This week's highlights from F&FF

New genetic tricks for boosting crop yield take clues from ancient farmers 
Science (2022): A gene that increases the number of grains in both rice and maize could be modified for greater harvests 

AHDB Horizon blog: Ukraine war brings UK food security to forefront 
AHDB (2022): Amid the devastation and humanitarian crisis caused by the war in Ukraine, the vulnerability of UK food supply chains to global shocks has been exposed. As farmers grapple with rocketing inputs prices and consumers with soaring household bills, our analyst Jess Corsair takes a closer look at the UK’s food security.

Field survey to evaluate space allowances for dairy cows in Great Britain. With living space calculator. 
University of Nottingham (2022): This study is the first worldwide to quantify variability in loafing and living spaces for dairy herds; further research is required to evaluate the extent to which variation in quantity and quality of space influences cow health, welfare, and productivity, as well as farm economics and emissions

Growth in farmland values reflects greater confidence in market 
Carter Jonas (2022): New market data for land values across England and Wales from national property consultancy Carter Jonas has reflected an improved sentiment from buyers, with growth in the value of land accelerating noticeably during the past 12 months.

 

Land-based climate change mitigation measures can affect agricultural markets and food security 
Nature Food (2022): Results show that afforestation (often simulated in the models by imposing carbon prices on land carbon stocks) could have a large impact on food security relative to non-CO2 emissions policies (generally implemented as emissions taxes). 

 

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