The Threat of Land Degradation As of now, we have already degraded an entire third of the world’s top soil. Land degradation has become an increasingly large and alarming issue. Now, we must change agricultural methods because reducing fossil fuel use simply isn’t enough to save the environment from global warming. Over-tilled soil has contributed…
It is officially the first day of fall, as September 23 marks the Autumnal Equinox—the beginning of shorter days, cooler air, and watercolor forests. Now that fall has arrived, summer gardeners are pocketing their trowels and slipping off their gloves, but cooler weather doesn’t necessarily put an end to gardening. In fact, there are various…
Nitrogen fertilizer is a key component for successfully growing the crops that feed over half of the world’s population. While fertilizer may not necessarily seem like a luxury, third world countries that don’t have access to it are faced with problems such as limited food supply, social unrest, and economic issues. An imbalance in nitrogen…
As cooler weather creeps steadily forward, gardeners are unearthing their summer crops and planting cool-season crops to prepare for the fall. Gardening is a therapeutic and rewarding hobby for people of all ages—and whether you garden to produce food for your family or to showcase a beautifully manicured yard, you probably use a plethora of…
Back in August, when irrepressible fires caused by slash-and-burn deforestation raged through South America’s rainforests, scientists worried that the burning trees would release CO2 back into the atmosphere. Rainforests are carbon sinks, natural environments that sequester and store CO2 from the atmosphere. When trees are burned, however, the stored CO2 is released back into the…
In the state of Minnesota, the “Land of Ten Thousand Lakes,” 50 bodies of water have been classified as impaired and an additional 120 surface waters have been classified as high risk due to water salinization. (Retweet this!) Figure 1: This map shows the bodies of water in Minnesota that have been classified as…
Africa’s lack of access to affordable fertilizer over the years has resulted in various disadvantages for its farmers and economy, especially as others have seen advances in the agricultural industry. (Retweet this!) In 2006, Africa signed the Abuja Declaration at a Nigerian Fertilizer Summit, planning to increase fertilizer use in Africa from 8 kg per…
On August 26th, 2019, West Virginia’s Department of Agriculture announced that applications for the state’s Industrial Hemp Program would begin on September 1st, permitting farmers to receive legal certification to grow industrial hemp. But West Virginia isn’t the only state to tap into industrial hemp’s various benefits. In North Carolina, Warren Wilson College has initiated…
In July, Florida’s Lake Okeechobee, which provides drinking water to 6 million residents in the event of a drought, tested positive for blue-green algae. Since then, algae blooms have surfaced across the state, appearing in the Manatee River, Safety Harbor, Lake Washington, and Stick Marsh. Now, Brevard County is considering biosolids as a culprit in…
As fires rage in South America, so too does the fight for sustainable agricultural methods. This year, Brazil has experienced 76,000 fires, nearly double the amount they experienced last year—and, unlike the familiar forest fires on North America’s western coast, it isn’t due to climate change. According to Alberto Setzer, senior scientist at Brazil’s National…
