agriculture land News

Since 2000, more than 36 million hectares—an area about the size of Japan—has been purchased or leased by foreign entities, mostly for agricultural use. Today, nearly 15 million hectares more is under negotiation (www.worldwatch.org). “Farmland is lost or degraded on every continent, while ‘land grabbing’—the purchase or lease of ...

Oct. 6, 2015

By Worldwatch Institute

Since 2000, more than 36 million hectares—- an area about the size of Japan—- has been purchased or leased by foreign entities, mostly for agricultural use. Today, nearly 15 million hectares more is under negotiation (www.worldwatch.org). “Farmland is lost or degraded on every continent, while ‘land grabbing’—- the purchase or ...

Oct. 6, 2015

By Worldwatch Institute

Officials of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR) today joined local famers, landowners and municipal officials to celebrate the town of Hadley’s achievement in protecting more farmland than any other community in the state. It’s an honor to be here, celebrating the immense success and commitment of the town of Hadley toward protecting agricultural land in our ...

Jul. 8, 2009

By Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection

New areas of land suitable for agriculture will open up under climate change’s effects, new research predicts, particularly in far northern regions of the world. However, the overall quality of land for farming will decline and many regions, including Europe, could lose large areas of suitable land. Demand for agricultural products is expected to rise by 70–110% by 2050. This is ...

Feb. 12, 2015

By European Commission, Environment DG

FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) data indicate that annually 2500 km3 of freshwater are used for agricultural production, which amounts to 70% of the water resources the whole of humanity consumes in a year. With the global population continuing to grow at a high pace, it is essential to optimize the use of water resources and to increase agricultural production in ...

Jun. 4, 2008

By Environmental News Network (ENN)

The effects of changing agricultural practices on farmland birds are explored in a recently published study from Sweden. Overall abundance of 16 common species declined by 23% between 1994 and 2004, which may be partly caused by changes in land use, such as an increase in the amount of wheat cropland. However, effects vary between species, and some species increased or stayed stable in number. ...

May 8, 2015

By European Commission, Environment DG

With large-scale agricultural investments on the rise, the rights of local people must be protected. Large-scale land acquisitions for agricultural use by both local and foreign commercial entities – often dubbed “land grabs” - are on the rise worldwide. Often touted as a form of economic development, these ...

Apr. 18, 2011

By World Resources Institute WRI

The trend of international land grabbing—when governments and private firms invest in or purchase large tracts of land in other countries for the purpose of agricultural production and export—can have serious environmental and social consequences, according to researchers at the Worldwatch Institute. Deals that focus solely on financial profit can leave rural populations more ...

Jul. 26, 2011

By Worldwatch Institute

The northern Indian regions of Kashmir and Ladakh are home to a variety of livestock that provides meat as well as fine wool used to produce the famous Pashmina shawls. But overgrazing, strong winds and car traffic are now destroying pastures and posing a hazard to the survival of traditional herding. To watch the video click ...

Dec. 18, 2013

By SciDev.Net

European biodiversity significantly depends on the availability of habitat that is not intensely farmed. It is therefore important to identify grazing systems for livestock that require relatively little land management. Sheep grazing and reindeer herding are examples of such 'large-scale low-input grazing systems' (LSGS). However, they must be economically viable as well as environmentally ...

Sep. 5, 2008

By European Commission, Environment DG

An estimated 70.2 million hectares of agricultural land worldwide have been sold or leased to private and public investors since 2000, according to new research conducted by the Worldwatch Institute (www.worldwatch.org) for its Vital Signs Online service. The bulk of these acquisitions, which are called “land grabs” by some observers, took place between 2008 ...

Jun. 21, 2012

By Worldwatch Institute

The widespread use of higher-yielding improved varieties of crops as part of the Green Revolution’ has averted the conversion of between 18 to 27 million hectares of forests, woodlands and pastures in the period 1965 to 2004, according to a recent study. However, its authors caution that the relationship between these crops and land use change is complex, and good governance is needed to ...

Sep. 5, 2013

By European Commission, Environment DG

Agriculture is possibly the most important sector of global activity. It is a source of foods, fibers and, increasingly, fuel. It provides livelihoods and subsistence for the largest number of people worldwide. It is vital to rural development and therefore critical to poverty alleviation. Up to 40% of the land’s surface is used for agriculture, along with 70% of the world’s fresh water supply. ...

Feb. 5, 2008

By Environmental News Network (ENN)

• Biodiversity affects key ecosystem services, such as the primary production of food for humans and the rest of nature, plus the recycling of nutrients and water. • One hectare of land contains a lot of biodiversity in the soil – equivalent to the weight of one cow of bacteria, two sheep of protozoa, and four rabbits of soil animals such as earthworms. The INSPIA* project is ...

May 2, 2014

By European Crop Protection Association (ECPA)

Agriculture must become more productive if it is to feed a much larger world population while responding to the daunting environmental challenges ahead, FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said here today. Opening a two-day High-Level Expert Forum on How to Feed the World in 2050 Diouf told the 300 delegates that over the next 40 years: 'The combined effect of population growth, strong income ...

Oct. 13, 2009

By Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

As in many parts of the People’s Republic of China, Shanxi Province is experiencing reduced water security for the agriculture sector. Changing climate conditions, including reduced rainfall, are increasing reliance on groundwater resources in the province. Unsustainable groundwater use for food production intensifies the impacts of climate change, and cost-effective adaptation responses ...

Nov. 25, 2016

By International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH)

Grassland: Quietness and Strength for a New American Agriculture was written to increase our awareness of the vital role grass and grassland plants have in ensuring a sustainable future for American agriculture. Published by the American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, and Soil Science Society of America, the book's content is geared toward agriculturists, students, the ...

May 21, 2009

By Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)

Enterprises, non-profits, and startups around the world are using the cloud to accelerate innovations that are changing the face of agriculture. In support of The Ohio State University’s Discovery Themes initiative, and in tandem with the 2016 Farm Science Review, Amazon Web ...

Sep. 2, 2016

By Ohio State University

Companies and breakthroughs most likely to help the world produce more food with less Dwindling water, farmland and fossil-based fertilizers are making it increasingly difficult to feed people today, let alone those expected in the future. Select companies are poised to reinvigorate large scale agriculture with cleantech innovations that help expand yields, increase efficiencies, ...

Nov. 1, 2012

By Kachan & Co.

It was all too evident during the Dust Bowl what a disastrous impact wind can have on dry, unprotected topsoil. Now a new study has uncovered a less obvious, but still troubling, effect of wind: Not only can it carry away soil particles, but also the beneficial microbes that help build soil, detoxify contaminants, and recycle nutrients. Using a powerful DNA sequencing technique, called ...

May 9, 2012

By Soil Science Society of America (SSSA)