Science

The Next Pandemic Could Strike Crops, Not People

Saima Sidik / Grist Aug 28, 2023 Dig deeper ( 11 Min. Read )

Hungrier Insects Will Bite Into World’s Crops

Tim Radford / Climate News Network Sep 17, 2018 Higher temperatures mean hungrier insects. And that will mean more crop losses. The question is: Who loses most? Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Geo-Engineered Crops May Help … and Harm

Tim Radford / Climate News Network Aug 13, 2018 To cool the world and boost plant growth, such methods may do the trick. But if they work by dimming the sunlight, the plants will ultimately suffer. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

U.S. Announces Billions to Help Farmers Hurt by Trump Tariffs

KEN THOMAS, PAUL WISEMAN and LISA MASCARO / The Associated Press Jul 24, 2018 The plan for $12 billion in emergency relief is quickly dismissed by some farm-state Republicans, who say farmers want markets for their crops, not government payoffs. Dig deeper ( 5 Min. Read )

A Hotter World Could Also Be a Hungrier One

Tim Radford / Climate News Network Jun 20, 2018 A warmer world could mean shrinking harvests and a more meager diet for millions of people, according to two new studies. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

U.S. Faces ‘Abrupt and Substantial’ Crop Losses

By Alex Kirby / Climate News Network Jan 19, 2017 Rising temperatures will lead to massive harvest decline in the U.S., which will cause problems for developing countries, international study says. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Climate Is Changing Too Quickly for Crops to Survive

By Tim Radford / Climate News Network Oct 6, 2016 New study shows grassland species can't survive such rapid temperature increases. The grass family includes wheat, corn, rice and many other plants that underwrite human survival. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Sustainable Development Could Feed the World’s Growing Population and Protect the Environment

By Tim Radford / Climate News Network Sep 28, 2016 Global food production may need to rise by more than 100 percent to deal with the effects of climate change on crops in the most vulnerable regions. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

China Is Buying Land in Africa and South America to Ensure Its Food Supply

By Paul Brown / Climate News Network Sep 26, 2016 With the effects of climate change threatening food supply as population grows, “China is positioning itself for the struggle to come—the struggle to find enough to eat,” says a leading U.K. climate scientist. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Race Is On to Feed a Warming World

By Tim Radford / Climate News Network Jun 24, 2016 As global temperatures rise, scientists warn that plant breeders will need to accelerate development schedules if they are to ensure the ever-growing population can be fed. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Study: Turmoil in the Middle East Threatens Global Food Security

Roisin Davis / Truthdig Sep 16, 2014 A new study shows that continued conflict in the Middle East poses extreme risks to the world’s essential food supplies. This indirect consequence of ongoing turmoil has the potential to cause mass starvation in the future. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Climate Change to Cut Global Food Production, Increase Water Demand

BLANK Nov 3, 2013 Scientists and other experts are now taking an even dimmer view of the effects of global warming, and believe it will decrease worldwide food production even as demand from an expanding population increases. At the same time, climate change will increase the competition for potable water. And some changes are already occurring. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )