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Alliance for Science Fellows advocate for ag in DC
The Cornell Alliance for Science 2018 Global Leadership Fellows will be in Washington, D.C., Nov. 13-16 to share their stories with US and international policymakers in hopes of attracting support for advancing agricultural innovation in their countries. Though the 27 Fellows come from a variety of backgrounds — farming,…
Ugandan scientists poised to release vitamin-fortified GMO banana
Ugandan scientists are eying a 2021 release date for genetically modified bananas fortified with vitamin A, provided the nation passes its biosafety law. In 2005, Ugandan scientists began using the tools of biotechnology to breed bananas fortified with vitamin A. Their goal was to help rural families suffering from a…
World Food Prize to focus on challenge of feeding 9 billion by 2050
When policymakers, farmers, researchers and executives gather in Des Moines, Iowa this week they will be taking a multifaceted look at how to meet the massive global challenge of feeding an estimated nine billion people by 2050. ‘Rise to the Challenge’ is the theme of the 2018 Borlaug Dialogue, the…
2018 Alliance for Science Fellows urged to tackle global food crisis
Dr. Kathryn Boor, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS) at Cornell University, has spurred the 2018 Alliance for Science Global Leadership Fellows to find ways of resolving the pressing world problems of food security and extreme poverty. During a recent reception welcoming the 29 Fellows, who represent nine…
Global Leadership Fellows vow to help smallholder farmers
The 2018 Alliance for Science Global Leadership Fellows have promised to bring change to their countries by making sure that science and technology are embraced to increase agricultural productivity and solve the many challenges that farmers face. Speaking during the program’s introductory week at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York,…
The GMO debate
The issue of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) as they relate to the food supply is an ongoing, nuanced and highly contentious issue. Individuals from the scientific and medical fields fall on both sides of the argument, some claiming that genetically modified crops are helping to solve issues concerning hunger, environmental…
Africa’s collaborative biotech research bears fruit
Dr. Priver Namanya adjusted her view in the microscope, trying to get a better image of the banana cells. Then a smile lit her face. After spending the day trying to ascertain that she had incorporated a vitamin A gene into the banana cells, she had achieved success. Namanya, a…
Bill Gates: Gene editing can help humanity
Philanthropist Bill Gates today strongly endorsed new gene editing techniques such as CRISPR, saying they could help humanity overcome some of its “biggest and most persistent challenges” in global health and agriculture over the next decade. “Eliminating the most persistent diseases and causes of poverty will require scientific discovery and…
New study challenges beliefs about organic ag
Organic agriculture is not as good for the environment as commonly believed, according to a new scientific study reviewing multiple lines of evidence over more than two decades. The study, conducted by German researchers Eva-Marie Meemken and Matin Qaim from the University of Goettingen and published in the journal…