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Return of El Niño Sends Up Red Flags

Return of El Niño Sends Up Red Flags

There’s ample cause to question just how bad the effect of our latest El Niño weather system could be on our planet – and especially our agricultural system. How significant will El Niño impact global food security this season...and the seasons to come?

Climate Change, Food Security

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Russian Wheat & Global Food Security

Russian Wheat & Global Food Security

Despite its war on Ukraine, Russian wheat production has demonstrated a surprising rebound from trade disruptions. But is that enough to surmount its perilous political status?

Food Security, Food Trade

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Our Daily Bread: Uncertainty in Global Wheat Markets

Our Daily Bread: Uncertainty in Global Wheat Markets

The world needs wheat for bread, a daily fixture in households across the globe. As significant exporters of this "staple of life", Russia's war on Ukraine affects the world’s wheat supply. Which countries, if any, can step up to fill in the gap...and at what price?

Food Security, Food Trade

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A new take on the old shell game

A new take on the old shell game

Grab a handful of dry roasted peanuts and join Dirt to Dinner’s Digging In for a conversation with Richard Owen, President & CEO of the American Peanut Council.

Food Production, Food Security

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China's Plight with Food Independence

China's Plight with Food Independence

Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambition to reshape global world order and replace the U.S. as global economic and military leader misses one key element: China's dependence on capitalist and democratic nations for food security.

Food Security, Food Trade

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Lost at Sea: Ukraine Struggles to Revive Ag Sector

Lost at Sea: Ukraine Struggles to Revive Ag Sector

Uncertainties over Ukraine's ability to export ag products have resurfaced following news of Putin’s decision to withdraw from an international agreement. Trade manages to continue, but once again the stability of the global food system has been called into serious question.

Food Production, Food Security, Food Trade

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Bobo's Global Balancing Act at TNC

Bobo's Global Balancing Act at TNC

We're talking with Jack Bobo, TNC's Food & Water Policy Director, who works with global food producers and conservation organizations to find solutions for mutual growth. Listen in to hear how small changes can have rippling global effects.

Food Regulations & Policy, Food Security

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Feeding the World while Healing the Planet

Feeding the World while Healing the Planet

The Nature Conservancy's Global Regenerative Food Systems Director, Saswati Bora, provides a new way of thinking about solving humanitarian, climate and biodiversity crises with the introduction of Foodscapes.

Food Production, Food Security

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Ukraine Conflict Clouds Outlook for Global Food System

Ukraine Conflict Clouds Outlook for Global Food System

Ukrainians are needlessly suffering from this invasion. But tragically, more suffering will follow as Putin’s aggression triggers a disrupted food system, higher food costs and, even worse, food insecurity for our most vulnerable.

Food Security

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Energy, Food Costs: The Unexpected Pain of Ukraine Invasion

Energy, Food Costs: The Unexpected Pain of Ukraine Invasion

While it is uncertain whether Russia's invasion of Ukraine will have serious immediate consequences for U.S. consumers, it could have profound longer-term implications for food costs, the global supply chain and trading system that makes our modern lifestyle possible.

Food Security, Food Trade

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Ukraine: Quiet Pawn in Quest for Food Security

Ukraine: Quiet Pawn in Quest for Food Security

Current tensions can be traced to its geography, history, and geopolitics. And, surprising to some, its role as a major player in the global food system.

Food Security, Food Trade

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Drought: The “Hidden Global Crisis”

Drought: The “Hidden Global Crisis”

The United Nations recently called drought “a hidden global crisis”. What causes drought, and what can we do about it? And should we worry about its effects on our food supply?

Climate Change, Food Security

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Why are my groceries so expensive right now?

Why are my groceries so expensive right now?

We’re seeing the largest increases in inflation in years. It’s happening across the board in apparel, vehicles, housing, insurance, recreation - you name it. And, needless to say, our food supply isn't immune to these increases, either...

Food Regulations & Policy, Food Security

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Are Farmer Protests in India a Cautionary Tale for Americans?

Are Farmer Protests in India a Cautionary Tale for Americans?

India aims to provide subsidies for farm producers while maintaining artificially low food prices, but it's created an explosive situation. It's a cautionary tale for all food systems to keep policy and economics aligned. 

Food Regulations & Policy, Food Security

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Saving Our Soil...One Billion Microbes at a Time

Saving Our Soil...One Billion Microbes at a Time

Despite their meager size, soil microbes have a significant impact on the health of plants, animals, and our planet. Innovative microbial technologies have been found to increase soil fertility and plant health, as well as understanding our own needs and those of the Earth's.

Food Production, Food Security, Food Technology, Soil and Crop Management

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5 Considerations for Your Thanksgiving Turkey

5 Considerations for Your Thanksgiving Turkey

When Covid swept through our nation, there were periods of time where we couldn’t always find red meat, milk, and toilet paper. With Thanksgiving so close, we wanted to let you know to expect when buying your Thanksgiving turkey this year.

Food Security

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Sustainable Seafood & Healthier Oceans

Sustainable Seafood & Healthier Oceans

Did you know that every time you eat fish, it can directly impact our oceans? Wild-caught seafood is in high demand, but we can't sacrifice the health of aquatic life. So how can we make better choices for all when seafood shopping?

Food Production, Food Security

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How COVID Affects Global GM Crops

How COVID Affects Global GM Crops

COVID-19 has ramped up vaccine production using genetic modification technologies, but ag has seen the opposite effect on GM approval for crops. And no one's been hit harder than farmers in developing countries where significant progress came to a screeching halt.

Food Regulations & Policy, Food Security

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How to Lend Your Support During COVID

How to Lend Your Support During COVID

Looking for meaningful ways to help those affected by the pandemic? Check out our curated list of relief funds and volunteer programs, as well as small gestures while you shop, dine, and post on social media that go a surprisingly long way.

Food Security

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FarmLink: Connecting Food Waste to Food Security

FarmLink: Connecting Food Waste to Food Security

FarmLink, a student-run organization connecting food banks to food producers, is stepping in to manage food waste spawning from COVID to provide fresh food to those who need it most.

Food Security

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Demanding Equality: Women Farmers in Africa

Demanding Equality: Women Farmers in Africa

These women farmers in Africa not only challenge the status quo, but have dramatically improved their local economies...and beyond.

Agricultural Labor, Food Security, Soil and Crop Management

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Why produce aisles look so barren right now…

Why produce aisles look so barren right now…

We see the lack of fresh fruits and veggies in our supermarkets, but we hear on the news about produce wasting away in the fields. How is this happening? And will it get better?

Food Production, Food Security

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The Meat Industry & Shifting Consumer Behavior

The Meat Industry & Shifting Consumer Behavior

With fluctuating meat prices affecting consumer demand, will we have enough meat to feed our families? And at prices we can afford?

Food Production, Food Security

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Where is our Food?!

Where is our Food?!

It’s enough to make anyone concerned. Maybe even a bit worried. What is happening to our food supply during the pandemic?

Food Production, Food Security

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Bettering Farms in Zimbabwe...and Beyond

Bettering Farms in Zimbabwe...and Beyond

Nyasha Mudukuti of Cornell's Alliance for Science reveals the challenges facing her family's farm in Zimbabwe, and how her plight to save African smallholder farms hangs on educating farmers about ag biotechnology.

Agricultural Technology, Food Security

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Why are we buying so much toilet paper?!

Why are we buying so much toilet paper?!

We've all witnessed panic-buying in the grocery aisles and maybe did some ourselves. The empty shelves reveal how we try to find control as coronavirus fears grow more rampant. But how do we control our fears and our carts?

Food Security, Health

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The Case for New Breeding Technologies

The Case for New Breeding Technologies

With the global population to top 9 billion and climate change reducing crop yields by 25-30% by 2050, how will we keep everyone fed? Technological innovations, such as gene editing and synthetic biology, offer tools to meet the demand — if they are allowed to move forward.

Food Security, Food Technology

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Solein: A Space-Age Protein

Solein: A Space-Age Protein

We’ve heard of animal-based, plant-based and cell-based proteins, but how about air-based proteins? Solar Foods is reversing carbon emissions by pioneering a protein with carbon dioxide and renewable electricity, a feat with potential to address sustainability and world hunger. But how feasible is this protein?

Food Security, Food Technology

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Back to Business: D2D News Recap

Back to Business: D2D News Recap

With summer winding down and kids returning to school, it’s time once again to catch up on some food & ag news from around the world. It’s been a busy time, with lots of news we at Dirt-to-Dinner found to be important, interesting, sometimes outrageous and occasionally funny. Here it is, in case you missed it...

Climate Change, Food Regulations & Policy, Food Security, Food Trade

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Rallying for our Flooded Farmers

Rallying for our Flooded Farmers

The ongoing flooding in Nebraska and Iowa has pushed many over the edge, making the next harvest an impossibility for some. Many have lost their homes, their farms, and their livelihood. Here is how you can help.

Food Production, Food Regulations & Policy, Food Security

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