The partners will focus in particular on the development of innovative plant protection systems. The project brings together over 130 researchers from 18 European organisations into a Network of Excellence covering disciplines as diverse as agronomy, genetics, ecology, economics and sociology. As well as analysing their agronomic efficacy, environmental impacts and economic factors, the researchers will evaluate these systems on the basis of consumer perceptions, marketing strategies and...

Hsu Hang-ching ( \ ~ ), director of the agriculture and food agency at the Council of Agriculture, said a 17 percent custom tax is charged on imported green tea, whereas that on imported oolong tea is 20 percent. Their request came on the heels of recent discoveries showing that importers may have been repackaging imported teas as teas that purported to be manufactured in Taiwan. Tang added that even though substantial quantities of teas from China and Vietnam were imported, consumers...

California is also susceptible: A January freeze here cost farmers more than a billion dollars of losses of citrus, avocados and strawberries, and a 1990 freeze caused about $800 million in damage to agriculture and resulted in the layoff of 12,000 citrus industry workers, including pickers, packers, harvesters and salespeople. California is also susceptible: A January freeze here cost farmers more than a billion dollars of losses of citrus, avocados and strawberries, and a 1990 freeze...

While the public was focused on the danger to their pets, sources tell CBS News that the FDA had tracked at least one suspect batch of wheat gluten into the human food supply, quietly quarantined some products and notified the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention to watch for new patients admitted to hospitals with renal or kidney failure. While the public was focused on the danger to their pets, sources tell CBS News that the FDA had tracked at least one suspect batch of wheat...

Organically grown produce that protects the environment through sustainable agriculture practices is a critical part of helping farmers in developing countries to lift themselves out of poverty. Establishing equitable standards, dealing directly with farmers, paying them a guaranteed minimum price in cash for their crops and equipping them with the resources and training needed to compete in the global marketplace are all essential components of a healthy economic exchange. Establishing...