article thumbnail

Cultivating Profits in a Compact Crop

Modern Farmer

With arable land at a premium— urban sprawl is a growing threat to the farming region—“I’m lucky to have a big yard,” says Mateo. He dropped single-use clamshell boxes for a biodegradable and compostable, plant-based alternative, and he even closed his health food store accounts, which require water-resistant adhesive labels.

article thumbnail

Can Agriculture Kick Its Plastic Addiction?

Civil Eats

In China, for example, research shows that plastic field covers keep the soil warm and wet in a way that boosts productivity considerably; an additional 15,000 square miles of arable land—an area about the size of Switzerland—would be required to produce the same amount of food.