Food & Agriculture Stories
How do we feed a growing and more affluent population without the environmental collateral damage? The Anthropocene’s coverage of food and agriculture digs deep into innovations in farming, aquaculture, filling the global protein gap, reducing the carbon footprint of supply chains, and more.
There’s more cropland in protected areas than we might think
A study finds that crops occur in every category of protected habitat on the planet, making up 6% of all conserved land
Is the grass greener on the other side?
Drug legalization could both help and hurt the environment
The Resurgence of Solar Agriculture
Can farmers get the same food production under solar panels that they currently do growing lettuce for your dinner table the old-fashioned way—directly under the sun? There’s an increasing body of research suggesting that they can.
Eyes on the High Seas
Illegal fishing is getting harder, thanks to public surveillance from space
An ingenious system of farming on floating hyacinth mats offers climate resilience
Researchers working in Bangladesh show how this ancient form of food production increases farmers’ incomes and food security
In the most comprehensive study to date, researchers found that greener farming methods don’t compromise yields
In 63% of cases, they found that eco-friendly farming boosted biodiversity without any cost to yields. In several cases, yields actually increased
Saltwater Aquaculture Moves Inland
Improved technology could give fish farms a sustainable foothold far from the ocean
What are the world’s 35 biggest meat and dairy companies doing to mitigate climate change?
Drawing on a vast dataset called OpenSecrets, researchers found that the amount that companies spent on lobbying against climate action
generally tracked with the intensity of their emissions
Researchers calculate the value of bivalves’ appetite for pollution. It’s huge.
If coastal cities planted clam beds along the urban edge, they could save millions in nitrogen clean-up costs
The veiny structure of a spinach leaf could be the perfect scaffold for lab-grown meat
Decellularized spinach leaves are also a greener alternative to many current scaffolds for cultured beef
