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Common ground on sustainable agriculture: A Family Affair
She's a scientist who studies the genetic basis of resistance to disease and tolerance to stress in rice. He's an organic farmer, prohibited by organic certification rules from using GE seeds and plants in his fields.
Alliance Director Sarah Evanega wins 2021 Borlaug CAST Communication Award
Cornell Alliance for Science Director Sarah Evanega, an imagineer, international leader and icon of young science communication professionals, has been awarded the coveted Borlaug CAST Communication Award. “With her ability to communicate on a variety of issues facing science, agriculture and technology, she is a worthy recipient of the 2021…
Fall armyworm adds bitter note to farmer’s ‘sweet and sour journey’
For 83-year-old Florence Wambui Theiru, a life of farming in Central Kenya has been a sweet and sour journey. Over the decades, she’s seen it all. But fall armyworm, a devasting new pest that is devouring the maize crops that she depends on to feed her family and provide fodder…
The Alliance for Science journey through 2016
AFS Contributor, Joan Conrow, writes about the successes of the Cornell Alliance for Science from 2016.
South Africa: Poverty and malnutrition to blame for obesity
In all its forms, malnutrition includes undernutrition (wasting, stunting, underweight), inadequate vitamins or minerals, overweight, and obesity. South Africa has undergone a nutritional transition over the past 30 years characterized by the triple burden of malnutrition: households are simultaneously experiencing undernutrition, hidden hunger, and overweight or obesity due to nutrient-poor…
Uganda scientists design fish kiln that is saving marriages
Pioneers of a fish smoking kiln designed to reduce the risk of cancer and other health problems say it is improving the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of women in Uganda. The women, who dominate the country’s fish processing industry, have for decades suffered the effects of smoking fish using locally made…
Wetlands crucial for the achievement of sustainable development goals
Christopher Kang’ethe was born in 1955 around Manguo Swamp in Limuru, Central Kenya, just about 40 minutes drive from the capital, Nairobi. “Hippos used to live here some years back, but they all left,” says Kang’ethe. The hippos migrated because of increased human activity around the swamp following the expansion…
First among equals: Dr Silvia Restrepo first woman president of BTI in its 100-year history
Dr Silvia Restrepo was appointed Boyce Thompson Institute’s ninth and first female president in May 2023 and took office in October. She became the first female president in BTI’s 100-year history. Born in Bogotá and having lived in Paris, France, and Ithaca, New York, before returning to Colombia, Restrepo…
Relief to resilience: Bangladesh’s remarkable journey in biotechnology
In agricultural biotechnology, Bangladesh stands as a symbol of progress and innovation. Over the years, this South Asian nation has equipped itself with state-of-the-art technology and innovation, starting with Plant Tissue Culture in 1990 and becoming a biotechnology pioneer with Bt Brinjal’s approval in 2013. It would only be fair to…