agriculture

A Politico report highlights an unexpected influential figure shaping the growing conflict over solar energy development on agricultural land in the United States. As renewable projects expand into rural areas, tensions between clean energy goals and farmland preservation have intensified, and this new player is seen as having outsized sway over how the dispute unfolds.

Farmers are increasingly combining agriculture with solar energy, installing panels over fields where crops grow and sheep graze. This practice, known as agrivoltaics, allows land to produce both food and electricity at once. DW reports that shading from panels can help crops in hot, dry conditions, while sheep keep grass under panels trimmed, making dual use appealing to farmers facing land and energy pressures.

Japan has moved from a national rice shortage to a rice surplus within roughly two years, according to Fortune. The reversal is attributed to a combination of factors: drought conditions that damaged harvests during the shortage, a surge in inbound tourism that drove up domestic demand for rice, and pressure linked to the United States, including trade considerations around rice imports. The swing highlights how quickly Japan's staple grain supply can shift, with implications for prices and agricultural policy.

A commentator has pushed back against an anti-solar meme circulating online, arguing that cattle ranching in the United States consumes far more water than solar energy, and that solar panels and livestock can coexist on the same land. The rebuttal frames solar development as compatible with agriculture rather than a threat to it, a common flashpoint in debates over rural land use.

The II Ibero-American Symposium on Ethnoveterinary Medicine is drawing attention across the region, with the Food and Agriculture Organization among those highlighting the event. The gathering focuses on traditional and community-based animal health practices, bringing together researchers, veterinarians and practitioners from Ibero-American countries to share knowledge and strengthen research into plant-based and folk veterinary remedies.

Attention is turning to whether the European Union is reconsidering its biofuels policy, a question trade publication Ethanol Producer Magazine poses in its latest headline. Brussels has shifted position on crop-based fuels several times over the past two decades, first encouraging them and then capping food-based ethanol and biodiesel over sustainability concerns. Any new rethink would matter for fuel producers, farmers and climate targets across Europe.

Commentary argues that CRISPR genome-edited plants must move beyond laboratory success into a broader sustainable innovation system covering regulation, farming practice and commercialisation. The piece stresses that editing crops is only one step; lasting impact depends on infrastructure, policy and responsible deployment in agriculture.

Scientists at CIMMYT argue that successful zinc biofortification of wheat depends on more than breeding fortified seed. In a new piece, they say outcomes hinge on matching the right varieties to local soil conditions and pairing them with proper crop management, including fertilizer practices. The message is aimed at researchers, policymakers and farmers working to reduce zinc deficiency through staple crops.