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earth matters
science and insights for people who care about Earth, its resources and its environment

Food and Agriculture

rancher applies compost to field
October 5, 2017

Soil holds potential to slow global warming

Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment

The land under our feet and the plant matter it contains could offset a significant amount of carbon emissions if managed properly. More research is needed to unlock soil’s potential to mitigate global warming, improve crop yields and increase resilience to extreme weather.

 

Climate Change, Food and Agriculture
rows of oil palm plants
April 4, 2017

Stanford study explores risk of deforestation as agriculture expands in Africa

Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment

Multinational companies are increasingly looking to Africa to expand production of in-demand commodity crops such as soy and oil palm. A first-of-its-kind study highlights the real and potential impacts on the continent’s valuable tropical forests.

Food and Agriculture, Human Dimensions and Sustainability
Ship
October 21, 2015

Antarctic species threatened by willful misinterpretation of legal treaty

Stanford School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences

Some countries argue that setting up marine protected areas in the Southern Ocean would interfere with their right to “rational use” of natural resources.

Food and Agriculture, Oceans
Grain field
February 20, 2015

European grain yield stagnation related to climate change

<p>Stanford School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences</p>

After changes in government policy and farm practices, European grain yields leveled off. Stanford's Frances C. Moore says climate trends account for 10 percent of that stagnation.

Climate Change, Food and Agriculture
Turtle swimming in the ocean
February 10, 2015

Bold solutions for high seas marine conservation

<p>Stanford School of Earth, Energy & Environmental Sciences</p>

Two-thirds of high seas fisheries are depleted or overfished, with impacts of climate change and marine pollution compounding the problem. Technology and political will can reverse the downward trend and move toward sustainability.

Food and Agriculture, Oceans
Wheat field
February 10, 2015
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Stanford Center on Food Security and the Environment

New research by a Stanford team shows that climate change is expanding the amount of U.S. agricultural land that is suitable for harvesting two crops per growing season, a system known as double cropping. The practice offers higher productivity and more income for American farmers, but future yield losses from climate change may still outstrip the gains from double cropping. 

Climate Change, Food and Agriculture
Chinese fisherman
January 8, 2015
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Stanford FSI

A new study by Roz Naylor and postdoctoral scholar Ling Cao offers the clearest picture to date of China’s enormous impact on wild fisheries. The study also presents a more sustainable alternative to the current practice of using wild-caught fish to feed farm-raised fish.

Food and Agriculture, Oceans
Bird
September 12, 2014
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Stanford University

Earth Systems alumnus Dan Karp is the co-lead author of a new study in Costa Rica that revealed that habitat destruction significantly reduces the incidence of evolutionarily distinct species.

Food and Agriculture
Wheat field in China
September 8, 2014
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Stanford Report

Peter Vitousek and colleagues in China have shown in a new Nature study that Chinese farming practices could be designed to simultaneously improve yields and substantially reduce environmental damages.

Food and Agriculture
Wheat
May 20, 2014

Climate change affecting European farmers

Stanford School Of Earth Sciences

New Stanford research reveals that farmers in Europe will see crop yields affected as global temperatures rise, but that adaptation can help slow the decline for some crops. 

Climate Change, Food and Agriculture
corn stalk
May 1, 2014

U.S. corn increasingly vulnerable to drought

School of Earth Sciences

Research by David Lobell's group finds that U.S. corn yields are growing more sensitive to heat and drought. Farmers are faced with difficult tradeoffs in adapting to a changing climate in which unfavorable weather will become more common.

Climate Change, Food and Agriculture

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