Here are some of the recent trending headlines that IPMers and Feed the Future fans are talking about.
Food Prize
The 2016 winners of the World Food Prize are Drs. Maria Andrade, Robert Mwanga, Jan Low, and Howarth Bouis. Andrade, Mwanga, and Low are a three-person team from the International Potato Center (CIP) who won for their acheivement in developing the orange-fleshed sweet potato. Bouis is the founder of HarvestPlus and pioneered the implementation of a multi-institutional approach to biofortification as a global plant breeding strategy.
Nobel laureates write a letter to Greenpeace
Over 100 Nobel laureates signed a letter taking a stand on the side of GMOs against Greenpeace, an organization that opposes them. “We urge Greenpeace and its supporters to re-examine the experience of farmers and consumers worldwide with crops and foods improved through biotechnology, recognize the findings of authoritative scientific bodies and regulatory agencies, and abandon their campaign against ‘GMOs’ in general and Golden Rice in particular,” the letter states.
Tomato Production down around the world
Global tomato exports have fallen in value by 9.5% from 2014 to 2015.
Zika Team
Three Virginia Tech scientists, Drs. Jake Tu, Igor Sharakhov, and Maria Sharakhova, are a part of the Aedes Genome Working Group, an effort to map the genome of the Aedes mosquito, which is responsible for the Zika Virus.