May 11 Column: El Nino, the global spoilsport affecting oil, food prices and tourism By Vikram Mansharamani A wildfire rages, displacing tens of thousands. Droughts ravage crops, leaving tens of millions hungry. An African nation sells off some of its famous wildlife. Bleaching harms stretches of the Great Barrier Reef. What's happening? El Niño. Continue reading
May 02 Watch 10:40 How farmer-philanthropist Howard Buffett is planting hope in Africa By PBS News Hour Howard Buffett, son of billionaire Warren Buffett, has an ambitious life goal: ending world hunger. As a farmer and philanthropist, his focus is on reviving African agriculture, which has suffered massive production failures. In collaboration with The Atlantic, Judy Woodruff… Continue watching
Apr 26 Watch 6:21 Why going green is growing on U.S. farmers By PBS News Hour The U.S. agriculture industry used enough energy in 2011 to power a state the size of Iowa for a year. Today, as renewable energy becomes cheaper and more accessible, many farmers are committed to going green, both as a means… Continue watching
Jan 28 Watch 7:09 Will ethanol fuel caucus voters in corn country Iowa? By PBS News Hour Ethanol took center stage in Iowa last week when Gov. Terry Branstad urged voters not to support Sen. Ted Cruz, who wants to repeal the mandate that ethanol be blended into most types of gasoline. Special correspondent David Biello of… Continue watching
Jan 04 Think El Niño is weird now? Just wait for this summer By Nsikan Akpan Scientists predict what El Niño might mean for the cost of cookies, the quality of marijuana and the arrival of DC's cherry blossoms. Continue reading
Dec 14 Watch 6:45 Italian olive trees are withering from this deadly bacteria By PBS News Hour, Frank Carlson The Salento region in southern Italy is synonymous with its renowned olive groves, some of which are thousands of years old. But a deadly bacteria, which causes trees to wither, is threatening a critical part of Salento's livelihood and very… Continue watching
Dec 05 Watch 4:23 How to solve Puerto Rico's looming food crisis? Eat local, farmers say By PBS News Hour Last week, Puerto Rico managed to make a $354 million payment on $72 billion worth of bond debt, which the government says it cannot pay off. Officials hope that boosting the agriculture sector will help dig the island out of… Continue watching
Nov 24 Watch 8:45 Are pesticides to blame for the massive bee die-off? By PBS News Hour Commercial beekeepers across America have been struggling with great numbers of bee deaths over the past few years. What’s behind their failing health? Some research points to a class of pesticide that’s coated onto a large proportion of corn and… Continue watching
Nov 24 Move over turkey. Here comes the Thanksgiving ham By Vikram Mansharamani Can you imagine a Christmas ham on your Thanksgiving dinner table in place of the traditional turkey? It’s a scenario some agricultural economists have been worrying about for months. Continue reading
Nov 13 Why do potatoes grow pink slime? By Alexandra Sarabia Scientists find that pink slime on potatoes is a ‘space suit’ for one bacterium, but also a possible weapon against antibiotic-resistant microbes. Continue reading