Posts

Algorithms drive irrigation in smart agriculture
Innovation & Technology, NewsIn an attempt to make irrigation more efficient, Stanford University has developed a new and more accurate system for calculating evapotranspiration. Measurement is shortened by 100 times

Cattle-related deforestation in the Amazon could have been halved
Environment, NewsIf anti-deforestation agreements had been fully implemented, 24 thousand km2 of land could have been saved in the Amazon compared to the 7 thousand actually protected between 2010 and 2018, according to a study from U.S.

“China must change direction in its anti-desertification strategy”
Agricultural Industry, NewsThe actions promoted in China in the 21st century have reportedly produced limited benefits, a recent study finds. Among other things, Beijing's "Grain for Green" plan has decreased the incomes of farmers and herders. Other natural factors have mainly weighed on land regeneration

Researchers in the U.S. launch five-year soil health survey
Environment, NewsFour U.S. universities are launching a massive soil analysis project. The initiative aims to counter land degradation which is estimated to cost $67 bn a year in America

Toilets may provide an alternative to chemical fertilizers
Agricultural Industry, NewsBy recycling human manure it is possible to produce natural fertilizers that provide identical yields as chemical equivalents, a German research has found. No risk of drug contamination, the authors explain. But further studies are needed

Pesticide impact on plants and soil grows in Germany
Environment, NewsOver the past 25 years, pesticide total toxicity in Germany has increased for fish, land plants and soil organisms, a research from the Technical University of Kaiserslautern-Landau has found. EU wants to cut use of chemicals in half by 2030 but its metrics are not convincing

EU agriculture mixes strategies against climate and geopolitical shocks
Agricultural Industry, NewsCombining different crops and mixing agriculture with livestock and forest management makes it possible to better respond to climate challenges and current crises. From Horizon magazine, a review of two European projects

Land degradation and food crisis hit Bangladesh
Agricultural Industry, NewsPoor farming practices and dependence on fertilizer have damaged soils in Bangladesh. Nutrient deficiency remains a problem. Use of organic alternatives for soil grows

Asia has its first ‘soil atlas’
Environment, NewsIt was created by the FAO Global Soil Partnership together with the Joint Research Center of the EU Commission. The tool will help to better understand the characteristics of the different soils of the continent. Among them, some of the most fertile on the planet. The food future of humanity depends on their sustainable management

War affects one in four farmers in Ukraine, says FAO
Agricultural Industry, NewsThe Russian invasion of Ukraine has forced 25 percent of the country's rural households to reduce or stop production. War damage to the sector already exceeds $2 billion, says FAO