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Agricultural commodity prices will remain relatively stable in the coming decade, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and OECD said on Monday. According to their “Agricultural Outlook 2016-2025”, increased productivity, weakening demand growth due to overall economic slowdown, lower oil prices and abundant stocks will keep prices low. However, the two organisations underline the […]

Organic agriculture in the tropics not only generates comparable yields, but also produces more income and health benefits for farmers than conventional methods. These are the findings of a long-term study by the Swiss Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) in Kenya, that has been conducted since 2007 together with local partners such as the

The European Commission has extended the license for the controversial weedkiller glyphosate by another 18 months. After member states failed to achieve a qualified majority in favour or against the approval, the Commission gave the green light in a last-minute decision one day before the license would have expired. By the end of 2017, the

The top five food commodities (rice, soy bean, maize, palm oil and wheat) together cause more greenhouse gas emissions than any country’s individual footprint, new research presented by Oxfam shows. According to the report “Feeding Climate Change”, emissions from the production of these key food commodities are only surpassed by the footprint of China and

Agroecology offers humanity essential tools to address climate change, environmental destruction and world hunger. This is the message of a new Friends of the Earth report released on June 21. The report “Farming for the Future: Organic and Agroecological Solutions to Feed the World” busts three common myths about world hunger and details the science

More needs to be done to better protect soils for future generations and to promote agricultural practices that benefit soil health, according to a cross-party group of MPs in the United Kingdom. Following an inquiry into soil health and protection that included sessions with leading soil experts, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on AgroEcology for

The global farmland grab is far from over – there are new “hard-core” initiatives with the aim of expanding industrial agriculture, intensifying conflict around the world, according to a comprehensive dataset released by GRAIN today. The new data builds on previous research published by the non-profit organisation in 2008, which showed how a wave of

The European Parliament has heavily criticised the G7 New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition (NAFSN), saying it benefits agribusiness while posing a threat to small-scale farmers and the environment. MEPs voted on 7 June to adopt a report from the parliament’s development committee. They called on the G7 to ensure projects under the New

The world needs a paradigm shift from industrial agriculture to diversified agroecological systems to protect human health and the environment, a group of leading food system experts has concluded. According to a report released by the IPES-Food panel on 2nd June, food systems based on diversified agroecological farming succeed where current systems are failing, namely

UN experts have called for a major overhaul of the global food system in order to combat hunger, use natural resources more efficiently and stop environmental damage. According to the International Resource Panel (IRP), this overhaul includes a change of unhealthy dietary patterns and a shift in affluent societies from meat to more plant-based diets.