science wire

How Enset Could Unlock Youth Entrepreneurship and Resilient Food Systems in East Africa. In the search for solutions to Africa's food security challenges, attention often turns to new technologies or imported crops.

VIRUS Bird flu can infect both cows and humans. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen have developed a tool that can predict where and when the risk of infection is highest. Sudden drop in milk production, thickened milk, and cows under movment restrictions. Since 2024, American farmers have had bitter experiences with the feared bird flu (H5N1), which in several cases has been introduced to cattle - and then spread rapidly among cattle herds.

Warmer temperatures are often expected to make plants start growing earlier; that is what scientists have long assumed.

Dairy's expanding climate footprint The dairy sector is a major contributor to global greenhouse gas emissions and a key focus of climate strategies.

Research led by the University of Cambridge and the RSPB shows that farming wetland-adapted crops on wetter peat - known as paludiculture - can support richer and more diverse bird communities than drained grassland.

Julia Keppler has been appointed personal professor within the Food Process Engineering group at Wageningen University & Research (WUR) as of 1 March.

A harmonised set of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) at farm level is intended to help Dutch farmers, governments and supply chain parties steer more effectively towards climate, biodiversity, water, soil, scarce resources and animal welfare goals.

Habitats much more vulnerable for nitrogen deposition than previously thought Highlight Nitrogen is an essential building block for life, but high nitrogen deposition on natural areas causes biodiversity loss.

Methane emissions from cows and sheep can be reduced by 25% using breeding programmes Highlight Dutch livestock farmers have already made considerable strides towards a sustainable livestock sector.

Next-gen businesses produce meat without animals and fish without a catch Highlight Cultivated meat and fish, and animal-free dairy products are rapidly becoming viable alternatives to animal-based products and could significantly reshape our future protein supply.

Eating less meat and dairy benefits both public health and the climate. Yet the Netherlands is falling behind on the government's goal to source half of all protein from plant-based foods by 2030.

Anyone who eats a bag of peanuts should be able to assume it's safe. Behind the scenes, Wageningen Food Safety Research works 24/7 to monitor food and feed for pathogens, pesticides, antibiotics and other substances.

What if farmers were to fertilize their land with urine instead of inorganic fertilizer? Scientists at Wageningen University & Research show this is possible - and in fact better.

Exploitation and environmental pollution are still far from uncommon in the countries that our coffee and chocolate come from.

The exception for Dutch dairy farmers to spread more manure than the EU allows is being phased out, and as a result the amount of manure on the market has increased still further.

The Committee of Experts on Fertiliser Law (CDM) has concluded that the options in the Netherlands for designating 'non-vulnerable zones' under the Nitrates Directive are limited.

In a trial on the effects of lower protein levels in the ration, milk production and feed intake were hardly affected by a moderate reduction in protein content.

Bonaire can take major steps towards a more sustainable and healthier future by managing its organic waste in a circular way.

If you were one of the many amateur bakers who learned to bake sourdough bread during lockdown, you'll know how complex a single loaf can be.

Tropical forests help to generate vast amounts of rainfall each year, adding weight to arguments for protecting them as water and climate pressures increase, say researchers.

Professors Dolors Corella and José Vicente Sorlí , from the Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health of the University of Valencia , together with a research team made up of members of Spa

Cattle herds are driving lions and other wildlife away from their habitats in Kenya, even though herders enclose their livestock at night when predators are most active.

Press release Agroscope-s 2026-2029 Work Programme addresses the most important challenges facing the Swiss agriculture and food sector, and agricultural practitioners in particular.

When food prices skyrocket during an economic crisis, it is primarily urban populations and people with low levels of education who are affected.

Agricultural robots are already sowing, mowing and ploughing, but each robot has its own app, screen and language.

DFG funds new research unit in agricultural sciences at the University of Göttingen   The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding a new research unit (RU) in agricultural sciences at the University of Göttingen.

Research team develops socio-ecological guidelines for EU nature conservation regulation How can Europe's agricultural landscapes be restored in a way that benefits ecosystems and society? A strong connection between people and their environment is central to the success of the new EU Nature Restoration Regulation.

What would happen if farmers around the world switched to sustainable plant protection? A study published today in Nature Communications, with the participation of Eawag and ETH Zurich, investigated this question.

Researchers investigate the effect of shade trees in cocoa plantations in Ghana In sub-Saharan Africa, people are particularly dependent on rain.

The world is rapidly losing its water supply, according to the World Bank's Global Water Monitoring Report.