“This issue of Current Biology addresses the biology of food. Scientific and public interest in food covers many different perspectives, but since there is no discipline of food, food research tends to be carried out separately in such areas as ecology, physiology, and the neurosciences. The integration promised by Current Biology’s multiple reviews is therefore particularly valuable.
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“U.S. farmers are heading for a crisis,” says Stephen Powles of the University of Western Australia, Crawley. Powles is an expert on herbicide resistance, a worsening problem in U.S. fields. Weeds resistant to glyphosate—the world’s most popular herbicide—are now present in the vast majority of soybean, cotton, and corn farms in some U.S. states.
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“In the unlikely event that I had forgotten just how controversial and polarizing genetically modified organisms (GMOs) are, the past few days would have provided a very sharp reminder. Last week, our organisation, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (Agra), released a 204-page report (pdf) into the state of Africa’s agriculture. It covered, in detail, the wide range of obstacles and challenges facing African countries as they seek to transform their agricultural productivity, as well as considering what opportunities there are to deliver this ambition.”