Science Experiment Would Grow Lettuce on Mars
A team of British students have a vision for what the future looks like on Mars and it involves lettuce. Students from Southampton University are seeking the public's help to get their lettuce-growing project into one of the payload spots on Mars One, which is planning to send its first unmanned mission to the planet by 2018.
 
Soil: The Sustainable Alternative to Oil Income in Africa
With 60% of Africa’s workforce directly dependent on agriculture for survival—and growing poverty and food insecurity according to the World Bank—it is where the food is grown that should be the focus. Africa’s soil should be its next “oil” in a changing climate.  Considering that existing oil and mineral reserves will run out, but Africa’s soil and its ecosystems, including rivers and forests, will remain, agriculture offers a sustainable source of income.
 
A Young Generation Sees Greener Pastures in Agriculture
Overall, fewer young people are choosing a life on the land. But in some places around the country that trend is reversing. Small agriculture may be getting big again—and there's new crop of farmers to thank for it. It's a generation that has grown up in the digital age, but embraced some very old-school things: the farmers market, craft beer, artisan cheese. The point, they say, is to find a way to live high-quality, sustainable lives, and help others do the same. This new generation of farmers has made farming cool again.
 
Keeping Farmers in the Driver's Seat with Their Farm Data
American agriculture is undergoing a technological revolution with the integration of decision agriculture and its data-driven tools. Many agricultural businesses and start-up companies have released their own solutions designed to help farmers drive on-farm efficiency and productivity by turning data into usable farm management information. Increasingly, these data-driven services are being considered integral to the world's farmers being able to remain competitive and to sustainably meet the food demands of a growing population.