Scientists have developed a model to calculate the age of nitrogen in corn and soybean fields, which could lead to improved fertilizer application techniques to promote crop growth while reducing leaching. Nitrogen, a key nutrient for plants, can cause problems when it leaches into water supplies.
Small-scale farmers can double food production in a decade by using simple ecological methods, according to the findings of a new United Nations study released on March 8, 2011, which calls for a fundamental shift towards agroecology as a poverty alleviation measure.