‘Organic 3.0’ – A Lighthouse for Truly Sustainable Agriculture

‘Organic 3.0’ is meant to be more ecologically sound, economically viable, socially just, culturally diverse, and transparently accountable; and will enable the uptake of truly sustainable farming systems and markets based on organic principles. […]

Report of Scientific Conference Taking Stock – 20 Years of GM Crops – 40 Years of ‘Genetic Engineering’

The report of the recent Scientific Conference, Taking Stock – 20 years of GM crops – 40 years of ‘genetic engineering’, which was held in Mexico City, 1-2 December 2016. […]

Four Steps Forward, One Leap Back on Global Governance of Synthetic Biology

Parties to the CBD have made progress in the global governance and oversight of synthetic biology. However, progress on risk assessment work under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety has stalled. […]

Biodiversity Convention Adopts Plan for Benefit Sharing for Genetic Sequences

Parties to the CBD have adopted a decision on sequence information of genetic resources that sets in motion a plan intended to lead to an important decision at their next meeting in two years’ time. […]

Changing the Questions We Ask About Food

Rather than asking how we can ‘feed the world,’ we should be asking what can improve the social conditions in food and farming systems, how we can secure access to natural resources, and what public policies and processes should govern these systems. […]

Biodiversity Convention Adopts Plan for Benefit Sharing for Genetic Sequences

Parties to the CBD have adopted a decision on sequence information of genetic resources that sets in motion a plan intended to lead to an important decision at their next meeting in two years’ time. […]

Launch of the FAO website on Agroecology

FAO’s website on Agroeocology (www.fao.org/agroecology) highlights and shares relevant knowledge on agroecology. […]

Climate Change Demands Global Transformation of Agriculture Now

The State of Food and Agriculture 2016 stresses that unless action is taken now to make agriculture more sustainable, productive and resilient, climate change impacts will seriously compromise food production in the world’s most fragile regions. […]

Biodiversity Convention Considers Genetic Sequence Data and Benefit Sharing

Negotiators at the CBD meeting in Cancun, Mexico are working to resolve tough issues surrounding how to share benefits from the use of genetic sequence data from plants, animals, microbes and other biodiversity. […]

Future Work on Risk Assessment Under the Biosafety Protocol Threatened

At the meeting of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety in Cancun, Mexico, the continued work on risk assessment under the Protocol is under threat. […]