Is that a tapestry or an agricultural scene from Canada?
Published Jan 23, 2012
Around the world, agricultural practices have developed as a function of topography, soil type, crop type, annual rainfall, and tradition. This montage of six images from shows differences in field geometry and size in different parts of the world.
Published May 30, 2006
Green circles in the desert frequently indicate tracts of agriculture supported by center-pivot irrigation. The Al Khufrah Oasis in southeastern Libya (near the Egyptian border) is one of Libya’s largest agricultural projects, and is an easy-to-recognize landmark for orbiting astronauts aboard the International Space Station. Because only about 2 percent of Libya’s land receives enough rainfall to be cultivated, this project uses fossil water from a large underground aquifer. The Libyan government also has a plan called the Great Man Made River to pump and transport these groundwater reserves to the coast to support Libya’s growing population and industrial development.
Published Nov 15, 2004
This astronaut photograph highlights hundreds of rectangular fields along the Songhua River in eastern China.
Published Dec 17, 2012
The transformation of Brazil’s tropical savannas into farmland has made western Bahia into a prime area for soybean production.
Published Nov 26, 2015
Yellow flowers brighten the landscape of southwestern Russia.
Published Oct 13, 2019
Standing beside floodplains and wetlands, the highlands are packed with farms.
Published Apr 3, 2017
The many flat plateau surfaces in the southern parts of Maranhão State are ideal for the wheeled machinery of mechanized agriculture.
Published Dec 4, 2017
This photograph from the International Space Station presents an almost surreal view of abundant green fields in the midst of a barren desert.
Published Mar 5, 2012
In the state of Acre in western Brazil, farms and pastures are surrounded by large, undisturbed areas of Amazon Rainforest. Since January 2005, many areas in the state have been experiencing severe drought, and the forests have become tinder dry. Since August, agricultural fires—many of them ignited in violation of a state-declared ban—have been escaping control, racing through adjacent fields and spreading into the forests.
Published Oct 14, 2005
Flooded rice fields in the winter help farmers soften plant stubble for spring tilling. They also provide an oasis for migratory birds.
Published Mar 26, 2019
The echoes of history are printed on the land in this city in northeastern Hungary.
Published Jan 14, 2012
