Fish poop feeds world’s largest vertical farm
Almost the size of two entire city blocks, a sprawling new building under construction in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, will soon hold the title of the world’s largest indoor vertical farm. The building, which occupies an area of about 250,000 square feet, is slated for completion in Read More...
Beach-dwelling sheep eat seaweed and reduce their methane emissions
Back in March, we shared the research findings from a University of California study on how feeding seaweed to cattle can reduce methane emissions from their burps and flatulence by up to 82 percent. Now, scientists in Scotland have found that the same effect holds true for sheep. The recently Read More...
Farmers are more amenable to regionally-sensitive bee protection efforts
Farmers are inherently dependent on pollinators for successful crop yields, yet getting them to adopt bee-friendly practices is more challenging in some areas than others. A new study from University of Oregon researchers found that farmers are more likely to invest in bee-friendly practices if Read More...
Ice stupas: How an artificial glacier is addressing India’s water crisis
Ice stupas were invented in 2013 by Indian engineer Sonam Wangchuk. They are essentially artificial glaciers that take wastewater flowing in the summer months and pump it uphill to be stored as ice during the winter and released once again when spring arrives. For water-scarce regions, they provide Read More...
Study unveils effective way to address marine dead zones
Marine dead zones refer to areas of the ocean which are too low in oxygen to support life. In the Gulf of Mexico, runoff from agricultural operations, mostly nitrogen and phosphorus, travels down the Mississippi and Atchafalaya rivers, contributing to an overgrowth of algae and a widening dead zone Read More...
Researchers propose using passenger car emissions in agriculture
The average passenger emits about five US tons of CO2 and 5,547 gallons of waste water each year, while urban farmers use almost five pounds of CO2 and six gallons of water to grow two pounds of produce. Researchers from Texas A&M University believe these two systems could be combined to Read More...
EPA announces ban on harmful pesticide chlorpyrifos
Even if you’ve never heard of chlorpyrifos, you’ve probably come in contact with it on your food. This common pesticide has been on the market since 1965 and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 5.1 million pounds of the chemical have been used on American crops like Read More...
Canada to dedicate over C$25 million to conserve wetlands
The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change of Canada has announced more than C$25 million in funding to conserve, restore, and enhance wetlands and grasslands in the Prairie provinces. This initiative could conserve up to 30,000 hectares of wetlands, grasslands, and riparian areas, on top of Read More...
World’s first underwater farm is growing fruits and veggies once again
While floating farms are already an indication of how agriculture might look like in the future, underwater farms are just getting started. With that said, their prospects to increase food security across the world look promising. Just recently, the world’s first underwater farm started producing Read More...
Artificial intelligence and nanotechnology may help solve world hunger
According to the United Nations, about 840 million people will experience hunger by 2030. This growing global challenge to feed people will only be exacerbated by climate change, increasing populations, and degrading soil quality. Some researchers, however, claim that artificial intelligence and Read More...