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  • A tweak to help potatoes withstand late blight disease

    June 01, 2023 |

    Daily Trust |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Nigeria

    Researchers bioengineered potatoes to resist late blight, a disease that ruins harvests, so farmers in Nigeria can have reliable yields and incomes. The new potatoes were cultivated by combining the potatoes farmers like to grow with wild potatoes that naturally resist mold.

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  • How will we feed Earth's rising population? Ask the Dutch.

    March 13, 2023 |

    Vox |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: Netherlands

    In the Netherlands’ Seed Valley some of the largest seed companies in the world are increasing agricultural output to feed the growing world population using less land. They use plant breeding, which involves combining the DNA of different crop varieties, and seed enhancement, which involve germinating the seeds early to shorten the dormant period in which they are most vulnerable. Seed enhancement can also include coating seeds with solutions that combat dangers like disease and wind gusts.

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  • The Big Idea: using AI to breed more sustainable crops

    June 22, 2021 |

    Sifted |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Israel

    For the past 200 years, crops have been bred for yield, for feeding livestock, rather than nutritional value. However, as more people shift away from meat the industry is looking to produce crops for flavor and nutritional value. Yet, finding the right crops with the right traits can take a long time. One company is trying to speed up the process. Equinom, is a company that is using AI technology to select the best genes from each plant and then predict the outcomes. The technology has resulted in 100k acres of specialized crops.

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  • Should We Genetically Engineer Carbon-Hungry Trees?

    March 07, 2021 |

    Freethink |

    Text |

    1500-3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, Boston, Massachusetts

    As a way to combat climate change, scientists are experimenting with genetically modified trees as a way to draw carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to store in its leaves, roots, and trunk. The startup Living Carbon has genetically modified poplar and pine seeds in the ground and expect them to be ready by the end of the year. Some scientists are worried about how these trees can impact forest ecosystems, but they grow faster than normal trees, allowing them to study and assess the risks quicker.

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  • Can Genetic Engineering Bring Back the American Chestnut?

    April 30, 2020 |

    The New York Times |

    Text |

    Over 3000 Words

    Response Location: United States, New York

    Researchers successfully genetically engineered American Chestnut trees to resist the blight that decimated the species. Using a resistance-conferring gene from the wheat plant, the trees are grown in the lab and then can mate with trees in the wild to produce hardier blight-resistant trees. Although there are several regulatory hurdles to clear, and some environmental activists oppose the use of genetic modifications, the group continues to receive substantial grants and the trees have passed years of safety and efficacy tests showing they are safe and can even contribute to a healthy diet for many species.

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  • How Peru's potato museum could stave off world food crisis

    November 29, 2019 |

    The Guardian |

    Text |

    800-1500 Words

    Response Location: Peru, Cusco

    Climate change is impacting many crops and farmlands, but potato farmers in the Peruvian Andes are experimenting with genetic strains to diversify potatoes to help safeguard the vegetable for further climate changes. Scientists so far have found some success with one particular varietal and are now working to make it more resistant to temperature changes.

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  • How a new grain could help combat climate change

    November 16, 2019 |

    PBS NewsHour |

    Broadcast TV News |

    5-15 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, St. Paul, Minnesota

    Planting perennial grains for human consumption retains more nutrients in the soil, prevents soil erosion, and traps carbon. Farmers and researchers have been working to develop a commercially viable perennial grain, known as Kernza. Today, business pioneers in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area are finding ways to introduce Kernza into consumer markets, including Kernza beer.

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  • From Weed to Cash: Researchers Genetically Engineer Pennycress

    October 03, 2019 |

    WGLT |

    Radio |

    5-15 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, Illinois

    A gene editing practice called CRISPR is transforming a penny-shaped weed known as pennycress into a cover crop. This practice offers farmers a source of revenue in their off season and provides habitats for insects, as well as improved soil health.

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  • How To Feed 10 Billion People

    July 29, 2019 |

    Bloomberg |

    Video |

    5-15 Minutes

    Response Location: Netherlands, Holland

    As the world population increases and resources decrease, researchers across many countries are focusing on utilizing technology to make food production more efficient. From optimizing photosynthesis to enhancing plant productivity, developments are successfully being implemented in the Netherlands and China.

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  • Can This Breakfast Cereal Help Save The Planet?

    April 13, 2019 |

    NPR |

    Radio |

    3-5 Minutes

    Response Location: United States, San Francisco, California

    Human beings' reliance on crops like wheat and rice has a detrimental environmental effect: because these annual crops need replanting every year, farmers are required to destroy any existing vegetation in order to get the seeds to germinate. But scientists with the Land Institute are promoting kernza, a perennial relative of wheat that provides seeds year after year.

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