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.
Agriculture
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.
Optimizing Information Provision for Smallholder Farmers
Dr. Christian Andres discusses how information delivery can be optimized for smallholder farmers.
Protecting the World’s Largest Rice Collection
“With this collection safely conserved, we can continue to use it to develop improved rice varieties that farmers can use to respond to the challenges in rice production, and to adapt to the changing tastes and preferences of consumers everywhere.”
New Report Analyzes Success of Agricultural Policies for Development
Over 45 years, the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) tracked indicators in 117 countries to understand which policies benefitted agriculture and development. Now, their groundbreaking report has found that successful agricultural transformation in a country depends on the quantity and quality of land available, existing demographic pressures, and implementation of a mix of appropriate policies.
Oxfam America: “Hunger Is About Power”
Food Tank had the opportunity to talk with Abby Maxman, President of Oxfam America about the right to food and lasting solutions to some of the world’s most pressing challenges, such as climate change and gender inequality.
Who Will Feed the Future?
These farmers, photographed by world-renowned photographers, upend the dominant story that industrial agriculture—dependent on synthetic nitrogen fertilizer, pesticides, and drug cocktails in animal operations—is key to feeding a growing world population.
Flavor For All by Democratizing Better Seeds
On Food Talk, Dan Barber is breaking conventional plant-breeding wisdom: seeds can be bred to have great flavor, better nutrition, and high yield.
Aquaculture Improves the Livelihoods of Disabled Farmers in South Africa
INMED has received a grant from USAID for expanding its Adaptive Agriculture program. INMED will improve the livelihoods of farmers with disabilities through updating and installing aquaponics systems in Free State, South Africa.
Agricultural Intelligence: What AI Can Do for Smallholder Farmers
Farmers have always been natural data scientists, conducting experiments and collecting data in their fields. Now, with the advent of Big Data, there are new opportunities to create information systems like the CGIAR Platform for Big Data in Agriculture that can make farming more efficient, profitable, and sustainable.
