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Agriculture

The role of water is crucial in the spread of diseases like malaria, Rift Valley fever and schistosomiasis. Image courtesy of HEALTHY FUTURES.
health | ict | agriculture
11 November 2013

Predicting disease outbreaks in East Africa

Researchers are taking data from satellite observations and combining it with first-hand experience from health workers to make smart tools that can predict where outbreaks of diseases such as malaria might strike.

Collection of seaweed along the west coast of Ireland (Co. Donegal). ©AlgAran
health | agriculture | bioeconomy
06 September 2013

Health supplements from antioxidant-rich seaweed

Seaweed could become an important source of disease-fighting antioxidants, if EU scientists succeed in proving its benefits.

Plants on a conveyor belt in the plant laboratory near Dijon, France. © ABSTRESS
bioeconomy | agriculture | environment
04 September 2013

Breeding tough new vegetables to resist drought

European scientists are applying hi-tech breeding to develop vegetables that can grow through blight and drought – a GMO-free way to help Europe cut down on animal feed imports and help the environment.

Unused waste from trees and crops could be turned into everyday products. © Shutterstock/Taina Sohlman
public–private partnerships | agriculture | energy | innovation union
14 August 2013

Oil-free fuel from agricultural waste

Europe’s agricultural by-products could be increasingly used to give people greener everyday commodities, such as oil-free vehicle fuel and bio-plastics, thanks to a planned multi-billion-euro partnership between the EU and industry.

In the French region of Champagne, local farmers and industrial partners have developed a fully integrated industrial biorefinery. It takes advantage of the biomass, based on traditional agro-industries, for new applications of agro-resources to be used in the local area. © Getty
energy | bioeconomy | agriculture | industry
18 March 2013

Biorefinery sorts the chaff from the wheat

Among the vineyards and wheat fields of north-eastern France, a revolution in chemical manufacturing is quietly gathering momentum. Here, biomass is turned into valuable components and energy.

© Getty
bioeconomy | environment | industry | agriculture
18 March 2013

Bioeconomy: the new revolution

The industrial revolution made the world wealthy through a simple idea: to replace the physical labour of humans and animals with energy from fossil fuels. Two-and-a-half centuries after the revolution started, however, it is in trouble. The oil that powers much of the world’s economy is running out, and the greenhouse gases given off by the fuels are harming the planet. 

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