farming and deforestation

Cattle graze on land burned and deforested by cattle farmers near Novo Progresso, Para state, Brazil. Brazil is among the nations that have signed a pledge to protect forests.

World News
Science
Environment

Most nations are promising to end deforestation, but skeptics want proof

4:55pm December 14, 2021

by Dan Charles

More than a hundred countries just promised to protect and restore forests. Similar pledges in the past have not succeeded, but forest advocates hope that this effort can learn from past mistakes.

In the forests near the southern Sumatran village of Krui, 48-year-old Marhana climbs up the trees to harvest damar, a resin used in paints and varnishes. These damar trees are part of something called an "agroforest," which experts see as a way to preven

World News
Environment

Could This Tree Be An Eco-Friendly Way To Wean Indonesian Farmers Off Palm Oil?

5:10pm October 19, 2019

by Julia Simon

Palm oil plantations have led to widespread deforestation in Indonesia. But now some farmers are turning to a different crop — damar, a kind of anti-palm oil, grown in forest-based farms.

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Cattle graze in pasture formed by cleared rainforest land in Pará, Brazil. A new online tool makes it easier for food companies to detect this kind of land-clearing by their suppliers.

Environment

Don't Cut Those Trees — Big Food Might Be Watching

8:13pm July 31, 2019

by Dan Charles

Dozens of food companies have promised to stop their suppliers from clearing forests in order to grow crops or graze cattle. Now the companies have a tool to monitor those farmers from space.

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