Rome | Thomson Reuters Foundation — Syria’s six-year conflict has caused at least US$16 billion in damage to agriculture — about a third of the country’s GDP — a U.N. agency said on Monday, calling for more funds to salvage local food production as millions go hungry. Fighting has led to extensive crop and livestock
Syrian agriculture faces US$16 billion bill from conflict
Scientists develop ‘Trojan Horse’ molecule to fight crop fungus linked to cancer
The issue affects the developing world most, as wealthier nations typically screen for the toxins infections produce
Scientists said Mar. 10 they had developed a new method to neutralize a dangerous fungal toxin affecting crops that can lead to cancer, childhood stunting and other health threats. Researchers from the University of Arizona (UA) said they had created a genetically modified maize plant that is edible even when infected with a mould that
New rust strain threatens wheat crops in Europe and North Africa
In 2016 thousands of hectares of wheat crops were damaged in Sicily
A new, highly destructive strain of stem rust that battered wheat crops in Sicily last year could spread across the Mediterranean in 2017, threatening harvests and the livelihood of small farmers, experts warned Feb. 3. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) urged countries in Europe and North Africa to be vigilant to prevent possible
Octogenarian Italian feeds the poor with food waste
For 10 years this Italian pensioner has aimed to feed those less fortunate than himself as an expression of his faith
It all started with a coffee. When a homeless man asked Dino Impagliazzo for an espresso, the Italian pensioner thought: “Why not help?” Soon he and his wife were making sandwiches for homeless people who hung around one of Rome’s train stations. As word spread, the lines for food grew longer. Eventually Impagliazzo switched to
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
