China aims to increase investment in agricultural innovation

Reuters reported on China’s announcement Wednesday that it was looking to boost agricultural innovation in an effort to increase food output.

Technological innovation in the agricultural sector, which includes implementation of a program promoting the application of genetically modified (GM) technology, would “improve land yield, resource efficiency and labor productivity,” the official Xinhua news agency said. Read more

USAID grant awarded for ag biotech research in Bangladesh and Indonesia

According to The Sacramento Bee , the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded a grant to develop salt-tolerant rice and measure greenhouse gas emissions from conventional rice fields in Bangladesh and nitrogen-use-efficient crops in Indonesia.

Through biotechnology methods, researchers will help each country to increase crop yields and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  Read more

Ambassador William Garvelink says biotech is important for world food security

Ambassador William Garvelink said in an interview with USAID’s publication Frontlines, “Genetically modified food, which is a little controversial in Europe and other places, is an important technology that will have to be used in the future to produce the amount of food the world’s populations will require.”

Ambassador Garvelink helped USAID to lead Feed the Future, the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative to reduce hunger and malnutrition, particularly in the Horn of Africa. Read more.

Scientist explains biotech contributions to sustainable agriculture

Dr. Terry Etherton, Distinguished Professor of Animal Nutrition for the Department of Dairy and Animal Science at Penn State University, discusses the importance of biotechnology for food production sustainability in the blog, Food Insight.

He explains, the “use of biotechnology has many benefits for agriculture that range from environmental to improved production efficiency.” Read more.