Flu Takes Flight, CRISPR Chickens, and Wine Watch

Food and Agriculture 

Flu Takes Flight

Bird flu is taking a toll on commercial poultry farms around the world. Detected this week in the US for the first time since April, concerns are rising over the potential for the virus to spread. In response, some scientists are investigating how to use CRISPR to make chickens more resistant to bird flu in the future, while others are vaccinating millions of birds in France to reduce the present-day threat. 

Seafood Struggles

Japanese seafood exports to China have fallen 71 percent compared to last year, a direct consequence of releasing treated water from the Fukushima nuclear plant into the ocean. To increase exports, Japan is now turning to Europe, holding promotional events and tastings for professionals in France, Britain, and Germany. 

Drying Up

A severe drought in the Amazon rainforest is causing rivers to dry up, disrupting ship traffic and raising costs for northern shipping routes. Officials are warning that this could disrupt grain exports in the region, creating concerns for rising global food prices. 

Deeper Dive  

CRISPR Chickens

CRISPR, a gene-editing technology, could become one tool to reduce the toll of bird flu, but it’s not without limitations and risks. Breakthrough infections can still occur in gene-edited chickens, and the virus can quickly adapt to the new genes. However, the research provides proof of concept that scientists can move towards making chickens resistant to bird flu. 

Resilience 

Wine Watch

Rising temperatures, limited rainfall, and extreme weather are threatening France’s famous vineyards, but farmers are turning to biodiversity and organic practices as a solution. By integrating cover crops and expanding the variety of plants and animals, the farmers can reduce the impact of the changing climate. 

DC Report 

Committee Controversy

A report from the government watchdog Right to Know found that nine of the 20 experts on the 2025 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee have conflicts of interest with the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, or weight loss industries within the last five years. The Committee’s recommendations hold widespread influence, shaping federal food programs, physician guidance, nutrition education, and meal planning for schools, the military, prisons, and hospitals.    

Big Actors 

Taking On Traders

The United Nations Conference on Trade Development called for increased regulation and transparency for the agricultural commodity trading sector, which saw record profits as consumer costs soared over recent years. While food prices have risen significantly since 2020, the world’s four largest crop merchants—which control an estimated 70 percent of the global grain trade—reported a "dramatic rise in profits” in 2021 and 2022.   

Big Ideas 

Regeneration in Brazil

Brazilian farmers are trying new regenerative practices to grow soybeans—a crop which has long been associated with massive deforestation in the country—without clearing any more trees. The opportunity comes from 100 million hectares of degraded pastures that could be brought back into soy production through enriching the soil with crop rotation and cattle grazing. 

Ask an Expert  

What is the state of childhood stunting globally, and what inequities exist? 

"Globally, progress has been made on reducing childhood stunting, with the World Health Organization reporting nearly two-thirds of countries seeing at least some improvement over the past two decades. But this is also where global inequalities are particularly pronounced. Africa was the only region where stunting was still on the rise. And more than half of all children affected by wasting lived in Southern Asia. Even with the global progress on stunting, the decline has been too slow and too little; achieving the SDG target requires that the current rate of yearly decline – a bit more than two percent – doubles in the coming years."

—Senior Fellow Roger Thurow in GFFT

Have a question about food and agriculture? Ask one of our experts at the Center on Global Food and Agriculture to get an answer in next week's Global Food for Thought!

Council Events

Did you miss one of our previous livestreams? Don't worry! They are all available on our website to watch at any time.

Other Upcoming Events

Scaling Up Experiential Learning Tools for Sustainable Water Governance in India 
Date: October 18
Time: 5:00 – 10:00 a.m. ET

A Look at Global Rice Markets: Export Restrictions, El, Niño, and Price Controls 
Date: October 18
Time: 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. ET

Serving Up Sustainability: From Restaurants to the Home Kitchen 
Date: October 18
Time: 3:00 – 4:30 p.m. CT

Food Systems Repercussions of the Russia-Ukraine War 
Date: October 26
Time: 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. ET 

2023 National Agricultural Marketing Summit 
Date: November 12 - 14

Land Acknowledgement Statement

The Center on Global Food and Agriculture recognizes it occupies the ancestral land of the Kiikaapoi, Peoria, Kaskaskia, Bodwéwadmi, and Myaamia people. Indigenous communities around the world disproportionately experience the pressures of climate change, global conflicts, and the COVID-19 pandemic, while simultaneously stewarding 80 percent of the world’s biodiversity. These Indigenous tribes and nations are the original owners of this land and continue to be systemically erased by policies and practices that ignore their histories. To learn more about Indigenous foodways and practices, check out our 2022 blog series "Stewardship, Sovereignty, and Solutions."