(A man walks before a rainstorm in Kogelo village, Kenya. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya)
Another Milestone Toward Making Cell Phones the Future of Weather Observations
Scientists have found that it is possible to monitor global rainfall using the telephone antenna network. With the lack of weather data in many technology-poor locations, this could prove be a game-changer in the future of global weather observations and forecasting. A new study details how simple measurement of the loss in signal between telephone antennae can predict whether it’s raining.
5 Futuristic Food Wrappers That You Don’t Have to Throw Away
Swedish design group Tomorrow Machine has a novel approach to sustainable packaging: food wrappers that are meant to be composted or washed down the drain. It hints of a Jetsonian pantry-of-the-future, but the inspirations behind Tomorrow Machine’s designs are very, very, old: fruit and eggs.
Cool Planet: Can Biochar Fertilize Soil and Help Fight Climate Change?
Napa Valley grower Eckhard Kaesekamp believes his grapevines have achieved a 5% higher yield than expected thanks to a soil treatment called CoolTerra—a product made from a carbon-rich substance called “biochar.” Biochar results from the carbonization from plant matter, which is supposed to improve soil fertility and increase water and nutrient retention.
Exploring a Tree One Cell at a Time
Michael Knoblauch, a plant cell biologist, is seeking to prove the longstanding hypothesis that what drives the flow of nutrients in the phloem of plants is pressure differential. Proving the hypothesis is more than an academic exercise. Fully understanding how plants function could lead to improvements in crop yields or resistance to pests and disease.
About
The Global Food and Agriculture Program aims to inform the development of US policy on global agricultural development and food security by raising awareness and providing resources, information, and policy analysis to the US Administration, Congress, and interested experts and organizations.
The Global Food and Agriculture Program is housed within the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, an independent, nonpartisan organization that provides insight – and influences the public discourse – on critical global issues. The Council on Global Affairs convenes leading global voices and conducts independent research to bring clarity and offer solutions to challenges and opportunities across the globe. The Council is committed to engaging the public and raising global awareness of issues that transcend borders and transform how people, business, and governments engage the world.
Support for the Global Food and Agriculture Program is generously provided by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
A new Council on Global Affairs report assesses the role of big retailers as supply chain intermediaries and asserts the need for further research regarding their impact on rural poverty and food security.
Food labels provide the public with important information about the qualities of the foods they buy and eat, but not all labels mean what you think they do. Recent polling finds that Americans have a poor understanding of the “natural” food label, complicated by the term’s lack of oversight.
Dave Donnan, Oleg Kozyrenko, and Prakash Chandrasekar of A.T. Kearney detail technological innovations that are helping to improve agricultural efficiency in both developed and developing countries.
In the latest piece from the Agri-Pulse and Council on Global Affairs column series, Senator Amy Klobuchar highlights the important role of public-private partnerships in addressing global food insecurity.
To feed a global population on track to hit 9 billion by 2050 agriculture must overcome huge challenges, but as investments in agricultural science remain low and science students are attracted to other fields of work, who will solve those challenges?
Louise Iverson, assistant director of global agriculture, talks with Food Tank about the Global Agricultural Development Initiative’s promotion of food security as a poverty alleviation strategy.
