The number of chronically hungry people currently hovers just below the one billion mark, according to FAO. That figure, however, hides an even greater problem. Roughly two billion people, most of them women and young children, suffer malnutrition associated with a lack of micronutrients and...

Africa is home to diverse and genetically unique ruminant livestock and wildlife species. The continent, however, faces huge food security challenges, partly due to low productivity of the livestock. As a centre of cattle domestication, Africa hosts genetically unique cattle, being products of...

Modern biology is generating revolutionary advances in genetic knowledge and our capacity to change the genetic make up of crops and livestock. Much of this new science is proprietary, owned both by the private sector and increasingly by advanced public sector researchers, leading to a concern...

Effective agricultural technology uptake depends on a continuum of knowledge within the rural community. Involving government officials, research and extension personnel, producers and consumers in the process of technology development, adaptation and evaluation is often a frustrating and slow...

In this paper I will discuss consumer attitudes to genetically modified foods, as both President of Consumers International and head of the Australian Consumers Association.

Eight hundred million of the world’s 6 billion people don’t have access to adequate nutrition. With world population expected to peak at 7–8 billion within a generation, mostly in developing countries, and with environmental degradation and future water shortages to consider, pressure is...