The Organic & Non-GMO Report Newsletter

Millet for the Midwest: drought-resistant grain could ease climate challenge

Though not a popular grain in the U.S.—it’s mostly grown in Africa and Asia—ancient millet varieties could offer significant benefits to alleviate climate impacts. A drought-resistant crop requiring less water, varieties including Japanese millet, pearl millet, foxtail millet, and proso millet can serve as cover crops and a versatile rotation crop. Millets are more resistant […]

As climate change threatens farming, incentives for cover crops could help

By Grace van Deelen Once a farmer understands how ecosystems function, planting cover crops is an obvious choice. At least, that’s what North Dakota farmer Gabe Brown believes. For nearly three decades, Brown has been planting his cash crops (barley, oats, wheat, rye, and others) alongside cover crops—plants that are not for sale but instead […]

U.S. pushing India to drop its non-GMO certification requirement for food imports

In its latest example of food imperialism, the United States continues to push India to drop its non-GMO certification for food, citing India’s domestic approval for environmental release of genetically modified mustard. The U.S. has lobbied to the World Trade Organization eight times over India’s requiring “non-GM origin and GM-free certificate” for 24 commodities imported […]

EU’s proposed deregulation of new GMOs puts non-GMO food production at risk

In July, the European Commission presented its legislative proposal on “plants obtained by certain new genomic techniques and their food and feed.” It will water down or even abolish the current safety and transparency standards and puts the European Union’s GMO-free agriculture and food production at risk. ENGA calls on the European Parliament and Ministers […]

Canada and the U.S. are using free trade rules to attack Mexican food sovereignty

Ongoing USMCA case will test the agreement’s bias in favor of biotech companies and genetically modified foods By Stuart Trew and Karen Hansen-Kuhn In December 2020, Mexican president Andrés Manuel López Obrador (known colloquially as AMLO) announced the government would be taking measures to replace the controversial herbicide glyphosate with sustainable, culturally appropriate alternatives. AMLO’s New Year’s […]