COVID has hit Mexico hard. Our southern neighbor has the fourth-highest death rate in the world. Over 70,000 Mexicans have died, two-thirds of which had underlying medical conditions related to diet (i.e. high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, obesity, etc.). This heavy toll from the pandemic has driven home the severity of the public health […]
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A consortium of environmental groups are urging EU policy makers to do more to protect declining insect populations as part of the European “Green Deal.” As ABC news has reported , the EU’s sweeping climate proposal seeks to make Europe “the first climate-neutral continent.” It calls for, among other things, several major ag and land […]
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Canadian ag media is reporting that Cargill, one of the largest grain buyers and shippers in the world, will no longer be accepting any lentils that were sprayed with glufosinate herbicides late in the growing season to desiccate, or dry out, the crop. For more on this common practice, see this in-depth article by the […]
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In a statement released July 31, 2019, the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) has recommended that all glyphosate use be phased out due to “the recognised impact on the health and well-being of women and newborn children worldwide.” FIGO is a professional group that advocates for OB/GYN groups around the world. They work with […]
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Senior AgriPulse reporter Philip Brasher ran a provocative story in AgriPulse May 15, 2019 entitled “Blocked by GMO Politics, African Scientist Turns to 1950s Technology” (paywall, so no link possible). It reports that Dr. Kingdom Kwapata, a plant breeder trained at Michigan State University, returned to Malawi to work on cowpea genetics. This legume, also […]
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Reuters reports that Bayer has issued an apology and will open an external legal investigation into attempts by Monsanto to influence journalists and politicians. Bayer had to take action after French prosecutors opened an investigation following media complaints that Monsanto, which was purchased by Bayer last year, had compiled a file of 200 names of […]
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The first in a series of monthly blogs by Dr. Benbrook was posted this week to the UK Soil Association’s website. They are a non-profit supporting sustainable and organic agriculture, who also serve as the primary organic certification body in the UK. Dr. Benbrook’s first guest blog is called “U.S. must shift towards agroecology.” It […]
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The USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) issued a February 11, 2019 report highlighting information from its post in Berlin. The focus — US exports of mostly fresh organic fruits, vegetables, and milk. Data on processed organic food exports to Europe from the US is not as readily available, so many product categories are not covered […]
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The European sustainable development think-tank IDDRI has a 10 year plan to get the continent on a track towards sustainable agriculture, while producing ample food to provide a healthy diet to 530 million Europeans. Their fascinating new report is entitled “An agroecological Europe in 2050: multifunctional agriculture for healthy eating. Findings from the Ten Years […]
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Two new publications were released in the last week that contribute much new food for thought in the global discussion around the sustainability of the Earth’s food systems. First off, on January 16th the Lancet published a special feature called “Food in the Anthropocene: the EAT–Lancet Commission on healthy diets from sustainable food systems.” As Reuters reports, […]
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