REUTERS/Oswaldo Rivas

East African Farmers Rewarded for Letting Grass Grow under Their Feet
Efforts are under way to use farmers in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda to help revive trees through a scheme known as farmer managed natural regeneration (FMNR). Farmers encourage regrowth by protecting existing trees, as well as encouraging new growth from felled tree stumps, sprouting root systems, or seeds. The regrown trees and shrubs improve the soil, prevent erosion and water loss, and increase biodiversity.

Methane-Eating Bacteria Could Reduce the Impact of Our Big Appetite for Fish
A California-based company has been busy working on a non-animal, non-vegetable feed for fish farms made using a bacterium called methylococcus. First developed in the 1980s, the idea has since been revisited as a potential answer to the growing demand for fish feed and fears of collapsing fish stocks. The World Bank predicts the farmed fish sector will provide two thirds of the fish we consume by 2030, but feed is a problem.

Can Silicon Valley's Big Bet on Agriculture Help Small-Scale Farmers in Developing Countries?
Silicon Valley firms are embracing AgTech start-ups because they’re allowing farmers to optimize every aspect of their operation. However, the AgTech movement needs to focus on smallholder farmers in the developing world, where agriculture and crop yields are a fraction of those in the US.
 
Spuds in Space: Is Growing Potatoes on Mars Key to Surviving Climate Change?
Growing potatoes on Mars is the focus of an experiment by NASA, which is teaming up with the Peru-based International Potato Center to see if potatoes could be grown in such harsh conditions. The potato is incredibly resilient, resisting drought, extreme heat and cold, salinity, and UV radiation, and is also one of the most nutritious staples, but Mars may be a whole new league of inhospitability.

France Bans Stores from Trashing Unsold Food
France has become the first country to ban supermarkets from throwing away unsold food. The new law requires supermarkets to donate leftover food to charities and food banks. The new law is a component of France’s efforts to rethink consumption practices and reduce food waste.