Wall of Trees Being Planted across Africa to Halt Desert
It seems like Mission Impossible: Stop the Sahara Desert from spreading farther south, its incursion into arable land fueled by climate change and overgrazing. But tree by tree, a Great Green Wall is being planted across a belt of Africa to fight back. The 9-mile wide wall is a part of a wider initiative meant to help reduce seasonal winds packed with sand and dust, slow land degradation and the encroaching desert, and to improve the health and lives of those living nearby.
 
Save the Planet. Eat Ugly.
Tapping into a growing international movement to sell and consume food deemed too visually unappealing to make its way to market — whether undersize apples, pug-nose peppers, or misshapen Camembert—is a campaign called Ugly Mugs. The efficiencies in farming, packaging, and transportation that could come from consuming such fruits and vegetables, instead of throwing them away, could eliminate one billion tons of carbon emissions a year and save 210 million tons of food a year.
 
A Clue to Growing Food on Mars Someday
Scientists have identified a DNA sequence in an ancient Australian tobacco plant that enables it to survive in the country’s remote Outback. The discovery could offer clues to growing plants someday in another harsh environment—on the planet Mars, for example.
 
An Unspoken Option If Climate Talks Fail: Geoengineering
What if negotiators fail to curb global warming and the environment gets so dangerous that someone decides to do something drastic? Should nations purposely pollute the planet to counteract man-made warming and cool the world? The issue is called geoengineering—purposely tinkering with the planet as opposed to unintentional warming. The most advanced method involves putting heat-reflecting particles high in the air, but there are also proposals to seed clouds other ways, put mirrors in space, and seed the oceans with iron.
 
Genus Makes Breakthrough in Tackling Pig Disease
Genus, the livestock geneticist, has announced what it says is a big step forward in tackling a major pig disease using gene editing technology. The pig and bull semen supplier said it has bred the first pigs resistant to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus, a devastating disease that can cause reproductive failure, reduced growth, and early death for the farm animals.
 
AeroFarms Raises $20 Million for High-Tech Urban Agriculture
AeroFarms has raised $20 million to build more of its “aeroponic vertical farms.” The high-tech indoor farms use 95% less water than conventional, commercial field farms. They run on proprietary systems, including equipment that delivers fertilizer only to a plant’s roots and a network of software-controlled, LED growing lights.