Farming & Agriculture News

Farming & Agriculture

 
With the vastly increased productivity of today's farmer comes added responsibility to ensure the environment is protected and the production is sustainable.
 
Agricultural practices can be very damaging. They contaminate rivers and streams, resulting in fish kills, reduced biodiversity, increased turbidity, eutrophication, algal blooms and more problems that can impact human and animal health. Agriculture is also a huge contributor to greenhouse gas emissions.
 

However, one should not overlook its many positive environmental benefits. Agricultural practices that conserve soil and increase productivity while improving soil quality also increase the amount of carbon-rich organic matter in soils, thereby providing a global depository for CO2 drawn from the atmosphere by growing plants. The same farming practices that promote soil conservation also decrease the amount of CO2 accumulating in the atmosphere. (Source: EPA / Photo: Flickr) 

Articles about Farming & Agriculture

  • Assignment Earth: Green buzz

    Mon, Jun 08 2009 at 2:29 PM

    Buying coffee grown by certified farms guarantees environmental, social and economic sustainability.

  • Mapping the DNA of cacao beans

    Wed, Jun 03 2009 at 2:36 PM

    Bean-to-bar chocolatiers are discovering that making chocolates of distinction directly links to how the cocoa is being farmed.

  • Backyard fish farming

    Wed, Jun 03 2009 at 10:42 AM

    Lookout chickens in backyards. Make room for the fish.

  • The perfect relationship

    Tue, Jun 02 2009 at 10:19 AM

    How living, breathing lawnmowers make fabulous wine.

  • America's Favorite Farmers Market contest

    Tue, Jun 02 2009 at 9:54 AM

    Do you think the farmers market that you frequent is the best in the country? American Farmland Trust wants to know why.

  • Bringing home the transgenic bacon

    Mon, Jun 01 2009 at 3:18 PM

    Products from genetically modified animals might not be in supermarket aisles yet, but transgenic livestock do reside in barnyards and fish tanks at some labs.

  • Italy's artisanal olive grove

    Thu, May 28 2009 at 9:09 PM

    Large-scale olive production can cause soil erosion and is often chemical intensive, but Nudo uses no pesticides and will soon be certified organic.

  • Grass-fed cheese

    Thu, May 28 2009 at 4:42 PM

    Annemarie Conte makes grass-fed cheese — and a royal mess — in her kitchen.

  • Genetically modified crops gain popularity

    Fri, May 22 2009 at 9:52 AM

    Twenty-three countries now grow biotech foods and fibers—a market worth $6.9 billion in 2007 and projected to rise to $7.5 billion this year.

  • Gardening adventures: Week 10

    Thu, May 21 2009 at 2:25 PM

    MNN's food blogger wonders where her children will play if someone doesn't stop her from buying edible plants and what to make with pineapple sage.

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