Reuters – Growing up in a village in Burkina Faso, Georges Bazongo remembers his parents and neighbours cutting down trees each year to expand their farmland so they could “grow enough food for our families to eat.” He also noticed some trees becoming drier in the drought-prone region, an indication too that the soil was
Africa’s Great Green Wall aims for fresh growth spurt after sluggish start
Stopping the desertification of productive farmland is the goal of the program
Will COVID-19 be a game changer in humanity’s relationship with meat?
Double-digit growth in plant-based foods expected this year, but lab-grown meat is the next frontier
Thomson Reuters Foundation – In a vast, illuminated greenhouse set among Iceland’s otherworldly lava fields, the genetically modified shoots of an ancient cereal crop may hold the key to the food of the future. Using abundant geothermal waters for heating and volcanic ash instead of soil, biotech company ORF Genetics is growing barley here to
Farming insects may solve one problem, create others
Rome | Thomson Reuters Foundation — Insects have great potential as an alternative source of protein, but further research is urgently needed before mass production begins in order to avoid environmental disaster, Swedish researchers warned Monday. There is currently an “overwhelming lack of knowledge” on basic questions such as suitable species, their housing and feed
Grow your own in 30 below
A transplanted chef is on an Arctic self-sufficiency mission
In one of the planet’s most northerly settlements, in a tiny Arctic town of about 2,000 people, Benjamin Vidmar’s domed greenhouse stands out like an alien structure in the snow-cloaked landscape. This is where in summer the American chef grows tomatoes, onions, chilies and other vegetables, taking advantage of the season’s 24 hours of daily
Food-mad Italy on mission to cut waste, feed hungry
Volunteers and food vendors are banding together to meet the national target
Thomson Reuters Foundation – The young Roma woman gingerly touched the oranges and cabbages, bright, fresh and neatly stacked in crates. Francesco Fanoli, an anthropologist, insisted they were hers to take — for free. With a toddler playing in a nearby pram and more mouths to feed at home, the mother took the cache gratefully,
Better soil health could capture more carbon
A recent study says changing farming practices could capture as much carbon as the global transport sector emits
Thomson Reuters Foundation – Improving soil health in farmlands could capture extra carbon equivalent to the planet-warming emissions generated by the transport sector, one of the world’s most polluting industries, experts said Nov. 14. Soil naturally absorbs carbon from the atmosphere through a process known as sequestration which not only reduces harmful greenhouse gases but
High-tech tracker to battle ancient wheat plague
Wheat rust early detection is critical and a surprising source is providing new hope
The tracking technology used to halt the deadly Ebola and Zika viruses could now be turned against wheat rust as scientists try new ways to stop the fungus devastating world grain crops. Wheat rusts are nothing new — ancient Romans honoured the rust god Robigus, hoping to protect their fields — but they are adapting
Food Security Still A Problem As Hunger Rises
A fall in grain prices has led to the impression that food security is no longer a concern, but the number of people without enough to eat is still rising in a world facing recession, the United Nations said March 31. “The level of prices is still 19 per cent above the average of 2006
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
