As climate change alters temperature and rainfall patterns, yields of some crops are increasing while others decline. The net result: less food, especially where it’s most needed.
A farmer shows smaller-than-usual soybeans harvested due to drought conditions in Tallapoosa, Georgia.
AP Photo/David Goldman
Many of the crop plants that feed us waste 20 percent of their energy, especially in hot weather. Plant geneticists prove that capturing this energy could boost crop yields by up to 40 percent.
South Africa is the only country in the world that permits its staple food, maize, to be grown from genetically modified seed.
Shutterstock
Daniel Rodriguez, The University of Queensland; John Dixon, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research, and 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.
A woman pours maize grains into a bucket in Shamva, about 80km out of Harare.
Aaron Ufumeli/EPA
Kenya’s government responded with subsidies to tend to the 2017 maize crisis to ensure that it remained affordable. However, the country needs long term solutions to this perennial challenge.
Prickly pear is a type of orphan crop.
Shutterstock
Fall armyworms have a number of characteristics that make them particularly hard to control. They are strong fliers, can breed at a high rate and also develop quick resistance to pesticides.
The Fall Armyworm has a devastating impact because it eats the reproductive parts of the plant as well as its leaves.
Shutterstock
High feed costs is limiting pig production in Africa. There are alternatives. The industry must find ways to use available feeds from industries that process agricultural products
Charcoal rot is a relatively unknown disease causing yield losses in crops across South Africa, including maize.
Shutterstock
There’s more to fermented foods than a good meal. Scientists are learning just how such foods encourage the growth of probiotics and how this keeps people healthy.
South African’s maize crops are an example of a GMO crop.
Reuters