Cows cast their shadows on a meadow in Marck, near Calais, France. REUTERS/Charles Platiau

Up in the Sky, Help to Keep Africans from Starving
Satellites can now tell us the density of vegetation on the ground to predict whether animals will starve. And that now allows herders to buy pre-emptive health insurance for their animals when forage coverage drops. Known as index-based livestock insurance, it is associated with fewer distress sales of livestock, more milk production, and higher household income from milk, better child nutrition, and less stress.

Growing Food with Hydroponics Could Provide Lifeline in Arctic
Arctic Greens is a company that uses hydroponics technology to grow produce inside an insulated, 40-foot shipping container equipped with glowing magenta LED lights. They are harvesting kale, lettuces, basil, and other greens each week from the soil-free system and selling them at the supermarket in a community of nearly 3,300. The venture is the first of its kind north of the Arctic Circle, where food transport is made difficult by sparse road infrastructure. It hopes to provide more consistent and affordable access to produce.

Scientists Might Reprogram Cow Guts So Cattle Burp Less
Livestock emit 14.5% of all GHG emissions each year. Most of that is from cows. And because it’s pretty unlikely people will quit eating beef, scientists around the world are manipulating the things cows eat in efforts to get cattle to stop eructing so much. So scientists at Aarhus University in Denmark are engineering “super grass” they hope can cut methane without starving the cows of other vital nutrients.

Food Pantries Try Nutritional Nudging to Encourage Good Food Choices
"Nudging"—a sales tactic that tries to make food look more appealing and easy to reach—encourages people to buy something. And as many food banks have been learning, the tactic works well. People living in poverty don't always have a lot of choices when it comes to putting food on the table, but a recent study suggests that "nudging" may not only help change mealtimes, but overall wellness.