Agriculture

Combatting Disease The Advance of Designer Viruses in Agriculture

Scientists believe designer viruses created in the laboratory can help the agricultural industry deal with pathogens and extreme weather. A vast experiment is currently being planned. But can the viruses be controlled? Von Martin Schlak

The Advance of Designer Viruses in Agriculture - Mike Bradley / DER SPIEGEL

Ultra-Locally Grown Urban Farming Takes Off in Germany

Recent experiments in sustainability mean you can now purchase shrimp from Bavaria and pike perch from Berlin. "Urban gardening" promises healthy and fresh products without long transportation routes. Von Marcel Rosenbach

Urban Farming Takes Off in Germany - Diephotodesigner.de

Monsanto Merger Migraine Safe Or Not, Roundup Is Toxic for Bayer

German multinational Bayer underestimated the risks of acquiring Monsanto. Now, the company is desperately seeking to contain the damage by selling business divisions and cutting jobs. So far, though, none of these moves have helped. Von Frank Dohmen, Martin Hesse und Armin Mahler

Safe Or Not, Roundup Is Toxic for Bayer - Photothek / Getty Images

Herbicide Health Dangers Monsanto Faces Blowback Over Cancer Cover-Up

A release of internal emails has revealed that U.S. agrochemical giant Monsanto manipulated studies of the company's herbicide, Roundup. Experts believe the product causes cancer - and the consequences for the company could be dire. Von Philip Bethge

Monsanto Faces Blowback Over Cancer Cover-Up - DPA/ Forum Moderne Landwirtschaft

Miracle Crop India's Quest to End World Hunger

Over one third of humanity is undernourished. Now a group of scientists are experimenting with specially-bred crops, and hoping to launch a new Green Revolution -- but controversy is brewing. Von Philip Bethge

Digital Dairy Robotic Milk Production Takes Over

Smaller dairy farms in Germany are rapidly disappearing, and with EU quotas on milk production set to expire next year, the process is likely to accelerate. The only way to survive is to turn cows into machines and keep them away from the meadow. Von Jonathan Stock und Takis Würger

Robotic Milk Production Takes Over - Christian Burkert/ DER SPIEGEL

Deceptive Labeling Brussels Plans Tougher Organic Food Rules

The European Commission plans to tighten rules on the booming organic food sector due to concerns that many products aren't as pure as claimed. More rigorous checks are needed and loopholes must be removed, says a draft paper seen by SPIEGEL. Von Christoph Schult

Brussels Plans Tougher Organic Food Rules - picture alliance / dpa

Land Grab Foreign Firms Drive Cambodians from Farms

Each year, foreign agricultural corporations deprive thousands of Cambodian farmers of their fields -- with the government's help. Human rights groups claim German taxpayer money is used to fund a program that benefits land grabbers. Von Andreas Lorenz

Foreign Firms Drive Cambodians from Farms - REUTERS

Uphill Battle New Machine Could Save German Vineyards

Vineyards built on dizzyingly steep hillsides have been a part of German viticulture for centuries, but high labor costs are threatening them with extinction. A group of university engineers is hoping their new technology will save the industry. Von Matthias Bartsch

Cutting Antibiotics Denmark Leads Way in Healthier Pig Farming

Many tons of antibiotics are administered every year to chickens and pigs in Europe, a trend that encourages the rise of drug-resistant microbes. But Denmark has shown how farmers can be made to abandon this policy of dangerous over-medication. Von Julia Koch

Denmark Leads Way in Healthier Pig Farming - DPA

Factory Farming The True Price of a Pork Chop

Germany slaughters 58 million pigs a year and has built an efficient meat industry second only to the US in pork exports. Its optimized breeding, feeding and killing system churns out wondrously cheap cutlets -- but at a hidden cost to the environment and our health. Von Susanne Amann, Michael Fröhlingsdorf und Udo Ludwig

The True Price of a Pork Chop - Henner Rosenkranz/ DER SPIEGEL

Ethical Farming Germany Ponders the Super Chicken

Every year, millions of male chicks are discarded because of the demands of industrial chicken farming. Now a German company has engineered a new breed that could solve the problem -- but it comes with drawbacks of its own. Von Michael Fröhlingsdorf

Germany Ponders the Super Chicken - Jürgen Müller

Golden Calves Farmers Hungry for Luxury Beef

Wagyu beef is the most expensive meat in the world, fetching prices of up to 600 euros per kilogram. Long found exclusively in Japan, the wagyu breed is now spreading across the globe. And German farmers are after a piece of the pie. Von Matthias Schulz

Farmers Hungry for Luxury Beef - Imke Lass/ DER SPIEGEL

Bow, Arrow, Facebook Brazilian Tribes Fight for Their Land

Indigenous peoples in Brazil have lost their patience. Promised more land decades ago, they have recently begun forcing the issue by occupying farms and ranches. The government of President Dilma Rousseff has taken sides with the farmers' lobby. Von Jens Glüsing

Brazilian Tribes Fight for Their Land - REUTERS

EU Subsidies Lost Cameron Hijacks Summit with Rebate Spat

The European Union summit on Thursday night was supposed to be a demonstration of European harmony -- until British Prime Minister David Cameron arrived. He insisted that the UK budget rebate go untouched, launching hours of pointless debate. Von Carsten Volkery

Cameron Hijacks Summit with Rebate Spat - REUTERS

Red Gold Saffron Cooperative Thrives amid Greek Crisis

As the economic crisis ravages their country, a community of Greek farmers is prospering. Their cooperative specializes in saffron, the world's most expensive spice, which is keeping the community afloat and attracting global attention. Von Manfred Ertel

Saffron Cooperative Thrives amid Greek Crisis - Getty Images

Caught in the Cold Long Winter's Grip Chokes German Economy

Winter's hold on Germany lasted longer than usual this year, taking its toll not just on the moods of residents, but also on a number of economic sectors. Construction, agriculture, service and retail are all suffering, and experts warn the effects could be long-term. By SPIEGEL Staff

Long Winter's Grip Chokes German Economy - DPA

Abattoir Alternative Are Guns More Humane than Slaughterhouses?

The experience of dying at a slaughterhouse is "an enormous ordeal" for cattle. A farm in northern Germany is proposing an alternative: shooting the livestock in the places they live. Many believe the method provides a stress-free death for the animals. Von Günther Stockinger

Are Guns More Humane than Slaughterhouses? - Uni Kassel

'Land Grabbing' Foreign Investors Buy Up Third World Farmland

Foreign investors are buying or leasing vast amounts of farmland in Third World countries to profit from surging demand for food crops as a result of rapid population growth. "Land grabbing" amounts to a new form of colonialism that often runs counter to the interests of locals.

Foreign Investors Buy Up Third World Farmland - REUTERS

Farm Wars EU Grapples with Costs of Subsidizing Agriculture

European Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos wants to reform Europe's agricultural policy, but resistance from the farming lobby threatens to derail his plans. It will be to the detriment of citizens, who are expected to pay for a highly subsidized industry that is harmful to the environment. Von Susanne Amann, Jörg Schindler und Christoph Schult

Alle Beiträge