Peak Phosphorous and its Impact on Agriculture

March 9, 2011 | Robert Puro

When people hear about ‘Peak Oil,’ they immediately fret about increases in prices at the pump and various household products that use petroleum.

‘Peak Phosphorus,’ on the other hand, receives short shrift because the average bystander has no idea of the value and essential role that phosphorus plays in feeding the world’s population.   After all, as a friend stated when I asked what he knew about phosphorus: “It’s just the ‘P’ element on the periodic table, right?”

Well yes, that’s right.  But it’s also more than that.  Phosphorus is one of the three core nutrients along with Nitrogen and Potassium required for plant growth.  Phosphorus is also responsible and essential for the construction of DNA and cell membranes in all living organisms.  It also plays a pivotal role in bone formation in humans. Read More

Fast Facts on Feeding the Future

March 8, 2011 | Robert Puro

As the world waits with baited breath for the next Green Revolution to officially commence (hopefully one driven by sustainable agriculture practices and technologies), here are some quick facts to wrap your head around:

• The UN Population Division estimates that 2050, the world population will peak at around 9 billion an increase of nearly 40% from the current number – 6.5 billion Read More

Startup Profile: Harvest Power Turns Trash Into Soil Amendment

March 8, 2011 | Robert Puro

Imagine transforming everyday organic waste into sustainably grown food.  Well imagine no further, because that’s exactly what Harvest Power is enabling farmers and producers to do by developing, building, and operating state-of-the-art facilities that produce soil enhancement and renewable energy products from discarded organic materials. By harvesting these materials, the company enables communities and businesses to increase their energy independence, reduce their environmental impact and reliably manage their organic waste.

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IT Solutions Underutilized in Agriculture

March 8, 2011 | Robert Puro

According to Dr. Joseph Reger, Chief Technology Officer of Fujitsu Technology Solutions, the agriculture industry needs to take greater advantage of IT solutions that have the potential to increase production yields.  Reger argues that IT solutions which currently exist to help farmers detect potential issues that might lead to crop failures and determine the optimal time to reap and sow their crops are currently underutilized. Read More

Brazil Poised to Become Agricultural Superpower

March 7, 2011 | Robert Puro

“Brazil stands on the brink of becoming an agricultural superpower.” So says the Financial Times.  Motivated by fears that reliance upon imported food staples would prove financially unsustainable, Brazil, has worked tirelessly over the past four decades to augment its domestic agricultural production through major investments in agriculture research.  As a result of investment in farm technologies and practices, grain production yields have grown by 152% in the past 20 years.  Read More