Food and farms

Solar

This farmer was skeptical about solar — until he began grazing sheep

Illinois farmer Trent Gerlach had misgivings about solar panels taking up cropland, but he saw a chance to try agrivoltaics, a practice catching on around the US.

By Kari Lydersen . 15 October 2024

A herd of sheep at Acciona's High Point Solar Farm in northern Illinois. (Acciona)

Food and farms

Climate-friendlier meat just got a step closer to your plate

Upside Foods, one of more than 100 startups working on cultivated or lab-grown meat, is the first to earn a key approval from the U.S. FDA.

By Maria Virginia Olano . 23 November 2022
Food and farms

Video: How solar panels and crops can thrive side by side

Step into the field to see agrivoltaics up close.

By Alison F. Takemura . 21 November 2022
Food and farms

Can agriculture and solar farms coexist? It depends

At a test site in Colorado, researchers and farmers are collaborating to figure out what works — and what doesn't — when it comes to agrivoltaics.

By Alison F. Takemura . 15 November 2022
Food and farms

Is insect protein a climate solution?

Climavores podcast hosts Michael Grunwald and Tamar Haspel serve up some hot takes.

By Mike Munsell . 19 September 2022
Podcast

Should we eat bugs, farmed fish or soy?

Introducing Climavores: a show about eating on a changing planet.

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By Stephen Lacey . 15 September 2022
Food and farms

What exactly is 'climate-smart agriculture'?

The new climate law will direct big bucks toward regenerative farming practices. But is that good climate policy?

By Michael Grunwald . 12 September 2022
Solar

Mixing solar power and agriculture: A blueberry farm does a test run

A farmer in Maine has teamed up with a solar developer and university researchers to find out how his berries fare when partially shaded by solar panels.

By Kari Lydersen . 12 September 2022
Food and farms

3 smart ways the US can grow more food while emitting less carbon

A climate-friendly national food strategy would start with accelerating alternative proteins, reducing food waste and investing in agricultural innovation.

By Michael Grunwald . 8 August 2022
Food and farms

This super-tree could help feed the world and fight climate change

Startup Terviva aims to plant millions of pongamia — "miracle" trees that can grow on arid badlands and yield products similar to soybeans and olive oil.

By Michael Grunwald . 27 June 2022
Podcast

From biowaste to 'biogold'

How to make use of biomass and biowaste without squeezing the global food supply.

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By Shayle Kann . 9 June 2022