Topic description and stories

The task of ensuring affordable access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food for all is one of the major challenges of the 21st century.

Cows in a field

Minimising ‘false positives’ key to vaccinating against bovine TB

19 Feb 2015

New diagnostic tests are needed to make vaccination against bovine tuberculosis (bovine TB) viable and the number of false positives from these tests...

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Fresh vegetables at supermarket

Supermarket promotions boost sales of less healthy foods more than healthier foods

11 Feb 2015

Supermarket price promotions are more likely to lead to an increase in sales of less healthy foods than healthier choices in supermarkets, according...

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R100 at mast in Canada

The ‘flying scientist’ who chased spores

11 Feb 2015

A passion for fungi led Cambridge mycologist Dr Dillon Weston to ever-more inventive means of trapping fungal spores, even from the open window of an...

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Doughnut

Price gap between more and less healthy foods grows

09 Oct 2014

Novel use of UK national data finds a growing gap between the prices of more and less healthy foods between 2002 and 2012. Healthy foods in 2012 were...

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Cows

First national model for bovine TB calls for greater focus on cattle

02 Jul 2014

The majority of outbreaks of bovine TB within cattle herds are caused by multiple transmissions routes – including failed cattle infection tests...

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Agriculture

Two million hectare shortfall in UK land possible by 2030, study finds

26 Jun 2014

Cambridge-hosted industry platform calls for joint action plan with government

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Marchantia - a primitive plant form used as the 'chassis' for designing new plants

From foundry to factory: building synthetic plants

20 Jun 2014

A movement is under way that will fast-forward the design of new plant traits. It takes inspiration from engineering and the software industry, and...

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Ship loading at the Cargill Elevator

Agricultural markets and the Great Depression: lessons from the past

07 May 2014

Seventy five years ago, the publication of John Steinbeck's novel The Grapes of Wrath shocked the world with its description of starvation in the...

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Field and sky

Plant scientists call for rethink of GM crop regulation

19 Mar 2014

Leading plant scientists have called for major changes to the way GM crops are licensed.

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Tha'll do

Putting a price on our future

07 Oct 2013

Helping big businesses consider their impact on the environment is leading to a re-evaluation of activities to combine profitability with...

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The world is changing: how do we respond?

01 Oct 2013

Today we commence a month-long focus on research on sustainability and the environment. To begin, Professor Lord Martin Rees and Professor Paul...

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Sustainable livestock production is possible

25 Sep 2013

New research advocates use of pastures with shrubs and trees as it is more sustainable, improving animal welfare and increasing biodiversity.

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