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Abandoned farmland and the environment

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Abandoned farmland has been increasing dramatically in recent decades.  Estimates are that a billion acres – an area half the size of Australia – have been relinquished from cultivation globally.  While more and more of the tropics have been cultivated in recent times, the global amount of land used for agriculture has been in decline since 2001.  In the past 30 years, arable land in the United States has declined by almost a sixth.  The situation in Europe is similar.  Huge amounts of the former Soviet Union now lie abandoned. 

Farmland is abandoned for various reasons.  It may suffer from damaged soil so that crop yields are too low to be worth the effort.  Farm owners may become too old or be physically unable to continue farming.  Many younger people head for jobs in the cities and more attractive opportunities.  Wars, natural and man-made disasters, and political turmoil have all contributed.

Another form of largely ignored lands are so-called degraded forests.  These are forests that were logged in the past but are no longer productive and aren’t protected either.  These places also represent unused land with great potential value.

Ecologists point to the potential of these lands as neglected resources for rewilding efforts, improving biodiversity, and for increasing natural ways to capture carbon.  Left to its own devices, nature will usually reclaim abandoned places.  This generally provides benefits for biodiversity and climate.  But mapping, studying, managing, and protecting the increasingly vast tracts of abandoned land could increase their potential to contribute to climate change mitigation and the restoration of species and their habitats.

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Abandoned Lands: A Hidden Resource for Restoring Biodiversity

Photo, posted January 26, 2023, courtesy of Larry Syverson via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The benefits of agroecology

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Agroecology focuses on sustainably managing agricultural systems by applying ecological principles.  The goal is to optimize the interactions between plants, animals, humans, and the environment.

A four-year study by the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology found that incorporating nature-friendly practices within farming increases biodiversity, pollination by bees, natural pest control, and the numbers of earthworms. 

The study compared three agricultural systems:  typical intensive agriculture, enhanced ecological farming, and maximized ecological farming.  Enhanced ecological farming involves planting wildflower field margins to provide habitat for bees, beetles, and spiders, and sowing overwinter cover crops to capture carbon and retain soil nutrients.  Optimized ecological farming adds planting in-field strips of wildflowers to attract beneficial insects and adding organic matter such as farmyard manure to improve soil health.

The ecological systems had increased populations of earthworms and pollinators, as well as natural predators of crop pests. 

The study concluded that while there are multiple benefits in terms of biodiversity, soil carbon, and crop yield when ecological farming systems are used, many farmers will be deterred from adopting agroecological farming practices and system because of the reduced profitability.  They argue that financial incentives such as subsidies are needed and are well worth it for the long-term sustainability of agriculture.

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Nature-friendly farming boosts biodiversity and yields but may require new subsidies 

Photo, posted July 27, 2023, courtesy of Judy Dean via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Advantages of vertical farming

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Vertical farming has been increasingly used for leafy greens like lettuce and kale, as well as for herbs and a few fruits like strawberries and tomatoes.  A recent study by the Technical University of Munich has investigated the use of vertical farming for a much broader range of foods.  The study looked at the positive effects of vertical farming on both yield and environmental impact.

Traditional agriculture can reach its limits as a result of extreme weather events or in areas of high population density and resultant high demand.   With vertical farming, food can be grown close to consumers independent of weather and can make very efficient use of space.

The Proteins4Singapore study investigated the potential of a 10-layer vertical farming system cultivating crops, algae, mushrooms, insects, fish, and cultivated meat.  Many of these things are not currently part of many people’s diets.  But these foods can increase the protein yield per cultivation area nearly three hundredfold for crops and 6,000-fold for mushrooms and insects. 

Mushrooms and insects are examples of foods that require little light and cultivating them reduces energy consumption and, therefore, associated costs.

The biggest challenges for controlled environment agriculture – which is what vertical farming is – are the high energy demands for cultivation and the social acceptance.  Some of the foods that are especially well-suited to vertical farming – such as algae and insects – are not generally accepted by many consumers.  Controlled environment agriculture can revolutionize food production, but it will take a combination of technological advances, policy initiatives, and public engagement.

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Vertical Farming to increase yields and reduce environmental impact

Photo, posted October 21, 2022, courtesy of Fred Miller / University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Feeding the future

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Climate change is already affecting the yields of major staple crops around the world, and researchers warn that the impacts will become more severe over time. Rising temperatures, shifting rainfall patterns, and more frequent extreme weather events are disrupting growing seasons and reducing agricultural productivity.

Addressing these growing threats requires rethinking how we grow, distribute, and consume food.  To kick off Climate Solutions Week, we wanted to examine some solutions that could make food systems more resilient, sustainable, and adaptable to our rapidly changing environment.

One solution is Climate-Smart Agriculture, which blends traditional practices with modern techniques to boost productivity while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Methods like zero tillage, intercropping, and crop diversification could improve soil health, conserve water, and help farms withstand climate extremes.

Expanding the production of highly nutritious and climate resilient food crops – like millet, sorghum, teff, quinoa, chickpeas, and tepary beans – will also have an important role to play.  At the same time, reducing food waste through better storage, labeling, and surplus food re-use could help meet demand without increasing production pressure.

Agriculture is the largest user of freshwater globally, and climate change is intensifying water shortages.  Farmers will need to transition to water-efficient farming practices, including drip irrigation, rainwater harvesting, and the reuse of treated wastewater. 

Together, these solutions could help revolutionize the global food system to both feed a growing population and help protect the planet. 

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Climate-smart agriculture

Water for Prosperity and Peace

A Food For The Future

Photo, posted October 16, 2011, courtesy of Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The problem of mountain lions

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Mountain lions – also known as pumas, cougars, and even sometimes panthers – are the most widely distributed wild land mammal in the world.  They are found from Canada to South America.  There are an estimated 30,000 mountain lions in the United States, mostly in the West, but there are also mountain lions from the Midwest to the East Coast. 

Unlike wolves or grizzly bears, mountain lions are not managed by the federal government; they are managed by states and state regulations vary greatly.  In some places, hunting mountain lions is banned completely; in other places, it is always open season.

As more people encroach on wild land – building homes and small farms, as well as hiking and biking – the numbers of encounters between people and mountain lions are increasing.  And when mountain lions lose their fear of people, there is trouble.

Since 1890, there have been at least 32 fatal mountain lion attacks on humans and more than 170 non-fatal attacks.  California has seen the most attacks in the last 40 years with 22 people injured and four killed.  Despite this, Californians passed a ballot initiative in 1990 that bans all hunting of mountain lions.

There are strategies to reduce habituation and instill fear of humans in mountain lions.  One is called “tree-and-free” that uses dogs to chase mountain lions up trees.  But there are opponents of this and other measures employed. 

The fact is that there are simply too many mountain lions living in close proximity to humans and peaceful coexistence is very difficult to achieve.  Places where hunting lions is permitted have few problems with them, but that is not a solution that is acceptable in many places.  It’s a difficult problem.

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Deadly Encounter: Mountain Lion Attacks Spark Controversy

Photo, posted March 26, 2013, courtesy of the USFWS via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The human footprint on Earth

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The Earth is a pretty big place, and it is easy to think that humans and their activities occupy very little of it.  But the impact of human activities on our planet continues to grow.  Recent satellite images from NASA’s Earth Observatory show the staggering extent of the human footprint on Earth.

Agriculture is a major part of it.  Farms and pastures take up almost half of the world’s habitable land – land not covered by ice or desert.  Greenhouses have recently proliferated tremendously and now cover 3.2 million acres, an area the size of Connecticut, and they even have effects on local climates.

More than half of the world’s population now lives in cities, which are expanding rapidly.  Enormous cities in Asia are changing the landscape in places like Thailand and Indonesia.  Apart from taking up lots of land, many of the world’s cities are immersed in clouds of air pollution that they generate.

Greenhouse gas emissions continue to grow, and temperatures continue to rise.  The effects of this on the planet are increasingly evident.  Seas are rising, ice is melting, glaciers shrink away, and wildfires continue to burn.  The massive wildfires in and around Los Angeles have made major changes in the local landscape.  Rising seas have flooded coastal wetlands and elsewhere, rivers and lakes have shrunk.

There are also human impacts visible from space that represent positive signs.  Large solar arrays supply the cheapest form of energy in most parts of the world and the number and size of solar installations are at a record high.   These solar installations provide some hope that global warming can be slowed.

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The Growing Human Footprint on Earth, as Seen from Space

Photo, posted July 28, 2012, courtesy of Beth Scupham via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

A better way to extract lithium

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Lithium is the critical component in the batteries that power phones and computers, electric cars, and the systems that store energy generated by solar and wind farms.  Lithium is not particularly rare, but it is difficult and often environmentally harmful to extract from where it is found.

Traditional ore sources are increasingly difficult and expensive to mine.  The largest known deposits of lithium are in natural brines – the salty water found in geothermal environments.  These brines also contain other ions like sodium, potassium, magnesium, and calcium, and efficiently separating out the lithium is extremely challenging.

Traditional separation techniques consume large amounts of energy and produce chemical waste, particularly hazardous chlorine gas.  These techniques typically suffer from poor selectivity; that is, the process is interfered with by the other ions present in natural brines.

A team of researchers at Rice University has developed a three-chamber electrochemical reactor that improves the selectivity and efficiency of lithium extraction from brines.  The middle chamber of the reactor contains a specialized membrane that acts as a barrier to chloride ions, preventing them from getting to the electrode area where they can form chlorine gas.

The new reactor has achieved a lithium purity rate of 97.5%, which means the setup can effectively separate lithium from other ions in the brine and allow the production of high-quality lithium hydroxide, the key material for battery manufacturing. 

The Rice University reactor design has the potential to be a game changer for lithium extraction from geothermal brines.

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‘Game changer’ in lithium extraction: Rice researchers develop novel electrochemical reactor

Photo, posted October 21, 2023, courtesy of Simaron via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The impact of climate change on agriculture

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Agriculture is a major part of the climate problem and remains one of the hardest human activities to decarbonize.  Agriculture is responsible for approximately 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

On farms around the world, excess fertilizer gets broken down by microbes in the soil, releasing nitrous oxide into the atmosphere.  Nitrous oxide is a greenhouse gas that is 300 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

According to a sweeping global research review recently published in the journal Science, greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture are now 18 times higher than they were in the 1960s. 

The research, which was co-written by professors at the University of Minnesota with more than 20 experts around the world, also reveals the likelihood of an emergent feedback loop between climate and agriculture.  As the changing climate puts more pressure on the global food supply, agriculture will, out of necessity, adopt practices that may exacerbate its environmental impact. Without changes in agriculture, this feedback loop could make it impossible to achieve the Paris Climate Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. 

The research identifies several agricultural practices that could improve efficiency and stabilize our food supply in the decades to come, including precision farming, perennial crop integration, agrivoltaics, nitrogen fixation, and novel genome editing. 

Finding ways to reduce the warming impact of agriculture while maintaining high crop yields are essential to both mitigating climate change and protecting our food supply from its impacts.

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Impact of Climate Change on Agriculture Suggests Even Greater Challenges to the Environment, Global Food Supply and Public Health

Photo, posted October 16, 2010, courtesy of Timlewisnm via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Solar farms and pollinators

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Two important environmental challenges are finding some literal common ground:  the need to reduce carbon emissions and the fight to stave off global biodiversity collapse.  Both issues can be addressed at solar farms.

Solar energy is an important weapon in the battle against climate change.  But utility-scale solar farms take up large amounts of land.  Large-scale solar farms already take up nearly a thousand square miles of land in the US and will take up much more in the coming decades.

In the meantime, the biodiversity collapse is being driven in large part by habitat loss.

Given all this, solar farm operators, biologists, and environmentalists are teaming up to grow pollinator-friendly plants in and around solar farms. The plantings attract insects, birds and even mammals. The more plant diversity in the solar farms, the more environmental benefits can be achieved. 

There are costs associated with creating pollinator-friendly solar farms. Ideally, solar panels need to be installed at greater height than otherwise in order to permit growing many of the plants that attract bees and butterflies.  But there are economic benefits associated with attracting and sustaining pollinators.  On a cautionary note, there have already been cases of greenwashing, where solar operators claim environmental benefits far in excess of the scope of the actual efforts they have made. 

There are both governmental and non-governmental agencies seeking to assess and certify pollinator-friendly solar farms.  There is considerable variability in the ecological value of existing farms.  Pollinator-friendly solar farms are in their early days, but they have a lot to offer as a win-win strategy for the environment.

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Solar Farms Have a Superpower Beyond Clean Energy

Photo, posted December 4, 2014, courtesy of Juwi Renewable Energies Limited via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Climate-smart coffee

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Do you crave that morning cup of coffee?  You’re not alone, and not by a long shot.  In fact, more than 2.2 billion cups of coffee are consumed globally every day. 

The existing coffee market is dominated by two species: Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora (the latter commonly called robusta).  Historically, coffee drinkers have preferred Arabica beans for their specific flavor and aroma. 

But climate change is threatening many crops around the world, and maybe none more so than coffee.  In fact, an alarming 50% of suitable coffee-growing land is projected to be lost by 2050.  As a result, scientists see two alternatives to supplement Arabica: either adapt coffee farming practices to new environments, or focus on coffee species that are more resilient.

According to a new study led by researchers from the University of Florida, Robusta coffee might be a good candidate to augment Arabica.   The researchers evaluated Robusta and Arabica for multiple traits in three high-altitude locations in Brazil over five years.

The study, which was recently published in the journal Crop Science, found that Robusta is highly adaptable and grows in high-altitude regions, which means it combines good production and flavor scores.  According to the researchers, Robusta can combine the following three elements for coffee cultivars: Sustainability (produce more with fewer inputs), quality (good flavor to meet consumer demand), and plasticity (capacity to adapt to new production systems).

Following these favorable findings with Robusta in Brazil, the scientists will test whether the species can grow in Florida.

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Robust and smart: Inference on phenotypic plasticity of Coffea canephora reveals adaptation to alternative environments

UF scientists study how to bring you ‘climate-smart coffee’

Photo, posted May 23, 2013, courtesy of McKay Savage via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Strawberries and climate change

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The demand for strawberries continues to climb around the world.  According to data from World Population Review, China remains the global leader in strawberry production, a spot it’s held since 1994.  Last year, China produced 3.3 million tons of strawberries, followed by the United States at 1.05 million tons, Egypt at 597,000 tons, and Mexico at 557,000 tons.

While strawberries are grown coast to coast in the U.S., California and Florida are the top two strawberry-producing states due to their favorable climate conditions.  In fact, California produces more than 90% of the domestic strawberry crop.  But Florida plays a key role in domestic strawberry production as well by growing the majority of the winter crop. 

A new study by researchers from the University of Waterloo in Canada has examined the effect of climate change on California’s strawberry crop.  According to the research team, strawberries could be fewer and more expensive because of the higher temperatures caused by climate change.  The report, which was recently published in the journal Sustainability, found that a 3° Fahrenheit rise in temperature could reduce strawberry yields by up to 40%.

According to the researchers, the impact of climate change on strawberry production could be mitigated by implementing certain sustainable farming practices.  These include optimizing irrigation to ensure adequate water supply during heat waves and using shading plants and shade structures to mitigate heat stress.

Understanding how rising temperatures affect crop yields should encourage farmers and governments to develop sustainable agriculture responses to global warming.

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Influence of Regional Temperature Anomalies on Strawberry Yield: A Study Using Multivariate Copula Analysis

Strawberry Production by Country 2024

Researchers predict fewer, pricier strawberries as temperatures warm

Photo, posted June 3, 2007, courtesy of David Slack via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

The carbon cost of wind farms

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Opponents of electric vehicles and renewable energy often try to make arguments to the effect that the carbon footprint associated with producing electric cars, solar panels, and wind turbines negates their advantages over legacy technologies that involve burning fossil fuels.  These arguments have been soundly refuted for the case of electric vehicles but there have been fewer studies related to other green technologies.

A new peer-reviewed study by engineers at the Te Herenga Waka Victoria University in Wellington, New Zealand, has analyzed the carbon emissions associated with wind farm operation.

The main result is that after operating for less than two years, a wind farm can offset the carbon emissions generated across its entire 30-year lifespan.   The study takes into account everything from the manufacturing of individual turbine parts, to transporting them and installing them into place, to decommissioning the entire wind farm at its life’s end.  The environmental impacts of the installation and transportation phases are important, accounting for about 10% of the overall emissions.

The decommissioning phase is also important.  The study recommended the development of a recycling process for end-of-life turbine blades.  Currently, such blades are disposed of in landfills, but a recycling process could reduce emissions.

The manufacturing of wind turbines is the primary contributor to the carbon and energy consumption footprints and continues to be the subject of efforts to be improved.

There are other aspects of wind farms that are subject to criticism including physical impacts on the local environment and various social, wildlife and economic impacts.  But with respect to carbon emissions, wind farms are a winning strategy.

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Wind Farms can Offset Their Emissions Within Two Years, New Study Shows

Photo, posted April 2, 2017, courtesy of Ian Dick via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Car tires in your salad

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There seems to be no end to the types of pollution we have introduced into the environment.  One that has only recently started to gain attention is pollution caused by vehicle tires. 

Through normal wear and tear, as vehicles drive along roadways, their tires cast off countless bits of rubber.  These particles can linger in the atmosphere or can be washed down sewage drains and into waterways.  In the water, these particles leach compounds that are toxic to wildlife.

Tires contain various chemical additives that prevent them from cracking and degrading along with various metals and other materials added to rubber and artificial rubber.  Some of these additives are acutely toxic or even carcinogenic.

A recent study by researchers at the University of Vienna tested leafy vegetables that were grown in Switzerland, Spain, and Italy, and were sold in Swiss supermarkets.  The study also tested vegetables harvested directly from Israeli farmlands.

Tire ingredients were found in 11 out of 15 samples gathered from Swiss supermarkets and 9 out of 13 samples collected from Israeli fields.  Among these are 6PPD, a tire additive that has been identified as the cause of the extensive deaths of coho salmon on the US West Coast.

The researchers say that farmers may be introducing tire additives by irrigating crops with treated wastewater or by using sewage sludge as fertilizer.  Airborne tire particles may also be settling on farm soil.

The concentration of tire particles found in the leafy vegetables are relatively low, but it is troubling that we are eating dangerous chemicals used to improve the quality of tires.

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Leafy Vegetables Found to Contain Tire Additives

Photo, posted October 14, 2014, courtesy of Green Mountain Girls Farm via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Offshore wind and the wake effect

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Electricity demand in the U.S. continues to grow and, in the summer, homes and businesses crank up their air conditioning which drives demand even further.  Many East Coast cities are banking on offshore wind projects that are underway in the Atlantic Ocean to help meet that growing demand.  The first offshore turbines are now producing power off the coasts of Massachusetts and New York.

Electric power utilities need to know how much power they can get from offshore wind farms, and this is not that easy to predict.  Wind is variable, so there is some built-in uncertainty.  But there is also a phenomenon known as the wake effect to contend with.

When wind passes through a series of giant turbines, the ones in front extract some energy from the wind and, as a result, the wind slows down and becomes more turbulent behind the turbines.  So, the downstream turbines get slower wind and may produce less power.

A study by the University of Colorado has modeled this phenomenon for planned wind farms in the Atlantic Coast region and has found that power output could be reduced by over 30%.  Researchers are installing weather monitors and radar sensors in islands off the New England coast to better understand the behavior of the wind in the area and improve prediction models.

The New England grid covers Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. Even with the wake effect, offshore wind is predicted to be able to provide 60% of the electricity needs of the grid, but it is important to be able to accurately predict what it can produce.

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How much energy can offshore wind farms in the US produce? New study sheds light

Photo, posted August 31, 2022, courtesy of Nina Ali via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Energy efficient cows

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Livestock production – primarily cows – produce nearly 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions, mostly in the form of methane emitted by burping caused by the way they process food.  A single cow produces roughly 200 pounds of methane gas per year and there are 1.5 billion heads of cattle in the world.

Researchers at Penn State University have found that supplementing the feed of high-producing dairy cows with the botanical extract capsicum oleoresin – a substance obtained from chili peppers – or a combination of that extract and clove oil resulted in the animals using feed energy more efficiently. 

Adding these substances – which are commonly called essential oils – to the cattle’s feed results in improved efficiency of energy utilization.  It is known that botanicals have the potential to modify fermentation in the cow’s largest stomach – called the rumen.

There have been previous studies for many years adding substances to dairy cow feed – such as seaweed, garlic, and oregano – in an effort to improve milk production and reduce environmental emissions from dairy farms.

The Penn State study was actually not specifically aimed at methane reduction but rather to better use the available energy from the feed to gain body weight.  However, the researchers found that the yield and intensity of methane from the cows in the study were decreased by 11% by the combination of capsicum oleoresin and clove oil.

Botanicals have shown a wide range of anti-microbial properties against bacteria, protozoa, and fungi, as well as being potential rumen modifiers in cattle.  The new study represents an interesting approach to improve the metabolism of dairy cows.

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Dairy cows fed botanicals-supplemented diets use energy more efficiently

Photo, posted April 9, 2012, courtesy of Aimee Brown / OSU via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Groundwater and climate change

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Groundwater is the vast reserve of water beneath Earth’s surface.  It’s an essential resource for humans, plants, animals, and other living organisms.  According to the United States Geological Survey, about 30% of all readily available freshwater in the world is groundwater.  In areas lacking sufficient surface water supply from rivers and reservoirs,  groundwater is critical for meeting the region’s drinking water and food production needs.

But climate change, as well as global population growth, is stressing groundwater resources.  As precipitation becomes less reliable due to climate change, surface water bodies can drop too low to provide the needed water.  As a result, people turn to groundwater. Depletion of groundwater is already a significant problem, and over-pumping will only increase further as climate change makes traditional sources of water less reliable.

According to a new study led by researchers from the University of Michigan, farmers in India have adapted to warming temperatures by intensifying the withdrawal of groundwater used for irrigation.  The study, which was published in the journal Science Advances, found that the rate of groundwater loss could triple by 2080 if this trend continues, further threatening India’s food and water security. 

India is the second-largest global producer of common cereal grains such as rice and wheat, and recently passed China as the world’s most populous nation. Without interventions to conserve groundwater, the research team finds that warming temperatures will likely amplify India’s groundwater depletion problem, further threatening the country’s food and water security.  

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Groundwater depletion rates in India could triple in coming decades as climate warms, study shows

Where is Earth’s Water?

Photo, posted August 2, 2013, courtesy of Rajarshi MITRA via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Airplanes, corn, and groundwater

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The aviation industry wants to slash its greenhouse gas emissions.  One proposed strategy is to replace ordinary jet fuel with ethanol.  Ethanol in this country mostly comes from corn.  The airlines are enthusiastic about the idea; corn farmers are enthusiastic about the idea.  Ethanol suppliers are obviously enthusiastic about it.  But is it a good idea?

Today, nearly 40% of America’s corn crop is turned into ethanol.  Twenty years ago, the figure was around 10%.  The massive growth was the result of mandates for ethanol augmentation of gasoline for environmental reasons.

But the environmental benefits of corn ethanol have always been controversial at best when all the energy factors are considered. But apart from that, a very serious issue is that corn is a water-intensive crop, and it can take hundreds of gallons of water to produce a single gallon of ethanol.  As the climate warms and corn crops expand, groundwater in many corn-growing areas is being increasingly depleted and groundwater provides half our drinking water and meets far more than just the needs of corn farmers.

Corn farmers and ethanol producers see the rapid growth of electric vehicles as a threat to their lucrative business of supplying the auto fuel industry.  The ambitious goals of the airline industry to reduce its emissions would likely require nearly doubling ethanol production.

The situation is a powerful example of the tradeoffs that can arise as the world tries to make the transition away from fossil fuel.  Even green solutions can have their own environmental cost and sometimes that cost may be too steep.

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Airlines Race Toward a Future of Powering Their Jets With Corn

Photo, posted September 2, 2007, courtesy of Rosana Prada via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Flower power in agriculture

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Agriculture is the world’s largest industry.  When managed sustainably, agricultural operations can provide many environmental benefits, such as protecting watersheds and habitats, and improving soil health and water quality.  Sustainable agriculture also embraces biodiversity by minimizing its impact on wild ecosystems and incorporating numerous plant and animal varieties into farm ecosystems.

A new study of farms in India has demonstrated the power of incorporating flowers into farming practices.  According to the research by ecologists from the University of Reading in the U.K. and the M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation in India, planting flowers beside food crops attracts bees, boosts pollination, and improves both the yield and quality of crops.

 The study, which was recently published in the Journal of Applied Ecology, is the first of its kind in India.  The researchers focused on moringa – which is a nutrient-packed superfood native to South India, and bees – the plants’ essential pollinators. 

Working alongside farmers, the researchers planted marigold and red gram crops alongside moringa trees across 12 moringa orchards.  They found that flower-visiting insect numbers and diversity were 50% and 33% higher, respectively, in orchards with floral interventions compared to those without them.  Floral interventions also led to larger moringa pods and a 30% increase in harvestable fruits.

India has many crops of high economic and nutritional value.  The study highlights how farmers can significantly improve crop pollination services and boost yields, while also managing their lands in a more sustainable manner.

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Flower power on Indian farms helps bees, boosts livelihoods

Floral interventions on farms boost pollinators and crop yields

Photo, posted June 24, 2008, courtesy of Jim via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Does vertically-grown food taste different?

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Vertical farming is a method of producing crops in vertically stacked layers or surfaces typically in a skyscraper, used warehouse, or shipping container.  Modern vertical farming uses indoor farming techniques and controlled-environment agriculture technology. 

Vertical farming has the potential to be one of the solutions to food insecurity in parts of the world where crop production is limited by climate change or other environmental factors.  Vertical farming reduces water and land use, reduces nutrient emissions, and could eliminate the need for pesticides.  It also allows more food to be grown locally and with higher yields.

But some critics of vertically-grown veggies say they look pale, artificial, and taste bland.  In the first study of its kind, a research team led by scientists from the University of Copenhagen in Denmark sought to investigate whether these consumer prejudices hold true.

The research team asked 190 participants to blind taste test arugula, baby spinach, pea shoots, basil, and parsley grown in vertical farming and compare the taste and appearance to those same leafy greens grown organically in soil. 

Overall, the organic greens grown traditionally narrowly beat out the vertically-grown ones in the study, but it was very close.  For example, when asked to rate arugula on a scale of 1-9 with 9 being best, the participants gave both types a 6.6.  There was no clear winner between basil, baby spinach, and pea shoots.  The only clear winner was organically-grown parsley. 

The study debunks some myths about vertically-grown food and should help pave the way for more widespread adoption of this efficient method to grow tasty and nutritious food. 

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A delicious surprise: Vertically farmed greens taste as good as organic ones

Photo, posted May 11, 2009, courtesy of Cliff Johnson via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

Food and the climate crisis

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Agriculture is a major part of the climate problem and remains one of the hardest human activities to decarbonize.  It’s responsible for approximately 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions. 

Many experts contend that alternative food sources – like insect farming and seaweed aquaculture – are part of the solution.  Additionally, expanding production of climate resilient food crops, including quinoa, kernza, amaranth, and millet, likely also have a role to play. 

But according to a new study led by researchers from the University of California – Irvine, another solution to this problem may be to eliminate farms altogether.  In the study, which was recently published in the journal Nature Sustainability, the research team explored the potential for wide scale synthetic production of dietary fats through chemical and biological processes.  The materials needed for this method are the same as those used naturally by plants: hydrogen (in water) and carbon dioxide (in the air).   

The research team highlighted some of the potential benefits of farm-free food, including reduced water use, less pollution, localized food production, and less risk to food production from weather. 

Cookies, crackers, chips, and many other grocery products are made with palm oil, a dietary fat that continues to be a major driver of deforestation around the world.  However, it remains to be seen how consumers would react if the oil used to bake their cookies came from a food refinery up the road instead of a palm plantation in Indonesia.     

According to the researchers, depending on food refineries instead of tropical plantations for dietary fats could mitigate lots of climate-warming emissions while also protecting land and biodiversity.

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UC Irvine-led science team shows how to eat our way out of the climate crisis

Photo, posted July 15, 2008, courtesy of Quinn Dombrowski via Flickr.

Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio

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