The world loves coffee. More precisely, it loves arabica coffee. From the smell of its freshly ground beans through to the very last sip, arabica is a sensory delight. By Aaron P Davis, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew\ The Conversation Robusta, the other mainstream coffee crop species, is almost as widely traded as arabica, but it […]
Stewart and Lynda Resnick, billionaire agribusiness tycoons and major promoters of the Delta Tunnel and increased water pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, have donated a total of $366,800 to Governor Gavin Newsom since 2018, including $250,000 filed on March 22. By Dan Bacher Lynda Resnick, the Vice Chairman of the Wonderful Company, donated $125,000 to Stop the […]
Agriculture’s impact on the planet is massive and relentless. Roughly 40 per cent of the Earth’s suitable land surface is used for cropland and grazing. The number of domestic animals far outweighs remaining wild populations. Every day, more primary forest falls against a tide of crops and pasture and each year an area as large […]
New analysis shows that just seven agricultural commodities — cattle, oil palm, soy, cocoa, rubber, coffee and plantation wood fiber — accounted for 26% of global tree cover loss from 2001 to 2015. These agricultural commodities replaced 71.9 million hectares of forest during that period, an area of land more than twice the size of Germany. […]
Your daily cup of coffee, and the 25 million smallholder farmers who produce all the cups of coffee like it, are in danger. Why? Without adaptation measures, experts predict that by 2050 climate change will reduce by half the areas of the world suitable for coffee cultivation. By Stefanie Tye World Resources Institute Yet, despite the threats of rising […]
Restoring native habitats to at least 20% of the world’s land currently being used by humans for farming, ranching and forestry is necessary to protect biodiversity and slow species loss, according to a newly published study conducted by a team of environmental scientists including us. By Lucas Alejandro Garibaldi, Universidad Nacional de Rio Negro; Claire Kremen, […]
On a farm in O’Neill, Nebraska, Mike Zakrzewski wakes up every morning to tend his cattle and grow corn and soybeans on the farm he’s known since childhood. The youngest of nine children, he began farming with his dad in 1982, eventually buying the land from his parents and raising two children there with his […]
To grow food, we need soil. Even with modern technology enabling systems like hydroponics to grow crops, humanity needs soil to produce enough food for the global population. Unfortunately, many modern farming techniques have destroyed soil or depleted it. One sobering report warns that all topsoil could be gone in the next 60 years if agriculture continues […]
Hydroponically grown lettuce has claimed a spot next to the organic variety in the grocery store, causing consumers to wonder which is healthier. When comparing hydroponic produce to regular soil-grown crops, it depends. Numerous scientific studies have reached varying conclusions, some showing hydroponic tomatoes have more vitamin C and others concluding they are lower in […]
To grow food, we need soil. Even with modern technology enabling systems like hydroponics to grow crops, humanity needs soil to produce enough food for the global population. Unfortunately, many modern farming techniques have destroyed soil or depleted it. One sobering report warns that all topsoil could be gone in the next 60 years if agriculture continues […]
Did you know there’s more than one way to grow plants? The traditional agriculture method calls for soil, water and sun — but it’s possible to cultivate a garden without that first component. A hydroponic crop doesn’t use land to supply plants with their nutrients. Instead, it feeds them with nutrient-enriched water through their roots. As a […]
Hydroponics is a type of aquaculture that uses nutrients and water to grow plants without soil. It is an increasingly popular growing method in urban areas and regions with extreme climates. There are many benefits to hydroponics as an alternative form of agriculture, including fewer chemicals, higher yields and greater water efficiency. By Emily Folk […]
The US has some of the most lax restrictions in terms of pesticide safety regulations; in fact, several of the pesticides used in the US are banned in the EU…. By Emily Folk (Excerpted from a longer piece at Earth.org.) More pests is only one symptom of a changing climate that’s making many crops around […]
Have you ever visited the Grand Canyon? That massive hole in the ground is the result of millions of years of erosion — water washing away layer after layer of rock until an enormous canyon formed. This landform is a dramatic example of erosion. On a smaller scale, substances like soil are also susceptible to […]
To both feed the world and solve climate change, the world needs to produce 50% more food in 2050 compared to 2010 while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by two-thirds. While government funding has an important role to play, a new World Bank report I wrote with seven co-authors found that agricultural subsidies are currently doing little to achieve these […]