From crop to cup – a new genetic map could make your morning coffee more climate resilient

With new insight into the genetic complexity of coffee crops, new, more climate-resilient varieties could be bred in the future.

Denis J Murphy, Emeritus Professor of Biotechnology, University of South Wales • conversation
Feb. 14, 2024 ~6 min

Flowers grown floating on polluted waterways can help clean up nutrient runoff and turn a profit

Phosphorus and nitrogen contribute to water pollution and cause harmful algal blooms. New research shows how mats of floating flower beds can take advantage of these nutrients while cleaning the water.

Krishnaswamy Jayachandran, Professor of Agroecology, Florida International University • conversation
Feb. 13, 2024 ~5 min


Our robot harvests cotton by reaching out and plucking it, like a lizard’s tongue snatching flies

Cotton is one of the world’s largest crops and is harvested with large, heavy machines. Robotic harvesting could yield higher-quality cotton with less damage to plants and soil.

Hussein Gharakhani, Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, Mississippi State University • conversation
Feb. 13, 2024 ~8 min

Secrets of soil-enriching pulses could transform future of sustainable agriculture

New technology could unlock the soil-enriching nitrogen-fixing ability of legumes…and one day apply this to other crops too.

Sebastian Schornack, Senior research group leader in the Enabling Nutrient Symbioses in Agriculture (ENSA) project, University of Cambridge • conversation
Feb. 8, 2024 ~7 min

Innovative aquaculture system turns waste wood into nutritious seafood

Researchers hoping to rebrand a marine pest as a nutritious food have developed the world’s first system of farming shipworms, which they have renamed ‘Naked

Cambridge University News • cambridge
Nov. 20, 2023 ~4 min

These four challenges will shape the next farm bill – and how the US eats

Even if you don’t live near farm country, you’ve got a stake in the upcoming farm bill – including what kind of farms your tax dollars support.

Kathleen Merrigan, Executive Director, Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems, Arizona State University • conversation
May 8, 2023 ~10 min

Carbon emissions from fertilisers could be reduced by as much as 80% by 2050

Researchers have calculated the carbon footprint for the full life cycle of fertilisers, which are responsible for approximately five percent of total

Cambridge University News • cambridge
Feb. 9, 2023 ~7 min

Cambridge-led consortium receives $35m to boost crop production sustainably in sub-Saharan Africa

A Cambridge-led consortium has received US$35m (£28m) over five years to develop sustainable solutions to increasing the yields of small-scale farmers in

Cambridge University News • cambridge
Jan. 31, 2023 ~4 min


Fertilizer prices are soaring – and that's an opportunity to promote more sustainable ways of growing crops

Farmers are contending with huge spikes in fertilizer prices. The Biden administration is paying US companies to boost synthetic fertilizer production, but there are other, more sustainable options.

Kathleen Merrigan, Executive Director, Swette Center for Sustainable Food Systems, Arizona State University • conversation
June 14, 2022 ~10 min

Raising cattle on native grasses in the eastern U.S. benefits farmers, wildlife and the soil

Growing native grasses as cattle forage is an example of working lands conservation – balancing human use of the land with conservation goals.

Patrick Keyser, Professor of Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries and Director, Center for Native Grasslands Management, University of Tennessee • conversation
April 12, 2022 ~8 min

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