What we’ve been reading this week

This week’s summary on the news stories, reports and blogs that have grabbed our attention. We welcome your thoughts and comments on these articles.

Study: Earth can sustain more terrestrial plant growth than previously thought, News Bureau, Illinois

Seeds of Truth – A response to The New Yorker, Dr Vandana Shiva

New resource shows half of GMO research is independent, GENERA

UN Draft report lists unchecked emissions’ risks, The New York Times

Specter’s New Yorker GMO Labeling Essay Misses the Mark, Just Label It

Seeking Fertile Ground for a Green Revolution in Africa, PAEPARD

Is soil the new oil in Africa’s quest for sustainable development?, Thomson Reuters Foundation

How the private sector can catalyze innovations for feeding Africa, Devex

The good and bad of Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), New Vision

Research is ‘no panacea’ for development, finds DFID, SciDev.Net

New report from AGRA also finds increased access to fertilizers helping up to 1.8 million farmers revive 3.5 million hectares, AGRA

Nutritional enhancement of Ghanaian weaning foods using the orange flesh sweetpotato, Ajfand

Ebola may leave 1 million in need of food help, AP

49 Plants That Could Make Biofuel Less Troublesome, Scientific American

New technology helps farmers conserve fertilizer and protect their crops, The Guardian

Mobile payments: How digital finance is transforming agriculture, Devex

NEW VIDEO: Funding Female Farmers for a Less Hungry World, Food Tank

African Livestock Futures: Realizing the potential of livestock for food security, poverty reduction and the environment in Sub-Saharan Africa, PAEPARD

You won’t help farmers in Africa by just throwing money at them, The Conversation