Global hunger continues to rise, new UN report says

Global hunger 

* 821 million people now hungry and over 150 million children stunted, putting hunger eradication goal at risk.

New evidence continues to signal that the number of hungry people in the world is growing, reaching 821 million in 2017 or one in every nine people, according to The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2018 released today.

Is this West Virginia farming community the model for a utopian way of life?

farmer

If one family can't maintain a farm of 300 acres then maybe multiple families can... and so communal farming is born again in Berkeley, where 11 families living on common land are trialling a new way to preserve rural America.

Ancient farmers spared us from glaciers but profoundly changed Earth's climate

Ox

Millennia ago, ancient farmers cleared land to plant wheat and maize, potatoes and squash. They flooded fields to grow rice. They began to raise livestock. And unknowingly, they may have been fundamentally altering the climate of Earth.

India must ditch rice to feed growing population, scientists warn

India must ditch rice to feed growing population, scientists warn

Conventional crops use too much water and do not provide enough nutrients. India must shift from growing mainly rice and wheat to other crops that are healthier and better for the environment, according to new research.

Australia's drought: The cancer eating away at farms

drought

The worst drought in living memory is sweeping parts of eastern Australia, leaving farmers struggling to cope and asking questions about the future.

The tragic story of the sea that disappeared

The tragic story of the sea that disappeared

World's once fourth largest inland body of water is now a graveyard for its former ships – and its loss is not only being felt in the local fishing industry but it’s also spawned a grim array of health problems

A quality seed, key to food security says Professor Iritwange

Professor Simon Iritwange is the Acting President Yam Farmers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (YFPMAN) and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Agriculture Makurdi, Benue state. 

Professor Simon Iritwange is the Acting President Yam Farmers, Processors and Marketers Association of Nigeria (YFPMAN) and a Senior Lecturer at the University of Agriculture Makurdi, Benue state.  He strongly believes that the availability of quality seeds and seedlings are not only necessary but crucial to the enhancement of the nation’s agricultural growth. Read his Excerpts below with Seun Ayeni at Kaduna Perl meeting.

Gene study pinpoints superbug link between people and animals

Gene

Scientists have shed light on how a major cause of human and animal disease can jump between species, by studying its genes.

Study shows EU pesticide ban failing to protect suburban bees

bees

Bees living in suburban habitats are still being exposed to significant levels of pesticides despite the EU ban on the use of neonicotinoid pesticides on flowering crops, new research from University of Sussex scientists shows.

Agricultural and urban habitat drive long-term bird population changes

Chipping Sparrows are among the species that expanded in Illinois during the 20th century by making increased use of urban habitat.

Land use changes are a major driver of species declines, but in addition to the habitat to which they're best adapted, many bird species use "alternative" habitats such as urban and agricultural land.