Banana Trees Could Protect California Cities From Wildfires

Computer science professor Barath Raghavan argues that Californian cities faced with the worst wildfires on record could be granted cover by banana groves. As a member of the California Rare Fruit Growers association, Raghavan researches (and plants and grows) the fruits on plots of land across the state, typically in his yard or on properties owned by friends or family members. He states that since …

Reclamation of Black-Owned Farmland

According to census data, there were 925,000 black farmers in 1920. By 2017, that number dropped below 50,000. Discrimination within the industry, institutionalized racism upheld by USDA agency workers, purposefully incorrect documentation of ownership transfers, the industrialization of the agriculture industry, and many more reasons lead to the decline. Plenty of banks, certification organizations, and distribution networks also actively discriminated against black farmers. The US …

Japan’s All-White Eggs

A recent push by the Japanese government to use rice as livestock feed has resulted in chickens laying eggs with white yolks. A hen’s diet is known to significantly influence the color of their egg yolks, so substituting the normal corn-based feed with rice has unsurprisingly led to the milky color. The new eggs, called Komestuya, are known to have a naturally sweet flavor and …