Father of "Green Revolution" Leaves Behind Big Questions

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Plant pathologist Norman Borlaug, 95, died this Saturday, raising questions about the legacy of industrial food in the Third World. In 1970, Borlaug received a Nobel Peace Prize for averting famine through bringing fertilizers, pesticides and new plant strains to countries like India, Mexico and Pakistan. But environmentalists argue that his plant engineering only delayed […]

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Qatari TV Program "Stars of Science" Focuses on Environmentally Friendly Innovations

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(Image from the final episode of Stars of Science: Contestants run to Bassam Jalgha after being announced winner. Courtesy of Porter Novelli) Stars of Science, a Pan-Arab television show focusing on innovate project ideas, was launched by the Qatar Foundation and Education City.  The program is a competition across Arab borders intended to locate and […]

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Africa Up For Sale, Is The Middle East Buying?

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As African nations sell and lease its land, and birthright, to the world’s super-powers, and arguably “dangerous” countries like Saudi Arabia who support Islamic fundamentalism, we are seeing a brand new kind of neo-colonial land-grab, and it scares me. I’d reported on Galten’s Jatropha seeds for biofuel here, and also on the Israeli conglomerate Ormat, […]

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