Tag Archives: poverty

Biofortified GM bananas

Posted on June 22, 2014 by argylesock

James Dale is a scientist at the Queensland University of Technology (QUT, Australia). His lab has developed a genetically modified (GM, genetically engineered) banana (Musa × paradisiaca) rich in ‘pro-vitamin A’. Here’s the QUT report. This is the ‘super banana’ … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food, horticulture, knowledge transfer | Tagged Africa, Agrobacterium tumefaciens, America, Asia, banana, banana Cavendish, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, biodiversity, biofortification, biotechnology, breeding, carotenoid, child, conservation, cotton, crop diversity, crop variety, development, East African cooking banana, food security, food sovereignty, fruit, fruit variety, gene, gene gun, genetic modification, iron, land grab, local variety, marker assisted backcrossing, micronutrient, Monsanto, nutrition, patent, plantain, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, poverty, pro-vitamin A, Provit Banana, research, rice, Scuba rice, seed, soya, staple food, super banana, tissue culture, trade, Vitamin A | 2 Comments

Call for articles: Nutritional values and family farming

Posted on June 16, 2014 by argylesock

Originally posted on AGRICULTURE BLOG…..:
Farming Matters | 30.2 | June 2014 We are told of the great advances that have been made in ‘modern’ agriculture in the last 60 years. Yet there are more hungry and malnourished people on…

Posted in agriculture, food, horticulture, human health, knowledge transfer | Tagged access to food, agroecology, biotechnology, cash crop, conservation, crop, development, family farm, farmer, fertiliser, finance, food, food availability, food loss, food quality, food security, food sovereignty, food waste, forest, genetic modification, Green Revolution, intensive, iron, knowledge, land use, local community, nutrition, obesity, poverty, rural, smallholder, trade, tradition, Vitamin A, woodland, yield, young person | Leave a comment

What is biodiverse food?

Posted on June 13, 2014 by argylesock

Ann Tutwiler of Bioversity International tells us why in the 21st century, we need biodiverse food. And she tells us what that could mean. Ms Tutwiler doesn’t mince her words, saying that a need for dramatically increased food production is … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, food, horticulture, knowledge transfer | Tagged amaranth, banana, barley, biodiversity, biotechnology, cacao, cassava, climate, commodity, corn, crop, development, fertiliser, food, food security, food sovereignty, fossil fuel, foxtail millet, genetic diversity, grain, grass, Green Revolution, grocery, knowledge, maize, neglected crop, oats, pearl millet, plantain, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, politics, pollution, potato, poverty, prosperity, public_private partnership, quinoa, research, rice, rye, small millet, smallholder, soil, sorghum, staple food, supermarket, sustainable, teff, trade, water, wheat, wild rice | 3 Comments

Invest More in Agriculture Not Industries

Posted on June 4, 2014 by argylesock

Originally posted on Foundation for Young Farmers:
A very appropriate theme when Africa is rising, was one of my first thoughts. Participants were researchers, academics, policymakers from the UN, AU, governments and NGOs as well as people like me who…

Posted in agriculture | Tagged Africa, Asia, city, development, Green Revolution, land grab, politics, poverty, prosperity, rural, smallholder, young person | Leave a comment

Rising levels of CO2 could exacerbate malnutrition

Posted on May 16, 2014 by argylesock

argylesock says… Climate change is happening. We humans caused it. Here’s yet another way that climate change threatens people, especially poor people. [Edit] I looked up the original paper (behind a paywall, but my University library has a subscription) and … Continue reading →

Posted in food, human health, weather and climate | Tagged America, Asia, biofortification, carbon dioxide, child, climate, corn, crop variety, field pea, food quality, grain, iron, legume, maize, nutrition, plant_dicot, plant_monocot, poverty, research, rice, selective breeding, sorghum, soya, staple food, vegetable, wheat, zinc | 2 Comments

Trade across the Pond

Posted on April 23, 2014 by argylesock

The World Development Movement (WDM) wants poverty to end. ‘WDM campaigns against the root causes of poverty and inequality. We are a democratically-governed movement made up of local campaign groups based in towns and cities around the UK. Our staff … Continue reading →

Posted in food, human health, knowledge transfer, money and trade | Tagged Africa, America, Asia, Cable_Vince, Department for Business Innovation and Skills, education, energy, Europe, food, housing, human, internet, knowledge, land, law, politics, poverty, trade, Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership, transport, water | 1 Comment

Western corporations carve up Africa

Posted on April 17, 2014 by argylesock

Originally posted on ECO-opia:
. A newly released report reveals how the British and American governments are facilitating the corporate takeover of African food systems. Campaigners protest outside the UK Department for International Development. Photo: WDM . Huge tracts of…

Posted in food, money and trade | Tagged Africa, America, Europe, land grab, Monsanto, New Alliance, politics, poverty, trade | Leave a comment

Food security and biofuels

Posted on April 15, 2014 by argylesock

Biofuels are renewable because they’re made from plants or animals, which grow. But sometimes biofuels are produced in ways that are not sustainable. Hungry people sometimes pay the cost. Can food security and biofuels go hand in hand? Today Léna … Continue reading →

Posted in food, knowledge transfer, money and trade, weather and climate | Tagged access to land, algae, biodiversity, biofuel, climate, development, export, farmer, fire, food security, knowledge, land grab, land use, law, livestock, plant_dicot, plant_gymnosperm, plant_monocot, politics, poverty, prosperity, tillage, trade, tradition, waste, water | 7 Comments

It’s 2014, So Why Are So Many People Still Hungry? Part 2

Posted on March 24, 2014 by argylesock

Originally posted on ZombieChicken.org:
Read Part 1 of this article here. The Root Causes The food emergency is an indication of a food framework in emergency. Terrible climate, high oil costs, agrofuels, and hypothesis are just the proximate reason…

Posted in food | Tagged access to food, development, food, food availability, food security, food sovereignty, poverty | 6 Comments

It’s 2014, So Why Are So Many People Still Hungry? Part 1

Posted on March 24, 2014 by argylesock

Originally posted on ZombieChicken.org:
Read Part 2 of this article here. The planet prepares enough food to sustain everybody. The horticulture industry prepares 17 percent more calories for every individual today than it did 30 years prior, notwithstanding a…

Posted in food | Tagged access to food, development, food, food availability, food security, food sovereignty, poverty | Leave a comment