At COP28, six global food majors have committed to publicly disclosing their dairy-related methane emissions and drawing up detailed plans of action, but the firms won’t be tied to a specific methane reduction target.
Vegetables grown indoors, without any soil, may not sound as appealing to consumers as their sun-blushed counterparts cultivated in open fields. But according to fresh research, they taste just as good.
The New Zealand dairy co-operative has set its on-farm emissions target following lengthy discussions with farmers. Its approach mirrors that of other dairy giants, but is it optimal for tackling climate change?
The project conducted at Bel Group-supplying farms in France has shown ‘promising results’ about the rate of methane emissions reductions achieved by administering dsm-firmenich’s feed additive.
From staple crops like potatoes and maize, to cash crops for wealthier customers like cocoa and coffee, climate change is having a widespread impact on global agricultural production.
Branston, one of the UK’s largest suppliers, has begun trials to assess the viability of creating net zero potatoes. Field Technical Manager Andrew Blair shares his insights into the methods the company is following and how it hopes to establish a process...
Despite the ever-expanding presence of new agricultural land across the world, a lot of agricultural land is abandoned. Between 1992 and 2020, there were roughly 101 million hectares of cropland abandoned, an amount greater than the size of Egypt. A new...
Having led the farming union through Brexit, COVID-19 and the uncertainties brought about by Russia's war in Ukraine, Batters has been one of British agriculture's most respected voices.
The abilities of AI are numerous, and one of its key abilities is discovery. In a new partnership between Israeli companies Agrematch and ICL, it will be used to discover new compounds and biostimulants for crop nutrition, compounds that can optimise...
While there are a wide range of edible crops in the world that have the potential to become part of our diets, humans tend to rely on only a tiny handful of them in large numbers. Could diversifying what we eat by introducing new crops to the global market...
Efforts to reduce methane emissions are urgently needed if we are to meet global climate change goals. Could innovation, informed by study findings, help move the needle? We look at the latest research promising emission reductions from agri-food production.
The removal of an aquatic vegetation known as hornwart along the Senegal River, Senegal has reduced the presence of parasitic infections in the area, which are carried by aquatic snails, and helped food production recover. The removal was part of a study,...
Gipsy Hill Brewery claims a world first in creating carbon negative beers without the use of offsets. And the concept, based on regenerative farming, could go well beyond its pints served in London. “By truly embedding sustainability into our brewing...
Arla Foods Ltd has said milk supply could be in danger if the UK government doesn’t play its role in fostering a more joined-up approach to tackling agriculture's skills shortage.
Rice is one of the world’s most popular staple crops, feeding more than 3.5 billion people around the globe. It is also a significant greenhouse gas emitter, contributing 10% of the world’s methane emissions. To make rice sustainable, emissions need to...
Since agriculture first developed around 8,000 BC, fences have been vital to keep livestock reigned in. For Norwegian company Nofence, however, physical barriers are not necessary. Its technology uses GPS to provide an invisible barrier, or ‘virtual fence’,...
The world is not a stable place. Conflicts, both civil and international, as well as deglobalisation and the looming threat of climate change, are just some of the things that have the potential to radically disrupt the food system. At the City Food and...
Start-ups in Europe with a bent towards finding solutions that promise to reduce the environmental footprint of the food system are resisting the rise of investor retrenchment globally, a new report claims.
By examining barn microclimates and tracking dairy cows’ physiological status, researchers will gain unique insight into the importance of shed design in mitigating heat stress.
On Monday 20 March, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released the final part of its Sixth Assessment Report. The report was clear about the catastrophic effect that climate change could have on the food supply worldwide, devastating agriculture...
Stakeholders across the food system – from farmers to CPG manufacturers – must embrace science and technology more deeply to better meet consumer demand for healthy, sustainable food choices and to reinforce supply chains and food security with climate-smart...
Arla Foods has signed a memorandum of understanding to continue its work on providing training and employment opportunities for the local dairy market, where commercial farming is under-developed and demand for milk is outstripping supply.
A coalition of 286 civil society organisations have come together to urge the European Commission to follow through on its plans to legislate for a more sustainable food system. The move, they say, is necessary in the face of ‘political resistance’ that...
A recent Food Tech Challenge winner, the UK’s Aquagrain tells FoodNavigator it is optimistic that its soil improver will help cut food industry emissions and boost food and water security for millions.
Leveraging Foundation Earth’s data-driven ecolabels, the Dutch multi-national says its ISO-accredited sustainability service will offer animal protein producers an easy way to convey the value of their sustainability efforts to consumers.
During the Dakar 2 African Food Summit, the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) and the Canadian government announced the establishment of a special fund to support Africa’s small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the agriculture sector.
Nutri-tech start up Novella plans to meet increasing demands for plant bioactives through cultivation, eliminating the need for whole-plant growth in the face of current climate and sustainability threats.
Be it a feasible game plan or just a pipedream, the African Development Bank Group (AfDB) is determined to make good on its pledge to eradicate hunger in Africa by 2030 by mobilising political support ahead of the African Food Summit.
Agriculture is the backbone of the world’s economic activity (accounting for 4.3% of GDP, with a value of $3.6 trillion in 2020) and critical for food security and the health of the population.
Dutch start-up Northern Wonder is combatting coffee-related deforestation with an alternative developed from non-tropical ingredients, including barley, rye, chickpea, and chicory.
The organizations call for agri-food production businesses to be exempted from the mandatory energy reduction rules in order to avert ‘serious market and supply chain disruption’.
Around 35% of the largest European and US meat and dairy companies do not disclose their environmental targets – something that could turn into a ‘competitive disadvantage’ as retailers and consumers demand transparency about sustainability.
Less than two-months out from COP27 in Egypt, we ask how the dialogue around food has changed since last year’s UN Climate Change Conference in Scotland. What role can technology play in encouraging food systems transformation? And what’s in-store for...
With question marks about Europe's ability to produce enough fertiliser for its crops, Finland’s Tracegrow, which makes organic certified fertilizers from used batteries, hopes circular economy solutions can prove a vital tool.
UK ag-tech startup Muddy Machines has secured €1.8 million in seed funding. The funds will help the company continue developing a robotic platform that is capable of deploying a variety of harvest tools in specialty field crops.
While ag-tech innovators are striving to power global food security improvements, international experts have warned their solutions could 'easily' fall victim to cyber attackers who want to disrupt food supplies.
The world's largest Agrifood Innovation Ecosystem, supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology, says regenerative agriculture is vital in helping the world’s biggest foods brands achieve their net zero plans and meeting consumer...
With growers reporting a shortage of workers, a new project hopes to accelerate a shift towards large-scale implementation of robotics and automation in European farming.
UK research projects that seek to fundamentally transform the UK food system, by placing healthy people and a healthy natural environment at its center, received a £24m ($32.9m) boost last week.
European regulators are touting a ‘a paradigm shift in European food policy’ as the European Council and Parliament prepare to progress discussions on a post-2020 Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) reform package that, they claim, will deliver ‘higher environmental...
Researchers in the Netherlands are calculating the feasibility of vertical farming in urban areas. “The main goal is to put a figure on vertical farming,” Wageningen University & Research’s Luuk Graamans tells FoodNavigator.
Multi-Michelin starred chef Alain Ducasse has encouraged industry representatives to join his gastronomic revolution – a movement that champions health, the planet and ingredients.
Global farming practices – dominated by wheat, corn and rice – are playing havoc with the preservation of wildlife and putting food security at further risk, according to a new report by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
The European agri-food sector says it supports a Brexit extension until 30 June on the condition it helps avoid “a non-orderly Brexit” – as is expected if the UK drops out without a deal next Friday 29 March.
The European Union is investing in ‘future proof’ crop research to help increase agricultural yields, encourage optimal use of water and minerals, and secure food supply for the future.
UK environment secretary Michael Gove has urged industry to embrace the potential of a fourth agricultural revolution: “We can guarantee a future for the UK as a major, global food producer.”
