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.
A smart 3-step plan to phase in farm technology could cut 70% of crop emissions
Researchers find that carefully phasing in field-ready innovations, such as nitrogen-efficient crops and low-emissions tractors, could significantly cut the emissions from conventional row-crop agriculture
Pitch grass needs less fertilizer than its cousin maize. And therein lies a clue to less polluting crops
When researchers grew the grass and maize side-by-side, they discovered an enzyme key to growing crops in nutrient-poor soil.
These countries have reached ‘peak meat’
Above $40,000 GDP per capita, several countries seem to make a voluntary shift away from meat, a new analysis finds.
What’s the dirt cheap, most effective way to rein in fertilizer pollution?
A research team tested various policy options—from taxes to fees to volunteerism—to tackle the problem at its source. Making the "polluter pay” came out as the best option.
Ammonia-secreting bacteria bring us closer to a world free of industrial fertilizers
Scientists have engineered bacteria that release ammonia, in quantities high enough to feed rice plants
To reduce meat consumption, what message works best: animal welfare or climate change?
Researchers found that consumers were more likely to support a German meat tax focused on welfare than one promising to tackle farm emissions.
There’s a massive multi-billion dollar ecosystem just beneath the waves
Until now, there have been no thorough estimates of the value of kelp forests. When researchers recently tallied it up, the figured they came up with was $500 billion a year.
Here’s something to chew on: researchers turn food scraps into materials stronger than concrete
Their novel method diverts organic waste from landfills, provides useful materials for construction or packaging—and the end product still tastes good.
A crop-by-crop comparison of urban vs conventional farms yields turns up some surprising results
A first-of-its-kind meta-analysis of urban farms in 53 countries suggests that city plots can produce up to 4 times more food than conventional ones.
Insect farming byproducts are piling up. They could be fertilizer in a circular agricultural system.
Adding insect exoskeletons and “frass” to farm soils, researchers say, can nourish plants through a series of complex and fascinating interactions with microorganisms.
