http://www.enn.com/topics/agriculture http://www.enn.com/images/agriculture.gif http://www.enn.com/topics/agriculture Agricultural and Biofuel News - ENN en-us http://enn.com/news/feeds/agriculture2.xml http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/53745 The idea of having to pay a sin tax for environmentally detrimental foods is gaining more support. For some, eating meat is a sin, and therefore meat products should be taxed like alcohol and tobacco.A new report published recently by a British group called Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return Initiative (FAIRR) argues that a tax on meat is inevitable. Wed, 24 Jan 2018 16:27:00 EST http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/53745 Dalhousie University http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/53713 Methane produced by India’s livestock population, considered the world’s largest, can significantly raise global temperatures, says a new study designed to help predict climate change linked to greenhouse gas (GhG) emissions from farm animals. Fri, 19 Jan 2018 09:55:00 EST http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/53713 http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/53708 Kenneth Feeley, the Smathers Chair of Tropical Tree Biology in the University of Miami’s Department of Biology, is an expert in studying the effects of climate change on tropical forests. From the mountains of Peru to the lowlands of the Amazon, Feeley examines the ramifications of climate change on the trees and other species that comprise the diverse forests of these regions. Yet, recently, Feeley shifted gears from studying tropical forests to examining the impacts of climate change in rural farming communities in Peru. Thu, 18 Jan 2018 14:46:00 EST http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/53708 University of Miami http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/53705 Bean plants that suppress secondary root growth in favor of boosting primary root growth forage greater soil volume to acquire phosphorus, according to Penn State researchers, who say their recent findings have implications for plant breeders and improving crop productivity in nutrient-poor soils. Thu, 18 Jan 2018 14:30:00 EST http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/53705 Penn State http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/53704 Tropical forests span a huge area, harbor a wide diversity of species, and are important to water and nutrient cycling on a planet scale. But in ancient Amazonia, over 500 years ago, clearing tropical forests was a way of survival to provide land for families to farm and villages to prosper. Researchers at the University of New Hampshire used high-tech tools to more precisely view where these cleared sites were and how much lasting impact they had on the rainforest in the Amazon Basin in South America. Thu, 18 Jan 2018 14:21:00 EST http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/53704 University of New Hampshire http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/53696 CU Boulder engineers have received a $2.45 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to develop a scalable, cost-effective greenhouse material that splits sunlight into photosynthetically efficient light and repurposes inefficient infrared light to aid in water purification.The four-year research program could yield next-gen technology capable of solving food, energy and water security challenges posed by global population growth and climate change. Thu, 18 Jan 2018 08:26:00 EST http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/53696 University of Colorado - Boulder http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/53683 When grocery stores tout sustainable products, consumers may take their claims at face value. Yet few studies have analyzed whether or not companies who claim to improve the sustainability of their products are actually changing practices in their supply chains.In a new study published online Dec. 22 in the journal Global Environmental Change, Stanford researchers carried out one of the first analyses of a company-led sustainability program in the food and agriculture space. Studying the agricultural supply chain of Woolworths Holding Ltd. (Woolworths), one of the five largest supermarket chains in South Africa, they found that its Farming for the Future program drove increased adoption of environmental practices at the farm level. Agriculture is one of the largest global environmental polluters, driving deforestation and contributing an estimated 30 percent of total greenhouse gas emissions. Wed, 17 Jan 2018 08:32:00 EST http://www.enn.com/agriculture/article/53683 Stanford University