Scientists from two Australian universities in collaboration with an international academic have discovered ancient wild cereal genes that could potentially allow less water to be used in conventional crops. In a report published in the ‘Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences’ today, University of Queensland’s Professor Robert Henry said there were global implications for the discovery. Professor Henry said that wild rice plants in hotter and drier parts of Australia tend to be more... ...Read more »

Tesco Lotus has opened Asia’s the first of its “zero-carbon” supermarket Asia, as part of its commitment to be a zero carbon business by 2050. Tesco Lotus is a major supermarket chain in Thailand, Cambodia and China. In Thailand, the stores are operated by the Ek-Chai Distribution System Co. According to Tesco Lotus, the new store in Bang Pra, Thailand, will put back into the Thai National Grid as much energy as it uses over the course of a year. Renewable fuel is converted into energy... ...Read more »

Australia is facing a huge glut of potatoes. Prices for potatoes for the Australian domestic market will soon drop below  farm production costs. Greengrocers and supermarkets are acquiring potatoes at bargain prices. We are constantly reminded by the Australian Government and its consultant experts that the world is running out of food. They tell us that Australia needs to produce more food for the impending famine faced by the world. Yet, we already have the scenario of many countries currently... ...Read more »

Potato growers across Australia are threatening to plough surplus potatoes back into the ground or leave them to rot in what is reported to be one of the biggest potato gluts in Australian history. Australian potato grower and Chairman of the Australian Potato Industry Advisory Committee, David Nix, has seen double the tonnage of potatoes on his farm in Atherton, Queensland, compared to last year. Mr Nix told Australian Food News today, “This year has brought a wave of excess potatoes across... ...Read more »

A new report published today by the Asian Development Bank (ABD) urges Pacific nations to increase local food production, particularly of climate-resistant crops such as taro, yam, and cassava. The report also says that climate change threatens to increase hunger and malnutrition among the Pacific region’s poorest people unless there is action soon. According to Food Security and Climate Change in the Pacific: Rethinking the Options., unseasonal weather has already reduced crop production for... ...Read more »

Unilever has released a statement encouraging political leaders to take “ambitious steps” to tackle climate change, and rejecting media suggestions that it will oppose the Government’s carbon tax. “Climate change is likely to have a growing impact on our business and we are planning ahead and reshaping our business on the assumption that we will be operating in an environment where there is a price on carbon,” said a release from the company. “Media reports questioning... ...Read more »

The global food production system is “not fit for purpose” and requires a “radical redesign” in order to secure adequate food supplies and ensure future food security, a leading scientific expert insisted today. Speaking at a conference in London, Professor John Beddington, chief scientific advisor to the UK government, warned that current methods of food production are failing to meet the demands of a growing global population, a problem that looks set to intensify. “The... ...Read more »

The National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) has welcomed the introduction of the Carbon Farming Initiative (CFI) legislation into Federal Parliament and says it is pleased that it has addressed a number of the NFF’s key concerns raised through the draft consultation process. “We have always stated that we are broadly supportive of the concept and intent of the Carbon Farming Initiative,” NFF President, Jock Laurie explained. “Despite the uncertainties that abound in the area of carbon mitigation,... ...Read more »

Author, journalist and science writer Julian Cribb has created a sobering text in The Coming Famine: The global food crisis and what we can do to avoid it, from CSIRO Publishing. Cribb’s view of the global food crisis paints a frightening picture: demand for food slowly outstripping supply, food production and urbanisation draining the world’s fresh water resources, food products siphoned for biofuel, developing markets with a taste for more exotic, protein-rich and plentiful dinner fare,... ...Read more »

Food giant Cargill has announced a $13 million dollar plan to upgrade the wastewater treatment system of its Wagga Wagga beef processing facility, in order to fully capture biogas emitted during treatment, in a move designed to reduce the facility’s carbon footprint by over 17% and significantly improve the facility’s water discharge quality. The project is being implemented in partnership with the NSW Department of Environment, Climate Change and Water (DECCW) who contributed AU$ 2.9 million... ...Read more »