We must build more resilient, sustainable global food systems that can feed an increasingly hungry world, or there will be dire consequences, warn Kip Tom and Ronald J. Gidwitz.
Kip Tom is the US ambassador to the UN agencies in Rome; Ronald J. Gidwitz is the US ambassador to the EU.
Norman Borlaug, father of the Green Revolution, once cautioned that ”there are no miracles in
agricultural production.”
It’s an interesting sentiment, especially coming from someone who led a wave of ground-breaking agricultural advancements that helped save billions from starvation.
But as we look at the current global food crisis, we would be wise to consider his warning: no tool or invention or even country will be the sole saviour in the fight to end hunger. And it’s going to take more than a miracle to overcome the challenges ahead.
The events of Jan. 6 will stick with me the rest of my life. Looking back at my life and what has shaped it, four things stand out: Growing up in the small.
Before President James Polk went to bed on Dec. 28, 1846, he dipped his quill pen in ink and wrote in his diary: “Nothing much happened today.” However, Iowans may disagree. That’s the day he signed a bill admitting Iowa as the 29th state in the Union and the reason the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs, along with its divisions, the State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa Arts Council and Produce Iowa, is unveiling a year of programs and activities to commemorate the 175th anniversary of Iowa’s statehood, culminating on Dec. 28, 2021. “Iowa has a rich history filled with remarkable people and places that have defined who we are as a state now in the 21st century,” Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs Director Chris Kramer said. “We can’t wait to share the stories of Iowa throughout the year ahead, and I encourage Iowans of all ages to learn more about our collective history through local museums, libraries and other organizations.”
Global food security given another boost with new wheat variety An international consortium of scientists has developed a hardy new wheat variety that is resistant to a particularly virulent fungal disease that threatens global food security.
According to the study – partially funded by The 2Blades Foundation and
published in Nature Biotechnology – stem rust is one of the world’s most devastating plant diseases, with records of stem rust pandemics dating back over 2,000 years.
The stem rust pathogen
Puccinia graminis is capable of completely destroying a crop of wheat in a matter of weeks.
The most effective and environmentally benign way to control wheat rust is through the use of genetic resistance and a successful solution was developed by Norman Borlaug’s breakthrough Green Revolution in the 1960s.
Nature Biotechnology publishes research on wheat resistant to rust fungal diseases
The most effective and environmentally benign way to control wheat rust is through the use of genetic resistance. Courtesy photo
Nature Biotechnology has published research partially funded by The 2Blades Foundation on the development of a new wheat variety that shows exceptional resistance to wheat stem rust.
Stem rust is among the world’s most devastating plant diseases, with records of stem rust pandemics dating back over 2000 years. The stem rust pathogen Puccinia graminis is capable of completely destroying a crop of wheat in a matter of weeks.
The most effective and environmentally benign way to control wheat rust is through the use of genetic resistance. The recurring threat to the wheat crop had been managed successfully in the 1960s through Norman Borlaug’s breeding of the wheat varieties introduced in the Green Revolution. But rust pathogen races have now evolved to overcome that