The powerful ideological connection between Australia and agriculture is being increasingly scrutinised. A spate of recent books have recast basic assumptions about our relationship to the land.
As atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rise, rice plants produce fewer vitamins and other key nutrients. This could worsen hunger, malnutrition, child stunting and other diet-related health problems.
Did Rachel Carson catalyze the organic farming movement, as many advocates claim? Or would she reject their ban on synthetic fertilizer and see organic as an inefficient way to feed the world?
Chemical companies touted synthetic insecticides and herbicides as miracle products in the 1940s and 1950s. But farmers and cropdusting pilots didn’t always buy the sales pitch.
Honeybees receive a lot of attention, but the first North American bee to be listed as an endangered species is a wild bumble bee. Wild bees are vital pollinators, and some are declining rapidly.
GMO crops have been rejected by many countries and consumers. Now, an international team of researchers are creating better crops using DNA editing–without inserting foreign genes into the plant.
Producing ammonia, which is a key ingredient in fertilizers, is one of the world’s most energy-intensive chemical manufacturing processes. Now there’s a new low energy option in development.
Daniel Rodriguez, The University of Queensland; John Dixon, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research y Mulugetta Mekuria, International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)
Africa’s declaration to boost agriculture on the continent has seem some progress but a lot still needs to be done.
The submission recommends an increase in the space allocation for each animal of at least 30% for sheep weighing 40-60 kilograms – the weight range of the typical sheep sent to the Middle East.
Canada’s reputation as a land of opportunity is challenged by Migrant Dreams, a documentary that explores the lives of migrants as they navigate dangerous and exploitative working conditions.
Female migrant farm workers across North America are vulnerable to sexual abuse and assault because the systems set up to temporarily employ them offer no protections or access to citizenship.
Managing Director, Triple Helix Consulting; Chief Executive Officer, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research; Professorial Fellow, ANU Fenner School for the Environment and Society, Australian National University