Food and Agriculture

Mexican Farmers Turn Milpas into Forest Gardens

by Fred Bahnson on March 9, 2010

When outside funding ran out, some Mexican farmers decided to cultivate pitaya, or dragonfruit, the way their Mayan predecessors did hundreds of years ago.

Interview with U.S. Ambassador to Zimbabwe Charles Ray

by Anonymous on February 24, 2010
Worldwatch Senior Researcher Danielle Nierenberg and U.S. Ambassador Charles Ray discuss how to best develop the agricultural sector of Zimbabwe as the country faces political turmoil, severe unemployment, and high food prices.

Beyond Band-Aids for Hunger

by Danielle Nierenberg on December 23, 2009

It's been 25 years since Band-Aid's Do They Know it's Christmas raised millions of dollars and immeasurable awareness with the compelling chorus of "Feed the World," but global interest in those hungry people has plummeted in the last two decades.

India Announces Improved Cook Stove Program

by Ben Block on December 2, 2009
Placing more efficient cook stoves in rural households may provide a quick solution to short-lived pollutants that contribute to the greenhouse gas effect and trigger millions of premature deaths.

Aid Groups, Farmers Collaborate to Re-Green Sahel

by Ben Block on November 9, 2009
Farmers in West Africa are planting tree species among row crops to improve soil quality, helping to help lower malnutrition, especially in drought-prone Niger.

“Reverse Trick-or-Treaters” Deliver Fair Trade Chocolate

by Ben Block on November 2, 2009
Participants in a unique twist on a Halloween tradition sought to raise awareness about the prevalence of child labor on West African cocoa farms.

Pesticide Endosulfan Ruled “Highly Toxic”

by Ben Block on October 23, 2009
An international scientific review committee ruled that endosulfan, a widely used pesticide, should be classified as a persistent organic pollutant (POP).

Climate Change Will Worsen Hunger, Study Says

by Ben Block on September 30, 2009
Climate change is expected to lower yields and raise crop prices across the developing world, leading to a 20-percent rise in child malnutrition, a new study finds.

Agroforestry Found on Nearly Half the World’s Farms

by Ben Block on August 28, 2009
New World Agroforestry Centre data estimates that nearly half of the world's farmlands have at least 10 percent tree cover, more than 10 million square kilometers in total.

Asian Water Supplies Require Substantial Overhaul

by Ben Block on August 18, 2009
Many Asian countries will have to import more food or improve irrigation methods to feed the 1.5 billion more people who are projected to occupy the continent by 2050, a new study finds.
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