Millions are hungry while food supplies rot in India

Millions are hungry while food supplies rot in India

India is struggling with too much wheat while the rest of the world is anticipating a shortage. Thanks to the virtual banning of exports since 2007, India is producing more wheat than it can properly store and now the Indian government does not know where to store

New study suggests pesticides may affect pregnancy length and birth weight

New study suggests pesticides may affect pregnancy length and birth weight

Exposure of pregnant women to organophosphate (OP) pesticides, a widely used class of pesticides in North American agriculture, may be associated with decreased gestational age and lower birth weight, according to a study published on Thursday. The new study,

Nitrate in drinking water poses health risks for rural Californians

Nitrate in drinking water poses health risks for rural Californians

According to a report released by the University of California and comissioned by the California State Water Resources Control Board, one in 10 people living in California’s most productive agricultural areas is at risk for harmful levels of nitrate contamination in

Agricultural fires in Indochina seen from satellite

Agricultural fires in Indochina seen from satellite

Late winter or early spring is the time scheduled for farmers in Southeast Asia for preparing land for seasonal agriculture, usually for planting crops. On February 14, 2012, the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) aboard NASA’s Aqua satellite

Herbicide atrazine spurs reproductive dysfunction in many animals

Herbicide atrazine spurs reproductive dysfunction in many animals

Atrazine is the second-most widely used herbicide in the U.S. More than 75 million pounds of it are applied to corn and other crops, and it is the most commonly detected pesticide contaminant of groundwater, surface water and rain in the U.S. The new review is compiled

Radioactive farmlands around Fukushima mapped

Radioactive farmlands around Fukushima mapped

A study released on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) modeled the spread of cesium-137, a radionuclide that can persist in soils for 30 years, across much of the country. The new map defines the highest risk areas beyond Fukushima

Haze over the Bay of Bengal

Haze over the Bay of Bengal

By early November 2011, haze had hovered along the southern slopes of the Himalaya for days. The river of haze flowed toward the southeast along the mountain range, and turned southward over Bangladesh. On November 7, 2011, the Moderate Resolution Imaging

Feeding the world: Solutions for a Cultivated Planet

Feeding the world: Solutions for a Cultivated Planet

One billion people on Earth don’t have enough food right now. It’s estimated that by 2050 there will be more than nine billion people living on the planet. Meanwhile, current agricultural practices are amongst the biggest threats to the global environment. This means