Agriculture

Iran is sinking in sinkholes from overwatering

What's that sinking feeling? In Iran, the very ground under your feet may drop away. The issue here isn’t war. The issue is land subsidence, a...

Ecomondo 2025: Italy’s Green Expo Powers Global Circular Innovation

Each November, a quiet city on Italy’s Adriatic coast becomes the epicenter of the world’s circular economy conversation. What began in 1997 as a local waste management trade show has grown into Ecomondo, a global forum for environmental innovation, resource regeneration, and ecological transition.

Arab agricultural land is on the brink

Across the Arab world, croplands face a perfect storm of stressors. Excessive fertilizers and pesticides erode soil ecology. Poor drainage and over-irrigation drive salinization, leaving fields crusted with salt. Rising temperatures, dwindling groundwater, and more frequent sand-and-dust storms—all amplified by climate change—compound the crisis.

Foot-and-Mouth Disease Is Spreading Again — What That Means for Farmers, Food, and All of Us

A new wave of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is spreading through Europe and the Near East, and experts at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) are urging countries to take urgent steps to stop it. The recent detection of an unfamiliar strain of the virus in Iraq and Bahrain has raised alarms, especially since this version, known as SAT1, is not normally found in this region.

Can we breed cows that don’t fart?

People are afraid of the cow supplement Bovaer added to animal feed and used in milk supplied to large chains like Aldi. Bovaer is touted to reduce cow farts in animals, and make rumination more efficient thus generating less methane gas. But people don'e want Bovaer in their milk and have been dumping it in response. Could there be a better way? By breeding the cows with more productive microbiomes? This is the question of a research team.

EU’s new agri-food vision heralds pro-farmer shift

Following months of renewed farmers' protests across Europe, the EU unveiled its highly anticipated 'Vision for Agriculture and Food' on 19 February. According to its primary architect, European Commissioner for Agriculture, Christophe Hansen, this bold new strategy aims to “give back hope” to Europe’s aging and financially-beleaguered farming sector, with its producers reeling from “dramatic climate events,” weak “prices for their products and… political stress.”

Tea and beans are the best grow buddies

Tea cultivation, beloved globally, thrives in fertile, acidic soils. However, the overuse of chemical fertilizers has led to soil degradation, negatively affecting both the yield and quality of tea. Intercropping—growing multiple crops together—has emerged as a potential solution to enhance soil health and mitigate environmental damage. This is also known as permaculture.

Washington bans marine aquaculture nets for farmed fish in world first

Washington State made history, becoming the first—and only—place in the world to successfully remove and permanently ban commercial net pen aquaculture.

Morocco loses half its wheat crop this year from drought

A prolonged drought in Morocco is causing serious problems for the agricultural sector. Local Authorities predict that the 2024 wheat harvest will be reduced...

This bug bacon is saving the lemurs

With minimal investment and resources needed, Sakondry farming creates income opportunities, especially for rural women, who are taking the lead in managing production. The ambition is that in the future, Sakondry farming can be expanded, and the insects could be sold nearby, therefore providing additional income to families.

These countries have the saltiest soil and include the US, China and Iran

The world's soils are becoming too salty for farming. These man-made problems are cause for concern but remediation of soils can be done.

Saudi greenhouses to feed desert people

With its resilient hybrid tomato rootstocks already available in the market, iyris has proven the commercial viability of their technology in open-field trials.

How Islamic-era agriculture points way to sustainable farming methods

Despite their initial success, early Islamic P&B agricultural systems in Israel were largely abandoned after the Crusader conquest and, surprisingly, were not reestablished. However, these traditional systems found renewed application in regions such as Iran, Algeria, the Gaza Strip, and parts of Iberia since the Middle Ages, where they continue to support agriculture in marginal environments.

What is Land “COP” in Saudi Arabia and why should we care?

The UN COP events aren't only about climate change. There is a COP for the land and the meeting is happening now in Saudi Arabia.

Bird flu puts teen in Canada in critical condition

Bird flu and how it spreads. Just breathing in a bird flapping its wings can be enough.

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The Myths Killing Your Fleet’s Carbon Numbers

Truck maintenance is more than an operating expense. From tire pressure and engine efficiency to idling and unexpected breakdowns, discover how smarter fleet maintenance can reduce fuel consumption, lower carbon emissions and improve sustainability reporting.

Where Should You Buy Seeds for Planting?

Good gardens start with good seeds. Learn how to choose reliable seed companies, avoid poor-quality seeds, understand heirloom and hybrid varieties, and store seeds for better germination.

La Profumoteca: The Sicilian perfume shop that remembered my daughter’s first scent

Seven years after creating her first perfume in a small Sicilian shop, my daughter had just three drops left. A family-owned perfumer in Palermo helped us recover the scent of her childhood.

Beyond the Beetle Bag: Pilsok transforms car airbags into a jacket that honours Ukrainian rescuers

Ukrainian design studio Pilsok, known for its popular Beetle backpack, transforms discarded car airbags into a striking designer jacket honouring Ukraine's emergency rescuers.

PeaceTech is the next CleanTech. And we’ve been building it for decades.

From the forests of Ontario to sea turtle conservation in Lebanon and water cooperation across the Middle East, Green Prophet founder Karin Kloosterman argues that CleanTech, EnviroTech and AgTech are already building the foundations of PeaceTech.

Topics

The Myths Killing Your Fleet’s Carbon Numbers

Truck maintenance is more than an operating expense. From tire pressure and engine efficiency to idling and unexpected breakdowns, discover how smarter fleet maintenance can reduce fuel consumption, lower carbon emissions and improve sustainability reporting.

Where Should You Buy Seeds for Planting?

Good gardens start with good seeds. Learn how to choose reliable seed companies, avoid poor-quality seeds, understand heirloom and hybrid varieties, and store seeds for better germination.

La Profumoteca: The Sicilian perfume shop that remembered my daughter’s first scent

Seven years after creating her first perfume in a small Sicilian shop, my daughter had just three drops left. A family-owned perfumer in Palermo helped us recover the scent of her childhood.

Beyond the Beetle Bag: Pilsok transforms car airbags into a jacket that honours Ukrainian rescuers

Ukrainian design studio Pilsok, known for its popular Beetle backpack, transforms discarded car airbags into a striking designer jacket honouring Ukraine's emergency rescuers.

PeaceTech is the next CleanTech. And we’ve been building it for decades.

From the forests of Ontario to sea turtle conservation in Lebanon and water cooperation across the Middle East, Green Prophet founder Karin Kloosterman argues that CleanTech, EnviroTech and AgTech are already building the foundations of PeaceTech.

China brings back battery swapping for electric trucks. Remember Shai Agassi and Better Place? We do

CATL is building thousands of battery-swap stations for electric trucks. Can China succeed where Israel's $850 million Better Place experiment failed?

Rainwater nowhere is safe to drink

As winter rains approach the Middle East, scientists warn that PFAS forever chemicals contaminate rainwater worldwide, even in Antarctica.

Elon Musk’s flying Tesla Roadster is here. My 13-year-old son thinks it’s the future

My 13-year-old son told me about Elon Musk's flying Tesla Roadster while we were hiking. Could flying electric cars transform our cities, reduce roads and make more room for trees?
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