{
  "id": 1888112,
  "title": "How to grow enough food on a hotter planet",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/how-to-grow-enough-food-on-a-hotter-planet-1888112",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-18T13:22:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "DW English (Top Stories)",
    "slug": "dw-english-top-stories",
    "url": "https://www.dw.com/en/how-to-grow-enough-food-on-a-hotter-planet/a-78413324?maca=en-rss-en-top-1022-xml-mrss"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the Netherlands, scientists at Wageningen University are working to develop crops that can withstand the effects of climate change. They use specialized greenhouses to simulate various environmental conditions, such as heat, humidity, and frost, to identify genetic traits that enhance crop resilience. Rick van de Zedde, program manager at the Netherlands Plant Eco-phenotyping Centre, likens this research to a \"gym for plants\" where plants are tested in controlled environments to determine their fitness in the face of changing climate conditions.\n\nAgriculture traditionally relied on predictable seasons and conditions, but climate change is disrupting those patterns. Rising global temperatures have led to more frequent heat waves, droughts, and flooding, putting crops at risk. Some regions of Germany have already experienced harvest failures due to soaring temperatures. With the global population expected to reach 10 billion by 2050, the pressure to produce enough food is immense, intensified by growing demand for meat, biofuels, and crops for other uses.\n\nThe Netherlands, dubbed the \"Silicon Valley\" of agriculture, is a leader in farming innovation. Scientists at Wageningen University recreate various environmental conditions and use advanced technology to monitor plant responses. Automated scales record plant weights every three minutes, while sophisticated scanners track leaf movement, allowing for efficient phenotyping. While traditional breeding methods were slow and manual, this new approach allows for thousands of plants to be tested simultaneously.\n\nHowever, the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in this research has met with criticism. Although only 5% of experiments involve GMOs, which involve altering genes artificially, many of the experiments focus on selecting existing traits through phenotyping. Alan Pauls, a Ph.D. candidate, acknowledges the concerns but argues that the need for faster breeding and adaptation is crucial in the face of climate change. He believes that simply using a sickle to harvest rice will not be enough to feed a growing population in the future.",
  "summary": "Inside futuristic labs, plants are scanned, stressed and analyzed. The aim is to use the results to produce plant strains that can better serve a growing population in a warming world.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "DW News",
        "title": "How to grow enough food on a hotter planet",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/18/how-to-grow-enough-food-on-a-hotter-planet",
        "published": "2026-08-18T13:22:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}