Mexico’s Native Crops Hold Key to Food Security
Mexico's ancient civilizations cultivated crops such as maize, tomatoes, and chilies for thousands of years before the Spanish conquerors arrived—and now those native plants could hold the key to sustainable food production as climate change bites, said a leading ecologist. Analyzing the genetic variability of traditional crops, and supporting the family farmers who grow most of the world’s food, may offer an alternative to industrial agriculture.
Feeding 2050: Sustainable Aquaculture and the Future of Protein
Worldwide, some 80 million tons of fish are hauled from the oceans annually. Fish is delicious, healthy, and an important part of many diets. But there’s a problem with wild caught seafood: fish stocks—the population of fish in the ocean—aren’t growing. So what happens then; what happens when unyielding demand profoundly overtakes supply? You innovate, and start raising fish like livestock.
New Satellite Imaging to Better Forecast Locust Plagues
Information from satellites is being used in a new way to predict favorable conditions for Desert Locust swarms, as part of an early warning collaboration by scientists from the European Space Agency and Desert Locust experts at the Food and Agriculture Organization. The new technology will help to increase the warning time for locust outbreaks by up to two months.
New Guide to Prevent Child Labor in Conflicts and Disasters
A new guide by the Food and Agriculture Organization urges child labor concerns be integrated in agriculture, food security, and nutrition programs during crises and disasters. Around the world, 100 million children and young people are affected by disaster each year and 230 million live in areas affected by armed conflict. As a crisis unfolds, a family's capacity to provide adequate food, education, and protection for their children is undermined, which can result in an increase in both the prevalence and severity of child labor.