Will Non-Transgenic GM Plants Win Favour with Regulators and the Public?
The creation of transgenic plants often involves the use of DNA sequences from bacteria and other non-plant organisms – in particular as vectors to introduce the desired genes. However, some people are concerned about the use of DNA from such distantly related sources, and regulators require separate rules to be complied with for transgenic plants…
2010: Chinese Year of the Tiger
If, like me, you were born in Year of the Tiger, you’ll be glad to know that tiger people are lively and brave, are well liked and always land on their feet. Unfortunately, for tigers in the wild the outlook for 2010 doesn’t look too good… Tigers are under a severe and growing threat from…
Can Haiti’s struggling agro-economy recover?
The earthquake that hit Haiti may have killed as many as 200,000, and delivering food to survivors is proving very difficult. However, Haiti was already suffering from major problems in trying to feed itself well before the earthquake struck, as detailed in many papers on CAB Abstracts. Haiti has a notable problem of food security, write…
Agricultural ‘Research for Development’
Last week I posted a blog article reporting the UK's publication of a new science strategy designed to help improve food security and sustainability. One bit of the Food and Innovation Research Strategy announcement which caught my eye was the statement that research investment in agriculture by the UK's DFID (Department for International Development) was…
The 50 Best Inventions of 2009
I came across the Time Magazine 50 best inventions of 2009 list this morning and thought it’s worth sharing with the ‘handpicked and carefully sorted’ readers. The list includes number 1 – NASA’s Ares Rockets; number 4 – the smart thermostat; number 8 – the AIDS vaccine; number 22 – the custom puppy; and number…
The food supply chain – 2010 concerns.
(photo courtesy of DFID) The food supply chain (the production, processing and distribution of food from farms to the food on consumers' plates) is in the UK news again.
What has caused all the snow to fall this winter in the UK – climate change?
As I returned from a Southern Hemisphere holiday, where temperatures were nearly 40 degrees C, I was shocked by the unusually cold weather in the UK. The winters in the UK are usually much milder than this as we all know, so what is going on with the weather? If you don’t know already, read…
UK launches new food security strategy
Earlier this week, the UK's Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor John Beddington, launched a new science strategy to help improve the security and sustainability of Britain's food system. It quickly disappeared from the news agenda here as the UK ground to a halt in the snow, but at CABI improving food security is one of the…
Come home to a real fire?
While much of the UK is today paralysed by heavy snowfall, I along with many others, have decided not to risk the journey to work and am sitting here writing this post at the dining room table looking out over a garden draped in winter wonderland finery. While driving home last night I listened to…
Copenhagen – a missed opportunity or a turning point?
Now the dust has settled after the "chaotic" COP-15 meeting in Copenhagen last week, the blame game is in full swing with British and Americans accusing China of vetoing an agreement on emissions, and Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez deriding the West stating if climate was a bank "they would have saved it." But given that…