The race to protect the food of the future – why seed banks alone are not the answer

By Helen Anne Curry, Associate Professor in History of Modern Science and Technology, University of Cambridge

Last summer I grew three varieties of corn in my tiny garden. I knew from the start that my harvest, if any, would be meagre. The plants would be hindered by poor soils, assertive pigeons and, worst of all, my pathetic knowledge of farming. Luckily it wasn’t so much the product I was interested in, as the process. I was interested in the idea of crop diversity – and in what it means to conserve it.

Today hundreds of organisations around the world, from community non-profits to international research agencies, strive to conserve crop diversity. Many are worried about a future in which…

Read complete article

~	If plastic manufacturing goes up 10%, plastic pollution goes up 10% – and we’re set for a huge surge in production

~	Ancient nomads you’ve probably never heard of disappeared from Europe 1,000 years ago. Now, DNA analysis reveals how they lived

~	Iran: Popular Rapper Sentenced to Death for Dissent

~	Global: Loss and Damage Fund for climate change must not restrict the role of civil society

~	The denial of Palestinian childhood

~	Detoxifying masculinity: How men’s groups reshape attitudes

~	How marketing classes can rescue ‘ugly produce’ from becoming food waste

~	EU Misses Opportunity on Frontex Transparency, Accountability

~	Honoring a Philippine Human Rights Icon

~	Fallout: an expertly crafted TV adaptation that manages to incorporate some of the best elements of gameplay