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Cutting pesticide use on farms doubles abundance of wild pollinators

18 July 2023

In a three-year study on US farms, the numbers of wild pollinators and commercial bees were much higher in fields where pesticides were applied only when needed

Microplastics found in the soil on farms used to grow crops

12 July 2023

Plastic is commonly used on farms in irrigation pipes or sheets to cover crops, but can reduce soil quality

CF2MRN Sheep grazing on the banks of the River Till at Twizel, a tributary of the River Tweed.

Farming destroyed UK rivers to meet food demand – here's how we fix it

20 June 2023

Rivers are awash with manure, fertiliser and pesticides from farming. This is more polluting even than sewage, so what can be done?

Larry Brown, owner of Brown's Farm, which produces sustainable eggs for NestFresh, walks around the property in Gonzales, Texas, U.S., on Wednesday, May 5, 2021. Farmers are betting they can profit further with specialty eggs by adding another layer of premiumization: eggs from a special type of sustainable farm that can be trumpeted as being better for the planet. Photographer: Mary Kang/Bloomberg via Getty Images

We already have ethical options for replacing industrial farming

31 May 2023

The industrialised food system harms the environment and animal welfare, but new ways of farming are now addressing these issues and further change is coming

Why I can once again eat cheese with a clear conscience

31 May 2023

I thought there was no way around cheese being an environmental and ethical disaster, but a new approach to dairy farming has proved me wrong, says Graham Lawton

Vertical farm cuts energy use 75 per cent by using sunlight

7 April 2023

A vertical farm built inside a greenhouse in Texas can produce hundreds of thousands of heads of lettuce with significantly less energy than usual

Aerial view of tractor in wheat field harvesting straw for biomass power generation

China can make staple crops carbon-negative by adding biochar to soil

14 February 2023

Researchers calculate that alternative farming practices could turn staple crop production into a carbon sink and boost crop yields in China if adopted en masse

Two people spreading fertiliser in rows of cabbage plants

Human waste could help tackle a global shortage of fertiliser

19 January 2023

Tests on cabbage plants suggest fertilisers derived from human urine and faeces are safe and could help bring down food prices

A herd of cows with GPS transmitters. Dairy cows with GPS collars - stock photo

Ranchers are using GPS-collars to herd livestock with virtual fences

17 January 2023

The US Bureau of Land Management is helping ranchers and farmers in Colorado test virtual fences, which set moveable boundaries controlled by an app, and can keep cattle from overgrazing the range

The future of food: How to farm insects for a growing population

13 January 2023

Will we be eating insects in the future? New Scientist's Alex Wilkins recently took a look inside a huge vertical insect farm in France to see what the future of food might look like and taste like.