Can Oregano Fight Cow Belches, and Climate Change?
Cows are notoriously gassy creatures. Globally, more than a third of methane generated by human activity comes from livestock farming, a good deal of it in the form of bovine belching. This is a serious problem, given that methane is 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide at trapping heat. Enter a Danish research team that is testing out one potential solution in the form of an unassuming herb: oregano.
 
Weather-Proofing Small Farmers in India
Kheyti is a new startup helping more than 100 million small farmers in India who are trying to protect their crops from the vagaries of weather by selling modular greenhouses to farmers, allowing them to better control temperature, humidity, and pests. They also come with seeds, irrigation systems, and access to ongoing advice and special bank loans to finance bigger projects on the farm.
 
Can a Pan Add Iron to Your Diet?
It is true that cooking with cast iron can potentially add iron to your food, but the amount transferred and how well the body can absorb it varies widely depending on the acidity of the food and the cooking time, according to scientific studies. Separately, an iron ingot in the shape of a fish, when simmered in soup, was found in a recent study to cut anemia levels in rural Cambodian women, although the researchers say those results don’t apply to cast-iron skillts.
 
Urban Farms Bring Us Together, but Can They Feed Enough of Us?
When fresh food sprouts on urban rooftops, floating barges, and in once-abandoned buildings and schoolyards, people take notice. But are these farms good for more than turning urban blight into tomato blossoms? A new report suggests that many of us might be seeing the benefits of urban farming through rose-colored glasses.