One-third of carbon emissions are absorbed by the earth’s biosphere. After forests, agricultural lands and wetlands have the most potential to do this. A panel of experts convened at COP24 last week to discuss ways in which this potential can be realized.
Agriculture
Training Youth Key to Growing African Agriculture
For CORAF, training youth is not just a matter of preparing for the rising age of researchers or increasing unemployment, but a matter of enhancing the food system as a whole.
Reckless Soy Expansion Engulfs Tropical Savanna
Nearly three million hectares of natural vegetation in the Cerrado have been stripped for soy production since 2000. Beyond disrupting water systems and threatening the soy business, habitat destruction is destroying life in the most biodiverse tropical savanna region in the world.
A Conversation About Artificial Intelligence and Technology in Food Systems
Experts in agriculture, artificial intelligence, and technology sit down to discuss the current and future role of tech in agriculture. Former Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack opens the discussion.
Through Regenerative Agriculture, Dr. Bronner’s Is Setting a New Example
“We want to make sure that everyone who is involved in the production of our raw materials… that those lives are being respected and that labor is not being exploited,” says David Bronner on Food Talk.
2018 Food Tank San Diego Summit: Science–Ag–Tech Connect
At the 2018 San Diego Food Tank Summit, Michelle Lerach, Josh Henretig, Ryland Engelhart, and more talk about the possibilities of science, agriculture, and technology for the future of sustainability.
Alfalfa, Queen of Forages: Reconquering the Grasslands of Inner Mongolia
Alfalfa, “queen of forages,” a high-yielding crop with high nutritional quality, could make a big difference in the lives of the rural folk that carve out a living in Inner Mongolia.
Wisconsin Nonprofit Re-Imagines Traditional CSAs
“[Our] goal is to grow a resilient local food community for organic farms,” says Layne Cozzolino, Executive Director of Farmshed, the nonprofit putting a spin on Wisconsin CSAs.
The Growing Case for Returning to Cover Crops and Small Grains in the Midwest
While baby steps such as cover cropping are getting the Midwest closer to protecting their water and soil, more needs to be done to revive soil and water health.
A Woman’s Place: Voices from the Field
When the National Young Farmers Coalition (NYFC) surveyed more than 3,500 farmers under 40 in 2017, 60 percent of the farmer respondents were women. And in 2012, the USDA Census of Agriculture found that 14 percent of principal farm operators were women, a nearly 300 percent increase since 1978, when it began counting women as farmers.
The Fate of a USDA Program That Helps Small Farms Survive Is Uncertain
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.
“Know That We’re Interconnected” In Fighting Farmer Poverty, Says Theyer
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?
A Global Solution to Post-Harvest Food Loss
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 families and communities.
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.
