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

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...

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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...

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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...

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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.

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Cells of roots colonised by fungi turn red

Blushing plants reveal when fungi are growing in their roots

23 Jul 2021

Scientists have created plants whose cells and tissues ‘blush’ with beetroot pigments when they are colonised by fungi that help them take up...

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Kelp, maggots and mycoprotein among future foods that must be mass-farmed to combat malnutrition

13 May 2021

Radical changes to the food system are needed to safeguard our food supply and combat malnutrition in the face of climate change, environmental...

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Crops being watered

Exploit plants’ ability to tell the time to make food production more sustainable, say scientists

30 Apr 2021

Cambridge plant scientists say circadian clock genes, which enable plants to measure daily and seasonal rhythms, should be targeted in agriculture...

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Baby orangutans in Central Kalimantan. Expansion of oil palm plantations is destroying their forest habitat.

Climate change and food demand could shrink species’ habitats by almost a quarter by 2100

06 Nov 2020

Mammals, birds and amphibians worldwide have lost on average 18% of their natural habitat range as a result of changes in land use and climate change...

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