SERIOUS DOUBTS ABOUT ALTERNATIVES TO FERTILISER
Agro-multinationals are eagerly jumping into biological alternatives to fertilisers: bacterial preparations that supposedly fix nitrogen from the air in a form that can be absorbed by plants. Independent experts have serious doubts about the sustainability [...]
Europe is dragging its feet on CRISPR deregulation
If the European Union wants to fully utilize the genetic potential of crops, new breedingtechnologies (NBTs) should be treated no differently than traditional breeding methods.An unnecessarily burdensome approval procedure is illogical and counterproductive,especially during [...]
High yielding agriculture can promote biodiversity
"Nature organisations have an uneasy relationship with modern agriculture. I think many of them would ideally like to free up more land for nature and allocate the remainder to extensive, nature-inclusive agriculture. What I think [...]
Sustainable intensification benefits Africa’s smallholder farmers
“Smallholders in Africa are constantly on the verge of existence. They don't just live; they survive. Sustainable intensification of agriculture increases productivity, and hence the viability of those smallholders,” says Agnes Kalibata, President of the [...]
Paradoxes in science communication
Surveys show time and time again that people have great trust in science and technology and its practitioners. According to a special Eurobarometer no less than almost 80 per cent of the European people think [...]
Upgrading biogas to bio LNG
A new technique developed by Professor Bert Brouwers from the Eindhoven University of Technology makes it possible to upgrade low-quality biogas produced in a manure digester into high-quality BioLNG, a popular fuel for trucks, locomotives [...]
Is there a future for science journalism
Blog door Joost van Kasteren A few weeks ago my wife, who does the bookkeeping, told me matter-of-factly that my turnover in 2013 was about half of what it had been the year before. Only [...]