Archive for June, 2006

Politics Aside, Iran Endorses Genetically Modified Rice

Iran is in the bad books of the international community for allegedly sponsoring terrorism. U.S. Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice, testifying in a Congressional hearing a couple of weeks ago, branded the country “the central banker of terrorism.”
President George Bush, in his State of the Union address in 2002, said Iran along with North Korea [...]

Biotechnology continues to play significant role in reshaping world agriculture

Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Research in Agricultural and Applied Economics
Biotechnology is among key forces reshaping world agriculture, enabling increased crop yields and productivity despite limited available land, and leading to better quality and lower priced food products for consumers.
That’s according to a new report from North Dakota State University, “Forces Reshaping World Agriculture,” authored by [...]

GM cereal resists heat to boost nutrition

By Wagdy Sawahel
19 June 2006
Source: SciDev.Net
Scientists have genetically modified wheat and barley so the seeds still contain an important nutritional enzyme after cooking.
The enzyme phytase helps people absorb zinc and iron and the researchers say the plants could be used to alleviate dietary mineral deficiency, which affects 2-3 billion people worldwide, primarily in developing countries..
In [...]

Give Farmers the Real Products of Agricultural Biotechnology

To demonstrate his frustration with the way opponents of modern agricultural biotechnology distort scientific facts to discourage farmers in developing countries from embracing genetically modified crops, Calestous Juma, a professor of Practice of International Development at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, in an opinion article in Economic Perspectives – a journal [...]

Field Visits Can Make Policy Makers Appreciate Benefits of Genetically Modified Crops

Two weeks ago, several lawmakers from Kenya visited South Africa on an agricultural biotechnology fact-finding mission.
Upon witnessing the positive impact genetically modified crops have made to the lifes of South African farmers, the lawmakers pledged to fast-track GM food law upon returning home.
Kenya and many other African countries have been dragging their feet in enacting [...]

UN Agency Urges Backing For Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources As Way to Eradicate Hunger

New York,
Jun 14 2006 2:00PM
The head of the United Nations food agency today urged all countries to fully back the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which aims to safeguard the genetic diversity of crops, describing it as �a fundamental tool in humanity’s efforts to do away with hunger and [...]

Dutch Government Asks Researchers to Develop Genetically Modified Potato

The Hague, The NetherlandsJune 13, 2006
USDA/FAS GAIN report NL 6015
HIGHLIGHTS
The Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality asked the Wageningen University to develop a genetically modified (GM) potato with resistance to late blight (Phytophthora infestans). Six field trials with the GM maize hybrid Mon810 will be conducted this year to establish the size of [...]

Will Agbiotech Applications Reach Marginalized Farmers? Evidence from Developing Countries

A new study, “Will Agbiotech Applications Reach Marginalized Farmers? Evidence from Developing Countries,” found that many developing countries are unable to reap the benefits from biotechnology due to public policies that impede the adoption of new technologies.
Findings from two studies on agricultural research indicate that although developing countries invest in agricultural biotechnology and genetically modified [...]

US Biotech Companies Urge Africa to Catch Up

In this article, U.S. biotech companies appeal to Africa to appreciate the benefits of genetic engineering.
By Ochieng’ Ogodo
Islam Online
Nairobi, Kenya
June 12, 2006
While Africa remains reluctant to embrace the use of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), some experts contend that this will only isolate the continent from cutting-edge agricultural sciences.
Jane Stautz works in the [...]

Organics Business Big and Growing

By Ruth Kava, Ph.D., R.D.
American Council on Science and Health’s Facts and Fears.com blog

The organic food movement is poised to enter the big time: according to the USDA, sales of organic foods will near $18 billion by the end of 2007 — up from about $10 billion in 2003. You might think this would make [...]