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Farming

New Research

Cats May Have Been Domesticated Twice

But only one ended up as the house cat

Trending Today

Argentina Battles a Plague of Locusts, Surging After Mild Winters

Farmers and officials are racing to get massive swarms under control

Cool Finds

New Way to Wean Calves Leaves Them Happier and Healthier

Lowering stress on the animals may also have economic benefits

Farmigo relies on a decentralized system of neighborhood organizers and pickup locations.

Smart Startup

It’s Like Uber, But for Farmers’ Markets

A startup called Farmigo is trying to create a better food system for both eaters and farmers

Giant pumpkins wait in line for their weigh-in at a 2014 competition in Kasterlee, Belgium.

The Secret to Growing the World’s Largest Pumpkin

From special seeds to helpful fungi, creating a monster takes more than just sunlight and soil

Shoppers flock to a stall to purchase organically grown produce, a rarity on the island of Mauritius. As incomes rise here, so does the demand for organic, but only a handful of farmers have figured out how to balance organic growing with the special demands of a tropical climate.

Age of Humans

Against All Odds, This Indian Ocean Island Is Trying to Go Organic

Mauritius is one of many places suddenly seeking organic produce. But as local farmers are finding, it’s not that easy

Mary Seton Corboy, founder of Greensgrow Farm in Philadelphia, took a Superfund site 20 years ago and turned it into a thriving urban oasis.

Age of Humans

Inner-City Farmers May Have Toxic Soil on Their Hands

Lead is a particular risk as people try to turn potentially contaminated urban sites into productive and sustainable farms

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Cool Finds

Watch Drones Drop Thousands of Moths on Crops

Swarms of sterile moths could be coming to a cotton farm near you

A Guide to Buying Ethical Coffee

How to make sense of the beans that promote sustainable agriculture and humane worker rights

Canada

Quebec Might Become The New Napa Thanks To Climate Change

In a few years, Qubecois pinot noir might be among the best in the world

Age of Humans

Are Floating Farms in Our Future?

A Barcelona design firm imagines a two-million-square-foot barge that would yield tons of vegetables, fruit and fish each year

A bat box stands over the Herdade do Esporão vineyard in Portugal.

Age of Humans

Winemakers Are Building Houses for Bats to Make Vineyards Greener

Attracting the right species can help get rid of vine-munching insects and allow farmers to cut back on pesticides

The remains of slash-and-burn land clearing in Rondônia in 1985.

Age of Humans

How a Farming Project in Brazil Turned Into a Social and Ecological Tragedy

This week’s Generation Anthropocene podcast looks at Rondônia, a textbook tale of how not to set up sustainable land use

A woman waits to participate in the annual silleteros' parade.

A Parade of Bright Flowers in a City With a Dark Past

Farmers carried 500 dazzling flower designs through the streets of Medellín, Colombia

What Is a Personal Food Computer?

A farm the size of a desktop could change the way we grow food in cities

What Should You Look for When Buying Olive Oil?

Cold-pressed? From Greece or Spain? What really matters when getting your EVOO

Checking the plants in Nemo's Garden

Off the Coast of Italy, Two Divers Are Building Underwater Greenhouses

The biospheres could provide an alternate means of farming in regions with unstable growing conditions

Trending Today

Salty Groundwater is Threatening New Mexico’s Chiles

Drought plus salt equals bad news for a state’s signature crop

Not pretty, but still edible.

Smart Startup

To Cut Down on Food Waste, a San Francisco Startup Is Selling Ugly Fruits and Vegetables

Looks aren’t everything, say the founders of Imperfect, a CSA-type service that delivers odd-shaped produce to customers’ doors

New Research

The First GMO Is 8,000 Years Old

Scientists find that bacteria modified DNA in sweet potatoes millennia ago

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