Topic description and stories

The task of ensuring affordable access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food for all is one of the major challenges of the 21st century.

A combine harvester in a field

Farm to factories

15 Mar 2024

Cambridge Zero collaborates with Cambridge Global Food Security Interdisciplinary Research Centre (IRC) and the University of Cambridge...

Read more

A habitable planet for healthy humans

13 Dec 2023

Cambridge Zero symposium gathers researchers to examine the connections between planetary and public health.

Read more

Cost to protect globally important forests falls disproportionately on those living closest

17 Aug 2023

Local communities are not incentivised to protect tropical forests that are hugely valuable for global climate regulation, a new study has found...

Read more

Cattle herd in the Amazon

Companies’ zero-deforestation commitments have potential to halve cattle-driven deforestation in Brazilian Amazon

20 Apr 2023

Study shows better adoption and implementation of company supply chain policies for Brazilian beef and leather could significantly reduce carbon...

Read more

Small-scale octopus fisheries can provide sustainable source of vital nutrients for tropical coastal communities

26 Jan 2023

Undernourished coastal communities in the tropics - where children’s growth can be stunted by a lack of micronutrients – can get the vitamins and...

Read more
An area of the Amazon rainforest cleared for soya production

Companies’ ‘deforestation-free’ supply chain pledges have barely impacted forest clearance in the Amazon

28 Oct 2022

More companies must make and implement zero-deforestation supply chain commitments in order to significantly reduce deforestation and protect diverse...

Read more

The PhD student who wants to change the way we think about food

04 May 2022

When Gates Cambridge Scholar Clara Ma participated in the Veganuary challenge she didn’t realise it would change the course of her PhD. Today she’s...

Read more

Economic sanctions in Russia risk breaking international law if they lead to global food shortages

08 Apr 2022

Cristiane Derani argues that the war, and sanctions imposed, will spread a wave of food insecurity throughout the world.

Read more
Barley trial crop in field

Crop Science Centre to conduct field trials of genetically modified barley that could reduce need for synthetic fertilisers

23 Mar 2022

Trials will evaluate whether enhancing the natural capacity of crops to interact with common soil fungi can contribute to more sustainable, equitable...

Read more

Wheat fields

Relocating farmland could turn back clock twenty years on carbon emissions

10 Mar 2022

Scientists have produced a map showing where the world’s major food crops should be grown to maximise yield and minimise environmental impact. This...

Read more
Bananas

New grafting technique could combat the disease threatening Cavendish bananas

22 Dec 2021

Scientists have found a novel way to combine two species of grass-like plant including banana, rice and wheat, using embryonic tissue from their...

Read more

Minor volcanic eruptions could ‘cascade’ into global catastrophe, experts warn

06 Aug 2021

Researchers call for a shift in focus away from risks of 'super-volcanic' eruptions and towards likelier scenarios of smaller eruptions in key global...

Read more

Pages