Plant-based and lab-grown meat substitutes are here to stay, but are unlikely to eliminate livestock agriculture’s climate and land use impacts anytime soon, according to Stanford environmental scientist David Lobell. In the meantime, Lobell says we should also focus on reducing emissions of animal-based systems. (Source: Stanford News)

A new tool that pairs satellite imagery with AI has uncovered some of the strongest evidence yet of the extent to which electrification fuels economic growth. (Source: Stanford News)

Federal subsidies promote planting cover crops to store carbon in agricultural soils, among other benefits, but the approach as currently practiced can reduce yields in the U.S. Corn Belt, researchers find. Their analysis highlights the need to better implement the practice. (Source: Stanford News)

Heat waves, drought, and floods driven by climate change are already impacting access to food and driving food insecurity in many parts of the world. Stanford professor David Lobell explains how food production and access are impacted by climate change. (Source: Stanford Center for Innovation in Global Health)

David Lobell has been awarded a 2022 Global Health Seed Grant from Stanford’s Center for Innovation in Global Health, along with several faculty members joining the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability.

Analysis of air pollution and crop health via satellite imagery led by Stanford's David Lobell suggests that limiting emissions of nitrogen dioxide, a potent greenhouse gas, could boost crop yields by up to 28 percent.

New analysis shows crop yields could increase by about 25% in China and up to 10% in other parts of the world if emissions of a common air pollutant decreased by about half. 

The award recognizes research by a mid-career scientist who has made an extraordinary contribution to agriculture or to the understanding of the biology of a species fundamentally important to agriculture or food production.

A bill under debate in Congress would pave the way to verifying and paying for farms’ carbon savings. Stanford scientists explore this and other opportunities for growing climate change solutions on U.S. farms.

This summer, 19 undergraduate students are participating in faculty research projects through the Stanford Earth Summer Undergraduate Research program.

Monitoring environmental compliance is a particular challenge for governments in poor countries. A new machine learning approach that uses satellite imagery to pinpoint highly polluting brick kilns in Bangladesh could provide a low-cost solution.

New research shows climate change has wiped out seven years of improvements in agricultural productivity over the past 60 years.

David Lobell led a committee appointed to recommend methods that would decrease the influence of wealth in the admissions process. 

Research led by David Lobell finds that corn has become more sensitive to drought conditions. New technologies are so helpful in raising yields in good conditions that the cost of bad conditions are rising.

New management approaches and technology have allowed the U.S. Corn Belt to increase yields despite some changes in climate. However, soil sensitivity to drought has increased significantly, according to a new study that could help identify ways to reverse the trend.

Researchers hypothesize outcomes of the pandemic’s unprecedented socioeconomic disruption, and outline research priorities for advancing our understanding of humans’ impact on the environment.

In the quest for food security, David Lobell’s investigation of environmental and technological changes affecting Indian agricultural productivity translates into real-world guidance for farm management decision-making. 

A new tool combines publicly accessible satellite imagery with AI to track poverty across African villages over time.

COVID-19 and other looming threats could make it much harder for people to access food. David Lobell, director of Stanford’s Center on Food Security and the Environment, outlines likely scenarios and possible solutions.

Stanford scholars, including faculty at Stanford Earth, detail some of the major environmental success stories of the past half century and reflect on important milestones.

Rockefeller Foundation president Rajiv Shah discusses Atlas AI, a company focused on social impact that was co-founded by Stanford's David Lobell, Marshall Burke and Stefano Ermon.

By monitoring crops through machine learning and satellite data, Stanford scientists have found farms that till the soil less can increase yields of corn and soybeans and improve the health of the soil – a win-win for global food security.

By discerning patterns in satellite imagery, researchers hope to help national leaders and international agencies assist poverty-stricken regions.

Stanford Earth's David Lobell, Rob Jackson, Erik Sperling, Dustin Schroeder, Sally Benson, Roz Naylor, Michael Machala, Rosemary Knight and Kate Maher have received funding for interdisciplinary research to solve major environmental problems.

New research harnesses machine learning to accurately predict Australian wheat yields using climate and satellite data. The method could be translated to other crops and nations.

As more of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere, crops might carry fewer nutrients, like zinc and iron. Stanford researchers explored this trend and regions most likely to be hurt by it.

Stanford Earth's David Lobell comments on research that shows increasing bouts of extreme heat waves and drought will hurt barley production enough to double beer prices. 

Stanford Earth's David Lobell will step in as director of the Center on Food Security and the Environment (FSE) on Sept. 1, 2018. Lobell succeeds Rosamond Naylor, who has been director since FSE’s inception in 2005.

If asked to imagine a geologist, you might envision a tanned and dusty figure, hardy and weathered like the ancient rocks that he or she spends days studying out “in the field."

Stanford's new center includes Earth Systems Science professors David Lobell, Marshall Burke, Eric Lambin, Roz Naylor, and James Jones.

By using high-res images taken by the latest generation of compact satellites, Stanford scientists have developed a new capability for estimating crop yields from space. Measuring yields could improve productivity and eventually reduce hunger.