agriculture

Sikhs wave the Nishan Sahib, a Sikh religious flag, as they arrive at the historic Red Fort monument in New Delhi, India, on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021.  

Indian farmers' widespread protests are about 'income inequality,' activists say

Sikh American artist and activist Vishavjit Singh has been following the protests closely from New York. 

Indian farmers' widespread protests are about 'income inequality,' activists say
A man holds soybeans in his hands.

How soybeans became China's most powerful weapon in Trump's trade war

How soybeans became China's most powerful weapon in Trump's trade war
chickens

Journalist Maryn McKenna on the rise of ‘Big Chicken’ — and our current antibiotic crisis

Journalist Maryn McKenna on the rise of ‘Big Chicken’ — and our current antibiotic crisis
Jersey cows.

Some farmers are rotating livestock, not just crops, to protect the land

Some farmers are rotating livestock, not just crops, to protect the land
coffea arabica.

Climate change is coming to your coffee cup

Climate change is coming to your coffee cup
An employee prepares a scoop of ice cream at the Miko Carte d'Or, part of the Unilever group, factory in Saint-Dizier, France, May 4, 2016.

A cyclone in Madagascar could mean you'll pay more for ice cream this summer

Back in March, a Category 4 cyclone hit the island of Madagascar. At least 81 people were killed and 6,000 others were displaced. The cyclone also washed away one of the island's main sources of income: vanilla.

A cyclone in Madagascar could mean you'll pay more for ice cream this summer
No-till farming.

Another way to grow crops — by laying down the plow

No-till farming is being championed by farmers and environmentalists alike. Here's why.

Another way to grow crops — by laying down the plow
Raspberries

Some advice for starting your own backyard 'carbon farm'

A "carbon farming" expert explains how smart perennial planting can help your garden sequester more carbon, and produce more food.

Some advice for starting your own backyard 'carbon farm'
'Age of Acceleration'

A new book explores how to survive the 'Age of Accelerations'

The New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman has a new book that suggests ways for the world to make sense of technology, globalization and climate change, as these three forces accelerate exponentially.

A new book explores how to survive the 'Age of Accelerations'
The World

The future of food — feeding the planet as the climate changes

This forum explored innovative methods and systems for producing food, as well as new types of products and underutilized sources. Watch a recording of the conversation here.

The future of food — feeding the planet as the climate changes
A screwworm fly larva.

Screwworm is back — and it’s bad news for Florida’s endangered deer

Once a common livestock pest, the screwworm was all but eradicated from the US in the 1980s. But a new infestation in Florida is putting the future of the tiny Key deer in peril.

Screwworm is back — and it’s bad news for Florida’s endangered deer
Holstein cows

Scientists develop a hornless Holstein using ‘gene editing.’ Are you ready to eat it?

By swapping in a gene from a hornless cow breed, scientists have created hornless Holstein cattle — and a new twist in the debate around GMO foods.

Scientists develop a hornless Holstein using ‘gene editing.’ Are you ready to eat it?
A farm worker in California's Central Valley picks fruit by hand. An estimated 98 percent of California farm workers are foreign born, the majority of them unauthorized.

Farmers continue to wait (and wait) for relief on immigration reform

This election, immigration reform has often been reduced to sound bytes. For example, Donald Trump’s repeated call to “build the wall.” That simplified argument is disappointing for American farmers who rely heavily on immigrant labor.

Farmers continue to wait (and wait) for relief on immigration reform
Woman on street holds sign showing farmworkers marching in black and white photo

50 years later, protesters re-enact a farmworker strike that is scarcely mentioned in the history books

The “melon strike” of 1966 paved the way for farmworkers in Texas — and Mexican Americans in general — to stand up for their rights. But many young people have never heard of it.

50 years later, protesters re-enact a farmworker strike that is scarcely mentioned in the history books
The United Nations General Assembly hall in New York, April 2016.

The UN just took on antibiotic resistance, but can diplomacy help us combat disease?

The problem of drug-resistant superbugs is growing, but can a political body like the United Nations change the stakes?

The UN just took on antibiotic resistance, but can diplomacy help us combat disease?