Plant microbiome: Key to weaning agriculture off chemical inputs?
All plants interact with bacteria and fungi in the soil. Some plants are especially good at it. Understanding what drives...
Climate change triggering global collapse in insect numbers: stressed farmland shows 63% decline – new research
Insects are critical to the future of our planet. They help to keep pest species under control and break down...
Ghana farmers optimistic about GMO crops, survey finds
As Ghana considers approving its first genetically modified crop, a new report finds the country’s smallholder farmers are increasingly optimistic...
Africa struggles to improve climate change literacy as its effects worsen across the continent
From scorching temperatures and devastating floods to continuous droughts and poor crop harvests, the heavy hand of climate change is...
New study busts GMO myths
Despite their proven success in improving the world’s food systems, genetically modified (GM) crops have attracted myths and untruths that...
Kenya’s Daniel Magondu – a passionate farmer advocate
If I had not been a seasoned long-distance driver who hails from a country with more potholes than road, I...
Nigeria begins national performance trials for GM maize
Nigeria is set to begin national performance trials (NPT) for genetically modified (GM) TELA maize as the West African nation...
Modern crop improvement takes a historical approach
Sorghum, rice, wheat, maize and barley are hugely important in the human diet, with more than 50 percent of all...
In boost for agriculture, India exempts gene edited crops from biosafety assessment
In a bold move with far-reaching consequences for the country’s agricultural development, India’s government has issued an order exempting certain...
Ghana’s first GMO food crop: All you need to know
In Ghana, local scientists from the Savanna Agricultural Research Institute (SARI) of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)...
Anti-GMO themes losing traction worldwide, suggests new scientific paper
The conversation around genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is becoming more positive, according to new Alliance for Science research analyzing traditional...
Gene-edited cows just secured record-fast FDA approval — here’s why
Old McDonald had a farm, it was GMO. With an oink and a moo and a…that’s about it. Though the...
Modified: Destigmatizing GMOs one bite at a time
“GMOs have been unfairly stigmatized, haven’t they?” Thus spoke a man in his 30s, a sympathetic expression on his face,...
Public sector research leading LATAM’s foray into crop biotechnology
Embrapa, a government-funded, Brazil-based company, is challenging the private sector in bringing biotechnology innovations to Latin America. It’s significant that...
Bt cotton gives Kenyan farmers a reason to smile again
“Wow, wow.” I couldn’t stop saying wow as we caught a first glimpse of a field covered with what appeared...
Opinion: GMO cowpea can support biodiversity – Modesta Abugu
Nigeria’s biodiversity is rich and unique, including semi-arid savanna, mountain forests, seasonal floodplains, rainforests, vast freshwater swamp forests and diverse coastal...
Gene editing cattle to cope with climate change
Zimbabwean farmer Obert Chinhamo believes in quality over quantity when generating value from cattle. “It is good to have a...
Kenya publishes guidelines specific to gene editing
Kenya has published science-based guidelines to facilitate the development of gene-edited research and products, which will be reviewed on a...
Genetic research boosts response to disease plaguing Hawaii’s coffee crop
As the only state that produces coffee, including the iconic Kona variety, Hawaii growers and agricultural officials were alarmed when...
1 in 10 Americans say they don’t eat meat – a growing share of the population
About 10 percent of Americans over the age of 18 consider themselves vegan or vegetarian as of January 2022. That’s...
The Power of Purple: GMO tomato could help fight cancer
Like many research breakthroughs, the discovery of the highly-nutritious, genetically modified purple tomato happened by chance. “The motivation for this...
Ghana begins accepting public comments on its first GMO crop
Ghana’s biosafety regulator is urging the public to submit comments as it reviews an application to approve the country’s first...
RNA vaccines for plants?
The threat of COVID-19 spurred innovation at unprecedented rates. Moderna and Pfizer’s RNA vaccines were approved in about a year....
GMOs could shrink Europe’s climate footprint, study suggests
Though Europe has long rejected genetically modified (GM) crops, a new study suggests their adoption could significantly boost yields and...
5 ways gene editing is making crops climate-resilient
Our world is undergoing climate changes that have triggered a spate of calamitous disruptions on agricultural production and overall food...
GMO cowpea could make protein-rich staple food more affordable, say Nigerian scientists
As Nigeria experiences a sizable hike in the price of cowpea, scientists say broad cultivation of genetically modified (GM) varieties...
Irrigation helps women farmers in Mozambique weather climate extremes
In January 2021, a devastating cyclone hit Mozambique and flooded Berta Inácio Ngove’s field, burying a promising crop of maize...
Developing countries pay hefty price by restricting GMO crops, new research shows
Two new papers aim to quantify the social welfare and economic costs that countries inflict upon themselves by restricting the...
5 reasons why the GMO debate is over
Though we still hear some moaning and groaning about GMOs — genetically modified organisms — it primarily comes from a...
Ghana resumes approval process for insect-resistant cowpea, its first GMO crop
Now that it has a new governing board, Ghana’s National Biosafety Authority says it is ready to resume its approval...
New AATF boss blames ignorance for slow uptake of ag biotech
Dr. Canisius Kanangire, the newly appointed executive director of the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF), was
Scientists seize ‘once in a decade’ opportunity to advocate for genetically engineered trees
Nearly 700 scientists from across the globe have signed a petition urging the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) to allow genetically...
Nigeria needs biotechnology to weather climate change impacts on farming, say West African scientists
Agricultural biotechnology will help Nigeria respond to climate change issues and support food security, asserts a new study by West...
Sweet potato farmers profit from climatic protection
An iron digger adapted from a motor vehicle spring thrusts effortlessly deep into the sides of green vines covering an...
GMO crops reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Canadian study finds
As the world looks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, a new study from Canada shows that genetically modified (GM) crops...
GMO crops have reduced pesticide poisoning among farmers, report finds
Many countries have enjoyed improved economies and healthier populations by farming genetically modified (GM) crops, according to a report from...
Synthetic biology in Africa: ‘Golden opportunity’ once regulations are in place
Synthetic biology can solve some of Africa’s pressing challenges related to poverty, food insecurity and climate change, scientists say, but...
Frustration grows over Ghana’s delay in approving GM cowpea
As crop losses in Ghana lead to skyrocketing prices for cowpea — a protein-rich staple food — farmers, seed producers...
Nigerian GMO cowpea farmers testify to reduced pest infestation and better yields
Nigerian farmers growing the country’s first GMO food crop — pod borer-resistant (PBR) cowpea, or beans — say they have...
Ugandan students push biotechnology outreach and biosafety law
After growing frustrated with legislative inaction, biotechnology students in Uganda have started an initiative to advocate for biotechnology, gene editing...
