Plant Breeding and Genetics is a paper in the series on The Need for Agricultural Innovation to Sustainably Feed the World by 2050. Humans depend on plants for food, feed, fiber, and fuel—as well as less tangible aspects of life such as aesthetics and environmental stability.

This brief report outlines the main economic effects of the observed asynchrony in approvals for biotech-improved crops from regulatory systems in countries that are major global commodity exporters and importers.

A los niños se les enseña la frase “eres lo que comes” y esta frase se repite posteriormente a lo largo de la vida. Este dicho habla de la íntima conexión entre lo que el individuo decide comer y su salud—y hasta su identidad. Dada la actual cadena de suministro alimentaria, predominantemente global, los consumidores no pueden observar los procesos de producción de los alimentos que consumen.

This is a compilation and enrichment of papers presented at The Last Food Mile Conference held at the University of Pennsylvania in December 2014. Topics include food waste in the industry sector and how it is handled, characteristics of food waste in restaurants and in homes, how food waste can be measured, what interventions are most effective, food recovery from the supply chain and how it is diverted and used, and how food marketing affects consumption and waste.

Bioenergy is being pursued globally to decrease greenhouse gas emissions and provide a reliable energy source. To lessen conflicts with existing food/feed production, bioenergy crops are bred to grow on marginal lands with minimal inputs.

We live in a world of labels, and even though information is crucial, some labeling leads to confusion, negative views, and misunderstanding. In the supermarket, consumers might misinterpret “facts” or develop disparaging images.

Crop protection is critical to the growth of healthy plants, the enhancement of the environment, and the production of healthy foods. Recognition of the critical role of crop protection in food production has been ignored and derided by some sectors.

Aquatic plants are often dealt with on a local scale, when in reality they impact wide areas outside of the traditional lake or river habitat. They can affect aesthetics, drainage, fishing, water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, flood control, human and animal health, hydropower generation, irrigation, navigation, recreation, and, ultimately, land values.

This one-page Ag quickCAST contains excerpted material from its companion CAST document, Carbon Sequestration and Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Agriculture: Challenges and Opportunities.

Although genetically engineered (GE) products are used around the world, the issue becomes contentious when they are present in our food.