A USDA study found businesses that received VAPG grants were significantly more likely to succeed compared to similar businesses that did not, and created more jobs. As U.S. farmers face unique economic challenges, the VAPG program may be discontinued.
Agriculture
No Silver Bullet for Farmer Poverty: It’s About Constant Support and Business
On “Food Talk with Dani Nierenberg,” Executive Director of Fairtrade America Hans Theyer talks about what it takes to support the faces behind the world’s food.
Large Companies Are “More Open Than I’ve Ever Seen Before” to Food System Change
On Food Talk, Executive Director of the Global Harvest Initiative Margaret Zeigler talks about the private sector’s energy to address sustainability and food productivity.
“Farming Is Who I Am”
Niman Ranch Farmer Tim Roseland is welcoming the next generation back to his farm, spreading his family’s tradition for sustainable and humane farming practices.
Can Measuring Evaporation Help Farmers Save Water?
Farmers often rely on rainfall estimates from radar stations to effectively manage their crops. But what if those estimates are wrong? Scientists from the University of Missouri are developing new weather models that account for evaporation in order to improve rainfall measurements.
Earth Care, People Care, Fair Share: 19 Approaches to Permaculture Around the World
These 19 organizations apply the ethics of permaculture to educate communities about becoming more self-sustainable and food secure.
Creating a Data Democracy in Agricultural Research
Could making agricultural data open and accessible to everyone open the door to greater impact and better food system solutions?
Can Wasting Less Food Between the Farm and Consumer Improve Nutrition?
Switching out traditional raffia baskets with plastic crates when transporting tomatoes in Nigeria can save fresh, healthy food and have multiple subsequent effects on nutrition in the region.
Seeds of Resistance, Harvests of Hope: Farmers Halt a Land Grab in Mozambique
“If the associations are registered and the farmers have collective rights to some land, maybe the land grabbing can stop,” Zunguze told me. Association leaders planned to visit neighboring National Farmers Union cooperatives to learn how agro-ecology could help them grow more food for their familie
Controlling Food: An Excerpt from Nourished Planet
The control over food often signifies power over others. While women make up the majority of the agricultural labor force worldwide, they retain little control over their lives. With more resources, female farmers have the potential to regain this control while bringing millions out of hunger.