Competitive Ag and Science Regulations
Genomic editting is being regulated worldwide, so how will Canada create policies for this innovative technology? Canada’s Ag. wants to see regulation make it this science competitive for numerous reasons….
How Long is Something Novel?
Exploring when regulatory oversight is no longer required In Canada, new plant varieties are regulated based on the final product, not the process used to create the variety. For example, a herbicide-tolerant canola variety is regulated based on the traits that make the new variety novel, not the breeding process …
Holy Healthy Houseplant Batman!
Being indoors doesn’t mean you’re safe from air pollution. Canadian’s spending 90% of their time indoor, which means indoor air quality should be a growing concern for us Canadian. Being indoors so much exposes ourselves to volatile organic carcinogens (VOCs) like chloroform and benzene, which can have negative effects on our health. Research has recently genetically modified an ivy plant to help reduce such VOC exposure, yet its a long way from being your future houseplant.
The Pace of Science Goes Supersonic!
For 4 years SAIFood has been sharing & communicating about sustainable agriculture, innovation & food has been building awareness about agriculture. So, as SAIFood enters into its 5th year of sharing and communicating here’s the top 5 things I’ve noticed in the change sof agriculture.
Small Acre GM Crop Production can have Big Benefits
Last year on SAIFood we discussed the benefits of the four major genetically modified (GM) crops, canola, corn, cotton and soybeans, yet less attention has been given to smaller acre GM crop production. It isn’t surprising why most of the attention regarding GM crops is focused on the four leading …
What Does 2019 Hold for Food and Ag?
When it came to making future predictions, Carnac the Magnificent was on top of his game. Too bad for us, it’s tougher predicting what the coming year may hold for food and agriculture. Unlike me, Johnny Carson had the benefit of a gifted sense of humour, complimented by a team …
Real Human Lab Rats
Poison Squad set to determine acceptable limits for toxins in food If you’ve ever had the misfortune of eating something that results in food poisoning, then you know the agony that results. Curled up and shivering on the bathroom floor is not how any of us would want to spend …
Environment versus Agriculture
The conflict for eNGOs The production of food has environmental impacts, there is no way around this. For food crops, like grains, vegetables or fruits, one has to disturb the natural environment in order to get from planting to harvest. One simply can’t walk into a naturally grassy area, stick …
Attempting to Ban Nature
Environmental Biodiversity Efforts with Gene Drives The bi-annual meeting of the parties to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is being held from November 17-29 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. With an estimated 8,000 attendees, governments from around the world are gathered to debate and discuss policies that …
Big Data and the Future of Risk Assessment
Could computers determine the safety of new GM crops? Algorithms do all kinds of behind the scenes work for us on a daily basis. Your last Google search is one example of this. Computers and their applications are things we rely upon daily to make our lives more manageable, more …