The Organic & Non-GMO Report Newsletter

Syngenta moving to settle thousands of lawsuits claiming paraquat causes Parkinson’s disease

By Carey Gillam Besieged by thousands of lawsuits alleging that its paraquat weedkiller causes Parkinson’s disease, Syngenta has entered into an agreement aimed at settling large swaths of those claims. The company and lead counsel for thousands of plaintiffs have “entered into a signed Letter Agreement intended to resolve” the litigation, an April 14 court […]

North Dakota and Georgia pass “Monsanto Protection Act”

Republican lawmakers across the U.S. have sponsored bills this year to protect pesticide makers from lawsuits—and in North Dakota and Georgia, they’ve passed. In April, North Dakota’s governor signed the so-called “Monsanto Protection Act” into law, making it the first state to shield global agrochemical maker Bayer from lawsuits over failing to warn customers that […]

Organic Cotton Accelerator’s impact reaches more than 100,000 farmers

The OCA’s Farm Programme trains cotton farmers in India and Pakistan in organic and regenerative practices More than 100,000 farmers are part of the Organic Cotton Accelerator’s Farm Programme for the 2024–2025 season, a significant milestone toward scaling organic cotton globally. The program’s growth builds on the 2023–2024 season, during which OCA worked with 82,264 […]

Secrets of soil-enriching pulses could transform future of sustainable agriculture

By Sebastian Schornack, senior research group leader in the Enabling Nutrient Symbioses in Agriculture (ENSA) project, University of Cambridge From lentils to chickpeas, and even the humble baked bean, pulses are perhaps best known as an alternative, plant-based source of protein. These plants are environmental heroes: They work together with soil microbes to “fix” nitrogen […]

MAHA Commission publishes report focusing on root causes of childhood chronic disease crisis

In late May, the Presidential Commission to Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) recently released a highly anticipated “Make Our Children Healthy Again” assessment identifying key drivers behind the childhood chronic disease crisis. The 68-page document details the alarming rates of childhood chronic diseases such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. The report specifically targets a […]