All posts tagged: Agriculture

Stronger champagne, bitter lettuce and eight other ways heatwaves are changing food

Stronger champagne, bitter lettuce and eight other ways heatwaves are changing food

Published by Daniella Wilson

Sign up to IndyEat’s free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our food and drink newsletter for free Get our food and drink newsletter for free France spent much of the summer learning that there are limits to what even French food law can withstand. After five bouts of extreme heat and a harvest almost two weeks earlier than last year, Champagne has had to relax one of its more sacred rules: some wines from the 2026 vintage will be allowed to reach 15 per cent alcohol, up from the usual limit of 13. Not every bottle will suddenly arrive with the clout of a Californian red, but the direction of travel is striking. Maxime Toubart, co-president of the industry body Comité Champagne, has warned that this “unusual harvest will probably become the norm in 10 to 15 years”. Grapes of wrath: heatwaves in France have led to an ‘unusual’ harvest (AFP/Getty) Hot, dry weather pushed grapes to ripen unusually quickly and left them richer in sugar. Yeast turns sugar into …

GoSun built a practical electric tractor that charges itself with solar panels [video]

GoSun built a practical electric tractor that charges itself with solar panels [video]

Published by skeptic

Electric farm tractors are a great idea that hasn’t quite found a way to succeed in the market, but Ohio-based GoSun thinks the time is right to try again – this time with integrated solar charging technology that could give its all-electric tractor a serious advantage over the diesel-powered competition. Co-developed with Indian tractor brand Moonrider, the descriptively named Moonrider 27 All-Electric Solar Tractor from GoSun features a 20 kW (~27 hp) electric motor that sends torque to all four wheels for maximum traction and pulling power on any kind of terrain. A 540 rpm mechanical power take off (PTO) at the rear enables enables the tractor to run a whole lineup of farm-friendly implements, from mowers and tillers to post-hole diggers that might already be sitting in the barn – a huge market advantage. “Small-scale farming and property management have relied on noisy, costly diesel utility vehicles for far too long,” said Patrick Sherwin, founder and CEO of GoSun. “With our new All-Electric Tractor, we are empowering farmers and land managers to literally work in …

France announces €1 billion aid for farmers recovering from drought, heatwaves

France announces €1 billion aid for farmers recovering from drought, heatwaves

Published by Sam Flores

France on Friday announced more than €1 billion ($1.16 ​billion) in aid for farmers after this summer’s record heatwaves and droughts devastated crops, pastures and water supplies. How can France adapt to current heatwaves? To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. Accept Manage my choices One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Try again Cover image: DOWN TO EARTH © FRANCE 24   The support comes as ​the government ‌is working on a politically perilous budget ⁠for next year, with Paris seeking to keep the deficit under control ahead ‌of a 2027 presidential election. “One billion euros represents a ⁠massive effort given the current budgetary context,” Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard told reporters. About half of the package – €520 million – ​will be sent out as rapid payments to ‌help farmers deal with weather damage, she said. France’s main farmers’ union, the FNSEA, said farmers had already suffered …

Agriculture relies on fossil fuels. It’s costing us.

Agriculture relies on fossil fuels. It’s costing us.

Published by skeptic

As fossil-fuel prices go up, nearly all industries are affected, since most of our economy relies on these fuels to move goods and people around. But fertilizer is even more intertwined with these fluctuations, because natural gas is used as both an energy source and a chemical input in the production of ammonia, a key fertilizer ingredient. So as natural-gas prices have spiked in recent months because of the war in Iran, fertilizer prices have followed. (It’s worth briefly noting here that fertilizer production is also a major source of greenhouse-gas emissions, accounting for about 2% of the global total.) Fertilizer trade is being directly affected as well, since about one-third of global seaborne trade in fertilizers passes through the Strait of Hormuz, which has been effectively closed to commercial traffic because of the conflict. Access to fertilizer could get worse for some of the poorest countries around the world because of the strait’s closure, according to a report from the World Bank. While the US largely meets demand for nitrogen fertilizers with domestic production, …

USTR’s Greer huddles with House Republicans amid Trump trade spats

USTR’s Greer huddles with House Republicans amid Trump trade spats

Published by Sam Flores

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer (C) arrives at the U.S. Capitol building on Sept. 2, 2026 in Washington, DC. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer huddled with House Republicans on Wednesday as lawmakers reel from President Donald Trump’s trade war with Canada and plans to import beef. “It was a good discussion, a lively discussion,” Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., said after exiting the meeting, saying lawmakers were “expressing their concerns about the tariffs, about Canada.” “It’s not good, but I think they’ll come to a conclusion on it. I think it’ll be a meaningful result on this, and it may take some time; everybody’s aware about the midterms, everybody knows about the timeline,” he said, asked about potential escalation in the trade war with Canada. Read more CNBC politics and policy coverage Greer’s visit to Capitol Hill comes as Trump’s whipsawing tariff agenda creates new vulnerabilities for Republicans on the campaign trail. An escalating tit-for-tat tariff battle with Canada could harm businesses and consumers in northern border states. Meanwhile, Trump’s plan …

Reimagining how society makes, uses and renews resources

Reimagining how society makes, uses and renews resources

Published by skeptic

The LIFE Research Institute is developing regenerative bioeconomy systems that integrate biosciences and biotechnology to transform waste and biological resources into high-value products, addressing environmental challenges The challenges facing society today are increasingly interconnected. Climate change, biodiversity loss, resource depletion, pollution, food security and human health can no longer be addressed through isolated technological solutions. Instead, they require integrated systems capable of continuously creating, recovering and regenerating value. Fig 1: LIFE RI integrates bioscience, biotechnology, circular manufacturing and regenerative systems through interconnected centres and living laboratories that work together to deliver solutions for the health and wellbeing of people and planet Building regenerative systems for the health and wellbeing of people and planet At the LIFE Research Institute (LIFE RI) at the Technological University of the Shannon (TUS), researchers are developing precisely such systems. Working in tandem with nature, LIFE RI combines expertise in biosciences, biotechnology, circular manufacturing, health, agriculture, environmental sustainability and bioeconomy innovation to develop solutions that support both people and planet. Fig 2: The TUS CPS and LIFE RI Make-Unmake-Remake framework establishes …

Building more resilient food systems with precision agriculture

Building more resilient food systems with precision agriculture

Published by skeptic

Oksana Hrynevych, Agriculture Project Manager at EIT Food, explains why precision agriculture is essential for informing farmers and strengthening our food system As agriculture faces mounting pressures from climate change, resource scarcity, rising input costs, and increasing demand for sustainable food production, precision agriculture and smart farming are becoming essential tools for the future of farming. By combining technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), satellite imagery, remote sensing, drones, IoT sensors, and data analytics, farmers can gain deeper insights into their fields and make more accurate, timely decisions. Rather than simply introducing more technology, these approaches empower farmers with actionable information that improves productivity, optimises resource use, and supports long-term environmental sustainability. EIT Food is Europe’s largest and leading food innovation community, working to connect partners across Europe and fund innovation to build a sustainable, resilient, and healthy food system. The Innovation Platform spoke to Oksana Hrynevych, Agriculture Project Manager at EIT Food, to explore how precision agriculture can strengthen food system resilience and how EIT Food is helping to drive the adoption of smart …

Developing a strong and resilient agricultural sector through crop protection

Developing a strong and resilient agricultural sector through crop protection

Published by skeptic

The Innovation Platform spoke with Ellie Vinnicombe, Head of Crop Protection and Agronomy at the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC), about their commitment to sustainable farming practices, focusing on crop protection strategies, integrated farming techniques, and advocating for responsible plant protection product (PPP) use to bolster agricultural resilience and food security With the growing global population and increasing demands for food, crop protection and agronomy contribute to the development of resilient farming systems that can withstand climate change and other challenges. Crop protection safeguards crop from pests and diseases, while agronomy focuses on soil management and improving crop yields. Together, they enhance productivity, promote environmental stewardship, and develop resilient farming systems to meet the growing global food demands. Representing and supporting a vast network across the agricultural sector, the Agricultural Industries Confederation is dedicated to promoting sustainable farming practices and ensuring that farmers have access to the essential tools and knowledge they need to thrive in a competitive market. The Innovation Platform spoke with AIC about its efforts in enhancing crop protection strategies and their proactive …

How ViroiDoc safeguards our crops from viroids

How ViroiDoc safeguards our crops from viroids

Published by skeptic

Invisible to the eye yet devastating in the field, viroids are inspiring breakthrough research to safeguard sustainable agriculture and future food security The greatest threats to agriculture are not always the ones we can see. Some are invisible, silent and astonishingly small. Viroids, the smallest infectious particles known to science, are often mistaken for viruses, yet these tiny circles of RNA can devastate crops, reduce yields and inflict millions of euros in economic losses. As climate change and global trade reshape the spread of plant diseases, scientists are uncovering new ways to detect, understand, and, utlimately, defeat these elusive pathogens. Understanding the challenge viroids present Their story began over a century ago. In the 1920s, potato growers in the United States faced a mysterious disease that produced elongated, misshapen tubers and reduced yields by up to 60%. The cause remained elusive until 1971, when plant pathologist Theodor Otto Diener identified an entirely new type of pathogen: a tiny circular RNA molecule that could make copies of itself and damage host cells without producing proteins. It …

Artificial intelligence and sensor-fusion systems in sustainable robotics for precision agriculture

Artificial intelligence and sensor-fusion systems in sustainable robotics for precision agriculture

Published by skeptic

The AIGreenBots project is a Doctoral Network that aims to foster the development of the next generation of intelligent AI-based agricultural robotics Agriculture has been embracing new technological innovations rapidly and is becoming a sector of – even more – strategic significance because of the need to produce more food for an increasing population of people and animals, under limited natural resources (where water is becoming critical) and climate change impacts. Precision agriculture (PA) – a concept that can be understood as digital-intelligent or automated agriculture – encompasses the use of technology in agricultural production, protection, monitoring, and management. Due to the importance of agriculture in our lives, PA has become a key approach to enhancing food security and safety, as well as environmental sustainability. Besides the potential for agricultural science, PA became a ‘specialisation’ for other engineering scientific areas, including robotics, remote sensing, and AI/ML. However, a major step from research to applications in realistic conditions has still to be achieved. Real-life application domain is very important for any engineering system towards offering relevant …