His goal, he says, is to give Cuban farmers a way to make a living at a time when so many have given up on it and moved to urban areas. "If we don't want foreign companies to come in and dominate Cuban agriculture all over again, that means we need to give Cuban families a way to stay on their farms," said Funes, who grew up at an agricultural research station where his father, a crop scientist, and his mother, a biologist, both worked.
Water from an aquaponics system works as an effective fertilizer that reduces crops’ growing time by up to 50 percent and reduces water use by up to 90 percent, according to research from the Agriculture and Livestock Ministry.
PARIS – The U.N.'s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) said Friday that three pesticides, including the popular weedkiller Roundup, were "probably" carcinogenic and two others, which have already been outlawed or restricted, were "possibly" so.
Rainfall along the Pacific coast has gradually returned to normal levels following last year's decrease in rainfall of up to 65 percent in Guanacaste and 30 percent in Puntarenas.
Scientists are now a little closer to uncovering the cause of a chronic kidney disease (CKD) epidemic that has killed more than 20,000 people in Central America in the last two decades. For years, the cause of the disease -- which primarily afflicts young male agricultural workers -- has stumped doctors. But a new study from the Boston University School of Public Health found that sugarcane fieldwork could play a role.
A clean, affordable fuel source for coffee farmers here in the remote hills outside Yali, Jinotega was a byproduct of a of a wastewater management pilot program in Nicaragua sponsored by the sustainable-certification labeling organization UTZ Certified with support from the Dutch government. Along with purifying the acidic wastewater from the coffee milling process, the so-called biogas is helping improve the quality of life for many small farmers here.
A series of pilot projects in Nicaragua funded by the Dutch government and the sustainable certification label UTZ have seen positive results reducing water consumption, treating wastewater and providing farmers with a clean burning fuel as a byproduct.
GUATEMALA CITY – Rain is gradually returning to Guatemala after an extended drought in the middle of rainy season brought tragedy to some of the poorest regions of the country. But many agricultural workers say it’s too late to save their harvests.
On Tuesday, representatives for four public agencies discussed actions they will take to deal with a severe drought in the northern and central Pacific regions of the country.
