How the Dutch tomato market got to know (and live with) ToBRFV

The abbreviation in the title now needs no explanation in tomato land. Two years after the first official virus discovery in the Netherlands, everyone who grows, breeds, packs, or trades tomatoes has to deal with the tomato brown rugose fruit virus (ToBRFV), either because of an infection in their own…

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McDonald’s USA commits $5 million to research on climate-smart food production

AgMission announced that McDonald’s USA has partnered to develop and implement climate-smart farming solutions with a $5 million commitment over the next five years. The Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR), the U.S. Farmers & Ranchers in Action (USFRA), and the World Farmers’ Organisation…

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"CEA not recognized in EU strategy"

The Members of European Parliament (MEPs) voted on October 20th in favor of the Farm-to-Fork Strategy (F2F). This followed a debate that was spurred by the Joint Research Center’s Report (July 2021), concluding that the EU Green Deal and F2F will lead to betterperformance of agri-food sectors in…

US: Western Growers vice president to advice on food safety

Western Growers Senior Vice President, Science De Ann Davis, PhD, will serve a second two-year term as a member of the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria…

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Global food security index shows overall decline

Today, Economist Impact released the 10th annual Global Food Security Index (GFSI), which revealed a decline in global food security for the second consecutive year. The GFSI aims to serve as a resource to enable a more resilient and secure food system. Now, with a decade of data, the global report…

Pure Harvest Farms

Middle East has potential to be among world's lowest cost food producers

The Covid-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of global supply chains, specifically for fresh food, Sky Kurtz, the head of Pure Harvest Smart Farms told the World Green Economy Summit on Thursday. He said the crisis highlighted how the world’s dependence on food imports affects food security and how…

Philippines backs UN’s actions toward food security

“The country’s food systems transformation is anchored on modernization, industrialization, value chain-based consolidation, and professionalization through a whole-of-nation and whole-of-government approach,” Agriculture Secretary William D. Dar stated in his remarks at the UN Food Systems Summit. At…

Ontario investing in indigenous agri-food economic development

The Ontario government is investing up to $550,335 to help the Anishinabek Nation establish an Agricultural Economic Blueprint to increase agri-food sector development…

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What is killing the "world's salad bowl" in California?

As one of the largest producers of leafy greens, the Salinas Valley in California is well known for its reputation as the world's salad bowl. But as the state tackled a global pandemic this past year, crops were fighting their own virus, the Impatiens Necrotic Spot Virus INSV.  According to Mary Zischke, INSV…

Photonics sensor able to spot bacteria on fruit and vegetables

A new detector is under development that will be able to spot minute traces of poisonous elements with photonics, giving a result in a matter of minutes. This is quite useful,…

How technology can improve small growers’ lives

What are the key problems and opportunities related to AgTech innovation? What are the potential economic and social benefits, not only to farmers but also to a myriad of business sectors, including travel retail? The answers to those questions are both complex and urgent, says Dimitra CEO Jon Trask.…

Rosselkhoznadzor claims virus detection in tomatoes from Turkey

The Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Surveillance (Rosselkhoznadzor) claims it has detected the Tobamovirus in tomatoes imported from Turkey. The issue…

"Our collaboration shows how a profit and non-profit organization reinforce each other"

Volunteer organization PUM Netherlands senior experts and vegetable breeding company Rijk Zwaan are cooperating to support agricultural small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries and emerging markets. PUM's 1600 expert volunteers work together with entrepreneurs in 42 different sectors…

FAO promotes sustainable production of fruit and vegetables

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Centre de Coopération Internationale en Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (CIRAD) launched an important publication supporting the International Year of Fruits and Vegetables 2021 today. Vitamin, mineral and fiber-rich,…

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"There’s not enough land to feed the world with organic food"

Organic food producers, which eschew synthetic crop protections for “natural” ones, regularly market their products as more sustainable than conventional offerings, but they’re not, writes Ross Pomeroy at geneticliteracyproject.org. An analysis of 71 studies by Oxford University researchers revealed that…

Mastercard shares tomato seeds with Nigerian farmers

Value Seeds Limited, an indigenous crop seed production, solution, and development company, in collaboration with the Mastercard Foundation, is set to empower about 10,000…

The future of food production according to Bill Gates

Where in nature can you discover substances like genetically engineered yeast, soy protein focus, modified meals starch, and soy protein isolate? The reply is nowhere, and therein lies a key part of the issue. However, Gates, together with Pat Brown, founding father of Impossible Foods, believes that the…

Dole Fresh Vegetables announces limited recall of curly leaf parsley

Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc. is voluntarily recalling a limited number of cases of conventional Curly Leaf Parsley. The product being recalled is Dole® Curly Leaf Parsley, with harvest dates of August 18, 2021, and August 19, 2021.  A random, routine regulatory sample collected in Michigan tested positive for…

Horn of Africa pays the cost of interlinked disasters

The large swarm of locusts which hit the Horn of Africa in the Spring of 2020, and cyclone Amphan, which struck the border region of India and Bangladesh in May of that year,…

A food hub provides an oasis in a food desert

When you think of farm communities, the city of Waterbury is probably not the first that comes to mind. However, an effort to reduce food insecurity is bringing farmers to the Brass City. A unique partnership between the state, the city, and Brass City Harvest is helping feed a neglected neighborhood and…

Giving away CRISPR intellectual property licenses for free in fight against hunger

The ultimate aim of plant breeding has always been to make plants resistant to drought and diseases. That could help eliminate hunger around the world. This is no longer a distant thought, thanks to a technology called CRISPR-Cas. Today Wageningen University & Research (WUR) announces it will provide…

Mini Symposium on pepper quality

The pepper world is rapidly developing. With the introduction of sweet pointed peppers and the ever-increasing demands of consumers, pepper quality has become even more important. "With the choices we make in the quality we have an impact on the lives of millions of consumers. Every step in the bell pepper supply chain has…

Impatiens necrotic spot virus confirmed in desert lettuce

A plant virus first found in 2006 in the Salinas Valley of California, was discovered last season near Tacna, Arizona. This a farming community east of Yuma. It was also…

Role of farmworkers highlighted during food safety month

Equitable Food Initiative, the workforce development and certification organization that partners with growers, farmworkers, retailers and consumer advocacy groups, is celebrating National Food Safety Education Month by encouraging growers and agricultural associations to share their commitment to food…

"New-Zealand Government must be aware of the rush to supermarkets for fresh vegetables and fruit"

For Nadine Tunley, the past days have been spent working across the horticulture sector and with government, to ensure that vegetable and fruit growing can continue with as…