EAAE Conference
The XIIth Congress of the European Association of Agricultural Economists (EAAE) took place in Ghent, Belgium. The theme ‘People, Food and Environments: Global trends and European strategies’ meant a huge variety of topics were covered in a packed 4 days. Attended by well over 750 delegates from all over Europe plus a strong US presence…
EU soil maps atlas
As readers will know I have a fondness for the European Soil Data Centre (ESDAC) and their publications (see previous post). Well they have produced another corker with the Soil Atlas of Europe. The 128 page Atlas can be downloaded either as a complete or in parts pdf or as individual high resolution pdf or…
Pesticides persist in ground water
Numerous studies over the past 40+ years have established that pesticides & herbicides, typically applied at the land surface, can move downward through the soils unsaturated zone to the water table at detectable concentrations. This downward movement of pesticide degradation products, formed in situ, can also contribute to the contamination of ground water. Once reached…
Did you ask for a glass of wine…?
A glass of wine calls for romance, sophistication and pleasure…the unravelling of complex flavours in the mouth. Yes, a simple glass of wine might elevate us from our daily stresses into higher states of mind allowing for a cheerful and relaxed mood to arise instead. Imagine you are getting home after one of those days,…
Will the world fight poverty and eradicate hunger?
The FAO Summit on World Food Security-2008, held at Rome from the 3-5 of June, represented an opportunity for the world leaders to discuss high food prices, climate change and bioenergy. Solutions to the “food crisis” focused on the increase in land productivity through the use of traditional breeding lines and GMOs. While biotech crops…
Getting married? Got butterflies?
While awareness of invasive species and the impact they have on the natural environment is a hot topic, I recently read an article, on a warm and related topic if you will, about butterfly releases at weddings: ‘Are butterfly releases at weddings a conservation concern or opportunity?’ by T. R. New. And it got me…
Claire Beverley
Dr. Claire Beverley Editor, Content Development (Crop Protection) My interest in biological control developed when I worked as an Assistant Entomologist for Horticulture Research International, after completing a degree in Applied Biology. Originally taken on for 3 months to collect data for a cucumber trial, my stint in the entomology department lasted 3 years! And…
Is this really the future of food?
A few weeks ago we were discussing beer – or rather the lack of it expected as a result of climate change. This week, Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden has unveiled a new superfood. Even less appealing than no beer, this rather unappetising dish is the Swedish equivalent of tempeh and was brewed up…
Biodiversity – The more the merrier!
May 22nd is the International Day for Biological Diversity 2008. This year’s theme is ‘Biodiversity in Agriculture‘. According to the Convention on Biodiversity who are co-promoting the day’s festivities along with such luminaries of food and nutrition as the FAO, modern food production is responsible for both increasing and decreasing biodiversity. One of the things…
The International Day for Biological Diversity – 22 May 2008
Biodiversity and Agriculture is the theme for 2008’s International Day for Biological Diversity. Agriculture is a key example of how human activities have profound impacts on the ecosystems of our planet. This year’s day seeks to highlight the importance of sustainable agriculture not only to preserve biodiversity, but also to ensure that we will be…