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World Food Day Spotlights Family Farmers |
 On October 16, 2014, nations celebrated the World Food Day focusing on the theme Family Farming: Feeding the World, Caring the Earth. According to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) report State of Food and Agriculture 2014 released on the same date, 9 out of 10 of the world's 570 million farms are operated by families. Family farms produce about 80 percent of the world's food. Thus, the family farm is the predominant form of agriculture and at the same time vital agent of change in attaining food security in alleviating hunger in the future.
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Pangasinan Agri Officers and Farmers Express Support for Bt Eggplant |
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Seventeen agriculture officers, local government constituents, and farmers from municipalities of the top eggplant producing province of Pangasinan, Philippines expressed their appreciation of modern biotechnology after learning about its techniques, applications, and products during the Biotechnology 101: Seminar-Workshop and Study Visit on Biotechnology for Crop Improvement. The seminar-workshop was held at the University of the Philippines Los Baños-Institute of Plant Breeding (UPLB-IPB) on 15-17 October 2014. The highlight of the activity was the notable interest of participants in the current status of the commercialization of Bt eggplant. The participants stated that most of the farmers in their respective areas are patiently waiting for the release of Bt eggplant seeds, and would like to benefit from the said technology.
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Scientists Discover New Enzyme from Local Herb |
 Scientists at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore (NTU Singapore) have discovered a new molecule which can join together chains of amino acids, the building blocks of protein. The new molecule was derived from a common medicinal plant found in Singapore and Southeast Asia, scientifically known as Clitoria ternatea, or Blue Butterfly Pea. The plant's blue flowers are used to make food coloring and are also commonly used as a traditional herb to enhance memory, as well as an anti-depressant and anti-stress agent.
The new molecule is named Butelase-1 after the plant's Malay name Bunga Telang. It acts as a ligase, joining longer chains of amino acids known as proteins or peptides together. Only three other known molecules have been discovered to perform this function, which is an important process in the development of new drugs. A key difference is that the new molecule can do the same process 10,000 times faster than the other three, without leaving any residue behind.
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A biweekly update on gene editing research, regulations, and impact
produced by ISAAA Inc. |
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| A monthly update on gene drive research and development provided by ISAAA in collaboration with the Outreach Network for Gene Drive Research |
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GM APPROVAL UPDATES |
- The Philippines approved the canola event LBFLFK for food, feed, and processing.
- The Philippines approved the cotton event GFM cry1A for commercial cultivation.
- Brazil approved the wheat event HB4 for commercial cultivation.
- The Philippines approved the soybean event GMB 151 for food, feed, and processing.
- The Philippines approved the eggplant event EE-1 for cultivation
- The USA approved the canola event MON94100 for food and feed.
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| Biotech Updates is a weekly newsletter of ISAAA, a not-for-profit organization. It is distributed for free to over 22,000 subscribers worldwide to inform them about the key developments in biosciences, especially in biotechnology. Your support will help us in our mission to feed the world with knowledge. You can help by donating as little as $10. |
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