Watson's 'political science' hits 'brick wall' on biodiversity Robert Watson surged to international prominence in 1977, when he took the helm of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). His tendency to favor politics over science led to his ouster from this global-warming body. He then joined the International Assessment of Agricultural Science & Technology (IAASTD) project, where his tendency to favor politics over science led a number of science and technology delegates to walk out of the project. Now, Watson is vice-chair of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) -- a project for which there is little enthusiasm. More†

Business

New hedging and cash grain commodity transaction service The world is experiencing a 'credit crunch', resulting from concerns that lenders don't trust borrowers all that much. In this financial climate, whom can you trust? Food growers, at least. This new program acknowledges the strength -- indeed, the indispensability -- of food growers. More†

US soy exports set record Exports of US soy have set another all-time record. This year, over 1.5 billion bushels of soy were exported from the US, which are valued at more than $12 billion. Further underlining the increasing irrelevance of the European market is China's retention of top importer of US soybeans. More†

Legal

Hawai'i enacts partial GM ban Hawai'i, as the 'big island' of the US state of Hawai'i is known, has over-ridden its mayor's veto and given final approval to an ordinance making it illegal to grow genetically modified taro and coffee there. This is the first such ban of its type in a state prized by seed developers for its year-round growing climate. More†