As we wrap up 2015 at Food Tank, we are already looking forward to next year. From food safety law to a heightened focus on food waste, there are so many exciting food and agriculture stories that continue to unfold…
Category: Agriculture
2015 was a huge year for weed, 2016 will be even bigger
By Keegan Hamilton December 29, 2015 | There’s an old adage in American politics: “As Ohio goes, so goes the nation.” While it might hold true for presidential campaigns — the last candidate to reach the White House without winning…
Phasing out chemicals with agroecology
Executive Summary “If we do persist with business as usual, the world’s people cannot be fed over the next half-century. It will mean more environmental degradation, and the gap between the haves and have-nots will expand. We have an opportunity…
116 Food Orgs to Watch in 2016
Danielle Nierenberg Every Every year, Food Tank highlights organizations that contribute to creating a more sustainable global food system by protecting biodiversity, producing valuable agricultural research, fighting hunger, and much more. This year, Food Tank is featuring 116 organizations you…
Agroecology to reverse soil degradation, achieve food security
Agroecology, which restores ecosystem functioning by maintaining soil health, is an effective strategy to achieve food security in the areas of the world where it is most needed. The challenge: The dramatic increase in crop production of the last 50…
Sustainable farming systems in Bangladesh, Japan receive global recognition
Four new sites designated Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems for innovation, sustainability and adaptability Four traditional farming systems in Bangladesh and Japan have been designated today by FAO as “Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems.” They include Bangladesh’s floating gardens, a…
BD’s floating garden technology wins FAO recognition
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations on Tuesday declared Bangladesh’s floating garden agricultural technology as globally important agricultural heritage site (GIAHS).
Costs and benefits of agriculture
Danielle Nierenberg As climate leaders gather in Paris for the 21st Session of the Conference of Parties (COP21), farmers and food leaders are paying close attention to negotiations, which will determine how global environmental policy will continue to affect the…
How agroecology can transform agro-food system, nourish planet
A new book discusses how agroecology can nourish the world and transform the currently unsustainable agro-food system. The focus is on small-scale farmers who, all over the world, are prone to food insecurity, but who nevertheless feed more than 80%…
Agroecology in Africa addresses climate change, hunger, poverty
The Oakland Institute today released 33 case studies that shed light on the tremendous success of agroecological agriculture across the African continent in the face of climate change, hunger, and poverty. “Released just two weeks ahead of the COP21 Conference…
Waste-free thanksgiving
Danielle Nierenberg This week, Food Tank is grateful for the farmers, researchers, and activists who are working tirelessly to improve the food system every day. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), getting food onto Americans’ plates accounts for…
Demand a national food policy
Danielle Nierenberg The American food system is broken. Chronic diet-related diseases cost US$500 billion annually, and agriculture is the main source of water pollution in America. The Food and Drug Administration reports that 80 percent of all antibiotics are fed…
Vague results in harmonised plant variety protection questioned
Sangeeta Shashikant (London): A major issue at the upcoming meetings of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) will be whether there is a need for a centralized harmonized mechanism for the filing, examination and…
Contentious negotiations over farmers’ rights resolution
Geneva (Sangeeta Shashikant) — Negotiations on the Farmers’ Rights resolution became particularly contentious during the 6th meeting of the Governing Body of the International Treaty for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) when certain delegations such as Australia,…
Alfatoxins left by fungi lead to Malawi’s toxic harvest
Alina Paul Floods followed by drought have led to a 30 per cent reduction in Malawi’s maize harvest and left the country facing its most severe food crisis for over ten years. Between now and March, more than two million…
Pigeonpea ‘a life changer for Malawi’s drought-stricken farmers
Malawi-Hyderabad , India – ‘• Be it in India or Africa, there is the same problem of youth wanting to leave the farms and have other careers. Attracting youth to agriculture has become an issue on the government agenda in…
Zinc-enriched rice for food, nutrition security stressed
Enhanced cultivation of high yielding zinc-enriched rice can ensure food and nutrition security preventing deficiency of zinc, iron and vitamin-A for normal growth of children and increasing disease resistant capacity.Experts viewed this at a farmers’ field day organised by RDRS…
$460 million global investment in food tech, media space
Danielle Nierenberg The fall semester is in full swing and many students are enrolled in courses focused on food and agriculture. They realize that the food system is at a crossroads. Nearly a billion people suffer from hunger while at…
Giving a voice to the youth
Danielle Nierenberg Young people are the future of food security. By 2050, youth, ages 15-24, are expected to reach 1.4 billion, or 14 percent of the population. At Food Tank, we recognise youth as the next generation of food system…
Global consumption trends break new records
Worldwatch Institute’s Vital Signs exposes latest global peaks of production and consumption, as well as associated impacts Washington, D.C. – From coal to cars to coffee, consumption levels are breaking records. According to the Worldwatch Institute’s latest report, Vital Signs,…
What’s the true cost of food?
Danielle Nierenberg Conventional agriculture isn’t cheap. From the use of artificial fertilizer and pesticides to the obesity epidemic, our current food system has a number of hidden costs to the natural environment and human health, far outweighing the benefits of…
Khulna district expects to yield 2,24,417 tonnes of Aman
The southwestern Khulna has set a target of yielding 2,24,417 tonnes of Aman in the current year as plantation of two varieties of the major crop is underway in the district, agriculture officials said yesterday.“Transplantation of Aman seedling (Bree-23) or…
Local fruits disappearing fast in Narsingdi
Different varieties of local fruits are disappearing fast in the district due to adverse impact of climate change, use of agro-chemical in the ground and want of planning on production.Earlier, there were various indigenous fruits like Gab, Deowa, Kathbal, Safeda,…
The real cost of food
Danielle Nierenberg There is no such thing as cheap food. Industrial agriculture is externalizing the environmental and health costs associated with food production. Worldwide, 75 billion tons of soil is lost every year, costing approximately US$400 billion per year, or…
Arum farming gains momentum in Rajshahi region
In the wake of gradually increasing demand and lucrative market price, cultivation of arum has brought smiles on the faces of farmers in Rajshahi region including its vast Barind tract as they are getting good profit by cultivating it on…
T-Aus paddy harvest completed in Gaibandha
Harvesting of T-Aus paddy of the current season has been completed in the district in the first week of the current month amid much enthusiasm.
Seeking truth in the food system
Danielle Nierenberg I grew up in a small, rural community in Missouri. As a young girl, I was encouraged to ask questions, seek more information, and probe for answers. I was taught to always tell the truth, even if it…
Protecting cows was Mughal way to rule Indian hearts: Rajnath Singh
Rajnath Singh said due to the efforts taken by BSF personnel, cattle smuggling to Bangladesh has come down. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said that even the Mughals understood that if they had to rule India, they could…
Amateur farmer grows Dragon fruits in Jhenidah
Amateur farmer Borhan Uddin (45) has courageously gone for cultivation dragon fruit in Kaligonj upazila of Jhenidah and made it monstrously popular among farmers and consumers level for its high commercial and nutritional values. Borhan Uddin services as a marketing…
Arum farming brings fortune for Jhenidah farmers
Jhenidah: Arum, locally known as ‘Latiraj’.The arum cultivation, a summer vegetable, has gained much popularity among the farmers of Ragunathpur Village in Kaligong upazila in Jhenidah district. Arum cultivation brings fortune for many farmers in the village.