Tiny midges are the pollinators of cacao flowers, from which we get cocoa beans, the raw material for chocolate. Until now, little was known about how the midges find these flowers. Together with researchers in the UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica,...

Predators such as ladybirds directly consume the pest, whereas parasitoids, like parasitoid wasps, lay eggs on or inside pest insects that grow and ultimately kill the pest. Non-crop habitats such as field margins provide shelter, alternative...

In 2016, scientists found fall armyworm in West Africa. Soon it spread across the continent, where it is present in at least 18 countries to date. However, it didn’t stop there, and last year it was found in East Asia with fear of a similar spread.

Black vine weevils are a serious problem for growers trying to produce fruit, vegetables and flowers: they feed on virtually any plants they can find, they don’t have to mate to produce large numbers of eggs, and they are notoriously difficult to...

The International Seminar on Food and Nutrition Security in Africa will take place on Monday 25th January 2021, starting at 1300GMT and ending at 1530.

In 2001, UNESCO designated November 10th as World Science Day for Peace and Development, aiming to raise awareness of the role of science in the creation of peaceful and sustainable societies. NRI’s Professor Tilman Brück is an expert in food...

This year saw the first ever International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste which drew global attention to this important issue. NRI has been finding solutions for tackling food loss and waste for over a century and is taking this...

Ethiopia faces multiple interacting development challenges linked to environmental change and land degradation, which have negative consequences for food security. As a plant diversity hotspot for both wild plants and domesticated crops, Ethiopia...

Enset (Ensete ventricosum) is the less well-known relative of one of the world’s most popular fruits, the banana (Musa sp.). According to the FAO, every year 114 million tonnes of bananas are grown on approximately 5.6 million hectares of land in...

Abi Davis studied for a BSc in Environmental Science, where she learnt about the natural world, environmental conflicts and issues, society’s impact on the environment and sustainable solutions. But more than anything, she learnt about herself, and...

Agricultural lands currently occupy over 37% of the Earth’s land surface. With global food production projected to double by 2050 to meet the demands of a growing population, it is vital that agricultural productivity is increased in a way that...

16th October is World Food Day – and this year’s theme is ‘Grow, Nourish, Sustain. Together.’ It seems a fitting day to announce that a consortium of nine UK universities and research institutes, led by the Natural Resources Institute of the...