DANGEROUS IDEAS IN DEVELOPMENT: GM CROPS AND THE GLOBAL FOOD CRISIS

By JULIA DAY, STEPS Centre member Genetically-modified (GM) crops are sometimes trumpeted as the solution to the global food crisis, and the route to transforming developing agriculture and reducing poverty…

THE IMPACT OF GLOBAL FINANCIAL TURMOIL ON CHINESE VILLAGES

By XIAOYUN LIANG and ADRIAN ELY, STEPS Centre From 29 November to 2 December 2008, we went to two villages in Tianmen county, Hubei province, in the middle of China….

RURAL DEVELOPMENT AND LIVESTOCK: TRENDS, CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES

By JULIA DAY, STEPS Centre member An update on our Veterinary Science, Transboundary Animal Diseases and Markets comes from William Wolmer who gave a presentation at a Botswana workshop earlier…

WORLD FOOD DAY: £26 BILLION PACKAGE NEEDED

By JULIA DAY, STEPS Centre member As today’s World Food Day dawns, new research reveals £26-£48 billion package is needed to alleviate seasonal hunger – a fraction of the proposed…

RURAL REFORM IN CHINA: SETTING FARMERS FREE?

By JULIA DAY, STEPS Centre member On the day that the UK has nationalised some of its biggest banking institutions, China has announced bold new proposals to free up the…

GM FOOD: SAFETY, SECURITY AND SOVEREIGNTY

STEPS member Adrian Ely has written an article on the regulation of genetically modified foods for “Food Ethics”, the magazine of the Food Ethics Council. Drawing on and extending upon…

ANOTHER SIDE TO CHINA’S OLYMPIC DREAM

By JULIA DAY, STEPS Centre member   The eyes of the world are focussed firmly on China as the Olympic Games get into full swing. A television audience of a…

RISKING REGULATORY CAPTURE AT THE UK’S FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY

By JULIA DAY, STEPS Centre member “The delivery of safe food and health governance is challenging and contested, and knowledge and institutions independent of vested interests are essential for public…

FIDDLING IN ROME WHILE THE WORLD BURNS? REFLECTIONS ON THE UN WORLD FOOD SUMMIT

By JOHN THOMPSON, STEPS Centre member When the Chief Executives Board of the United Nations met in Bern, Switzerland, in late April 2008 to assess how the international community could…