Years of Eavesdropping on Insect Sex Talk is Starting to Pay Off for Grape Growers

April 18, 2018 Guest Authors 0

Vineyards across the U.S. and Italy are being devastated by incurable diseases caused by bacteria hitching a ride on leafhoppers — a diverse group of plant-piercing insects closely related to cicadas. Now, thanks to some innovative research, scientists are using a technique called vibrational mating disruption to interrupt male-leafhopper courtship songs, preventing them from finding mates and slowing population growth.

Revitalizing Main Street with Cooperatives

April 18, 2018 Guest Authors 0

The intersection of Central and Lowry Avenues in northeast Minneapolis is bustling. On the northwest corner is a trifecta of local businesses: A bike shop, a cooperative brewery, and a bakery. The neighborhood grocery co-op is one block up the street.

This commercial stretch didn’t always look like this.

Towards a Greater Use of Food Waste in Livestock Feed

April 9, 2018 Guest Authors 0

‘Food loss and waste also amount to a major squandering of resources including water, land, energy, labour and capital,’ said Professor Montse Jorba Rafart, an expert in agrifood technologies from Leitat, a Spanish technological centre.

Instead, this waste could become a sustainable solution for another resource-heavy agricultural sector – animal feed.

In Praise of Pesticides

April 6, 2018 Guest Authors 0

It would not be possible to feed 7.6 billion people today without pesticides – let alone the 9-10 billion expected by 2050. So as well as being cautious and sparing in pesticide usage, let’s also give them some praise.

More at Stake in the Battle to Define Meat Than Meets the Eye

March 13, 2018 Marc Brazeau 0

The U.S. Cattlemen’s Association is making a pre-emptive strike against potentially misleading marketing for the next wave of plant meat and other meat alternatives, but the definition is changing fast. Trying to define meat by production process doesn’t play well with where the industry would like to see biotech regulation reformed.

What Constitutes Good Nutrition Advice?

March 12, 2018 Marc Brazeau 0

While affirming the conventional wisdom on What to Eat, two skilled health reporters diverge on What Not to Eat. The divergence underscores two different approaches to giving nutrition advice – outlining an optimal diet or emphasizing a few improvements that people will likely follow?

Why Reducing Post-Harvest Losses is a Priority for Africa

February 28, 2018 Guest Authors 0

According to the FAO, 30% of food is lost or wasted along the supply chain every year. This is a whopping 1.3 billion metric tons of food that doesn’t ever reach the consumer. This lost or wasted food could be used to feed 1.6 billion people every year. In Africa, the losses are even higher: between 30% and 50%.