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If you were limited to choosing only three crops to sustainably farm in an arid, inhospitable environment, what would they be and how would you decide? This interrupted case study places students in the role of a proposed self-sufficient Martian colony that requires an optimized profile of food crops. After students form small groups, they discuss the factors that affect sustainability of a food supply, determine criteria for selection of crops to grow, and rank crops using these criteria. Lists of criteria and of foodstuffs are provided, but the case can easily be transformed into a problem-based learning (PBL) case by having students research and generate their own lists. The case includes questions that walk students through the selection process and require them to explain why they chose their criteria and how those criteria apply to their chosen foods. The case is designed for undergraduate students at the introductory level in courses in astronomy/astrobiology, food science/nutrition, agricultural engineering, or any discipline where sustainability is a key theme.

KHULNA, Bangladesh - Flooding is a frequent problem in Chandipur, a village in southwestern Bangladesh. When storms increase the water levels of surrounding rivers, salty water pours in. As a result, farmland throughout the village is ruined, and growing crops becomes harder. The situation became particularly bad after Cyclone Aila hit in 2009. The storm sent salty water surging onto farmlands and it soaked into the soil. After 2009, vegetable crops in Chandipur produced small harvests. Some failed completely.

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs) or genetically engineered (GE) foods have the potential to cause a variety of health problems.  For example, they may produce new allergens and toxins, and spread harmful traits to non-GMO crops. In addition, at least one major environmental impact of genetic engineering has already reached critical proportions: overuse of herbicide-tolerant GE crops has spurred an increase in herbicide use and an epidemic of herbicide-resistant "superweeds," which will lead to even more herbicide use. The long-term impacts of GMOs are unknown, and once released into the environment they cannot be recalled.  

Although there have been more than two thousand studies documenting that GMOs do not pose an unusual threat to human health, questions about the safety of genetically modified foods remain in the minds of many consumers.

Such descriptions of GMOs raises fears about whether gene transfer between species is outside of how evolution operates and therefore unnatural. Research, however, has repeatedly shown the opposite to be true. In May 2015, researchers showed that practically every known species of cassava (sweet potato) contained genes from Agrobacterium, a bacterial species whose genes we have also harnessed to create other GM crops. The genes were inserted over 8,000 years ago and may have helped the tuber evolve into its current, edible form. This phenomenon of genetic transfer during evolution between species, also known as 'horizontal gene transfer' is not restricted to plants.

After the third time he nearly died but before the fourth, David Fajgenbaum embraced a new motto: Think it, do it. "I got out of the hospital with this profound sense of, you need to make the most of every second," he says. A former college football player with close-cropped dark hair and a firm handshake, Fajgenbaum, 31, is the picture of youthful vigor now. But that belies a frightening reality. Tomorrow the symptoms with which he's all too familiar could return, sending him to the intensive care unit (ICU) with every organ failing. 

GMOs are organisms that have had their DNA modified through genetic engineering. This is often done by taking a gene from one organism and putting it into another one to alter it in a desirable way. For example, when genetic engineers want to create a corn crop that is resistant to pests, they seek out the trait in Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) soil bacteria that naturally acts as a pesticide. From there, engineers isolate the gene responsible for that trait and directly insert it into the corn's DNA. This corn is then bred with other corn until it's ready to be produced for consumption.

DNA from a man who lived in Ethiopia about 4,500 years ago is prompting scientists to rethink the history of human migration in Africa. Until now, the conventional wisdom had been that the first groups of modern humans left Africa roughly 70,000 years ago, stopping in the Middle East en route to Europe, Asia and beyond. Then about 3,000 years ago, a group of farmers from the Middle East and present-day Turkey came back to the Horn of Africa (probably bringing crops like wheat, barley and lentils with them).

In the past decade, the US honeybee population has been decreasing at an alarming and unprecedented rate. While this is obviously bad news for honeypots everywhere, bees also help feed us in a bigger way -- by pollinating our nation's crops. Emma Bryce investigates potential causes for this widespread colony collapse disorder.

18 min video- Ten thousand years ago, corn didn't exist anywhere in the world, and until recently scientists argued vehemently about its origins. Today the crop is consumed voraciously by us, by our livestock, and as a major part of processed foods. So where did it come from? Popped Secret: The Mysterious Origin of Corn tells the story of the genetic changes involved in the transformation of a wild grass called teosinte into corn.  Evidence from genetics supports archeological findings pinpointing corn's origins to a very particular time and place in Mexico

2014 was a banner year for making automotive fuel from nonfood crops, with a series of major new production plants opening in the United States. However, producing this so-called cellulosic ethanol remains considerably more expensive than gasoline. So researchers are always on the lookout for new ways to trim costs. Now they have a new lead, a microbe that can use abundant nitrogen gas as the fertilizer it needs to produce ethanol from plants.

Ever wonder how your food would be without any human intervention over the course of agriculture history? For thousands of years, farmers have manipulated their crops to get the best yields and have resulted in many of the produce you see today.

In "Harvest of Fear," FRONTLINE and NOVA explore the intensifying debate over genetically-modified (gm) food crops. Interviewing scientists, farmers, biotech and food industry representatives, government regulators, and critics of biotechnology, this two-hour report presents both sides of the debate, exploring the risks and benefits, the hopes and fears, of this new technology.

Biotech foods ('GMOs') are safe. Period. That may seem like a bold statement, but it comes with the weight of a huge body of research and global consensus among preeminent health organizations. To understand the safety of food biotech, it helps to look at the numbers. There are thousands of studies on biotech crops published, billions of pounds of biotech foods eaten, and there are zero illnesses (human or animal) resulting of consuming biotech foods.

Technical details aside, Crispr-Cas9 makes it easy, cheap, and fast to move genes around-any genes, in any living thing, from bacteria to people. "These are monumental moments in the history of biomedical research," Baltimore says. "They don't happen every day." Using the three-year-old technique, researchers have already reversed mutations that cause blindness, stopped cancer cells from multiplying, and made cells impervious to the virus that causes AIDS. Agronomists have rendered wheat invulnerable to killer fungi like powdery mildew, hinting at engineered staple crops that can feed a population of 9 billion on an ever-warmer planet. Bioengineers have used Crispr to alter the DNA of yeast so that it consumes plant matter and excretes ethanol, promising an end to reliance on petrochemicals. Startups devoted to Crispr have launched. International pharmaceutical and agricultural companies have spun up Crispr R&D. Two of the most powerful universities in the US are engaged in a vicious war over the basic patent.

Currently there is considerable confusion surrounding the use of the term "organic" as applied to food and other consumer products, but within the agriculture industry the term has a well-defined meaning related to the practices that are allowed in the production of a crop. This case study was written to inform students about organic agriculture and its implications with regard to food nutritional value as well as its costs.  The case is presented as a dilemma in the context of buying produce in the grocery store. Concepts presented include the difference between organic and conventional agricultural practices, the analysis of food to quantify nutrient levels, the history of the organic movement, and the economic and environmental impacts of organic agriculture. The activity was designed for use in a lower level general science course (with a cursory review of the scientific literature) or in an upper level chemistry course (with a thorough analysis of the literature).

he National Agricultural Literacy Curriculum Matrix is an online, searchable, and standards-based curriculum map for K-12 teachers. The Matrix contextualizes national education standards in science, social studies, and nutrition education with relevant instructional resources linked to Common Core Standards. Search our instructional, classroom-ready resources now! After you find what you need, consider storing them in your personal binder - MyBinder!

Genetic and biotechnology can improve food security, the environment and public health. Yet dramatic innovation can lead to unintended consequences and present ethical challenges. In theory, the study of genetics and related cutting edge sciences are widely celebrated. But in practice, the words "gene" and "genetic engineering" often stir fear and misunderstanding when applied to biomedicine and farming. Intricate science scares people who don't understand risk and complexity. What is the potential of agricultural and human genetics? The commitment of the GLP is to promote public awareness of genetics and science literacy.