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News & Articles By Russel Davis

01/20/2018 / By Russel Davis

Repurposing food supply “waste” has many benefits: Farmers in Turkey are using the husks of hazelnuts as mulch, preserving water and reducing labor

Hazelnut husks showed efficacy as mulching materials in nurseries and gardening applications of ornamental plants, according to a study published in the Journal of International Scientific Publications. The study, carried out by a researcher at the Düzce University in Turkey, took advantage of the large amounts of hazelnut husks produced in the Duzce region in the northwestern part of Turkey during […]

12/01/2017 / By Russel Davis

A woman’s journey to promoting food independence and helping the local community in Tanzania

Shea Belahi has always wanted to grow her own garden, often getting reprimanded during childhood for picking vegetables that did not belong to her family. Many years later, she would eventually establish her own small business called Heirloominous Farms in Urbana in Central Illinois. Belahi has then encountered a much bigger opportunity to reach out to farmers in Tanzania and […]

11/19/2017 / By Russel Davis

Engineers are developing robot farmers that may make widespread pesticide spraying obsolete

Farmers may soon find their work a bit more relaxed as a team of researchers at the Harper Adams University in the U.K. is in the process of developing miniature robots that would help them harvest crops and apply pesticides. According to the researchers, the miniature robots show potential in cutting excessive pesticide use, curbing food waste, and […]

11/10/2017 / By Russel Davis

The benefits of square foot gardening: Less weeding, high yields, consistent results, and more

Square foot gardening is an intensive gardening technique that efficiently makes use of limited space and raised beds to grow a variety of crops. According to an Olivia Solutions entry, the technique has been developed by retired civil engineer Mel Bartholomew. The gardening method is touted for its practicality and low maintenance approach, which allows gardeners to conserve […]

11/07/2017 / By Russel Davis

20 Easy-to-grow crops you can raise at home

Home gardening is becoming more popular these days, which is largely due in part to its many beneficial effects such as lower food cost and relatively healthier produce. We have prepared an extensive list of easy-to-grow fruits and vegetables to help you kick start your own food garden. Top 10 easy-to-grow fruits Apples – An […]

08/10/2017 / By Russel Davis

Academics are trying to “normalize” eating insects by baking biscuits out of ground insect powder

A team of researchers at the Abertay University in Dundee, U.K. have created a cookie recipe made of cricket flour in hopes of attaining a more sustainable food source for the the world’s estimated population of nine billion people by 2050. In making the cookies, the research team used house crickets from Thailand that were finely-ground into flour. According to the […]

07/27/2017 / By Russel Davis

Traces of cancer-causing glyphosate herbicide found in Ben & Jerry’s ice cream

The Organic Consumers Association (OCA) has recently reported that 10 of 11 ice cream samples from Ben & Jerry’s tested positive for small amounts of glyphosate contamination. Glyphosate, a potentially carcinogenic compound, is the main constituent of the popular pesticide Roundup by Monsanto. According to OCA, glyphosate traces were seen following independent lab testing of various […]

06/16/2017 / By Russel Davis

Scientists developing laser robot that can zap weeds without using pesticides

A team of researchers from the Institute of Geodesy and Geoinformation at the University of Bonn in Germany are currently developing a robotic tool that readily identifies weeds and shoots laser to eliminate them, thus reducing the need to use herbicides. The project received an EXIST Business Start-up Grant from the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. […]

06/12/2017 / By Russel Davis

Dangerous monopoly on the horizon as five of the “Big 6” agricultural corporations now looking to merge

Six of the world’s biggest agricultural companies known as the “Big 6” may soon form a dangerous monopoly as interest in proposed mergers has become more pronounced in the last few years. For instance, Dow Chemical and DuPont proposed a merger in December 2015, but are slated to eventually separate their merged agriculture, materials science, and specialty products […]

04/26/2017 / By Russel Davis

Hybrid, heirloom, or GMO? Do you really know your vegetables?

Differentiating hybrid, heirloom, and GMO vegetables can be confusing. Gardeners still interchange these terms, yet the nuances among them need to be understood. These gardening labels describe how the vegetables are reproduced. An article in the gardening website BonnniePlants.com has provided an overview on what makes the gardening methods different from each other. Hybrid plants vs. […]

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