A woman picks up vegetables discarded by food vendors at a garbage dump site of a wholesale market in Xi'an, Shaanxi province. About 60 tonnes of vegetables are discarded every day in the market due to damages mainly caused by hot weather. Many residents come to pick them up at a garbage dump site to eat or feed their livestock, local media reported. REUTERS/Stringer
Packaging Food with Food to Reduce Waste
For the environmentally conscious eater, these are among the most inconvenient truths: Too much food goes to waste. Too much packaging comes with the food. And too much of the packaging is made to last for ages. Now there may be a single answer to all three problems: using excess food to make the packaging.
Researchers Test Self-Destructing Moth Pest in Cabbage Patch
Researchers in a New York cabbage patch are planning the first release on American soil of insects genetically engineered to die before they can reproduce. It's a pesticide-free attempt to control invasive diamondback moths, a voracious consumer of cabbage, broccoli, and other cruciferous crops that's notorious for its ability to shrug off every new poison in the agricultural arsenal.
Germany’s ‘Marshall Plan with Africa’
A proposal from Germany’s development ministry stands to rewrite the country’s—and possibly the G20’s—aid relationship with Africa. The so-called Marshall Plan with Africa would prioritize encouraging private investment on the continent, possibly while reducing or shifting official development assistance. The plan is part of a broader German focus on Africa in 2017, in an effort to play a stronger role leading donor policy within Europe and the G20.
How Does Family Planning Impact Nutrition Security?
Family planning is critical to ensuring healthy pregnancies and optimal child development, especially in low- and middle-income countries. And, as women are increasingly empowered to control the timing and spacing of their pregnancies, they are able to attain greater educational outcomes, job opportunities, and household decision-making power. What this reminds us is that health and development challenges are inextricably intertwined, and that limiting resources in one area can stall, or reverse, progress in another.