Cultivating climate resilience at COP28: 7 game-changing food and agriculture innovations
The convergence of global pressures, such as climate change and the mounting demands of a fast-growing population, has shone a bright light on agriculture's critical role in addressing these challenges. This important priority was highlighted at the recent United Nations climate conference, which Read More...
This crop actually benefits from being shaded by solar panels
Solar panels often take up a lot of real estate that is also optimal for growing crops (flat land with access to lots of sunlight). Instead of having panels compete with plants, there is a growing field called agrivoltaics that studies how solar power and agriculture can exist together and even Read More...
Pocket gophers: the only other mammal that farms
Farming has been an integral part of the long story of the development of human society. Some mark the beginning of agriculture in the Fertile Crescent in 8500 BC as the start of human civilization. It’s with this in mind that we think of farming as an entirely human job, but that’s not true. Read More...
New Zealand plans to charge cattle burps to cut emissions
Cow and sheep burps are huge emitters of methane — which is over 80 times more efficient than CO2 at trapping heat in the atmosphere. But while livestock is the main contributor to the agriculture sector’s emissions, they are often excluded from emissions trading plans. Soon, that will no Read More...
Lunar agriculture: first plants grown in soil from the Moon
Popular science fiction has depicted the colonization and even the rowing of crops on Mars many times. From the books of Isaac Asimov to The Martian, the Red Planet has pervaded artistic minds as the next place for humans to call home. But what about the closest place to Earth? What about the Read More...
Food forests and regenerative agriculture
Feeding an urban population in ever-growing cities around the world is a big challenge. The growth of these concrete jungles can lead to food deserts: areas of urban land that have insufficient access to grocery stores. Supermarkets in some urban areas can’t meet the needs of a growing Read More...
This innovative mesh fabric protects crops from even the tiniest insects
Farmers who don’t use insecticides sometimes opt for mesh fabric instead to protect their crops from annoying pests. To make sure that enough sunlight and water reach the crops, the farmers often use meshes with relatively large holes that smaller insects can slip through to get to crops. Thanks Read More...
These battery-free sensors fly like dandelion seeds
Wireless sensors are a versatile technology used to measure all sorts of conditions, without the restraint of being attached to a stationary object the whole time. They have many applications such as in medicine - like this wireless sensor which monitors bone health - or in measuring environmental Read More...
Colorado drafts bill to save its bees
Did you know that bees and other insects like them pollinate nearly three-quarters of the plants that produce 90 percent of the world’s food? Bees are a small insect that play a big role in their environments. They work to improve plant life, biodiversity, and even our own food supply. A Read More...
Ammonia-making bacteria could replace polluting fertilizers in the future
Ammonia fertilizers have been effective at helping farmers grow their commercial crops. However, they’re also one of the major sources of nitrogen pollution, contaminating waterways and threatening biodiversity. A recent study, published in the American Society for Microbiology, however, suggests Read More...