Agriculture

Solar-powered irrigation systems can help reduce water consumption by letting farmers know exactly how much water is needed and when. Image credit - MASLOWATEN

agriculture | energy | environment

13 December 2017

Farmers bank on solar power to stave off European water crisis

Rising populations and climate change are putting pressure on the water needed for agriculture but a solar-powered irrigation system may reduce the amount that farmers use – while simultaneously slashing the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions.

Sea-based agriculture that cultivates large quantities of algae could help triple or quadruple the amount of food we get from our oceans. Credit - pxhere/ picture is in public domain

agriculture | environment | policy

08 December 2017

Algae and krill may be a tough sell for European consumers

People will need to be persuaded to eat new types of seafood if we are to extract more food from the oceans and feed growing human populations, according to fishing industry experts.

Growing coffee under the forest canopy can help preserve biodiversity. Credit – ‘Coffee Plant near the Quilalí - San Juan del Río Coco border’ by Elizabeth Sampson is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0

agriculture | environment

22 November 2017

Forest plantations are a potent blend for coffee production

Climate change is threatening Europe’s coffee supplies, but the impacts could be diluted by planting the crops amongst trees - a technique known as agroforestry, which is also being revived in European farming.

Taste-based feeding traps can keep away pests like the poplar leaf beetle. Image credit – Dr Pentzold / ChemoSense project

agriculture | environment | open innovation

30 October 2017

Plaguing insects with bittersweet tastes to protect crops

Herbivorous insects are estimated to be responsible for destroying one-fifth of the world's total crop production annually, but a new, natural approach to pesticides that turns insects' taste and smell preferences against them could help reduce this toll.

Cristina Amaral says we must improve food security in migrants home countries to help manage food-related migration. Image credit - Cristina Amaral

interview | agriculture | health

16 October 2017

World hunger on the rise due to conflict and climate change - UN’s Cristina Amaral

The number of undernourished people rose for the first time in over a decade in 2016 due to conflict and climate change, and more research is needed into how to increase the security of people’s food supply and manage migration, according to Cristina Amaral, Director of the FAO (UN Food and Agriculture Organisation) liaison office with the European Union and Belgium. She is due to speak about investing in food systems and rural development to change the future of migration on 16 October at the Harnessing Research and Innovation for FOOD 2030 conference in Brussels, Belgium.

Dr Panagiotis Zervas wants to make European agriculture data available to all researchers. Image credit — Dr Panagiotis Zervas

interview | agriculture | environment | open science

11 October 2017

Open data can secure our food supply – Dr Panagiotis Zervas

We live in an era where open data can pave the way to a more sustainable, secure and safe food system, according to Dr Panagiotis Zervas, senior project manager at Agroknow, a company that finds, connects and delivers agricultural and food information worldwide.

Leftover straw from wheat harvests could be the building blocks for greener chemicals. Image credit – Pixabay/ ArnoBeauvois

agriculture | environment | transport

10 October 2017

Wheat straw waste could be basis for greener chemicals

The straw leftover from harvested wheat could be turned into bio-based chemicals that offer high greenhouse gas savings and do not compete with food supplies or damage ecosystems.

Farmers could protect the environment and cut down on fertiliser use with swarms of drones. Image credit - 'Aerial View - Landschaft Markgräflerland' by Taxiarchos228 is licenced under CC 3.0 unported

ict | agriculture | environment

24 August 2017

EU’s future cyber-farms to utilise drones, robots and sensors

Bee-based maths is helping teach swarms of drones to find weeds, while robotic mowers keep hedgerows in shape.

Food makes up a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions. Image credit: Pixabay/ mccright

agriculture

02 June 2017

Changing the way we get our food is key to global warming fight

Our food accounts for a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions, yet shorter supply chains, food maps, and sharing leftovers could help cities put cheaper and more climate-friendly produce on citizens’ plates, a conference on food security heard.

Dr Manoj Dora is looking into so-called lean agriculture to make European farming more productive and competitive.

agriculture | interview

23 May 2017

Secret to cheaper food may be to copy Toyota - Dr Manoj Dora

An on-demand style of farming inspired by the Toyota car manufacturing lines of the 1950s could be the key to improving efficiency on farms, which would in turn lead to cheaper food in European supermarkets, according to Dr Manoj Dora from Brunel University London in the UK.