Agriculture

New EPA emissions data should guide Biden on agriculture and climate

“We must listen to science — and act,” reads President Joe Biden’s January 27 Executive Order on climate change. For the farming sector, the latest greenhouse gas (GHG) inventory data from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) indicates that the U.S. needs to transition away from factory farm systems of meat and dairy production to reduce rising agriculture emissions.

Mexico to ban glyphosate, GM corn: Presidential decree comes despite intense pressure from industry, US authorities

Originally published on Inter Press Service (IPS News) on February 24, 2021. 

Selling the past as innovation in Africa

Originally published on Food Tank on February 11, 2021. 

Smithfield’s false claims

Global pork giant Smithfield Foods makes a lot of claims about the environmental sustainability of its products and hog production system.

Five questions for Vilsack: What will be different in return to USDA?

When Tom Vilsack began his first term as agriculture secretary in 2009, IATP lifted up a series of challenges and opportunities for the department, urging him to follow in the path of another Iowan at USDA, Henry Wallace. We wrote: “the central challenges once again are markets run amok and the unsustainable farming practices they promote.” We pointed out “the real winners in the system are a tiny handful of agribusiness companies, who profit from the boom bust cycle and whose anti-competitive control of the market hurts farmers an

Democracy in US nanotechnology strategy

The U.S. National Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) integrates the work of 20 federal agencies. As required by law, it develops a Strategic Plan to guide both policy and the spending of its budget, proposed at $1.723 billion for 2021.