How the Philippines is Using a Robot to Plan for Natural Disasters

Drones could play a key role in assisting governments in guiding disaster risk reduction in the agriculture sector.

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the Philippines have launched a drone initiative to assess where agricultural land is most at risk from natural disasters—and how to rapidly evaluate damages after they occur.

Philadelphia Soda Tax: A Sweet Plan to Fund City Programs

Philadelphia has a sweet plan to fund city programs.

Philadelphia has achieved what many believed impossible when the city council voted 13-4 to approve a 1.5 cents-per-ounce tax on all sugar-sweetened drinks, including diet beverages. Although controversial, Philly’s soda tax is expected to raise US$91 million per year in revenue that will be reinvested into city programs.

From the Ground Up: An Interview with Groundswell International

Farmers in Eastern Burkina Faso watering their agroecologically grown crops.

Interview with Steve Brescia, Executive Director of Groundswell International. Groundswell International has promoted sustainable agriculture worldwide since it was founded in 2009.

Record-Breaking Growth of Organic Industry

The consumer demand for organically produced products is growing quicker than the supply chain can manage.

According to the Organic Trade Association’s (OTA) 2016 Organic Industry Survey, 2015 was a record-breaking year for the U.S. organic industry. As its largest annual dollar gain ever, total organic product sales hit US$43.3 billion in 2015, up 11 percent from 2014 sales.

Interview with Hilal Elver: U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food

Right to Food

Hilal Elver, the third person to hold the position of Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, is a law professor and globally distinguished fellow at UCLA Law School's Resnick Food Law and Policy Center.
She is the author of Peaceful Uses of International Rivers: Case of Euphrates and Tigris Rivers and The Headscarf Controversy: Secularism and Freedom of Religion, published in 2012 by the Oxford University Press. Her most recent book is Reimagining Climate Change, co-edited with Paul Wapner and published in 2016 by Routledge Press. She was appointed Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food by the Human Rights Council in May 2014 and assumed her functions on June 2, 2014. Recently, she spoke about several pertinent issues surrounding global food security today.

Barilla’s Commitment to Food that is Good for You and The Planet

A recent report from the Barilla Group discusses the company's sustainability initiatives from the past five years, and goals for 2020.

A recent report released by the Barilla Group highlights the company’s ongoing efforts to support both the wellbeing of people and the planet. The sustainability report, titled Good for You, Good for the Planet, discusses the company’s initiatives around sustainable agriculture and nutrition.

THAILAND TO INVEST $400M IN AGRICULTURE IN ANAMBRA

farmland

The Anambra Government and Thai Borneo Energy Ltd, Thailand, are collaborating to attract agricultural investment projects valued at 400 million dollars to the state.

Interview with Joseph Simcox, The Botanical Explorer

Joseph Simcox

Joseph Simcox, The Botanical Explorer, is a World Food Plant Ecologist who studies the planet’s edible plant resources. Simcox hopes to inspire the use and preservation of endangered world food traditions by studying firsthand the diversity of food crops and wild edible plants.

Former VC advocates introduction of Agric Entrepreneurship as Degree programme

Agriculture Entrepreneur

Prof. Placid Njoku, Pioneer Vice-Chancellor, Michael Opara University of Agriculture, Umudike, Abia, has advocated for the integration of Agriculture Entrepreneurship as a full degree programme in all universities of the country.

International Project Sheds Light on Voluntary Sustainability Standards

The State of Sustainability Initiatives aims to shed light on voluntary sustainability standards operating in the agricultural and fisheries sectors.

Many consumers wonder how the food they are buying and eating is being produced, and whether the food production systems that we all rely on are degrading the environment or exploiting people. But voluntary sustainability standards (VSS), including organic, Fairtrade Alliance, Rainforest Alliance, and the Marine Stewardship Council, have been established to assure consumers that the food they are eating is better for the environment and producers.