Growing Beets for Cows to Support India’s Struggling Smallholder Farmers
The ancient Greeks used to feed it to their cattle. Now this nutritious and easily grown root crop is being repurposed to help India’s smallholder farmers feed their livestock when […]
Small Machine, Big Difference for Bangladesh’s Smallholder Farms
South Asia is home to large rural populations heavily dependent on farming for their livelihoods. About 63% of Bangladesh’s population lives outside cities, according to the World Bank, while a […]
Rise of the Machines? The Debate over Conservation Tillage in Ghana
Soil degradation or soil loss threatens future food security nearly everywhere, and Ghana is no exception. A team of Ghanian and Chinese scientists found soil fertility declining throughout Ghana as […]
Attack of the Drones?
To drone or not to drone—is that really the question? For farmers in North America this isn’t much of a question at all. Small, remotely operated aerial vehicles already have […]
The Right Spice for Global Warming?
Capsicum annum L., better known as the common chili pepper, is loved by fans of spicy food worldwide as the essential ingredient in Mexican, Indian, Korean, Thai, and other eye-watering […]
Agriculture Trends in 2021 and Beyond—Moving Past COVID-19
Almost everything was put on hold last year as nations struggled to cope with the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. Agriculture was no exception—deep recessions revived fears of widespread hunger as […]
Quinoa won’t take off in Africa on its own. Technology could help
NASA mulls feeding it to astronauts on their way to Mars. Vegans love it. Celebrity chefs rave about it. Yet despite booming popularity across the world quinoa remains almost exclusively […]
The Wastewater Dilemma: Vegetables Rich in Minerals, and Heavy Metals
More productive farming means more pressure on existing water resources in any country, but this is especially true in India today. Soon to surpass China as the world’s most populous […]
Want to improve southern Africa cowpea farming? You need farmers’ help
By Gabriel V. Nkomo Africans have been growing cowpeas in their fields for thousands of years. A 2007 study describes evidence of cowpea cultivation in central Ghana dating back to […]
Let’s Close the Funding Gap in Agricultural Innovation
Even before COVID-19, 822 million people were undernourished in 2018, up by 10 million compared to 2017. Now, according to the World Health Organization, another 83 million, and possibly as […]
