Genetically engineering plants to be Roundup-Ready has been a contributor to large-scale industrial agriculture. This has also created the development of weed resistance, with Roundup resistance having grown into a big problem because it is overused, poorly managed and the risks were downplayed.
Today’s Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) 3-2 vote to pass a weak position-limit rule will not suffice to prevent excessive speculation that has roiled commodity prices since at least 2006, according to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP).
This commentary was originally published September 29, 2011 on Twin Cities Runoff. The author, Chelsey Perkins, is a Food and Farm Journalism Intern at IATP.
Feeding 9 billion people by 2050 will be an enormous challenge. In many circles when people talk about feeding the world in 2050, the focus is almost exclusively on increasing food production. How can we do what we’re already doing better?
POET, the world’s largest ethanol producer, announced Monday the launch of an antibiotic-free ethanol production process in select plants. The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) applauded the initiative, and called for the rest of the ethanol industry to remove antibiotics from their production.
Increasingly, the coatings that keep supermarket produce fresh-looking and the chemicals used in pesticide-intensive farming are incorporating nanotechnology. Nanomaterial residues in coated produce that could potentially fail to be washed away by consumers have been reportedly imported into the United States. What are the potential health, worker safety and environmental risks?
HLPE Comments from the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy
Please find the following input regarding the scope of the Climate and Food Security Study:
On June 23, 2011, the G-20 marked a new phase in its evolution as a political entity with its first summit of agricultural ministers. Held in Paris, with a significant investment of French political energy in the process and the outcome, the meeting was nonetheless profoundly disappointing.
Definition
Farm to School is an initiative that links children to nearby small and mid-size farms and ranches that produce fresh, healthy and minimally processed1 foods that are served at their schools.
Goals
