In The News

East Africa Famine Threatens Regional Stability, USAID Chief Says

Joshua Hersh July 20, 2011
Unrelenting drought in East Africa has put the region at risk for major famine. “Aid workers in East Africa have spent months gearing up for the looming crisis, thanks in part to an early-warning system operated by USAID [US Agency for International Development] that first predicted a round of devastating crop failures and food shortages late last year,” reports Joshua Hersh for the Huffington...

The Decline of Agriculture?

Dahr Jamail July 18, 2011
Farmers who depend on reliable seasonal patterns are troubled by climate change, whether gradual or volatile disruption. Farmers and climate researchers increasingly question agriculture’s ability to feed fast-growing populations. Early sprouting, dry spells, torrential rains, virulent pests and need for replanting are no longer rare occurrences. The weather extremes of 2011 are unprecedented,...

The Ticking Food Bomb

Nayan Chanda July 8, 2011
The globe confronts a perfect storm of challenges this century: climate change, rising inequality, limited fossil fuels and a growing population that put pressure food and water supplies. If population expands to 9 billion as expected, food demand will double by 2050 even as the rate of growth in the agriculture sector declines. Nations, fully aware, recognize that food shortages and price hikes...

Costa Rica’s Pineapple Boom Unhealthy, Warn Experts

Will Ferguson June 7, 2011
Costa Rica is one of the world's top five pineapple-producing nations. With growing demand for the healthy fruit, farmers expand their fields. Concern is emerging among growers in Costa Rica as “the industry has been associated with the deterioration and erosion of soils, the destruction of ecosystems and the contamination of water supplies,” writes Will Ferguson for the Tico Times. Farmers...

Lawsuit Looms Against Germany Over Cucumber Scare

Gregg Benzow, Sarah Harman June 2, 2011
The scramble to identify a deadly food-borne illness can quickly ruin reputations. At least 10 nations have reported hundreds of cases of an infection by a deadly mutation of E. coli to the World Health Organization, raising fear, confusion and speculation about the source. Hamburg, Germany, initially blamed Spanish cucumbers, before conducting tests and backing away from the claims days later...

Bursting Melons Add to Food Woes

May 23, 2011
Chinese television reports of watermelons exploding like “land mines” quickly went global, raising concerns about dyes, growth regulators and pesticides in the food supply. Competitive farmers try to make crops more attractive for market, but learn there can be too much of a good thing. Some of the melon farmers reported using the growth regulator forchlorfenuron, also used in the US. The...

Foreign Dollars for an American Dream

Coeli Carr May 6, 2011
To create jobs, governments typically invest in local businesses. But Ecuador looked beyond its borders and invested in Runa, a small New York–based firm that markets guayusa, a caffeinated drink. The investment tackles numerous policy goals: The drink is made from leaves of holly, native to the Amazon; developing a commercial product could preserve rainforest and aid indigenous communities. Napo...