Ever since humans first learned to grow their own food, farmers have been saving seeds to produce the next crop. This practice has been essential for over a millennium since it encourages sustainability and stronger crops. Unfortunately, the relatively new idea of copyrighting seeds has all but put an end to this traditional relationship. Large…
Vertical farming can do more than lettuce. A research team headed by TUMCREATE, a research platform in Singapore, led by the Technical University of Munich (TUM), has investigated the cultivation of six food groups in vertical farming: Crops, algae, mushrooms, insects, fish and cultivated meat. In this study, the researchers show the positive effects of…
Obi Nwaegbe’s stirring exhibition at the University of Cambridge, UK, brings into thrilling focus a decade’s worth of revolutionary work by the JR Botek Foundation, highlighting the resilience of African farmers in the face of climate change. Okechukwu Uwaezuoke reports A stirring exhibition, titled The Roots of Resilience, that “sows” – pun intended – the seeds of…
A new study published in Ecological Processes reveals that no-tillage farming — a technique that avoids plowing — can significantly improve soil health while reducing carbon pollution. Researchers found that NT farming increases soil carbon storage, enhances microbial activity, and prevents degradation, making it a promising tool for sustainable agriculture. With the changing climate and…
A biological mechanism that makes plant roots more attractive to soil microbes has been discovered by scientists in the UK. The breakthrough – by researchers at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, Norfolk – opens the door to the creation of crops requiring reduced amounts of nitrate and phosphate fertilisers, they say. “We can now…
As global populations grow, food security is becoming more urgent. And traditional agriculture, which is susceptible to weather patterns and reliant on arable land, is struggling to meet existing crop production before even considering this increasing demand. The UK is also set for further harvest challenges, as highlighted by recent by recent Defra analysis, which…
Agrivoltaic farming, which integrates agriculture and solar energy production on the same land, presents a novel experience for eco-conscious tourists. Visitors can witness the fusion of technology and nature during sunrise seed-sowing excursions. Such visits not only educate tourists about cutting-edge farming techniques but also offer the opportunity to actively participate in food production while…
Imagine if we could find a way to capture the greenhouse gases that are warming our planet. One way to do this is carbon farming, a practice that has great potential as a green business model, especially in countries with a Mediterranean climate. Carbon farming works by incorporating organic matter into the soil, thereby increasing…
Clean, renewable energy sources like solar are beginning to replace dirty, polluting energy sources like gas and oil. However, one issue with solar that needs to be addressed as it continues to expand is the amount of physical space solar arrays take up. Luckily, there are several viable ways to work around this issue or…
As the world races to meet net-zero targets, emissions from all industrial sectors must be reduced more urgently than ever. Agriculture is an important area of focus as it contributes up to 22 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. One approach to decarbonising agriculture involves integrating solar panels – or photovoltaics (PVs) – into…