Prairie Research Could Help Farming Become More Resilient, Sustainable
On a still November day, Patrick O’Neal, the burn coordinator at Kansas State University’s Konza Prairie Biological Station near Manhattan, Kansas, convenes a meeting about a planned fire. “The goal…
Industry Helps Regenerative Ag Gain Momentum
KANSAS CITY — Whole Foods Market identified regenerative agriculture as one of nine leading food and beverage trends in 2020. The supermarket, a division of Amazon.com, Inc., predicted consumers would…
Turning research toward sustainable practices
Farmers and ranchers are constantly changing their practices to succeed. The challenge of a changing climate and the pressures of an ag economy push agriculture to conserve natural resources to…
Global Agriculture Has a Planting Problem
Climate-friendly crops are getting more attention from farmers and food companies as pressure mounts to find sustainable forms of agriculture. Enter Kernza, a new grain that’s already got powerful backers like General…
Fred Iutzi is Working to Develop Kernza, a Sustainable Perennial Grain That Could Feed a Growing World Population
“The problem that agriculture has faced for 10,000 years is it started with the wrong hardware,” Fred Iutzi, president of The Land Institute, a research organization in Salina, Kan., told…
Perennial grain Kernza taking root in Minnesota
GOODHUE COUNTY, Minn. — If humans want to continue eating we need to continue farming. But many farming practices that have become common in the 21st century result in pollution…
15 Organizations Creating Healthier Soil to Save the Planet
One of the most important tools to combat climate change is right under our feet — soil. Unfortunately, the planet’s soil is being eroded at a rate of about one…
With New Perennial Grain, a Step Forward for Eco-Friendly Agriculture
Some 40 years ago, Wes Jackson, a plant geneticist, founded The Land Institute on the prairie near Salina, Kansas. Concerned that modern agriculture destroyed native grasslands, he asked a question that came…
Follow the Food – Why Soil is Disappearing from Farms
Follow the Food – a multimedia series by BBC Future and BBC World News – investigates how farmers, researchers and innovators are working to secure a sustainable long-term future for…
A Perennial Revolution
Since the dawn of agriculture, farmers have hit the reset button every year. That’s because most are dependent on annual crops, frequently working the soil to suppress weeds and nurture…
Bill Gates thinks these 5 agricultural hacks can help stop climate change
Here’s a seemingly obvious quote from Bill Gates about how to sustain life on earth: “[A]t the end of the day, people have to eat.” It doesn’t take a genius…
Perennial grains could be a key weapon against climate change. But not quite yet.
As climate change climbs the chart of existential threats, soil is getting a lot of attention. Back when it supported forest or grassland, before we cleared it to grow crops,…