Vegetables Likely to Take More of Your Plate in 2016
Vegetables have moved from the side to the center of the plate. And as another year begins, it appears that plants are the new meat. Eaters in 2016 also are likely to see more dried beans, peas, and lentils on their plates. The UN has declared this the International Year of Pulses to raise consumer awareness of the nutritional and environmental benefits of the edible dry seeds.

We Need a New Green Revolution
If agriculture is to have any chance of answering the challenges of shifting weather patterns and dwindling resources, we must have new and improved techniques and technologies. The best way forward is funding research through a competitive process, with projects selected through a peer-review procedure that excludes politics.
 
Bugs on the Menu in Ghana as Palm Weevil Protein Hits the Pan
Palm weevil larvae may not be to everyone’s tastes, but they enrich diets, ease food shortages, and boost farmers’ incomes. Aspire Food Group, which operates Ghana’s first commercial insect farm, wants to bring insects from the culinary margins to the mainstream to address food shortages, as well as to boost people’s iron intake.
 
Is It All in Your Gut?
Is there a hidden cause of obesity? A professor at Stanford thinks the answer might lie with the 100 trillion microbes living in our bodies. Investigators examined the intestinal microbes of mice and determined that certain bacteria can cause weight gain.
 
The Climate Integration Challenge
To confront climate change, many practitioners advocate for a “development-first” approach that aims to build climate resilience through strategies aimed at increasing food security, enhancing social cohesion, and strengthening governance. As part of its Resilience Initiative, Mercy Corps conducted a series of case studies of programs attempting to integrate climate considerations to explore the approaches and experience to date.