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Medicinal plants, often harvested directly from the wild, are under increasing pressure from climate change, development and over-exploitation in response to increasing demand. Is cultivation the answer, or can a certification programme create incentives to achieve sustainable harvests?
Our hungry world relies on a small army of crop varieties that have been developed over the past few decades. They have been bred to grow faster, sweeter and bigger, often at the expense of their nutritional value. Looking into the history of these crops could provide a solution.
Soil microorganisms have long been known to aid plants through nitrogen fixation and water and nutrient exchange. Now researchers are unearthing new ways in which this subterranean biome affects plant performance.
Agricultural research is experiencing a resurgence. The Gates Foundation is leading the charge in the hopes of solving food security in the developing world.
