A new FAO report states that the ongoing loss of biodiversity represents one of the most serious future threats to food production, as biodiversity is the foundation of our food systems. Biodiversity enables our farming systems to resist shock, such as epidemics or parasites, and adapt to climate change.
A coffee ground collection service is active across town, as start up UpCycle-La boîte recycles them to farm mushrooms indoors. Leftover coffee grounds are used as compost to grow oyster mushrooms and other edible types for general sale.
The Bloomberg Healthiest Country Index ranks Italy second behind Spain. Iceland, Switzerland and Japan also make the top ten. The ranking is based on life expectancy and other indicators, such as growing obesity or smoking habits. According to researchers, the Mediterranean diet was a major factor in both countries.
Research from Diabetes UK suggests that by 2030 nearly 5.5 million people will be affected by diabetes, an illness linked to obesity. Already today, one in ten people over 40 is affected and figures suggest a possible doubling within two decades. In total, 3.8 million are diagnosed with diabetes in the United Kingdom, an increase of 1.9 million since 1998.
The Chinese online insurance company ZhongAn Online developed a new GPS localization device for chickens, named GoGo Chicken. The device adapts to chickens' legs to monitor their environment, what they eat and how much they move, thus anticipating any food safety issue and improving the information available for consumers.
Recent studies have shown that significantly reducing food waste, improving farming techniques and radically changing our diets could help preserve our food system within the planet. Reducing food loss and waste by half could contain the industry's environmental impact by up to a sixth, while improving current farming techniques could halve the impact on water consumption and the use of fertilizers.
Environment minister Svenja Schulze wants to reduce emissions by 95 per cent and remove the rest from the atmosphere.
We need to develop a binding international instrument within the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) for conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in the areas beyond national jurisdictions by 2020.
Agri-technology is the fastest growing industrial sector, but one way or another, the global farming industry generates a fourth of all human produced greenhouse gas emissions.
The head of United Nations agency for agriculture is asking City Mayors across the world to act on "global commitments in local situations". As urbanization accelerates, cities are facing global challenges, which require "the full commitment of local authorities" to achieve multilateral solutions.
A specimen of a giant bee that was thought to be extinct was found on an Indonesian island.