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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Artificial intelligence developed optimal crops Advances in artificial intelligence (AI) stagger the minds regarding what is capable today. This spring, a demonstration of Google Assistant, witnessed Google’s AI phoning a hair salon to book an appointment, all without the salon being aware they were talking with a computer. The computer …
Farmers finding alternate methods of reducing the risks of yield failure Farming has changed dramatically in the near 50 years that I’ve been involved with it. At age 4 I started driving the tractor, idled right down in first gear, hauling a wagon while my father loaded straw bales by …
Or, be sure to regulate the process, rather than the product In 2002, Europe establishing a new regulatory agency, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) to resolve its regulation problems regarding GM crops and other food safety challenges. This new agency assesses the risk of the process used to create …
Could insect resistant trees mitigate forest fires? One of the most significant results from climate change in the forestry sector has been the migration of insects, like the spruce wood budworm and mountain pine beetle. Warmer winters have allowed both of these insects to spread into areas where they previously …
Moving from random, untargeted mutagenesis to specific, targeted mutagenesis Humans have been breeding plants for millennia. Our ancestors began to domesticate plants (and animals) at least 10,000 years ago, allowing nomadic tribes to become stationary and form communities as they no longer had to pursue their food. Only in the …
