Adrien Leroy is a Germany based French journalist. He has been working as an editor for The Furrow during the last eight years, covering topics from precision farming to ancient cattle breeds, winemaking and agritourism. He works from his office in the former German capital city Bonn.
In southern Mexico, researchers have discovered giant maize with astonishing properties. Other varieties can benefit from this.
The autonomy level of European animal husbandry varies depending on the protein group. Fact is: Europe will remain dependent on imports. However, in the long term, breeding and technical advances will increase independence. See our interactive graphics to find out what is happening where.
Alexander Döring, secretary general of FEFAC (the European Feed Manufacturers’ Federation), on reducing the protein gap.
Making Europe less dependent on imports of protein raw materials is a challenge for the future. We meet two producers who are doing their bit to improve Europe’s protein production.
The countryside is a space to live and to work. And thus often an arena of conflicts of how to use that space. A challenge that needs to be tackled by farmers themselves.
It is particularly hard to assess the damage caused by compaction in deeper soil layers. But research data and statistics indicate a considerable impact on agricultural productivity.
Researcher Andrew Leakey is simulating atmospheric conditions for the next half of the century. The data obtained is supposed to mitigate the consequences of climate change.
Soil compaction is a well-known problem, but its impact is often underestimated and difficult to assess. And it is a growing concern for farming stakeholders.
Fresh players in the market and new factors influencing pricing mean grain prices are fluctuating significantly more than in the past. When selling their grain, farmers therefore need to focus on good risk management.
Milk producers are under pressure from persistently low producer prices. At the same time, demand for more natural foods is rising. One solution could be to focus more on grazing management. But just "opening the cowshed door and let the cows out" is not enough.
There are many types of hunger. If we want to feed the world, we should not only pay attention to the quantity but also to the quality of food.