An atlas of a key natural resource, Africa's soil, aims to give people outside the science world insight into its importance and management.

India hopes to boost biotech research in health, nutrition and agriculture through official awards.

Food security in Burundi could be improved by new hybrid maize seeds, but only if the seeds are affordable to farmers, say researchers.

Bt cotton engineered to reduce caterpillar infestation causes an increase in non-target pests such as aphids, research finds.

Harnessing bio-science can drive socioeconomic transformation and boost food security in Africa, agricultural innovators say.

Rice varieties bred by farmers for local conditions are as hardy and adaptable as improved varieties and should be shared, say researchers.

Researchers in Cameroon have opted for seven hardier bean varieties — from a pool of many — to help meet demands for a staple food.

Twenty developing countries are among the 28 that produced 170.3 million hectares of genetically modified crops in 2012, says a report.

The second phase of a multimillion dollar cassava disease project aims to boost diagnostics research capacity in seven African countries.

A permission to the company Monsanto to multiply seeds of GM corn in Costa Rica was suspended after a citizens petition for judicial review.

The use of improved rice seed in Nigeria is affected by social factors, requiring specific policies to encourage uptake, says a study.

More than 140 nations have agreed the first global, legally-binding treaty to prevent man-made emissions of mercury into the environment.

Chinese researchers who fed GM rice to children in an unapproved trial have been fired, and a US university is investigating the study.

Latin American governments should support the growing interest to convert agricultural waste into biogas, a meeting has heard.

Crop yields of staples like rice, wheat, maize and soybean are stagnant in China and India.

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Agricultural research must be moved to the heart of efforts to limit climate change's impacts on those living in dry areas, says a report.

In the aftermath of Kenya's banning of genetically modified organisms, some scientists say the directive threatens national food security.

Fears in Africa surrounding agri-biotech, resulting in its underutilisation, can be tackled by building trust and openness, says a study.