WASHINGTON - On a sunny afternoon in the southern U.S. state of North Carolina, Gwen Pitt is supervising the cotton harvest. As a large machine mashes the cotton into a solid brick a bit smaller than a train car, Pitt says her crop is destined for one of the world’s most popular fashion items.
“We have […]

WASHINGTON - With world leaders meeting in Rome to discuss ways to tackle global hunger, a new report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture finds more Americans than ever before are experiencing food insecurity.
The USDA report estimates that 49 million Americans had trouble getting enough to eat in 2008. That’s the largest figure since the […]

BERQIN - As Israel’s army removes more checkpoints in the occupied West Bank, many Palestinians are experiencing an economic boom. Some of that growth has come from the production of olives, a staple in the region since ancient times.
Many think olive oil exports from the West Bank could be a foundation for the economy of […]

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Government Accountability Office is questioning the generous government subsidies companies receive for producing maize-based ethanol for fuel. In a recent report, the GAO recommends that regulators look at the broader environmental impacts of raising crops for biofuels.
Promoting ethanol to lessen oil imports may have unintended consequences
In a bid to reduce dependence […]

WASHINGTON - U.S. agriculture officials have launched a program to reconnect Americans with knowledge about the source of their food supply and boost business for local farmers.
Urban dwellers disconnected from sources of food
As farmland has given way to cities and suburbs, most Americans today have very little contact with farms and farming. As a […]

GENEVA - The United Nations reports markets in forest products have been dealt a serious blow by the economic crisis. A new report by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe says the housing crisis in the United States and Europe is largely responsible for one of the biggest drops ever in the consumption of […]

ROME - Agriculture ministers from the major industrialized nations called on Monday for increased agriculture production as a way to combat world hunger.  At the end of a 3-day meeting in northern Italy, G-8 ministers also took a first step toward fighting speculators who have helped push up the price of basic foods, sparking riots […]

ROME - Agriculture ministers from the Group of 8 most industrialized countries are meeting near Treviso in in northern Italy this weekend for the first time to discuss food security and measures to boost farming output. Talks will focus on efforts to avert a permanent world food crisis. A report prepared for the meeting warns […]

WASHINGTON - International teams of plant scientists are stepping up their efforts to breed hardier types of wheat, a global food staple used to make bread, cereals and pasta. They’re hoping the new wheat varieties will better resist the fungal diseases that are attacking wheat crops all over the world and threatening widespread food shortages.
Stem […]

DAKAR - Liberia has declared a state of emergency in agricultural areas decimated by swarms of caterpillars. The government in Monrovia is asking for international assistance to turn back the pests that are destroying crops and polluting drinking water.
An infestation that began in Bong County has now spread to lower Lofa County and parts of […]

BUENOS AIRES - Argentina has convened an emergency meeting to discuss how to cope with a drought that is devastating the country’s agricultural sector.
The National Farm Emergency Commission on Friday met in Buenos Aires as private estimates put the cost of the drought in lost revenue in the billions of dollars.
An unusually hot summer in […]

BURMA - Burma has resumed exports of rice after a nearly six month ban that the government imposed after cyclone Nargis swept across the country’s main rice growing region.
 
The storm devastated Burma’s Irrawaddy Delta in May. Burma’s military junta imposed the export ban because of concerns the country would not have enough rice to meet […]

MIAMI - The United States plans to spend $600 million in coming years to propel development of renewable fuels and other new energy solutions. The funding goes along with millions that private investors are spending to find ways to cut the nation’s dependence on oil.
The future of alternative energy appears to be rich, whether it […]

SEOUL - The first cuts of US beef with bones have arrived in South Korea since they were banned nearly five years ago. Massive street protests over US beef have calmed, but anger over an import resumption deal remains. 
South Korean quarantine inspectors began the process Tuesday of admitting beef ribs from the United States for […]

GENEVA - The United States says it is ready to cut its trade-distorting farm subsides to $15 billion a year in a bid to reach a global trade deal that could help boost the world economy. The offer was made on the second day of a ministerial meeting aimed at wrapping up the seven-year-old negotiation […]

COLLEGE STATION - The increased use of corn-derived ethanol and other bio-fuels has been blamed for rising food prices worldwide. But defenders of these fuels say their impact on food prices is being exaggerated and that new fuels under development will largely bypass that problem in any case. 
American corn, wheat and soybean fields feed much […]

IOWA - Corn prices are surging on the world market after devastating floods in the U.S. heartland destroyed many crops shortly after they were planted. Corn is also in high demand these days, because it is used for making the alcohol fuel additive called ethanol, which is highly subsidized in the United States and mandated […]

SYDNEY - The most severe drought for 100 years in Australia is getting worse.  Farmers warn that this winter’s wheat crop could be even smaller than last year’s if rain does not come soon. Most Australian grain is exported and empty Outback grain silos have contributed to shortages and rising global prices. Australia is the […]

NEW DELHI - India, the world’s second largest sugar producer behind Brazil, may be forced to import the sweetener. Disgruntled sugar farmers are switching to other crops because mills are not able to pay them the mandated price. The industry blames artificially high prices set by state governments as a sop to the powerful voting […]

WASHINGTON - Farmers in Argentina are expected to begin exporting grain again Monday, after pledging to end a nearly three-month-long strike that has shaken the country’s economy.Leaders of Argentina’s farm groups are expected to meet today with a national ombudsman who has offered to broker talks on controversial new taxes on soy and other grains.
The […]

ROME - World leaders are gathered in Rome at the headquarters of the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization. They are discussing ways to deal with soaring food prices and how to improve ways to provide food to the world’s hungry. The U.N. secretary-general said world food production must rise by 50 percent by 2030 to […]

SEOUL - South Korea is seeking to ease some domestic irritation, with a move that could complicate American-Korean trade relations. Seoul is amending its promise to resume U.S. beef imports by imposing new trade conditions aimed at placating political critics of the South Korean president.
In what he described as a “humble acceptance of the people’s […]

ROME - The United Nations food agency says the high prices of rice may begin to come down amid predictions of excellent harvests this year. But the agency warns overall food prices will remain high.
The Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO, says rice market conditions could ease this year as new crops are harvested around the […]

PARIS - The European Union’s executive commission has unveiled an agricultural reform plan for the 27-member block that aims to overhaul farm funding to better meet current challenges - including global warming and the recent spike in world food prices.
The plan by the European Commission aims to fundamentally change how agricultural subsidies are handed out […]