STWR - Share The World's Resources

Agriculture is central to the livelihood of many in poor rural communities around the world. It is therefore imperative that development policies support small-scale farming in order to alleviate poverty and promote food security, says a report by Oxfam.

The late agronomist Norman Borlaug, regarded as the father of the “Green Revolution", is credited with saving millions from starvation. Despite the criticisms of environmentalists, Borlaug had a strong appreciation for the centrality of farmers' livelihoods in maintaining food security, writes Devinder Sharma.

Food safety and environmental protection depend on making plant products available to regular scientific scrutiny. Yet biotechnology corporations are placing restrictions on scientists publishing independent research on genetically modified crops. By Scientific American.

The UK is considering introducing GM crops in an attempt to "play a full part" in hitting a UN target of raising food production by 70 per cent by 2050 to feed a growing population - despite the clear environmental, political and economic reasons for rejecting GM agriculture, writes Martin Hickman.

With the urban poor most affected by the global hunger epidemic, the FAO is stressing the importance of urban agriculture as a source of nutrients and income. At the same time, small-scale farms and garden plots are coming to life in cities around the US.

As industrial agriculture fails even to reduce the number of hungry people, study after study is showing that organic techniques can provide much more food per acre in developing countries than conventional chemical-based farming, says Geoffrey Lean.

The world is seeing a new type of colonialism, with rich nations buying up the natural resources of poor countries that can ill afford to sell. Some staggering deals have already been done, but local communities are beginning to mobilise in protest, says Paul Vallely.