Jordanian farmers pick olives during a harvest at a farm in Irbid city, north of Amman.  REUTERS/Issei Kato  

Olive Business Roots Young Farmers in Drying Rural Morocco
A team of young technicians has helped farmers in rural Morocco grow more olives—and earn more money—despite a drying climate. Pruning, the use of electronic equipment, and more precise irrigation have increased yields fivefold. But a boost to the income of local isn't the only benefit. The replication of this work in many local areas means fewer young people are migrating to urban areas in search of work.

Thanksgiving 2050: To Feed the World We Have to Stop Destroying Our Soil
A new science enables us to better see—and grasp—our challenges and opportunities regarding soil degradation. Advanced analytical approaches known as “complexity science” enable us to see how feedback cycles work and how human and biophysical conditions interact. With new sight from billions of networked devices, human understanding of the tolerated-intolerables in our food systems is starting to change before our eyes.

Virtual Fences Due for Commercial Release next Year, AgFutures Conference Hears
Hosted by the Queensland Department of Agriculture, the AgFutures Conference is focusing on innovation and investment while highlighting one technology in particular: virtual fences. A startup based in Melbourne is commercializing a virtual fence that uses sound and a very small electrical impulse to control movement of livestock. The cows have learned to stay within the fence after just 24 hours of exposure to the technology.

Climate-Threatened Nations Aim for 100% Renewable Energy
A group of the countries most at risk from climate change said they would strive to make their energy production 100% renewable "as rapidly as possible," as part of efforts to limit global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius. But they emphasized they would need additional funding for more ambitious steps to reduce emissions and protect their people from extreme weather and rising seas.