Engineering seeds to resist drought
A new seed-coating process could facilitate agriculture on marginal arid lands by enabling the seeds to retain any available water.
Why the Earth needs a course correction now
2021 Global Change Outlook from the MIT Joint Program on the Science and Policy of Global Change shows how more aggressive policies can sharply reduce climate risk.
MIT J-WAFS awards eight grants in seventh round of seed funding
Ten principal investigators from seven MIT departments and labs will receive up to $150,000 for two years, overhead-free, for innovative research on global food and water challenges.
Analytics platform for coastal desalination plants wins 2021 Water Innovation Prize
The student pitch competition addressed a variety of problems expected to worsen with climate change.
Robotic solution for disinfecting food production plants wins agribusiness prize
The MIT team’s project was one of seven pitched at the Rabobank-MIT Food and Agribusiness Innovation Prize competition.
Top collegiate inventors awarded 2021 Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
Student inventors recognized on World IP Day for groundbreaking, patentable solutions to issues related to maternal health, energy efficiency, and plastic waste.
SMART develops analytical tools to enable next-generation agriculture
Engineered plant nanosensors and portable Raman spectroscopy will help enable sustainable practices in traditional and urban agriculture.
Q&A: Clare Balboni on environmental economics
A strong evidence base is key for informing environmental and climate policy, says the MIT assistant professor.
The catalyzing potential of J-WAFS seed grants
MIT junior faculty explore new research directions and achieve powerful career advancement enabled by J-WAFS’ mission-driven grant program focused on water and food solutions.
Could lab-grown plant tissue ease the environmental toll of logging and agriculture?
MIT researchers grow structures made of wood-like plant cells in a lab, hinting at the possibility of more efficient biomaterials production.
Portable device can quickly detect plant stress
Sensor developed by SMART researchers would allow rapid diagnosis of nutrition deficiency in plants, enabling farmers to maximize crop yield in a sustainable way.
Discovery allows early detection of shade avoidance syndrome
SMART researchers use Raman spectroscopy for early detection of SAS, which can help farmers better monitor plant health and improve crop yields.
SMART researchers engineer a plant-based sensor to monitor arsenic levels in soil
Nanoscale devices integrated into the leaves of living plants can detect the toxic heavy metal in real time.
Designing off-grid refrigeration technologies for crop storage in Kenya
A team of MIT researchers is using the thermodynamic properties of water evaporation to bring off-grid cold storage of produce to remote, arid regions.
Revamped MIT Climate Portal aims to inform and empower the public
Website hosts an expanded suite of digital tools and resources to help people make sense of climate change.