Fertility rates in much of Sub-Saharan Africa remain high, despite declining child mortality and improved access to contraceptives and female education — factors that generally lead to smaller families and improved economic conditions in developing countries. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign looks at men’s and women’s desired fertility in rural Tanzania, gauging some of the factors that influence how many children they want. 

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign corn breeders know profitability is about more than yield. By tweaking kernel composition, they can tailor corn for lucrative biotech applications, industrial products, overseas markets, and more. But to efficiently unlock these valuable traits, breeders must first understand their genetic underpinnings.   

Editor's Note: High-resolution images (CC BY 4.0) are provided courtesy of the iFAB Tech Hub; images may be used and adapted for editorial or commercial purposes with credit.

Bathed in an otherworldly purple glow, James Santiago points to a curled leaf at the base of a spinach plant. “This is an issue we saw all the time at the vertical farm where I worked in Virginia. We don't know exactly what's going on, but I think it has something to do with water stress, which is weird because the plants are growing in water.”

The energy that plants capture from sunlight through photosynthesis provides the source of nearly all of humanity’s food. Yet the process of photosynthesis has inefficiencies that limit crop productivity, especially in a rapidly changing world. A new review by University of Illinois scientists and collaborators reflects on how improving photosynthesis can bring us closer to food security.

Laney Toffler, a student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, recently traveled to Orlando to receive the Women in Agribusiness award and connect with industry leaders and peers, gaining insights that will shape her future in the field.

Roscoe L. Pershing, professor emeritus and former head of the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and The Grainger College of Engineering, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign passed away peacefully on Nov. 7 at the age of 85.

International humanitarian aid organizations rely on analyses from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) system, a global partnership that monitors and classifies the severity of food insecurity to help target assistance where and when it is most needed. Those analyses are multifaceted and complex – often taking place in regions where data is scarce and conditions are deteriorating – and stakeholders tend to assume they overestimate need.

When Fatima Aljneibi began exploring international universities beyond her home in the United Arab Emirates, she knew she wanted a place where her interests in agriculture, the environment, and public policy could converge. Her college counselor encouraged her to look at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign — and once she discovered the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences, the path became clear.