African countries are now in a better position to perform high-quality, production-boosting agricultural research than they were a decade ago, thanks to the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP). Since 2008, this World Bank initiative has invested significantly in agricultural research infrastructure and human capacity in addition to supporting regional and cross-country collaboration.