Latest Agriculture News
Sierra Leone loves rice and wants to free itself from imports. But how to do it?
FREETOWN, Sierra Leone (AP) — Rice borders on the sacred in Sierra Leone. Unless a meal includes rice, people say, you haven’t eaten at all. But as prices soar, consumers in the West African nation are giving up other food to buy it. That's a major reason why 83% of the...
At UN climate talks, farmers argue for a share of money dedicated to fighting climate change
BAKU, Azerbaijan (AP) — Extreme heat ruined the pineapples on Esther Penunia's small farm in the Philippines this year, more disappointment than catastrophe since Penunia doesn't depend on the farm for a living. But Penunia worries about the millions of small farmers in her part of the world who...
Thousands of UK farmers descend on Parliament to protest a tax they say will ruin family farms
LONDON (AP) — With banners, bullhorns and toy tractors, thousands of British farmers descended on Parliament on Tuesday to protest a tax hike they say will deal a “hammer blow” to struggling family farms. U.K. farmers are rarely as militant as their European neighbors, and...
The White House's Christmas tree is a symbol of resilience for hurricane-hit North Carolina farms
NEWLAND, N.C. (AP) — The Cartner family had known since last year that one of their farm’s Christmas trees would be headed to the White House this winter. But then Hurricane Helene struck, unleashing a deadly deluge across western North Carolina, including Avery County, where...
Forget driverless cars. One company wants autonomous helicopters to spray crops and fight fires
HENNIKER, N.H. (AP) — When Hector Xu was learning to fly a helicopter in college, he recalled having a few “nasty experiences” while trying to navigate at night. The heart-stopping flights led to his research of unmanned aircraft systems while getting his doctorate degree in...
In southern India's tea country, small but mighty efforts are brewing to bring back native forests
UDHAGAMANDALAM, India (AP) — Scattered groves of native trees, flowers and the occasional prehistoric burial ground are squeezed between hundreds of thousands of tea shrubs in southern India's Nilgiris region — a gateway to a time before colonization and the commercial growing of tea that...
French farmers escalate protests against an EU-Mercosur trade deal and fear unfair competition
BEAUVAIS, France (AP) — French farmers escalated protests Monday against the European Union-Mercosur trade agreement under negotiation, citing fears of unfair competition. Backed by their government, they argue the deal would threaten their livelihoods by allowing a surge of South American...
Denmark will plant 1 billion trees and convert 10% of farmland into forest
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish lawmakers on Monday agreed on a deal to plant 1 billion trees and convert 10% of farmland into forest and natural habitats over the next two decades in an effort to reduce fertilizer usage. The government called the agreement “the biggest change...
Food prices worried most voters, but Trump's plans likely won't lower their grocery bills
Americans are fed up with the price of food, and many are looking to President-elect Donald Trump to lower their grocery bills. Trump often railed on the campaign trail against hefty price increases for bacon, cereal, crackers and other items. “We’ll get them...
Food aid interventions can curb climate change-induced hardship. But should they do more?
CHIPINGE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Gertrude Siduna appears to have little appetite for corn farming season. Rather than prepare her land in Zimbabwe’s arid southeastern Chipinge district for the crop that has fed her family for generations, the 49-year-old — bitter at repeated droughts...
