Tag: agriculture

Taking mushrooms straight from the parking lot into the kitchen is a practical solution. Along similar lines, a startup in the Vancouver area is currently developing a stand-alone smart system for vertical farming planned as franchise. Its USP? The fact that it’s for small buildings specifically and helps owners grow fruit, vegetables and herbs in their underused spaces such...

People can grow sustainable vegetables from their sofas and know exactly where they come from. The same cannot be said for supermarket-bought food, even organic produce. Which is why an Argentinian startup is developing solutions to verify the agricultural supply chain’s sustainability. First, NASA images of the production area are analysed. This helps determine whether areas were created through...

Image analysis can find hidden ruins or save elephants’ lives. But that’s just the start. A female-led startup in Nairobi is using satellite images and artificial intelligence to strengthen the continent’s agriculture industry. After all, around 60% of sub-saharan Africa’s jobs are dependent on it - most of them smallholders significantly impacted by climate change. The machine-based image analysis...

Protein-rich gorse could feed the whole of Scotland. Fish and chips is not just popular in the UK, of course. Still, manufacturing vegetable oil from oil palms or soya beans is accelerating the deforestation of rainforests. Which explains why a California-based startup has developed an alternative cooking oil from sugarcane. Raw sugar from the regrowing plant ferments in tanks...

Wood waste can help remove microplastics from water. Glyphosate, a widely-used and hazardous herbicide, is increasingly present in water, too. Now, a research team from Brazil, where over 170 tonnes of these pesticides are used annually, is on the lookout for a sustainable removal. Waste from sugar production, it seems, might just hold the key. First the team shredded...

Thanks to a US startup, unused front lawns are feeding the local community. Traditionally, those who want to grow their own vegetables have to plant and tend them themselves. But now an Austrian startup is offering the chance to do everything by app. Using information on ripening season or longevity, virtual gardeners can choose herbs and vegetables that a...

Agave waste from tequila production can be turned into cutlery. Once the gel from aloe vera plants has been made into moisturising lotion or cream for medical complaints, however, the rest often goes unused. Until now. It all began when a Texas-based research team noticed there were no pests near aloe vera farms. Intrigued, they began looking into the...

Human urine could help build astronauts’ sleeping quarters on the moon, or supply fertiliser for farming. Cattle, however, are a major contributor to greenhouse gases by passing methane front and back. According to a study by a Washington State University research team, help might come from an unlikely source: the faeces of baby kangaroos. For, in contrast to their...