Posts by Agribusiness
Soy: Paraguay’s “Green Gold”
This is the story of a small seed from Asia that has transformed the economy of a country in the heart of South America. Soy, a legume brought to Paraguay in the 50’s by immigrants from Japan, is today the country's main export product.
Can the private sector feed the world?
To feed the world by 2050, global food production must increase 60 percent on as little as 12 percent more arable land. This will require avoiding environmentally-sensitive areas while planning for the unexpected events of climate change. Increased floods, droughts, storms, heat and evolving insect resistance are changing how the world farms. Food security and agriculture are part of an ongoing dialogue at this year’s World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, where experts are identifying ways to replicate what works and tackle what doesn’t.
Quinoa: more than a healthy super-food, a super solution to food security
Two years ago, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) declared 2013 the International Year of Quinoa. Before then, it was scarcely found outside of colorful Andean marketplaces except at boutique shops in the U.S. and Europe. Now, many international food companies are embracing quinoa and exporting this super-food from Andean countries like Bolivia, Peru and Ecuador.
Surprising ways that biodiversity is linked to sustainable development
On the International Day for Biological Diversity, it’s a good time to reflect on the ways that biodiversity contributes to sustainable development. In an age of smartphones and super computers, it’s easy to overlook how dependent we are on the simple technologies of nature.
Ugly food leads to innovation in fighting hunger
Latin America and the Caribbean is one of the biggest exporters of food on the planet. Yet, more than 52 million people, or 10 percent of the region’s population, still suffer from hunger and malnutrition. The July 2014 FAO publication Food Loss and Waste in Latin America and the Caribbean has highlighted a significant paradox the region faces. While the region has a sturdy food-production capacity, 6 percent of the total loss and waste of food in the world occurs in Latin America. Poor distribution and access to food has led to this misuse of sources of nutrition that could have met the needs of at least 47 million hungry people in the region.