A team of mathematicians from the University of Texas at Arlington is leading a national initiative to equip students with skills in climate-smart agriculture. The project aims to increase workforce diversity and create technology- and data-savvy workforces.
A new Stanford University-led study reveals that reducing nitrogen oxides emissions by half can improve crop yields by up to 25% in certain regions. The analysis used satellite images to map NOx levels and their impact on agriculture, providing valuable insights into the effects of air pollution on food production.
A new study finds that climate change will make the U.S. Corn Belt unsuitable for cultivating corn by 2100, highlighting the need for significant agricultural adaptations, diversification and a shift towards more sustainable farming practices.
A UCI-led study shows that the global trade of agricultural goods is driving a growth in greenhouse gas emissions in less-developed nations, with land-use change contributing three-quarters of these emissions. The study highlights the need for importers to adopt 'buy clean' policies and for regions to improve supply chain transparency.
A new study predicts that agricultural water scarcity will worsen in up to 84% of croplands globally by 2050, with green water availability changing under climate change. Effective solutions include conserving agricultural water through mulching, no-till farming, and improving irrigation infrastructure.
Agricultural nitrous oxide emissions are estimated to be 300 times more powerful than carbon dioxide in trapping heat. The new knowledge-guided machine learning model, KGML-ag, is 1,000 times faster and more accurate than current systems, providing a promising solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.
A study suggests that increased agricultural efficiency could save up to half of current global cropland, leading to reduced prices and increased production. The research found largest land saving potentials in regions with high pressure on land, such as Sub-Saharan Africa and parts of Latin America.
A study found that supermarkets provide the healthiest assortment of foods, followed by grocery stores, while convenience stores have lower availability and higher prices for fruits and vegetables. The research has important implications for regions with high obesity rates and limited access to healthy food options.
A new study warns that co-occurring droughts could place an unprecedented strain on the global agricultural system, threatening water security and exacerbating food insecurity. The researchers' analysis shows a ninefold increase in agricultural and human population exposure to severe co-occurring droughts by the late-21st century.
Agricultural researcher Benjamin Schiek developed a mathematical method to better allocate resources across different policies and projects. The method calculates correlations between institutional research projects and strategic objectives, revealing synergies and trade-offs, enabling more informed funding decisions.
Research from the University of Georgia reveals that compounds used to fight fungal diseases in plants are causing resistance to antifungal medications used to treat people. The study found 12 strains of Aspergillus fumigatus resistant to both agricultural and clinical azole fungicides, suggesting a link between environmental and human...
A new study found a significant decrease in the development of forest and agricultural land from 2000 to 2015 due to rising gas prices. The research used data from the US Department of Agriculture's National Resources Inventory to analyze county-level land development patterns across the contiguous US states.
A study by Politecnico di Milano reveals that large-scale land acquisitions for agriculture lead to increased water scarcity, impacting local users. The research analyzed 160 acquisitions and found that 105 resulted in competition for water, often at the expense of local communities.
Researchers at Rutgers University have discovered broomcorn millet in ancient Iraq, pushing the timeline of agriculture in the region. This finding highlights the interconnected nature of Eurasia and challenges previous assumptions about the capacity and resilience of ancient agricultural systems.
A recent study suggests that dairy farmers in the Northeast can reduce environmental impacts and maximize revenues by implementing double cropping and subsurface injection of manure into the soil. These strategies reduced total nitrogen losses by 12-18% and total phosphorus losses by 16-19%.
Researchers are working on developing low-cost, environmentally benign materials that can selectively remove nutrients from municipal and agricultural wastewaters. The goal is to create novel materials for the recovery of phosphates and nitrates, which could become valuable, environmentally friendly fertilizers for agricultural fields.
The study analyzed 32 rice cropping systems and found that around two-thirds of them have yields below optimal levels, highlighting opportunities for improvement through better management and breeding programs. Sustainable intensification can help increase crop yields while minimizing environmental impact.
A recent study proposes a two-step plan to improve China's export competitiveness of its agricultural products. The study suggests focusing on traditional products with distinctive regional characteristics and taking comprehensive measures to enhance the international competitiveness of disadvantaged products.
Researchers from SMART and TLL have developed a rapid Raman spectroscopy-based method to detect and quantify early bacterial infection in crops. This method enables non-invasive early diagnosis, which is crucial for plant disease management and agricultural productivity.
Agricultural soils emit high amounts of nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas, that can outweigh the benefits of carbon sequestration in soil. Researchers found that managing nitrogen fertilizer use and adopting biochar application can help mitigate these emissions.
A global review found that 80% of crop diversity loss is due to economic, agricultural, technological, climatic, and political changes. Conservation efforts can mitigate losses by strengthening ex-situ repositories and duplicating unique collections.
CABI has been awarded a $4.5 million contract from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to increase capacity for managing FAIR data standards. The project aims to ensure available data on agricultural development is based upon Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable principles.
A recent study in Nature Sustainability explores sustainable pathways for China's increasing food demand while balancing trade and environmental impacts. The research highlights the importance of integrating global optimization towards SDGs to address challenges such as food security, water shortage, and greenhouse gas emissions.
The new system, using over-current driven LED lights, improves image brightness and color consistency, reducing motion blur and variability caused by sunlight. The prototype showed an average decrease of 85% in standard deviation for hue-saturation-value channels compared to auto-exposure settings.
Researchers found that bees in agricultural areas traveled an average of 743 meters for food, compared to 492 meters in urban areas. This suggests that urban areas provide a reliable source of food for honeybees, making them less reliant on longer trips to find nectar.
The National Science Foundation awarded a four-year project to study ancient agriculture in south-central Veracruz, Mexico. The researchers aim to understand the factors that contributed to the area's agricultural collapse and its potential implications for modern farming.
ORNL is increasing its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the US agricultural sector through science-based changes in practices. The lab has discovered a single gene that can make crops more drought-tolerant and productive, while also pulling CO2 from the atmosphere.
A multimedia approach to extension services has increased the uptake of Sustainable Agricultural Intensification (SAI) in Ghana, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda. The ASHC campaigns employed a mix of communication channels to promote SAI practices and technologies, resulting in at least 20% adoption among farmers exposed to the campaigns.
Research finds that plastic particles do not increase pollutant mobility in soils, with contaminants remaining in upper layers. This means they can potentially be taken up by crops and microorganisms, entering food supply.
A new study quantifies the contribution of agricultural and forest fires to poor air quality in Southeast Asia, finding that preventing these fires could reduce premature deaths by an estimated 59,000 annually. The region's poorest communities are disproportionately exposed to air pollution from these fires.
The New Roots for Restoration Biology Integration Institute aims to integrate plant traits, communities, and the soil ecosphere to advance restoration of natural and agricultural ecosystems. The project seeks to understand how root traits influence plant interactions with each other and with the soil.
Researchers propose new statistical approaches to estimate climate change impacts on US agriculture, focusing on county-level analysis. They suggest that current grouping methods can lead to inaccurate results and recommend using C-Lasso, causal forest algorithm, and geographically weighted regressions.
A new instrument measures atmospheric ammonia with high sensitivity and fast response, allowing for accurate quantification of NH3 emissions from agricultural ecosystems. The open-path design overcomes challenges faced by close-path instruments, enabling long-term and automated measurements.
The EU project TUdi aims to develop and disseminate soil healing strategies in three major agricultural systems across Europe, China, and New Zealand. By adopting healthy and productive agricultural ecosystems, the project hopes to achieve significant improvements in food security and reduce environmental degradation.
A recent review from Oregon State University suggests that agricultural pollution is the cause of 48% of water-quality impairment in US surface waters. The study recommends greater buffer zones around bodies of water and more consistent enforcement of water protection regulations to reduce pollution.
The AGRIMODELS Cluster is exhibiting the latest data, tools and models needed for evaluating policy impacts on farm, regional, national and global levels. The cluster aims to improve agricultural policy modeling through projects BESTMAP, MIND STEP, and AGRICORE.
A study by the University of Göttingen found that diverse agricultural landscapes increase the species richness of wild bees. Different mass-flowering crops like rapeseed and faba beans support different wild bee species due to varying flower shapes.
A study in Zambia illustrates the challenges of measuring biodiversity and prioritizing land use, highlighting the need for consensus among conservation biologists. Different approaches to measuring biodiversity resulted in almost completely different land-use recommendations, emphasizing the importance of consistent methods.
Researchers develop roadmap combining smart and nano-enabled agriculture with AI and machine learning capabilities to reduce hunger by 2030. The study outlines steps needed to safely harness the power of nanomaterials in agricultural environments.
A new study by Penn State researchers found that more than 60,000 people were treated for nonfatal agricultural-related injuries in US emergency departments between 2015 and 2019. The majority of injured individuals were youths, with nearly two-thirds being male and approximately 80% white.
The Agriculture Sector Technology Roadmap addresses treating and reusing water in agricultural applications, such as irrigation and meat processing. The roadmap identifies various areas of opportunity for using non-traditional water, including recycling drainage from crop fields.
A study published in PLOS Biology suggests that mixed farming methods could eliminate agricultural greenhouse gas emissions in the US if established across high-quality cropland. The methods reduce synthetic fertilizer use and increase protein production while reducing beef consumption by 20%.
Researchers estimate that restoring all global agricultural peatlands could cut 500 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions, equivalent to one per cent of global GHG emissions. Raising peatland water levels could allow farmers to reduce climate impact while extending soil usage.
The economic impact of Invasive Alien Species on Africa's agricultural sector is estimated to be $3.6 trillion a year, with cassava and citrus fruits being among the most affected crops. The study highlights the need for measures to prevent new species from arriving and established species from spreading.
To reach its goal of 70% renewable energy generation by 2030, New York state will need to utilize lower-grade agricultural land and dual-use (agrivoltaics) options for solar energy development. This approach can help alleviate public concerns and mitigate negative economic activity in rural communities.
A new study by Oregon State University has found that combining solar panels and lamb grazing increases land productivity. The research compared lamb growth and pasture production in pastures with solar panels to traditional open pastures, finding less overall but higher quality forage in the solar pastures.
Researchers discovered an enzyme in a fungus that breaks down lignocellulose, a key component of forestry and agricultural waste. This breakthrough has the potential to produce valuable chemicals and fuels, increasing the sustainability of renewable energy sources.
Raising water levels in agricultural peatlands can mitigate climate change by reducing CO2 emissions. Halving drainage depths could cut emissions by 1% of all global GHG emissions, equivalent to 500 million tons of CO2 annually.
A new study from the University of Illinois finds that US interstate trade can reduce the economic impact of climate change on crop profit, with potential benefits worth up to $14.5 billion by 2050. This approach shifts the paradigm compared to current forecasts, which only consider local drought impacts.
Researchers found that drones were only slightly less expensive per unit area than tractor-mounted boom sprayers for pest-control costs, while also having a slight advantage in daily area coverage. Data envelopment analysis showed that both boom sprayers and UAVs reached maximum or near-maximum efficiency for most paddy areas.
A study from Cornell University found that women's increased agricultural labor during harvest season leads to decreased nutritional intake. Women who work longer hours on farms experience a loss of up to 112 calories and essential nutrients.
Researcher Margarita López-Uribe will investigate the impact of artificial selection on pollinator ecology and evolution in agricultural landscapes. She aims to characterize changes in floral functional traits, pollinator foraging behavior, and genetic underpinnings of sensory system adaptations.
A new study by the University of Illinois reveals that climate change will impact Colombia's coffee production significantly, with low-altitude regions facing negative effects and high-altitude areas experiencing improved yields. The research provides valuable insights for policymakers and coffee growers, highlighting the need for regi...
A Cornell-led study found that climate change has slowed global agricultural productivity growth by 21%, or about seven years, since the 1960s. The research used an econometric model linking weather changes and productivity measures to quantify the impact of human-caused climate change on total factor productivity.
Global agricultural productivity has slowed by 21% since 1961 due to climate change, with the impact being more severe in warmer regions. The study finds that areas like Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean are already experiencing slower growth rates, highlighting the need for increased climate resilience.
A recent study by the University of Sydney found that 64% of the world's arable land is at risk of pesticide pollution. The research highlights concerns about human health and environmental impacts associated with widespread agricultural pesticide use, particularly in regions like Asia and Europe.
A new study found that coffee pulp can speed up tropical forest recovery on degraded land in Costa Rica. After two years, the area treated with coffee pulp had 80% canopy cover and four times taller trees than the control plot.
The new resource aims to equip development practitioners with skills to develop grants that foster access to agricultural data, leading to greater food security. The toolkit includes seven eLearning modules, guides, and case studies on FAIR principles and data sharing best practices.
Researchers at UOC are developing a system to analyze and digitize agricultural data, using machine learning and intelligent algorithms to personalize customer targeting and improve sales processes. The project aims to give small enterprises more competitive tools, with potential impact on other sectors.
Farmers prioritize government and agricultural sector information, while scientists value scientific information. Female farmers and those using organic farming methods rate biodiversity as more important than others. The study highlights knowledge gaps between research, agriculture, and policy practice.