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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

Free range pigs digging food in the dirt

How do captive animals really feel, and can we make them happier?

4 July 2023

We are finally figuring out the subtle ways that farm and zoo animals reveal their emotional states, from anxiety to optimism and even joy. The insights are also revealing some surprising ways we can improve their lives

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

The sheep return to the stable after grazing at the

Photos of solar sheep and an eco-winery capture Italy’s green journey

12 April 2023

From sheep grazing in a field of solar panels to natural wine chilling, Islands of Energy by photographer Luigi Avantaggiato captures the greening of Italy at every scale

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

Honeybees benefit from strips of native plants embedded in farmland

2 April 2023

Prairie strips, areas of wild vegetation within intensive farms, are associated with bee colonies collecting more pollen, growing larger and having better winter survival rates

Hunter-gatherer genes gave European farmers an immunity boost

23 March 2023

An analysis of ancient genomes has revealed that the descendants of Stone Age farmers in Europe and hunter-gatherers gained more genes from the latter group than expected