"Researchers used satellite imaging and surface soil color to find out how much of the nutrient-rich earth has eroded away"  For full article Click Here      (credit for picture Smithsonian

Magazine)

 China and India, two of the world's biggest polluters, are making is leafier. The greening effect stems mainly from ambitious tree-planting in China and intensive farming in both countries.

New polls show recent disasters and personal experience have raised and widened global warming worries, but researchers warn of a huge gap between awareness and an adequate response.

What if it wasn’t just animals that could sense sound—what if plants could, too? The first experiments to test this hypothesis, published recently on the pre-print server bioRxiv, suggest that in at least one case, plants can hear, and it confers a real evolutionary advantage.

UW’s School of Computer Science & Engineering is the first to create a sensing system - complete with wireless communication and location tracking - that fits on the back of a bumblebee.

Check out the article linked above to hear from economist Stephanie Mercier about issues facing the agricultural sector, including the dairy crisis and the impact that rising interest rates will have on agriculture.

Click the link above to read an article about the Grove Community Garden, located next to James River Elementary School in Williamsburg, VA. The Grove garden is directed by Rob Till, and supplies fresh produce to many low-income families in the area. 

In the wake of the recent water crisis in Flint, Michigan,  awareness of the importance of protecting watersheds has increased. User-financed ecosystem service programs can compensate landowners to voluntarily participate in environmental improvement efforts.

There are roughly forty million acres of lawn in the U.S., according to a 2015 NASA study—three times more acreage than any other irrigated crop. That's a lot of land, and an enormous amount of lost potential. The average lawn is roughly a fifth of an acre, which doesn't sound like much. But unlike big farms, gardens tend to be intensively managed, which means they can often yield an impressive amount of vegetables.

A Pennsylvania project to restore riparian buffers is an agroforestry win-win for ecological outcomes and community well-being and livelihoods.  Click here

 Releasing genetically engineered trees into forests to counter threats to forest health represents a new frontier in biotechnology. Even as the techniques of molecular biology have advanced, humans have not yet released a genetically engineered plant that is intended to spread and persist. Biotech trees — genetically engineered or gene-edited — offer just that possibility.

The popular Arabica bean, used in such rich blends as Java, is amongst the species threatened by climate change and deforestation.

Using improved GPS collars, scientists are mapping more herd migration routes than ever before, a key to conservation efforts in the western United States

When people think of potential solutions to global warming, they tend to visualize technologies like solar panels or electric cars. A new study found that better management of forests, grasslands and soils in the United States could offset as much as 21 percent of the country’s annual greenhouse gas emissions.

Have you ever wondered just how many acres of cropland there are in the United States? Or how many acres are devoted to maple syrup production? Click on the link above to find out!

"The bill will create a new digital hub and help organize urban farmers throughout the city"

"We have seen the development of [seagrass] beds the last few years where we've never seen them before," Orth continues. "So the plants are telling us that the conditions are improving."

The humble Bramble Cay melomys has disappeared from its island in the Great Barrier Reef.

There’s encouraging news for one of the region’s most beloved birds, according to a new report from the Center for Conservation Biology (CCB).

For those interested in conservation, water quality, or simply modern convenience, water usage can be a complex topic. Where our water comes from, where it goes when we have used it, and who (or what) else might need to use it are all important questions!

After two months of negotiations, the 2018 Farm Bill Conference Committee leaders yesterday released a final bill that makes long-overdue investments in the future of American agriculture. If passed and signed into law by President Trump, the bill will better connect beginning and socially disadvantaged producers with the tools and resources they need to start and sustain vibrant food and farm businesses.

California’s capital city has become the nation’s farm-to-fork capital, and in the process is making food more accessible, equitable, and just.

This manual offers strategies and insights to help you run a small farm business that supports the needs of low-income communities.

MA'O, a youth development farm in Hawaii, isn't just about the sweet Pirie mangoes it produces, but also about the purposeful young global citizens it harvests.

Jamestown High School's Envirothon team, led by Charlie Dubay, consistently places among the top teams at the annual state competition. On January 19th, Mr. Dubay and his latest team were honored at the Colonial Soil and Water Conservation District’s (CSWCD) Awards Dinner for their outstanding contributions to conservation education