Agriculture & Nutrition

(Image: FAO)

Fall armyworm spreads to East Africa

by FAO Report April 26, 2017

As millions of east African farmers seek to recover from a devastating drought, they face a new threat – the fall armyworm. The pest has been recently detected in Kenya and is suspected to have entered the country from Uganda. It is also known to be present in Burundi, Ethiopia and Rwanda. ...

Building social networks is one of the greatest benefits of urban agriculture. (Photo: David Oliver/University of the Witwatersrand)

Urban farming produces more than food: social networks are a key spinoff

by David Oliver The Conversation April 13, 2017

Urban farmers not only develop the kinds of friendships they can draw on during tough times. But they also develop broader networks with other farmers, with NGOs, with government and with local markets that allow them to build a career....

Quinoa is harvested in the highlands in Puno region, south-eastern Peru. The crop could help improve global food security. (Photo: ICT/Tomas Munita)

Quinoa genome unveiled in search for hardy crop to feed world

by The Guardian March 6, 2017

Some strains can tolerate 38-degree days, salty soils and high altitudes, say researchers. The near-complete genome of quinoa was unveiled on Wednesday by scientists who say the grain cultivated centuries ago by Incas in the Andes could help feed a hungry world....

Video: Soybean Innovation Lab SMART Farm Improves Livelihoods of Smallholder Farmers in Africa

by Dan Boomgarden Agrilinks January 27, 2017

Watch how the Soybean Innovation Lab's SMART Farm is generating critical new data for increasing smallholder farmer yields....

Microbiome experts to speak at World Economic Forum

by Melanie Cordova Cornell Chronicle January 19, 2017

Three Cornell University faculty members are presenting ideas about tiny things to a gathering of influential thought leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland. Microbiomes, the combined genetic material of microorganisms in a  particular environment,  too small to be seen with th...

Universal access to global agriculture data will improve food security policies, say campaigners

Open data aims to boost food security prospects

by Mark Kinver, Environment Reporter BBC BBC.Com January 19, 2017

Rothamsted Research, a leading agricultural research institution, is attempting to make data from long-term experiments available to all. In partnership with a data consultancy, is it developing a method to make complex results accessible and useable. The instit...

Vertical farming can allow former cropland to go back to nature and reverse the plundering of the earth. Illustration: Bruce McCall/ The New Yorker

The Vertical Farm: Growing crops in the city, without soil or natural light.

by Ian Frazier The New Yorker January 9, 2017

Today in the U.S., vertical farms of various designs and sizes exist in Seattle, Detroit, Houston, Brooklyn, Queens, and near Chicago, among other places....

Located not far from the North Pole on the island of Spitsbergen, the Svalbard Global Seed Vault safeguards the agricultural plant collections of more than 230 countries. Photo: Mari Tefre/Prospecta Press

Dispelling myths around the Arctic Circle’s famed ‘doomsday’ seed vault

by Adrian Higgins The Washington Post December 21, 2016

The Svalbard Global Seed Vault is a hedge against potential disasters that could wipe out varieties of crop seeds, causing hunger.  The vault today houses more than half a billion seeds representing 881,473 unique varieties of plants used to feed people. The seeds come from the existing seed banks ...

Photo: Koen Meershoek

Here’s what healthy food looks like in 7 different countries

by Suzanne McKenzie Elite Daily December 17, 2016

Diets vary around the world but nutrition is a concern for everyone. Check out what healthy diets look like in these seven countries. ...

Student-led initiatives aim to promote agriculture on U.S. campuses

by Tasnim Abdi The Food Tank December 12, 2016

Across the United States, students are developing initiatives to promote agriculture and increase access to healthy food on campus.  There are different types of initiatives, including student farms, gardens, food cooperatives, food justice programs, food access programs, food waste programs, and f...

  • World Hunger Education
    Service
    P.O. Box 29015
    Washington, D.C. 20017
  • For the past 40 years, since its founding in 1976, the mission of World Hunger Education Service is to undertake programs, including Hunger Notes, that
    • Educate the general public and target groups about the extent and causes of hunger and malnutrition in the United States and the world
    • Advance comprehension which integrates ethical, religious, social, economic, political, and scientific perspectives on the world food problem
    • Facilitate communication and networking among those who are working for solutions
    • Promote individual and collective commitments to sustainable hunger solutions.