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Every weekend small farmers around the country head to their local farmer’s markets to sell their fruits and veggies. Well guess what? There’s a new farmer in town: fish farmers. The growing demand for safe, healthy seafood has prompted a revival of the fish-farming industry in the United States.
(Source: DCMP)
Rice covers most of Asia's best agricultural land and uses vast quantities of water, two vital resources that are increasingly in short supply. With the number of people in the world rising exponentially, rice farmers will have to cultivate and harvest rice with less labor, land, and time than they have in the past. Reviews how science and technology are solving this supply-and-demand problem.
Nourish is an educational initiative designed to open a meaningful conversation about food and sustainability, particularly in schools and communities. In this clip, health food advocate Anna Lappé explains how farmers use practices that are sustainable and protect the environment. Part of the Nourish Short Films Series.
Preserving the environment and developing agricultural products that do not harm unintended targets are top priorities for many scientists and farmers. It’s a new era of crop management known as precision agriculture. It maximizes productivity while minimizing energy use and environmental impacts. One of the major challenges being addressed by precision agriculture is over-fertilization. Support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) has led to the development by startup SupraSensor Technologies of a novel sensor to detect nitrate fertilizer in soil. The SupraSensor device is designed to give farmers a highly accurate, virtually constant stream of data on nitrate levels. Part of the National Science Foundation Series “Science Nation.”
These city kids from Boston may not look like conventional farmers, but they’re spending part of their summer getting their hands dirty. They’re learning how to build solar-powered hydroponic systems that grow organic vegetables without soil. With support from the National Science Foundation, Boston College educator Mike Barnett and his team developed the Urban Hydrofarmers Project to engage students in math and science through hydroponic farming and green energy technology. And, because the teens sell what they grow at farmers’ markets, the students get to experience green entrepreneurship. Barnett and his team have also partnered with the STEM Garden Institute to bring hydroponic farming into classrooms throughout the U.S. Part of the National Science Foundation Series “Science Nation.”
Learn how organic farmers diversify their crops and control pests with natural enemies in order to farm without chemicals. Viewers also explore the economics and impacts of traditional and organic farming. Part of "The Botany of Desire" series.
Nourish is an educational initiative designed to open a meaningful conversation about food and sustainability, particularly in schools and communities. In this clip, author Michael Pollan discusses the positive impacts to the environment when consumers eat locally grown foods. Part of the Nourish Short Films Series.
Earth's landscapes vary because there are different climatic zones that have unique, distinguishing conditions. One of these, the tropic zone, is divided into four more specific zones. The rainy tropics, wet-dry tropics, tropical and subtropical deserts, and tropical highlands are similar, yet different. Includes information on vegetation, animal life, human settlement, urban centers, and climatic conditions.
European farmers no longer import some of their food because they have high efficiency farms and a food surplus. Because of this, some farmland has been set aside for nonfood crops, such as timber, oil-producing seeds, sports grasses, and plants and animals from which clothes are made. This British production shares creative and innovative uses of land formerly kept only for food crops.
Argentinean agriculture has one of the world’s highest productivity rates and is known for its soybean, corn and sunflower crops. However, the industry is also a significant contributor of greenhouse gas emissions. These climatic changes could in turn affect the productivity of the agricultural sector as well as impact economic aspects of the farmers’ lives. Chapter 3 of Air: Climate Change Series.
California agriculture is a $37.5 billion industry with "The Golden State" being home to nine of the nation's top ten producing counties. Researchers at UC Davis have created innovative farming techniques to help farmers meet the many challenges ahead. Part of the "9 Billion Mouths to Feed: The Future of Farming" series.
The Three Gorges Dam is the largest hydro-electric dam in the world. Yet questions abound over environmental and social issues, not to mention the logistic problems of moving ships up and down the river. An ingenious system of ship locks has gone towards solving that problem, echoing the techniques of Banaue farmers in the Philippines who mastered the art of managing water over two thousand years ago.
It started as a project for long term space survival, when NASA estimated that crews headed to or living on Mars would spend 80% of their waking hours farming. But, with support from the National Science Foundation, research into a leaf sensor that could “call in” with its vital statistics morphed into technology that can help farmers on this planet. The goal is to save water by directly measuring a plant’s moisture level.
The evolution of the uses of corn coincides with some significant historical events. Throughout history, it has been a staple in the human diet, but in the 1950’s, it became the main ingredient in the meat industry. Farmers used corn to shrink the growth periods of cattle to meet the demand of the consumer. Corn syrup was born from the Cuban Embargo. Today, genetically engineered corn is seen in nonfood products.
Examines developments in zoology and agriculture that are challenging scientists, business leaders, and government officials alike. With commentary from Lori Williams of the National Invasive Species Council, it studies a disturbing increase in nonnative and often harmful insect populations on American soil. North Carolina's sprawling hog farms and their growing waste-disposal problem are also investigated, with input from farmers, their neighbors, and EPA officials. Also offers insights into the 17-year cicada life cycle-featuring an interview with renowned entomologist and University of Maryland professor Mike Raupp.
Consider the following: humans live twice as long as their ancient ancestors did even though their bodies contain different types of synthetic and sometimes toxic substances. This is an unpleasant part of life in the modern age. Explores the health impact, wide variety, and alarming ubiquity of manufactured chemicals. Shows how communities around the world, including Inuit seal hunters, Asian and African farmers, and residents of an industrial town in the United States address the pervasiveness of molecular compounds found in pesticides, plastics, and other products. The benefits of these chemicals are weighed against their dangers.
Leaf cutter ants could be called the overachievers of the insect world. They are farmers, medicine makers, and green energy producers. With support from the National Science Foundation, bacteriologist Cameron Currie studies the complex evolutionary relationships between the ants, the fungi they cultivate and eat, and the bacteria that influence this symbiosis. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Currie works with the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center on campus to explore how the ants manage to degrade cellulose. Her goal is to discover new ways humans might break down biomass into biofuels. The bacteria component of the ant colony could also help scientists develop more effective antibiotics for human health and agriculture.
