Sustainable Food and Agriculture

More from this Special Report

• Regenerative agriculture sparks venture capital interest

  Tech investors see opportunities in the shift to eco-friendlier farming

  
• Brazil looks for more sustainable ways to grow soya

  The crop carries a huge environmental cost. Can the world’s biggest producer clean up its act?

  
• Climate change forces Italy’s farmers to focus on water

  Fixing public infrastructure will take years, so growers are finding their own solutions

  
• In charts: how chicken went from luxury to staple

  The poultry industry supplies abundant, cheap protein — but there are significant environmental costs

  
• Appetite for soya hinders China’s self-sufficiency drive

  Political will confronts geographical reality as Beijing tries to rely less on foreign farmers

  
• Breeding programmes offer pathway to low-methane livestock

  Researchers around the world think they can curb emissions without hitting milk and meat output

  
• EU faces criticism over plans for healthier soil

  Green groups say the proposed rules are not tough enough, but farmers fear the contrary

  
• ‘Precision fermentation’ start-ups pursue palm oil alternatives

  Lab-based producers think they can make $70bn industry more sustainable — if regulators will let them

  
• How will global warming affect the crops that we grow?

  Climate change’s effects on agriculture will worsen existing global inequalities

  
• Food campaigners push for clearer labelling on nutrition risks

  ‘Traffic lights’ and other schemes can both warn consumers and push manufacturers to reformulate

  
• Farm robots poised for growth as labour costs rise

  Humans used to be much cheaper and far more dexterous. Those advantages are eroding fast

  
• New fund aims to boost biodiversity on England’s farms

  Like many other countries, the UK wants to make habitat restoration pay

  
• Agritourism offers brighter prospects for Albania’s small farmers

  Attracting tourists can increase prosperity in areas unsuited to intensive agriculture

  
• Investors and regulators focus on food tracing

  Restaurant and grocery businesses face growing pressure to disclose where their products originate

  
• Start-ups develop smarter uses for straw

  A low-value byproduct of cereal farming could find high-value uses in construction and packaging

  
• Can the world sustainably satisfy its hunger for fish?

  Demand for seafood has soared while stocks have become depleted — but aquaculture and global treaties offer glimmers of hope

  
• AI and space technology boost smallholders’ access to finance

  With more data at their fingertips, lenders are finding new ways to serve farmers in developing countries

  
• Start-ups see sustainable future in seaweed farming

  Investor interest is growing in a protein-rich food source that could also free up agricultural land

  
• Energy costs create headwinds for vertical farms

  New crop varieties and a turn to the Middle East could give the sector new impetus

  
• Sri Lanka’s farmers learn lessons from organic debacle

  The country’s ban on chemical fertilisers backfired, but still sharpened interest in greener alternatives

  
• Fertiliser manufacturers strive to curb greenhouse gas emissions

  New production techniques will help, but more judicious use by farmers will help even more

  
• Premium chocolate venture brings benefits to DRC’s cacao farmers

  An ambitious scheme aims to raise incomes and protect nature in a region blighted by violence

  
• Investors push food companies to go greener

  The ESG movement has the industry in its sights — but complex supply chains make it a tricky target

  
• Can the world feed itself sustainably? A primer in seven charts

  Feeding a population of over 10bn this century doesn’t have to cost the Earth

  
• India’s rice farmers find themselves on front line of water crisis

  The country is struggling to wean itself off subsidies that encourage overuse

  
• Climate pressures force businesses to count true cost of water

  Companies used to take water for granted in their accounting. Not any more

  
• Climate change and rising costs prompt focus on seasonality

  But efforts to get western consumers to eat local still have a long way to go

  
• Scientists test new biological alternatives to toxic pesticides

  Ladybirds, food dye and fungi are all being pressed into the war on harmful insects

  
• Nestlé pays to eliminate child labour from chocolate supply chain

  The Swiss multinational wants to raise long-term incomes for west Africa’s cocoa farmers

  
• In photos: biotech start-ups challenge dairy industry

  Entrepreneurs say lab-grown milk is greener — but consumers and farmers may take some persuading

  
• America’s black farmers face federal aid delays

  A government effort to right historical wrongs has become mired in the courts

  
• Colombian gene bank provides hedge against climate change

  By preserving plant diversity, researchers aim to make agriculture more resilient

  
• Farm workers feel the heat from climate change

  Global warming is making harvests more hazardous, prompting measures to protect pickers

  
• Brazil’s beef industry starts to tackle methane emissions

  New farming practices could help the country achieve one of its COP26 promises

  
• PepsiCo squares up to supply chain emissions challenge

  The drinks and snacks group needs farmers and commodity traders to get with its climate goals

  
• Start-ups smooth path to market for Kenya’s smallholders

  Entrepreneurs see opportunities in a deeply fragmented supply chain

  
• Texas farmers reap benefits of boom in solar and wind power

  Energy projects provide income and boost sustainability but critics fear loss of prime land

  
• In photos: Land-based aquaculture promises more sustainable seafood

  A salmon farm in southern Norway could herald a green revolution in the fish industry

  
• Lab-grown food start-ups turn to gourmet cuisine

  Tech entrepreneurs are putting guilt-free foie gras and fish maw on the menu

  
• Agricultural insurtech offers lifeline for smallholders

  Start-ups use AI to provide cover against climate shocks in developing countries

  
• Will dark kitchens make takeaways more sustainable?

  Smart data and economies of scale could help shrink a big carbon footprint

  
• Soil microbiome offers key to sustainable harvests

  Long-term experiments shed light on farming practices that make land more productive

  
• Entrepreneurs help farmers hold back Somaliland’s desert

  Diaspora money is starting to green a nation that has been neglected by many international donors

  
• Food industry starts to measure sustainability

  Metrics and benchmarks aim to help banks and investors engage with companies that will not damage the planet

  
• Peatland emissions create green quandary for farmers

  Rewetting drained land could be more sustainable than using it to grow crops

  
• South Africa’s indigenous rooibos tea farmers seek a fairer deal

  Khoi and San people stand to benefit from the drink’s growing global popularity

  
• Environmentalists cast doubt on carbon offsets

  Advocates acknowledge flaws but argue standards and verification are improving

  
• Food industry shows growing appetite for green finance

  New issuance standards are helping drive a surge in sustainability-linked loans

  
• Consumer companies develop paper alternatives to plastic packaging

  Nestlé, Unilever, Diageo and Mars among groups developing materials that can be easily recycled

  
• Brazil’s plan to thwart ‘cattle laundering’

  Digital platform aims to clean up beef trade by reporting animals reared on farms linked to illegal deforestation

  
• Could carbon labelling soon become routine?

  Customers still have no means to compare companies keen to flaunt their climate credentials

  
• Audio feature: how to eat sustainably

  Half a century on from ‘Diet for a Small Planet’, what have we learnt about eco-friendly food?

  
• Zero-waste restaurants tap growing appetite for sustainability

  Their cost-effective business model may also help them weather the pandemic

  
• China wakes up to the need for a greener diet

  Meat consumption is high, but there is also a strong appetite for alternatives

  
• Pandemic prompts rethink of food supply chains

  Coronavirus has made clear the need for a more robust and responsive food system

  
• Why sustainable food could mean a better deal for workers

  The days of consumers turning a blind eye to labour standards may be numbered

  
• Tech start-ups tackle mountain of food waste

  Artificial noses and antimicrobial mats can help, but there are no magic bullets

  
• Investors show healthy appetite for food sector

  Concerns over food security and climate change are fuelling interest in agritech

  
• Audio feature: smart finance for a sustainable food system

  How can impact investors maximise their returns — both financially and environmentally?

  
• Venture capital floods into food-tech

  Growing consumer interest in sustainable food has not escaped early-stage investors

  
• Food businesses bank on sustainability-linked loans

  New form of lending surges but barriers deter wider take-up

  
• Blended finance eases burden for farmers in poor countries

  Development agencies are tapping private capital to boost rural prosperity

  
• High-tech tools shine a light on sustainable farming

  Satellite imaging and blockchain-based impact data enable closer green investor scrutiny

  
• Food proves hard for ESG investors to digest

  The sector’s social and governance impacts resist easy measurement

  
• How green is your ice-cream? Food groups race to cut emissions

  Unilever and Danone are among the multinationals pushing suppliers to embrace sustainability

  
• Audio feature: will coronavirus reduce food’s carbon footprint?

  Emissions are likely to rise in the short term — but there is also a chance to build a more resilient food system

  
• Methane from manure offers green fuel revenue for US farmers

  Biogas could help meet renewable energy targets but comes at a cost

  
• Can the EU’s carbon border tax work for farming?

  The theory may be sound but applying it to agriculture will be hard

  
• Thai rice farmers step up to tackle carbon footprint

  Different methods target global greenhouse gas emissions equal to aviation

  
• Dutch farmers face pressure over intensive practices

  Does the Netherlands’ role as an agricultural export powerhouse come at too high an environmental price?

  
• Soil offers key to curbing climate change

  Efforts to boost carbon capture could offset increases in greenhouse gas emissions

  
• Hazelnut sourcing spreads discontent for Italy’s Nutella

  Ferrero faces political dilemma over domestic and foreign procurement of key ingredient

  
• Vertical farming finally grows up in Japan

  Redundant factories offer fertile ground for soil-free, indoor agriculture

  
• Audio feature: on the frontline of deforestation in the Amazon

  Lessons from Brazil could have wider implications for global food production

  
• Planting crops with trees drives ‘magical’ reforestation in Costa Rica

  Turnaround success demonstrates key plank of sustainable farming

  
• Conflict over fertile lands threatens Nigeria’s food security

  A deadly ethnic battle sparked by cattle-herders is driving farmers from their land

  
• Why the future of gene-edited foods is in the balance

  Regulators will decide the impact of the biggest advance in bioscience since genetic modification

  
• Chile’s sugary food fight echoes around the world

  Government’s tough action on unhealthy foods begins to bite — and inspire campaigners abroad

  
• On the ground with farming's robot revolution

  The latest crop of farming robots will seed, feed and weed individual plants

  
• Food start-ups eye algae as a green protein source

  The organism could help feed a growing population — if it can be grown economically

  
• Can DNA testing show us what food to eat?

  
• Tastes in charts: how does your nation or region like to eat?

  From street food to home cooking — eating habits around the globe

  
• Why we need to talk about a healthier way of feeding the world

  The ways we produce and consume food are no longer fit for purpose

  
• Investors develop a taste for radical thinking on food

  From alternative ‘meats’ to turning CO2 into protein, interest is growing

  
• Accelerators speed development of promising food start-ups

  A growing number of specialist programmes are taking young businesses to the next level

  
• Apps step up to the plate with diet and DNA-tailored advice

  New online services nudge users towards smarter shopping and eating choices

  
• Organic farming’s growth only part of answer to food sustainability

  The approach has an impact far beyond its scale but questions remain over yields

  
• Seafood suppliers must tackle slavery risk, say campaigners

  Companies look to new tools and technologies to help reduce potential for industrial abuse

  
• UK’s organic food industry seeks European-style growth

  Suppliers must overcome mainstream reluctance to pay more for sustainable produce

  
• Fair trade food schemes battle to promote better standards

  Growing demand for ethical products has encouraged more companies to certify output

  
• Police target vast mafia profits from food fraud and mislabelling

  Combating criminal creativity requires ‘traceability, standardisation and co-operation’

  
• Europe’s farmers face a generational crisis as young desert the land

  Economic pressures and farming’s tough lifestyle form a threat to EU food security

  
• Fish farms bring former luxuries within reach of many — at a price

  Now everyone can eat salmon, but the environmental cost is high

  
• Household food spending divides the world

  The dividend of expanding world production is not being evenly shared

  
• Supermarkets urged to nibble at margins

  Chains pressed to join start-ups in helping farmers step up a level

  
• Podcast: are food allergies becoming more common?

  Medical experts and a sufferer discuss why concern is rising about reactions to foods

  
• The global growth in meat production

  Who eats the most and where is the greatest increase?

  
• The robot revolution down on the farm

  Investment is booming in autonomous machines to spray, weed and harvest

• Winemakers look to the past in drive for a greener future

  Specialist vineyards are rediscovering traditional methods

  
• Hotter world threatens the breadbasket of the US

  Climate change predicted to hold back growth in crop yields

  
• Businesses find appetite to cut food waste

  Tech start-ups are helping to change the throwaway culture

  
• ‘Smart’ insurance helps poor farmers to cut risk

  Blockchain will enable cheaper and simpler cover

  
• Veganomics: could cutting meat save the planet and make you money?

  FT reporters on the environmental case for going vegan and why investors are starting to pay attention

  
• How edible seaweed could combat plastic pollution of the seas

  Pods hold promise of greener food and drink packaging

  
• Crops take root in unlikely city spaces

  Urban farming could produce 180m tonnes of food globally, according to researchers

  
• The ‘real secret’ of how to farm in a hotter, drier climate

  Drought-hardened Australia is trying techniques that can help the rest of the world

  
• Brazil’s soya farms an environmental flashpoint

  International attention has turned to deforestation in the country’s rich savannah

  
• New tools enable farmers to cut cows’ greenhouse gas emissions

  Incentives or global standards would help deploy seaweed additives and genomics

  
• Technology hope for African farmers

  Precision farming techniques are being scaled down to be usable and affordable

  
• How much does weather affect annual crop yields?

  About a third of the variation in annual production of maize, wheat, rice and soyabeans is because of changes in rainfall and temperature

  
• What does the rise of female farmers mean for agriculture?

  Women owe growing role to conflict or technology but rights still missing for some