Author: dangtuanthien

Some people say eating hot chili peppers can help you breathe easier if you have a cold. Others believe that chilies give you more energy. All we know is that people have been growing chilies for centuries. And there are plenty of different kinds of chili peppers to choose from, along with different levels of …

Trees and plants are called ornamentals if their main job is to add beauty and interest to a garden. Dogwood trees, for example, are a popular ornamental in parts of the United States. They produce white or pink blooms in the spring. Cherry and plum trees can also add beauty to landscaping even if they …

Bulbs are underground plant stems. They provide food for a shoot. Some bulbs produce flowers year after year. Gardening experts say tulips, daffodils and other bulbs are not very difficult to grow.Bulbs do well in climates with a cold season. They are placed in the ground about the time of the first frost. But, with …

A carbon footprint is the amount of carbon dioxide pollution that we produce as a result of activities. Some people try to reduce their carbon footprint because they are concerned about climate change. Now, researchers have a way for people to measure how much nitrogen pollution they produce — their nitrogen footprint. All plants and …

Japan’s nuclear crisis may mean greater demand for imported food and less competition from Japanese products on world markets. But it also means that Japanese farmers and others who make and sell food have to worry about their future. Yasumichi Tanaka sells fish at one of Japan’s busiest fish markets. But now there are fewer …

People in a community on the Pacific coast in Southern California awoke in March to a sea of dead fish. About eight hundred fifty sailboats and powerboats come and go from the marina at King Harbor in the city of Redondo Beach. But the sardines that swam into the marina never swam out. Estimates put …

Food prices continue to rise, threatening to push more people into poverty and hunger. Experts have been urging increased efforts around the world to increase agricultural productivity. A new report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization says one of the best ways would be to remove the barriers women farmers face that male …

Food companies say a new kind of maize could take the crunch out of corn chips and other popular foods. The big Swiss company Syngenta genetically engineered the maize to contain an enzyme called alpha amylase. The company says this enzyme will help the crop produce more ethanol, a renewable fuel, while using less water …

White rice is the world’s most popular form of rice. But it goes through a milling process that removes many nutrients. As a result, people who eat a poor diet based on white rice may not get enough vitamin A. Each year an estimated two hundred fifty thousand to half a million children go blind …

Scientists have worked for twelve years to develop what they call Green Super Rice. They say several varieties should be available to farmers about two years from now in parts of Asia and Africa.The “green” in Green Super Rice means environmentally friendly. Researchers say it will produce at least as much grain as other rice …

Traditional fisheries may no longer be the world’s most important provider of fish. A new United Nations report shows that fish-farming or aquaculture may soon lead fish production.The Food and Agriculture Organization says aquaculture is growing by a rate of 6.6 percent a year. Aquaculture now produces forty-six percent of the world’s supply of fish. …

The United States Department of Agriculture has given farmers permission to plant genetically engineered sugar beets with some conditions. A USDA agency ruled on the most popular variety of Roundup Ready sugar beets. The agency said the genetically engineered sugar beets do not harm the environment or increase threats by pests. The Monsanto Company makes …

Airtight plastic bags can help farmers protect their harvests without the use of harmful chemicals. These bags are designed to keep air out of crops in storage. They are a simple way to fight insects and keep food fresh. Ten countries in West and Central Africa are involved in a project to improve the storage …

Sub-Saharan Africa has the world’s highest hunger rate. The United Nations says thirty percent of the people were undernourished last year. But a new report says African farmers also have ideas that could help the world fight hunger and poverty. Danielle Nierenberg from the Worldwatch Institute in Washington spent a year visiting twenty-five countries south …

Economists across the world are expressing concern about rising food prices. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization recently released its Food Price Index. The list showed that a number of foods cost more than during the world food crisis of two thousand eight. The index is at its highest level since it began in …

The United States is making the first major changes in its food safety rules since the nineteen thirties. A new law called the Food Safety Modernization Act will govern all foods except meat, poultry and some egg products. It calls for increased government inspections of food processors. And it lets the Food and Drug Administration …

People who do not get enough vitamin A in their diet may develop night blindness. But in the developing world a lack of vitamin A causes much more serious harm to children. The World Health Organization links vitamin A deficiency to as many as two hundred fifty thousand child deaths every year. One excellent source …

For American soldiers, the move from the military to civilian life is not always easy. Military veterans have a thirty-five percent unemployment rate. This is more than three times the national average. And an estimated one hundred thousand veterans are homeless. The federal government and private organizations offer programs to help veterans. One private program …

An international group has set the limit for the two thousand eleven catch of bluefin tuna in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean Sea. The limit is just under thirteen thousand metric tons. That is six hundred tons less than the two thousand ten quota, a reduction of four percent. Conservation groups criticized the move, saying …

Two thousand ten was a good year for American farmers. They earned an estimated eighty-two billion dollars. That is almost one-third more than they earned in two thousand nine. And it is twenty-six percent higher than the ten-year average.The numbers are from the Economic Research Service at the Department of Agriculture. They represent net farm …