climate change
“More resilient” agriculture vital to future food supply-FAO
Around the globe, "food systems need to be more sustainable, inclusive and resilient," says the head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. In a speech in Paris, Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva said...
Persistent drought in Plains, Southwest due to climate change
The Great Plains and U.S. Southwest, the hub of U.S. wheat and cattle production, will face persistent drought during the second half of this century that will be "worse than anything seen" and due primarily to climate change caused by humans, says a study by...
Climate change to adjust storms’ intensity but not number
Atmospheric physicists at the University of Toronto say global warming will increase water evaporation from the oceans but will not increase the number of storms per year.
Climate change a big threat to Midwest corn and wheat crops
The Midwest is one of the most economically productive regions of the country, says the Heat in Heartland report, "But climate change puts that productivity at risk."
Genetic diversity is a tool for climate change, says FAO
Genetic resources in crops and livestock can play a crucial role in feeding the world and "much more needs to be done to study, preserve and utilize the biological diversity that underpins world food production," said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization...
Empty calories and climate change
Climate change could create a new kind of empty calories, by indirectly reducing the nutrition content of food crops, says the Guardian.
Now cooking in Vietnam: Shrimp, rice and climate change
Vietnam has muscled into the top tier of rice exporters and produces vast amounts of shrimp from man-made ponds across the Mekong Delta, bringing prosperity to its farmers, says the Guardian.
Wild ancestors to help wheat adapt to climate change
Wheat scientists will borrow genes from wild ancestors of the staple grain to give it stamina to withstand the stresses of climate change, says the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, known by its Spanish abbreviation CIMMYT.
Plant puts out flowers earlier to cope with climate change
A wild mustard plant that grows in the Rocky Mountains "alters its physical appearance and flowering time in response to different environmental conditions, suggesting some species can quickly shape-shift to cope with climate change without having to migrate or evolve," says Dartmouth College.
Reforestation is a promising antidote to climate change
At least three-quarters of the forests of the world have been cut down or damaged, says the New York Times in a two-page story that says...
FAO – Corn, rice, wheat must become more sustainable
New and more sustainable varieties of the three major food crops of the world, corn, rice and wheat, are needed to supply world food needs while conserving natural resources and withstanding climate change, said the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Skip debate, talk about climate change solutions-Researchers
Farmers are far less likely than scientists to say climate change is occurring and that people are a driving force in it, says a study by Purdue and Iowa State universities.
World temperatures to rise by 1.5 degrees C, says report
A global temperature increase of close to 1.5 degrees Celsius "is already locked into the earth's atmospheric system by past and predicted greenhouse gas emissions," said the World Bank in releasing a report on likely impacts in three regions of the world.
Higher crop, flood insurance costs with climate change
The Government Accountability Office says cost of the taxpayer-subsidized crop and flood insurance programs could rise substantially in coming decades due to climate change.
Large portion of China’s farmland is degraded
More than 40 percent of China's arable land suffers from degradation, such as the impact of erosion, fertility losses, climate change and pollution, according to the official news agency Xinhua, said Reuters.
Drought-hit California has record processing-tomato crop
Growers in California harvested a record crop of tomatoes for processing, the thick-skinned varieties used in making soup and pasta sauces, says Bloomberg.
Will timely weather forecasts alter farming practices?
An experiment in Rwanda is testing if farming communities will change their agricultural practice to cope with climate change if the government gives them timely weather forecasts, says the site SciDev.Net.
Climate change “to undermine food security” – UN panel
A UN-backed panel of experts, the International Panel on Climate Change, says climate change "is projected to undermine food security" from mid-century and beyond.